Best Vanilla Cupcakes

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This is my absolute favorite vanilla cupcake recipe! It yields light, fluffy, moist cupcakes that dome perfectly, and you can really taste the vanilla in every bite.

While this recipe is used by bakeries all over the world, it is easy enough to make that a beginner can whip up a batch.

interior of the best vanilla cupcake
This is the best cupcake recipe you’ll find for moist and fluffy vanilla cupcakes!

Along with my chocolate cupcakes, 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.

UPDATE: This recipe was highlighted by Kitchn as the best vanilla cupcake in a head-to-head competition 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, too!

Ingredients

There are a few ingredients that set these cupcakes apart:

  • A vanilla bean
    • Using a bean gives the cupcakes a strong vanilla flavor. If you don’t have a bean, you can leave it it off without adjusting any other ingredients. The recipe will still be amazing, just not as strongly-flavored.
  • Both butter and oil
    • Cupcakes that are made with only only oil lack the flavor that butter provides; using only butter, they can end up being too dense and not moist enough. The combination ends up giving a perfect flavor and texture.
  • Sour cream
  • Cake Flour
    • Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour produces a lighter crumb.

Notes

Use any mild vegetable oil for this recipe. 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.

While I am a huge fan of vanilla bean paste, I have not noticed any improvement to the cupcakes when I use it in the batter. Use normal vanilla extract here and save the expensive paste for your buttercream.

How It’s Made

If you’re a beginner baker, stop here and first take a minute to read my post on how to make cupcakes. It covers some of the basics and offers up a lot of tips. I also recommend that you get yourself some essential baking tools.

Preheat your oven to 350 F before beginning.

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!

Scraping a vanilla bean on a cutting board to make vanilla sugar
Using a real vanilla bean adds both flavor and visual appeal to the vanilla cupcakes.

Whisk together the vanilla sugar with the rest of the dry ingredients (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.

Tip: 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.

Whisking dry ingredients together in a glass bowl
Always mix dry ingredients together thoroughly.

Mix in the butter.

Adding unsalted butter to dry ingredients
Using a stand mixer is the easiest way to make the best vanilla cupcakes.

Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. These include sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Whisking eggs, sour cream, and vanilla
These vanilla cupcakes get more moisture and a nice tang from the addition of sour cream.

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Tip: 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. (See my post on overmixing cake batter for more information.)

Cupcake batter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the blade lifted
Mixing until just combined makes vanilla cupcakes rise and dome perfectly.

Add milk to the batter, again mixing until just combined. This cupcake batter is very thin – almost liquid.

Tip: While whole milk will provide the richest flavor, any milk you have in the house will work fine.

Completed cupcake batter
Vanilla cupcakes taste best when the batter is thinned out with whole milk.

Fill liners just over halfway full. The easiest way to fill the liners is with an ice cream scoop.

Using a scoop to fill cupcake liners with batter
Using a dishes guarantees that an even amount of batter goes into every liner – and keeps the mess down!

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.

Remove the cupcakes from the tins immediately and set on the counter or a cooling rack to cool.

Expert Tips and FAQs

Baking Tips

Always make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help them to better incorporate into the batter.

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 to learn all about how and why you should do this.

Frosting Ideas

You can frost these with any frosting that you choose. Here are some of my suggestions:

Tip: Top with maraschino cherries or Luxardo cherries for the perfect iconic look!

Storage

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.

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.

If you know you’ll need to store your cupcakes for more than 3-4 days, these can be frozen without a problem. 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.

Always return cupcakes to room temperature before serving.

FAQs

Why is the batter so thin?

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.

Can I leave out the vanilla bean?

Yes; I do this all of the time and they’ll still taste great!

Can I use vanilla bean paste instead of the vanilla bean?

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.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?

Yes! The cupcakes will just be slightly more dense.

What kind of liners do you recommend?

Grease-proof liners are the only ones that will hold their design and color when baked. Confectionery House makes some of my favorite liners.

Why did these come out a little gummy?

Be careful not to overmix the batter. That can cause gumminess.

Can you make this recipe in other sizes, like as a cake?

