Vanilla Cupcakes

When it comes to choosing a cupcake, are you team chocolate or vanilla? Honestly, it’s hard to decide, because they’re both so good in different ways. I recently shared my high altitude tested recipe for chocolate cupcakes, and these high altitude vanilla cupcakes were next on my list. And as much as I love chocolate, these vanilla cupcakes are pretty hard to resist. They’re impossibly soft, tender and moist, topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream. It’s pretty much the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe for all special occasions!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick and Easy to Make. The vanilla cupcake batter comes together really fast, with just a bowl and whisk. A Perfect Cupcake Recipe. These are a great base recipe for all kinds of other flavors. Fill them with strawberry jam and top them with fluffy strawberry buttercream. Add almond extract for a delicious almond cupcake. Fill them with chocolate ganache, and frost them with rich chocolate frosting. The possibilities are endless! Perfected for High Altitude. I develop all of my recipes for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet, so that other mountain bakers can bake with confidence at high altitude.

Ingredients

 

Cupcakes

• 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp cake flour
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ½ cup melted butter or vegetable oil
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

 

Buttercream

• 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ tbsp meringue powder (optional)
• ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tbsp milk or cream, only if needed

 

Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line your muffin pan/s with 15 paper liners.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, then whisk until everything is well distributed.
• Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk just until combined.
• Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling them no more than 2/3 – 3/4 full.
• Bake the cupcakes on the center oven rack for about 18 minutes, until the centers of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched, or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool the cupcakes in the pans for several minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

 

Buttercream

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer running on low, add the powdered sugar mixture by spoonfuls to the butter, mixing just until combined. The buttercream will be clumpy at this point.
• Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium. Whip the buttercream for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl several times, until very light and fluffy, adding the milk only as needed for desired consistency.
• Spread or pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes.