Ah, cupcakes—the perfect little portable cake! 🧁 Let’s start with a classic, fluffy vanilla cupcake recipe and then I’ll give some tips for variations and decorating.
Classic Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients (makes 12)
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1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
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1 ¼ tsp baking powder
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¼ tsp salt
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½ cup unsalted butter, softened
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¾ cup granulated sugar
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2 large eggs
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2 tsp vanilla extract
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½ cup milk
Instructions
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Preheat oven: 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
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Mix dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
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Cream butter and sugar: In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add eggs and vanilla: Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract.
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Combine wet and dry: Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with dry. Mix until just combined—don’t overmix.
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Fill cupcake liners: Divide batter evenly among the 12 liners (~⅔ full).
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Bake: 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
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Cool: Let cupcakes cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Frosting Ideas
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Classic buttercream: Butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla.
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Cream cheese frosting: Cream cheese + butter + powdered sugar + vanilla.
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Chocolate ganache: Heavy cream + chopped chocolate, warmed until smooth.
Tips for Perfect Cupcakes
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Room temperature ingredients = smoother batter.
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Don’t overfill liners—batter rises a lot.
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Cool completely before frosting to avoid melting.
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Customize: Add sprinkles, cocoa, lemon zest, or fruit to the batter for fun variations.
If you want, I can give a “secret ultra-fluffy cupcake trick” that makes cupcakes almost cloud-like—better than most bakery cupcakes.