This vanilla cupcake recipe is soft, fluffy, and full of delicious made-from-scratch flavor. It’s easy to make with basic ingredients and versatile enough to use for mini cakes, too.
I love these cupcakes frosted with my Bakery-Style Whipped Icing Recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fluffy and soft: This recipe uses a few simple baking techniques that help create a light, tender crumb.
- Made from scratch with basic ingredients: You don’t need anything complicated. Cake flour is the one specialty ingredient worth keeping in your pantry for this recipe.
- Versatile: Use the same batter for cupcakes or mini cakes, depending on what you’re making.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here's what you need for this easy vanilla cupcake recipe.
Cake Flour- One of the keys to getting a soft, fluffy texture. I don’t recommend substituting all-purpose flour. It has a lower protein content, which means less gluten develops as the batter is mixed.
Baking Powder- gives the batter the lift it needs. If yours has been sitting in the pantry for a long time, it may be worth replacing it.
Shortening- because shortening is 100% fat and doesn’t contain the water that butter does, it helps create a very soft crumb. You can use regular, or butter-flavored shortening.
Sugar-gives the cake good flavor and tenderness without making it overly sweet.
Eggs-give the cake structure, richness, and its yellow color.
Whole Milk- adds moisture and richness.
Vanilla- Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste both work well.
Be sure to watch the video in the recipe card at the bottom of the post to see what the batter should look like at each stage.
How to Get the Best Results
This cake bakes at 350°F on the center rack of the oven.
Before you start, make sure there’s enough space above your cupcake pan for the batter to rise. If you’re baking mini cakes, place the individual pans on a sheet pan before adding the batter. It makes them much easier to move in and out of the oven and rotate if needed.
Use the Basic Creaming Method
This recipe uses a classic creaming method.
You’ll first combine the dry ingredients in one bowl.
Then, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the shortening and sugar together until they look light and creamy. This step helps create tiny pockets of air that help the cake rise and give you a lighter texture.
Next, add the eggs one at a time so they blend evenly into the mixture.
Then add the flour mixture and milk in alternating additions.
Alternating the wet and dry ingredients helps the batter stay smooth and lump free.
Once the flour is incorporated, keep the mixing to a minimum. Overmixing can make the cake taste rubbery and tough.
How Full To Fill Mini Cake and Cupcake Pans
For Cupcakes
A yellow #20 scoop gives you the perfect standard cupcake portion which is about 2 ounces (or 3 tbsp, or just under ¼ cup). This should fill the liner about two-thirds full.
This recipe makes 24 standard cupcakes.
For Mini Cakes
A green #12 scoop gives you the perfect portion which is about 2.8 ounces (or 5 ⅓ Tbsp, or ⅓ cup) into each 6.8 ounce mini cake tin.
This recipe makes 12 mini cakes.
Baking Time and How to Tell When They’re Done
Bake the cupcakes and mini cakes at 350°F.
Cupcakes usually take about 18 to 22 minutes. Mini cakes are generally in a similar range, but your exact baking time will depend on the pan, fill level, and oven.
The tops should look set and spring back lightly when touched. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Once the cupcakes come out of the oven, let them cool in the pan just until they’re comfortable to handle.
Then lift them out of the cupcake pan and move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
How to Keep Vanilla Cake Soft and Moist
The soft texture of this recipe comes from a few things working together.
Cake flour keeps the crumb tender. Shortening helps the cake stay soft. And the creaming method adds air to the batter before baking.
After that, the biggest things you can control are mixing and baking time.
Once the flour goes into the batter, mix only as much as you need to bring everything together. Then keep an eye on the cakes in the oven and remove them as soon as they’re done.
Can You Make Cupcakes Ahead of Time?
Yes, and this is one of the reasons I like this recipe for larger baking projects.
If you’re making cupcakes for a wedding, party, market, or any event where you have a lot to bake, you don’t have to do everything on the same day.