You can easily convert this recipe to mini cupcakes. You will end up with about twice as many. The bake time will reduce to about 10 minutes.

If you make these as jumbo cupcakes, you will make half as many and the bake time will increase to about twenty minutes.

This recipe also makes the best cake recipe! You’ll simply need to adjust the baking time. All of the details are in my vanilla cake post.

You can also use this recipe along with your favorite frosting to make cake pops or cake truffles!

Best Vanilla Cupcakes
Vanilla buttercream-frosted cupcakes are perfect, but experiment with all kinds of frosting combinations.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!
Best Vanilla Cupcakes
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4.45 from 709 votes

The Best Vanilla Cupcakes

This is the best vanilla cupcake you will ever have!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 29 minutes
Servings 16 cupcakes
Calories 180kcal
Author Stefani

Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
  • 1/4 cup canola oil you can also use vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract use pure, not imitation
  • 2/3 cup whole milk room temperature

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
  • In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean. (For those of you who are new to using vanilla beans, watch the video in this post to see how it’s done.)
  • Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.
  • Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  • Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
  • Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. It's supposed to be that way.)
  • Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.
  • Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.
  • When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don’t own a cooling rack) to cool.

Video

Notes

  • Use a vanilla bean for the best vanilla flavor. But, you can leave it off and the cupcakes still taste amazing!
  • Use cake flour for a lighter crumb.
  • Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
  • Use room temperature ingredients – everything will mix together more smoothly that way.
  • 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. Fill one liner halfway and see how much it rises during the bake.
I keep cooled, frosted cupcakes in large Tupperware-style containers. Food safety experts recommend that cupcakes with whipped cream, buttercream, cream cheese, or ganache frostings should be refrigerated. 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.
If you know you’ll need to store your cupcakes for more than 3-4 days, these cupcakes can be frozen without a problem. If you are freezing cupcakes with whipped cream frosting, do not frost them until after removing from the freezer; other types of frosting can be frozen right on the vanilla cupcakes. Also, be sure to store the cupcakes in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn.
Always return refrigerated or frozen cupcakes to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 79mg | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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Recipe Rating




734 comments:

  1. Ashleysays:

    4 stars
    Our cupcakes turned out delicious but took a long time to cook because we followed your metric measurement and weighed out 175g of flour. It should have been 218.75 like it is on many of your other recipes (I discovered that while preparing to make another cupcake recipe).

  2. Yenny Novitasays:

    5 stars
    Hi Stef, can i mix the milk together with the egg and sourcream to avoid overmixing? Thank you in advance

    • Stefsays:

      I wouldn’t. It’s best to add it at the end, but don’t worry, you won’t overmix. Just mix until it is combined.

  3. Keresays:

    What size liners do you use?
    For some reason mine have a bit of a dome. What is that?

  4. Bethsays:

    5 stars
    The cupcake is wonderful! I have a question.. I tried to add mini chocolate chips and FAIL! All the chips sank to the bottom and when I peeled off the liner the chips “peeled “ off also and none were in the cake, just left on the liner. I assume it is because the batter is so thin, but do you have any suggestions on adding chocolate chips or crushed Oreos?

  5. Lisasays:

    4 stars
    What can I use instead of cake flour? The UK doesn’t have it in the supermarket

  6. Osmahsays:

    Absolutely delicious can’t get enough were soo yummy.. I’m now making my second batch of these.. Love love love my new go to recipe for vanilla cupcakes ❤️

  7. Noreensays:

    5 stars
    I tried these today as promised,
    They were very good and it’s the only cupcake recipe I will now use.
    I had to bake longer by 3 minutes.
    I used your chocolate frosting instead
    Could not stop eating it lol
    will be using more of your great recipes
    Noreen

  8. Beth Carmeansays:

    5 stars
    This is my new favorite! Used all ingredients as written, they are so tender and so much vanilla. I’ve never used this reverse creaming method, but really loved the results. Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes

  9. Juliesays:

    Could this batter be used for a cake instead?

