Cupcakes

The BEST Vanilla Cupcakes

Easy, vanilla cupcakes, made using just one bowl!  I am always on the hunt for the “perfect” made-from-scratch cupcake, and this one is my winner.  Perfectly moist and they rise beautifully while baking, plus this recipe uses only ONE bowl and makes over two dozen cupcakes!

I was so happy with how these cupcakes turned out, I just couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you!  The addition of sour cream, butter and cream make these vanilla cupcakes moist and full of flavor.  Because these are are vanilla, you definitely need to use a high quality vanilla extract.  Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract is my vanilla of choice!

On a side note, is it just me that just swoons over the smell of vanilla extract?  I wish I could wear it as perfume hahaha.  Anyways…back to cupcakes.  Throw that box mix away and make these.  SO WORTH IT!

The BEST Vanilla Cupcakes

Print Recipe
Serves: 30 cupcakes Cooking Time: 18-20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I used Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla)
  • 2 cups white granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
  • 3-1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 350-degrees and line two cupcake tins with 24 cupcake liners. Set aside. In the bowl of your mixer affixed with the paddle attachment, add the butter, vanilla extract and sugar. Cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at time, mixing each egg in completely before adding the second, third and fourth eggs.

2

Change the mixer to low speed and mix in the sour cream and heavy cream. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, mixing until barely incorporated into the wet ingredients. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber scraper to ensure all ingredients are fully incorporated. Do not over mix!

3

Fill cupcake liners 1/2 full with cupcake batter and bake one cupcake tin at a time, in 350-degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

4

Remove baked cupcakes from oven and as soon as they are cool enough to touch, transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before frosting.

5

I frosted my cupcakes my PERFECT Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (see link below).

Naked Vanilla Cupcakes….now it’s time to whip a batch of my buttercream frosting.  People seriously go ga-ga over this frosting.

You can add a little food dye to your frosting, to fit your theme, or leave the frosting white.  Your choice!!  I added a little turquoise gel dye to my frosting because these cupcakes were actually made for my nieces mermaid themed birthday party!!  I created a fun mix of sprinkles to go on top too.

And I made some fun mermaid themed fondant pieces to top my cupcakes with.  My homemade fondant is always a hit too!  It’s seriously easy to make and tastes SO much better than store bought!  To make my starfish/seashell fondant topper, I dyed my fondant brown, cut the shapes out, brushed the top with corn syrup and then sprinkled a mix of graham cracker crumbs and gold sprinkles on top to give the shells a sandy looking texture.

The finished product!  My Vanilla Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes and Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!!

Happy baking my friends!  If you make this recipe I would love for you to come back and leave a comment telling me what you thought!  And please PIN and share on Facebook!!  Sharing helps keep this blog running 🙂

XOXO,

Kelly

Want to receive new blog posts via email?  Send me an email at kellymikolich@comcast.net and I will add you to my subscribers list!!

 

January 7, 2020 By
6
About

I am a self taught baker that enjoys baking from scratch and learning the science behind baking in order to create new recipes! I started this blog so I could share with you the yummy recipes I am making in my kitchen, but also to have some fun and laughs along the way!

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6 Comments

  • Reply
    Kim Lange
    January 8, 2020 at 1:02 PM

    These vanilla cupcakes look so dreamy! I just pre-ordered your new book this morning! Can’t wait to see it! 🙂 Pinning!

    • Reply
      Kelly
      January 16, 2020 at 11:38 AM

      Thank you!!! And thank you for pre-ordering my book! You are AWESOME! LOVE YOU MY FRIEND!! XOXO

  • Reply
    Katherine | Love In My Oven
    January 9, 2020 at 9:17 PM

    So pretty, Kelly! Vanilla cupcakes are such a classic. My kiddo adores them! I wish we had a few of these in front of us right now, complete with sprinkles!!

    • Reply
      Kelly
      January 16, 2020 at 11:39 AM

      Thank you Katherine! Cupcakes are always a yummy dessert!! XOXO

  • Reply
    Amy
    January 11, 2020 at 9:25 AM

    These cupcakes are so cute! I love making things from scratch sometimes. It gives me a sense of accomplishment that making things from a box does not.

    • Reply
      Kelly
      January 16, 2020 at 11:40 AM

      Exactly! And not any harder to make them from scratch either!! Plus it always impresses people when you tell them they were made from scratch heheh 🙂

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