![\"interior](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Best-Vanilla-Cupcakes-04.jpg\" "\\"Best")
Along with my chocolate cupcakes<\/strong><\/a>, this recipe is one that I am most proud of on the site. I spent a year developing and testing it with the help of 50 test bakers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n UPDATE:<\/strong> This recipe was highlighted by Kitchn as the best vanilla cupcake in a head-to-head competition<\/a> with three of its amazing peers. Read their article to learn all about why this recipe took the crown – and check out their test of chocolate cupcakes<\/a>, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n There are a few ingredients that set these cupcakes apart:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use any mild vegetable oil for this recipe.<\/strong> I’ve used canola oil, generic vegetable oil, and safflower oil. While I love using flavored oils in baking, keep in mind that they will change the flavor of the recipe. You can experiment with using non-neutral oils and try baking with pistachio oil, for example, to get a totally different taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I am a huge fan of vanilla bean paste<\/strong><\/a>, I have not noticed any improvement to the cupcakes when I use it in the batter. Use normal vanilla extract here<\/strong> and save the expensive paste for your buttercream<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re a beginner baker, stop here and first take a minute to read my post on how to make cupcakes<\/strong><\/a>. It covers some of the basics and offers up a lot of tips. I also recommend that you get yourself some essential baking tools<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Preheat your oven to 350 F before beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, scrape the inside of a vanilla bean (the seeds) into sugar and thoroughly mix everything up. Using this vanilla sugar will give the cupcakes a strong flavor and you’ll end up with visually appealing vanilla bean specks all over!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Whisk together the vanilla sugar with the rest of the dry ingredients<\/strong> (cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use an electric hand mixer or even mix by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip:<\/span><\/strong> If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute all-purpose flour in equal amounts; the cupcakes will end up a little bit denser. Cake flour is a finely milled delicate flour and it is best for desserts that are lighter and airier.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Mix in the butter.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl<\/strong>. These include sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.<\/p>\n\n\n Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip:<\/span><\/strong> It’s very important to not over-mix the batter at this point. Mix until just combined. A cupcake with an over-mixed batter will end up squat and dense – something you definitely don’t want here.<\/b> (See my post on overmixing cake batter<\/strong><\/a> for more information.)<\/p>\n\n\n Add milk to the batter<\/strong>, again mixing until just combined. This cupcake batter is very thin – almost liquid<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip:<\/span><\/strong> While whole milk will provide the richest flavor, any milk you have in the house will work fine.<\/p>\n\n\n Fill liners just over halfway full<\/strong>. The easiest way to fill the liners is with an ice cream scoop.<\/p>\n\n\n Bake for 14 minutes or until done. You can check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a cupcake; it should come out dry to indicate doneness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remove the cupcakes from the tins immediately<\/strong> and set on the counter or a cooling rack to cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Always make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help them to better incorporate into the batter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because everyone’s oven is just a bit different and your liners may be a slightly different size than mine, I highly recommend that you bake a test cupcake before baking your whole batch of vanilla cupcakes. Read my FAQ on filling liners<\/strong><\/a> to learn all about how and why you should do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can frost these with any frosting<\/strong><\/a> that you choose. Here are some of my suggestions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip:<\/span><\/strong> Top with maraschino cherries<\/strong><\/a> or Luxardo cherries<\/strong><\/a> for the perfect iconic look!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep cooled, frosted cupcakes in large Tupperware-style airtight containers. Food safety experts recommend that anything frosted with whipped cream, buttercream, cream cheese, or ganache should be refrigerated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While I always keep cupcakes frosted with whipped cream or ganache in the refrigerator, I often keep my buttercream and cream cheese cupcakes on the counter. Do so at your own risk.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you know you’ll need to store your cupcakes for more than 3-4 days, these can be frozen without a problem<\/strong>. If you want to use whipped cream frosting, do not frost them until after removing from the freezer; other types of frosting can be frozen right on top of them. Also, be sure to store these in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Always return cupcakes to room temperature before serving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike cookie dough, this batter should be thin – almost liquid – to yield a light end result. I thin out the batter in this recipe with whole milk.<\/p>
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Yes; I do this all of the time and they’ll still taste great!<\/p>
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I don’t find that the paste adds as much flavor as the bean. If you don’t have a bean, I suggest leaving it off and sticking with the recipe as written.<\/p>
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Yes! The cupcakes will just be slightly more dense.<\/p>
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Grease-proof liners are the only ones that will hold their design and color when baked. Confectionery House makes some of my favorite liners<\/a>.<\/p>
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Be careful not to overmix the batter<\/strong><\/a>. That can cause gumminess.<\/p>
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You can easily convert this recipe to mini cupcakes<\/strong><\/a>. You will end up with about twice as many. The bake time will reduce to about 10 minutes.Ingredients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Notes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How It’s Made<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Scraping](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/vlcsnap-2018-09-11-21h11m12s123.jpg\")
![\"Whisking](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Banana-Oatmeal-Chocolate-Chip-Muffins-01.jpg\")
![\"Adding](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/06\/Strawberry-Cupcakes-and-Frostings-06.jpg\")
![\"Whisking](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/06\/Strawberry-Cupcakes-and-Frostings-01.jpg\")
![\"Cupcake](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/06\/Strawberry-Cupcakes-and-Frostings-08.jpg\")
![\"Completed](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/06\/Strawberry-Cupcakes-and-Frostings-10.jpg\")
![\"Using](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/vlcsnap-2019-02-04-09h00m46s192.jpg\")
Expert Tips and FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Baking Tips<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Frosting Ideas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Storage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
FAQs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Related Recipes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Best](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Best-Vanilla-Cupcakes-01.jpg\")
![\"Best](\"https:\/\/cdn.cupcakeproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Best-Vanilla-Cupcakes-01-150x150.jpg\")
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