  10. Ahmad ABD El Salamsays:

    Love you recipes thank you very much
    REGARDS
    AHMAD

    • Betty Astonsays:

      5 stars
      I also need a great recipe for butter cream frosting and other frosting options. Will you do a testing on fristinhs?

  11. Michellesays:

    5 stars
    I followed the recipe exactly and mine came out a bit sticky and I can taste the oil in them more than I would like. When I bite into them they feel a little greasy. What do you recommend to change this ?

    • Stefsays:

      Hmm… I haven’t found this. But, I do an all butter version of these sometimes. Just double the butter and leave off the oil. You might like that version better.

      • Mcsays:

        I just made your vanilla cupcake recipe, and it smells amazing! I can’t wait to try them!! I normally would cream the butter and sugar then add the rest of my ingredients…I found that my batter was too lumpy. All my ingredients were room temperature…I hope I didn’t ruin them…but they smell really good. Lol!

  12. Rebekahsays:

    5 stars
    Absolutely perfect! My usual vanilla cupcakes have all butter and I completely agree that they yield a dense cupcake. The combination of oil and butter is wonderful and they baked perfectly.

  13. Brittany Davissays:

    Fantastic cupcake. Probably the best vanilla cupcake I’ve ever made/tried.

  14. Ellesays:

    5 stars
    Made these for a birthday party and everyone raved. I didn’t have a vanilla bean and just used vanilla extract in the dough. Also used butter flavored crisco for the buttercream and it was great.

  15. Lore Pagansays:

    I was wondering why you don’t cream the butter with the sugar first? It seems weird to me to add the butter to the dry ingredients.

  16. Jen Ksays:

    Really excellent, everyone said was the best cupcake ever! I used lowfat yogurt, all purpose flour & 2% milk, didn’t have a vanilla bean. I followed your instructions & they baked beautifully. Topped with Strawberry Whipped Cream-Delicious! Thaxx!

  17. Ayeshasays:

    Can I make these cupcakes using the conventional creaming method? I’m not a fan of the dense texture reverse creaming makes.

  18. Kerensays:

    Hi there!
    What size liner do you use? I see they have numbers . Pretty standard seems like number 3?

  19. Ydaniasays:

    5 stars
    Thank you very much. This recipe rocks. I’ve been using it for many years, we’ve liked it so much that we repeat it all the time. Your tips are very valuable. This weekend is my son’s birthday and we will try the oreo cupcakes. Looking forward to it!!!

  20. Kerensays:

    Hi there!
    I just made them and I was wondering are they supposed to have a little dome?

  21. Rusays:

    5 stars
    Amazing cupcakes, recipe works every time, moist fluffy cupcakes.

  22. Davidsays:

    5 stars
    Everyone RAVES about these! My go-to vanilla cupcake.

  23. Emilysays:

    5 stars
    This was the best. I changed just a few things but I think the original recipe is amazing. Since the kids wanted chocolate frosting I added cinnamon to the batter along with a splash bit more vanilla since I didn’t have a bean. They were moist, light, flavorful, held frosting very well, and were all eaten sooner than it took to make them. A go-to recipe for me now

  24. Katesays:

    Officially the best vanilla cupcake I’ve ever made. Absolutely bursting with flavour, moist even when refrigerated, and smells absolutely heavenly when it’s baking. Thank you SO much.

  25. Samarasays:

    5 stars
    I bake (and cook) and this is by far the best vanilla cake / cupcake I have ever made from scratch. I was going to try a different one b/c I did not have vanilla beans at home, but was at Costco and there they were, it was a sign! I grabbed them and came home to bake these up. As someone who bakes a good amount and watches FAR too much baking TV (Great British Baking, anyone?) the order of the recipe felt weird, but I followed the directions and trusted the process and BAM! Such a success, moist, vanilla forward, nice texture and even a bit of bounce. My only note, my cupcakes took about 18 minutes to be just done, but I did fill them more like 2/3 full. About to make them into a snowman pull apart cake for a holiday party tomorrow. Thank you Cupcake Project!

  26. Judith Gouldsays:

    5 stars
    You really help everyone who likes to take photos! Thanks for this info.

