Best Moist Vanilla Cupcakes

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With a melt-in-your-mouth vanilla cake base and a delightful creamy vanilla buttercream, these are undoubtedly the best moist vanilla cupcakes you will ever get your hands on!

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 341kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes

150 g Granulated sugar
113 Unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Egg at room temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
120 g Whole milk at room temperature
185 g All purpose flour
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon White vinegar
½ teaspoon Baking soda

American Buttercream

226 g Unsalted butter 82% fat content European-style butter, use it softened
360 g Powdered sugar sifted
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Heavy cream 36% fat content

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Vanilla Cupcakes

Prepare your cupcake tin by lining it with muffin liners and preheat your oven to 175℃ / 350℉ (no fan).
In a large bowl, cream the room-temperature butter and sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Then, whip in the room-temperature eggs one by one, and finally, mix in the vanilla extract.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. This is your dry ingredients. Reduce the mixer speed to low speed and add the dry ingredients in thirds alternating with the room temperature milk. Do not overmix the batter at this point.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar with the baking soda. It will be super bubbly. Then, immediately fold the vinegar mixture into the batter just until it's combined.
Pipe or spoon the batter evenly into the cavities of your cupcake tin, filling each one about ¾ full.
Bake the cupcake for about 20-22 minutes at 175℃ / 350℉ or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake them, as they can dry out. Cool the baked cupcakes on a cooling rack. They must be at room temperature before frosting.

Vanilla American Buttercream Frosting

Cream the room-temperature butter at medium-high speed for 3 minutes until it becomes light in color and fluffy in texture.
Add in the powdered sugar tablespoon by tablespoon on low speed, then turn the mixer back on medium-high speed and whip it for another 4 minutes or until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and increases in volume.
Lastly, add the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream and continue whipping for another minute until it is smooth and silky.
The frosting should have the perfect pipeable fluffy texture. If, for some reason, it is too thick, add some more cream (1 tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1 tablespoons at a time).

Assembling

Once the cupcakes are cooled to room temperature, pipe the buttercream frosting on each cupcake, I am using Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.
Serve the cupcakes fresh. Any leftovers can be stored covered and refrigerated for 1-2 days. Bring them back to room temperature before serving for the frosting to soften.

Notes

Ingredient notes:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
All cupcake ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, butter, and milk.
Use good quality high-fat (82%) butter for making buttercream and cupcakes.
Alternatively, the recipe can be made with high-fat vegan butter and vegan milk and cream. However, the taste will be different vs using dairy products.
It is key to use high-quality vanilla for the best flavor. Feel free to try my homemade vanilla extract.

Technique notes:

The baking soda and vinegar mixture is my signature baking hack for making cupcakes super moist and fluffy; do not skip it.
Baking these cupcakes takes 22 minutes in my oven. However, you should focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid overbaked cupcakes. Do not overbake them, as that will result in a dry texture.
The temperature and texture of the butter are key when making buttercream. Wait until it is soft. However, avoid last-minute microwaving.
When adding the powdered sugar, reduce the speed of the mixer to avoid creating a huge powdered sugar cloud.
I recommend the paddle attachment to avoid unnecessary air bubbles. Mix the cream at the end by hand with a rubber spatula for a few minutes to get your buttercream fully silky, without air bubbles.
Note that the buttercream texture is best straight after making it when the butter is at the right temperature (room temperature) and the mixture is freshly whipped. I like to use the frosting immediately or store it at room temperature in a piping bag for a few hours. If stored in the refrigerator, you will need to bring it back to room temperature before using it and might need to give it another minute or two to whip in the stand mixer to increase the volume again.

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