Categorized:

  • Cake & Cupcakes
  • Desserts

Tagged:

  • butter
  • buttermilk
  • cake flour
  • eggs
  • flour
  • heavy cream
  • milk
  • powdered sugar
  • sugar
  • vanilla extract
Photo of three vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. - 1

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup (86 g) cake flour (scoop and level to measure)
  • 2/3 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp (heaping) salt
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, brought to room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, brought to room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) whole milk, brought to room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) buttermilk, brought to room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, brought to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (56 g) salted butter, brought to room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups (270 g) powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard size muffin pan with paper liners, set aside.
  • In a medium mixing bowl whisk together cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer) cream together sugar and butter on low speed until combined then increase to high speed and whip until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down bowl.
  • Add 1 egg and mix until blended, then mix in second egg and vanilla. Scrape down bowl.
  • Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Add milk and mix just until combined. Add another 1/3 flour mixture, mix. Add buttermilk, mix. Finish by mixing in last 1/3 of the flour mixture.
  • Remove bowl from stand mixer and scrape bowl and gently fold mixture to ensure ingredients are evenly incorporated.
  • Divide batter among prepared muffin cups filling each about 2/3 full.
  • Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 17 to 22 minutes.
  • Let cool in pan for just a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.*
  • For the frosting: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer (or using a hand mixer and a mixing bowl) cream together 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/4 cup salted butter until pale and fluffy.
  • Add powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract and whip until very pale and fluffy (its fluffiness should start to remind you of whipped cream). Frost over cooled cupcakes.

Notes

  • *For best results use a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients for most accuracy and consistent results. I like this one here .
  • **I like to cool on wire rack about 30 minutes then transfer to an airtight container to finish cooling so they don’t dry.
  • I used Ateco 827 tip to frost those pictured here. If you want a lot of frosting like what is pictured use 1.5 times the recipe (if you have a super sweet tooth).

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