Making the Cupcake Batter Ahead
You can make the cupcake batter up to a day ahead.
Cover the bowl well and refrigerate the batter overnight. When you’re ready to bake, give it a gentle stir and portion it into your cupcake liners or mini cake pans.
Baking Cupcakes One Day and Decorating the Next
This is how I plan my day when I am baking for a big event.
Bake the cupcakes, let them cool completely on a wire rack, and then transfer them to an airtight container.
I like using a sheet pan with a fitted sheet pan lid because it stacks nicely if you’re storing several trays.
Here to the sheet pan cover I use.
If you plan to decorate the next day, no need to refrigerate the cupcakes. Just keep them covered until you’re ready to decorate them the next day.
Freezing Unfrosted Cupcakes
You can also freeze unfrosted cupcakes.
Once they’re completely cool, place them in an airtight container. Cupcakes can be frozen for 1-2 months without affecting the flavor.
When you’re ready to decorate, remove the cupcakes from the freezer and let them thaw while still covered. This helps prevent condensation.Frost as usual.
Storing and Freezing Mini Cakes
Mini cakes are even easier to store because the individual pans can be covered with their own lids.
Once the cakes are cool, add the lids and refrigerate or freeze them until you’re ready to decorate.
Can You Freeze Decorated Cupcakes and Mini Cakes?
Fully decorated cupcakes and mini cakes can be frozen.
Place them in a container tall enough to protect the frosting and freeze until firm. Keeping them in stackable covered trays makes this much easier when you’re preparing for a large event.
Keep in mind that sprinkles and toppings may change texture after freezing. For an in-depth tutorial on How to Store Frosted Cupcakes, click here.
Best Frosting for Vanilla Cupcakes
Here are three of my favorite options:
Shelf Stable Buttercream Frosting
Moist Vanilla Cupcake and Mini Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour 230 g
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder 9 g
- 1 teaspoon salt 7 g
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 385 g
- ½ cup shortening 95 g
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk 500 ml
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Preheat the oven and prepare your pans.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners for cupcakes. For mini cakes, place the 6.8-ounce pans on a sheet pan so they’re easy to move in and out of the oven.
Combine the dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set the bowl aside. For the most accurate results, I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the cake flour so you don’t accidentally add too much flour.
Cream the shortening and sugar.
- Add the shortening and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the shortening and sugar are well combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla
- Add the vanilla to the eggs and add one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed so everything mixes evenly. Room temperature ingredients will blend together more smoothly.
Alternate the flour and milk.
- Turn the mixer to low speed. Add about one-third of the flour mixture and mix just until it begins to disappear. Add about half of the milk and mix briefly. Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining milk, and then the final portion of flour. Mixing the dry and wet ingredients this way helps keep the batter smooth without overmixing.
Portion the batter.
- For cupcakes: A yellow #20 scoop gives you the perfect portion which is about 2 ounces of batter into each standard cupcake liner. This should fill the liner about two-thirds full. For mini cakes, portion about ⅓ cup of batter into each 6.8-ounce pan.
- Bake until the cakes are just done.
- Bake the cupcakes or mini cakes in the center of the oven. Cupcakes will usually take about 20 to 22 minutes. Begin checking them near the lower end of the baking time. The tops should look set and not sticky when touched. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool the cakes properly.
- Let the cupcakes sit in the muffin pan just until they’re cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Then remove them from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. Mini cakes can cool in their pans on the sheet pan.
Frost or store.
- Make sure the cupcakes and mini cakes are completely cool before frosting or filling.
Notes
- For cupcakes, a yellow #20 scoop gives you the perfect portion which is about 2 ounces of batter into each standard cupcake liner.
- For mini cakes, start with about ⅓ cup of batter per tin. The mini loaf tins I use are about 6 ½ inches long and 1.2 inches high. I like to use this large cookie scoop to portion the mini-cake batter.
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