American
Vanilla Cupcakes
Butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and milk make a plain vanilla cupcake, finished with a simple butter frosting. Cool the cakes completely before you frost them or the frosting will slide off.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Total
- 43 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Creaming butter and sugar traps air, which is what gives the crumb a fine texture.
- Baking powder is the lift, so the batter does not need a fussy folding step.
- Milk thins the batter enough to scoop evenly into the liners.
- The frosting is a butter, sugar, and vanilla mix, so the cupcakes are complete without a second recipe.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- 2
Beat 1/2 cup butter and the sugar until the mixture looks pale and even, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then 2 tsp vanilla.
- 3
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of it to the butter mixture and stir. Stir in the 1/2 cup milk, then the rest of the flour, only until the batter is smooth.
- 4
Divide the batter among the liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
- 5
Bake 16 to 18 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean or with a dry crumb.
- 6
Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack before frosting.
- 7
Beat the remaining 1/2 cup butter until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbsp milk until the frosting is spreadable. Frost the cooled cupcakes.
Pro tips
- Frosting a warm cupcake melts the butter and sends the swirl down the liner. Wait until the cakes are fully cool.
- If the frosting is stiff, add milk a teaspoon at a time. If it is loose, add a spoon of powdered sugar.
- Fill the liners evenly. A packed cup domes and cracks, and a scant cup bakes up dry.
Easy substitutions
- milk in the batter
- buttermilk in the same amount
- vanilla extract in the frosting
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- unsalted butter
- salted butter, and skip the salt in the batter
Storage and reheating
Storage
Keep frosted cupcakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days because of the butter frosting.
Reheating
Do not heat frosted cupcakes. Let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving if they have been in the fridge.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 340
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
Moderate · Oven
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From the kitchen
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
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An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
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A sharp chef’s knife
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A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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