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These Moist Vanilla Cupcakes are super easy to make and so moist – for days! They are my new favorite vanilla cupcake!
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Moist Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I’d be bringing you some new basic favorites and I started with my easy moist chocolate cake. Today, we are talking about these moist vanilla cupcakes and I’m pumped! One of the things that I’m always messing with is vanilla cake/cupcakes. It’s the never ending quest for all the best versions. I’m a believer that if you don’t have a good vanilla cake, you have NOTHING! 🙂 Ok, dramatic, but it’s like the “tell”. If you don’t have a good vanilla, can anything else really be that good? There are so many ways to vary a vanilla cake and I want the best of all of them! I’m greedy like that. Plus, I know not every has the same idea of the perfect cupcake, so I like to have options.
You may or may not have tried my original vanilla cupcakes. They are loved by many and were my favorite for some time. I still remember the batches upon batches of cupcakes I made while testing those and the fabulous friends that lined them up and tasted tested them all to help me find the best one. If you haven’t tried them, they are worth checking out. But while I still love them, these are my new fave. Sorry “OG cupcake”, there’s a new star in town. 😉
So let’s talk a bit about these cupcake. There’s no need for creaming to get involved, which is kind of a plus. Creaming butter and sugar together makes quite a fabulous cupcake, but sometimes you just want quick and easy and to barely even need to use a mixer. I mean, basically like a box mix but not, you know? These are those cupcakes. The “OG cupcake” was that way too, but used butter and were a little denser. These cupcakes use oil and are lighter.
We’ve got the usual suspects in this cupcake, starting with the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Easy, common ingredients that you should totally have in your pantry already. Mix ’em all together and set ’em aside.
Next are the wet ingredients: milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs. The oil is the fat component instead of butter and in my opinion, tends to make a more moist cake that stays moist for longer. Totally true for these cupcakes. The milk (I typically use 2%) adds to the structure of the cake, in addition to adding moisture. Milk adds fluff and I love some fluff. 🙂 I used a full tablespoon of vanilla extract to make sure there’s plenty of delicious vanilla flavor. Then the eggs add more moisture, structure and flavor. I switched it up in these and went with whole eggs instead of egg whites. No more egg yolks getting wasted here!
Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, the water is added.
There’s so much moisture in these cupcakes! I love them! I’m a big, big fan of their ease of making, their flavor and moisture. They use such simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry too – score! When topped with my favorite vanilla buttercream, these vanilla cupcakes really are a dream! They were a big hit in our house and I hope you love them as much as we did!
Watch How To Make These
Read Transcript
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Moist Vanilla Cake
Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cake
Perfect Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes
Easy Moist Chocolate Cake
NOTE: Some people have reported having trouble with this recipe, while others love it. I have no idea why some people have trouble. There could be any number of factors – improper measuring of ingredients, oven type, altitude, etc. I have never had an issue with these and cannot troubleshoot a problem that I cannot recreate. If you’d prefer a more traditional vanilla cupcake that uses butter and a little bit of oil, as well as the creaming method, and seems to be less finicky for people, try out these Easy Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes. They are currently my favorite vanilla cupcake.
PrintMoist Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24-26 Cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with oil instead of butter, this Moist Vanilla Cupcake Recipe makes cupcakes with a light, tender crumb that’s super moist without being dense or heavy. The batter comes together in just a few minutes, making these an easy dessert to whip up anytime.
Ingredients
VANILLA CUPCAKES
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder (NOT baking soda)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) water*
VANILLA FROSTING
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30-45ml) water or milk
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
- Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Please note that the batter will be very thin.
- Fill the cupcake liners about half way and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of water or milk and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining water or milk, as needed, and salt and mix until smooth.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844.
Notes
If you’d prefer a more traditional vanilla cupcake that uses butter instead of oil, and the creaming method, try out these Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes.
*Some people report having issues with these cupcakes. If that happens to you, could try leaving out the water entirely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 31 g
- Sodium: 129.2 mg
- Fat: 12.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 25.1 mg
Enjoy!
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This is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe! Can these be made a couple days ahead of time and then frosted and served?
Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoy them! I usually make them the day before a serve them. Two days should be ok, but I probably wouldn’t stretch it longer than that.
Delicious!!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Could I just put cocoa powder in these and make chocolate cupcakes?
No, I recommend these chocolate cupcakes.
This recipe is delicious! It is always my go to vanilla cupcake recipe! It is so moist and cakey! SO GOOOOOOOD! I LOVE this recipe!
I absolutely love this recipe! It tastes so delicious and moist! Stays good for a while!
SO GOOOOOOOOD!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Looking forward to making these cupcakes. Does milk have to be room temperature??
It will be fine either way. I hope you enjoy them!
Has anyone doubled this recipe and have enough buttercream to cover 48 cupcakes?
It really depends on how much buttercream and use on each cupcake. If you like it high like in the pictures, you may need a little more.
Can I use this recipe to make a cake as well?
Yes, you can. I used it as the layers of this cake, if you’d like to refer to that.
I keep this recipe on hand at all times!! They always come out so moist and everyone LOVES them!! ❤️ Thank you Lindsay
So glad to hear that!
Lindsay,
If I wanted to make some chocolate cupcakes with this recipe, what would i add? Cocoa power? or do you have a separate recipe for these?
You can find the chocolate cupcakes recipe here.
This recipe is seriously the best, I’ve been using it for years! And when I make cupcakes for an event, it never fails that someone asks me for the recipe! So good and thank you for this!
My question is in regard to freezing- what is a safe amount of time in advance to make these and freeze them in order for them to still be “fresh”? Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you enjoy the cupcakes! As for freezing, the general rule of thumb is about 3 months, if they are wrapped/stored well. I haven’t specifically tested them, but they should be fine. Of course, the less time, the more “fresh” they will probably be.
I have used your vanilla cupcake recipe many times with great success. I want to make mini cupcakes. How many do you think this recipe will yield?
You should get about twice the number of minis, so about 48 or so, I think.
This is a really bad recipe the cupcakes are pale and un cooked they are not fluffy I don’t recommend doing these😔
Hello! I only have self raising flour on hand at the moment, how would I use this instead of AP flour? Would I need to add anything or leave anything out?
Thank you!
I don’t know. I don’t really bake with self rising flour.
I love this recipe so much. It was so easy even for me and im only 14🤭will definitely use it again
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you for this recipe for vanilla cupcakes. This is my go to recipe for whenever there’s a birthday or just as a special treat for my grandchildren as they love cupcakes.
I’m so glad you enjoy them!
I love this recipe it is my go to for vanilla cupcakes. I substitute regular flour for gluten free flour and people love them