Name: Vanilla Cupcake Recipe for Soft and Fluffy White Cupcakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups cake flour; 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar; 4 large egg whites, room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

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When I first started baking cupcakes, I thought they were just tiny cakes with icing on top. But once you make a good vanilla cupcake recipe, you realize they’re much more. They’re a hug in a paper liner, a promise of sweetness, and the kind of dessert that shows up everywhere from birthday parties to wedding receptions. This version is my go-to because it delivers tender, fluffy cupcakes every single time. If you’ve ever hunted down a wedding cake cupcakes recipe that could double as a white cupcake recipe for a casual gathering, this one’s for you. The batter is simple, the texture is soft, and the taste is classic vanilla. Some folks say you can’t beat a vanilla cupcakes recipe when it’s done right, and I agree. These come close to the perfect cupcake recipe you’d hope for when you pull out the mixer. Pair these little cakes with a white cake frosting recipe, and suddenly you’re in white velvet cake recipe territory. The kind of cupcakes that make people ask if you bought them from a fancy bakery. But no—you made them, and they’re every bit as good, if not better.

1) Key Takeaways
2) Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
3) Ingredients for Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
4) How to Make Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
5) Tips for Making Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
6) Making Vanilla Cupcake Recipe Ahead of Time
7) Storing Leftover Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
8) Try these Dessert next!
9) Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
10) Nutrition

1) Key Takeaways

Soft and fluffy cupcakes that stay moist and tender.
A Vanilla Cupcake Recipe that works for weddings, birthdays, or any gathering.
Simple ingredients used in a classic way for reliable results.
Perfect base for white frosting, fillings, or decorations.

2) Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

I’ve baked more cupcakes than I can count, but this Vanilla Cupcake Recipe is the one I keep coming back to. The first time I made it, I thought it might be like every other recipe online. But the batter came together so smoothly, and the cupcakes rose so evenly, I knew I had something reliable.

When you’re preparing for a wedding, or maybe just baking for a casual get together, you want a recipe that won’t let you down. These cupcakes give you that safety net. They taste simple yet elegant, the kind of white cupcake recipe that fits both fancy occasions and lazy Saturday cravings.

I like how these cupcakes carry vanilla flavor without feeling too sweet. They remind me of a white velvet cake recipe but lighter and easier to whip up. You’ll see why I call this my perfect cupcake recipe when you take that first bite.

3) Ingredients for Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Cake Flour: This makes the crumb soft and delicate, which is why it’s my favorite choice for cupcakes. All purpose flour works too, but cake flour gives you that fine texture you expect from bakery style cupcakes.

Baking Powder: The lift that makes cupcakes rise tall and fluffy. Without it, you’ll have dense little cakes, and nobody wants that when chasing the perfect cupcake recipe.

Salt: Just enough to balance the sweetness. A tiny pinch sharpens the flavor and keeps the cupcakes from tasting flat.

Butter: Room temperature butter whips beautifully with sugar. It creates air pockets that give the cupcakes lightness. Skip cold butter here, it just won’t cream the same way.

Sugar: White granulated sugar blends smoothly with butter and gives the cupcakes their classic sweetness. I’ve tried brown sugar, but the flavor isn’t as pure for this white cupcake recipe.

Egg Whites: They keep the color light and the texture fluffy. I like how they mimic the tenderness of a wedding cake cupcakes recipe without making the batter heavy.

Vanilla Extract: The soul of this recipe. Use the good stuff if you can because it’s what makes a vanilla cupcakes recipe shine.

Milk: Whole milk gives the batter richness and helps blend everything together smoothly.

4) How to Make Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set up your muffin tin with paper liners. This always feels like setting the stage before the performance.

Step 2. In a medium bowl, whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt. It’s quick work but mixing them now saves you from uneven cupcakes later.

Step 3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. I always say this step is like whipping air into your future cupcakes.

Step 4. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each. It feels like a slow dance, but this is how you keep the batter smooth.

Step 5. Stir in vanilla extract, the star flavor of this recipe.

Step 6. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk, starting and ending with the dry mix. This keeps the batter balanced and not overworked.

Step 7. Divide the batter evenly among liners. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Step 8. Let them cool before frosting. Patience pays off here because frosting warm cupcakes only ends in a messy slide.

5) Tips for Making Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

One thing I’ve learned is that room temperature ingredients matter. Cold butter or eggs straight from the fridge will leave you with lumpy batter. That’s a mistake I made when I rushed through a white cake frosting recipe once, and I’ve never repeated it.

Measure your flour correctly. I used to scoop straight from the bag, which packed in too much. Now I spoon it into the cup and level it off. The difference in texture is huge, and it might be the detail that separates a flat cupcake from a bakery style one.

Finally, don’t overmix. Once the flour disappears, stop stirring. Overmixing beats out the air you worked so hard to create earlier, and the cupcakes lose that soft bite that makes them special.

6) Making Vanilla Cupcake Recipe Ahead of Time

I like making these cupcakes a day before a party. They hold up well and taste even better once the flavors settle. If I’m baking for a wedding, I’ll store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container overnight, then frost them the next day with fresh buttercream.

You can even freeze them. Wrap cooled cupcakes tightly and freeze for up to two months. When you need them, let them thaw at room temperature, and they’ll be as soft as the day you baked them.

This trick has saved me more than once when I had a white velvet cake recipe on my list but ran short on time. Cupcakes keep you flexible like that, ready when you need them most.

7) Storing Leftover Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Leftovers don’t last long in my house, but when they do, I keep them in an airtight container on the counter for two days. After that, I slide them into the fridge where they stay fresh for another three days.

If you’ve frosted them with a butter based frosting, they hold up beautifully chilled. For whipped cream frostings, I’d eat them sooner rather than later since the texture changes quickly.

Refrigerated cupcakes taste best if you let them warm up a little before serving. That’s when the vanilla flavor comes through again, making every bite taste just right.

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