  27. kudzai emilysays:

    5 stars
    i used this for a vanilla heart cake. super recipe light and just right. this be my go to recipe for vanila. i only dint have vanilla bean. im zimbabwean

  28. Outlook Aanmeldensays:

    5 stars
    Did you make any changes

  29. Suzan Sabansays:

    First time making these. They taste absolutely amazing! So moist! The small amount of butter def made a difference, to give that rich taste.
    BUT they deflated shortly after taking them out of the oven (they baked for about 20min) and they were extremely moist and soft. Maybe I should have baked a little extra just to make them a little more stable? But the texture was divine. Just need help why they deflated and shriveled up

  30. Yanisays:

    5 stars
    Came out perfect and moist just had to leave them in 5 to 10 more minutes because middle cupcakes needed more time.

  31. Barbsays:

    5 stars
    These cupcakes are absolutely delicious. Took them to a party and they were a big hit. One guy ate two and then took one home. Will definitely use this recipe from now on. Used the vanilla bean frosting, easy and tastes wonderful.

  32. Joanne Baumgardnersays:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe!! It’s my go to for vanilla cake and cupcakes. I always get rave reviews!! Thank you!!

    I have a question, I have been asked to do a vanilla cake with chocolate chips in it. Do you think I need to alter the recipe at all or just add them in?? Any advice appreciated! Thank you!

  33. arionsays:

    Hi…love this recipe…delish. one question please.
    How are these best stored?
    As I need to cook night before to be eaten next day.
    Also could I freeze them?
    Thank you

  34. DeeDeesays:

    Hi, What is the serving size for each cupcake? I’m making these for my sons birthday and he’s diabetic so I need the serving size. Thank you.

  35. Kelsays:

    5 stars
    Moist light and great flavor. I doubled the recipe but only used one vanilla bean. (Too expensive for me) Came out great! Going to frost with a vanilla buttercream. The steps are detailed yet no nonsense and very easy to follow. I am trying the chocolate cupcake recipe today as well for my son’s middle school graduation. I’m sure they be a hit!

  36. Ameliasays:

    Hi! I was wondering if it was possible to omit the vanilla bean that is added to the sugar, as well as add lemon rind later on in the recipe?

  37. Stacysays:

    Would you recommend this recipe for cake pops?

  38. Carlotasays:

    Hi! one question, are the metric version measurements right? because the metric equivalents in this recipe are way off according to normal conversion tables. for example 1 3/4 cp flour here is converted to 175 gr. However according to other conversion tables in internet its 224gr.

    • Rebeccasays:

      My conversion table says for non-liquid measurements it would be 210 or 190 for well sifted flour. I am guessing it is less in weight since it’s cake flour.

  39. Heathersays:

    5 stars
    Would I be able to add fresh blueberries to this recipe for vanilla blueberry cupcakes? I’ve see in some other recipes if I lightly coat the blueberries with flour before I add them to the wet batter, it will help them from sinking. Thoughts?

  40. Jaclyn Bakersays:

    5 stars
    Hands down the best vanilla cupcakes I have ever made! I didn’t use the vanilla bean, just extract, but I also added just 1/4 tsp of almond extract. I frosted them with a vanilla Italian merengue buttercream and they were perfect. I was supposed to bring them in to work, but per my husband’s request we kept them all for ourselves! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!

  41. Soniasays:

    5 stars
    I made this recipe, the Best cupcake recipe ever. Delicious, light and full of flavour. Beautiful with butter cream icing. Received lots of compliments!

  42. Niamh Andersonsays:

    5 stars
    Just as described. So delicious.

  43. Kali Bsays:

    Love this recipe! I make my kids’ birthday cake with it every year and everyone absolutely LOVES it! I use the vanilla buttercream recipe too, but add sea salt to it to give that satisfying salty sweet flavor.

  44. Savannah Grace Sticklersays:

    This stuff was gross and didn’t taste good

    • Ronnette Francissays:

      5 stars
      OMG!!! I tried this recipe and I wish that I could post pics of these little cups of perfection. Thank you soooooo much for sharing this recipe. I’ve been testing and searching for months to find a vanilla recipe that was the right fit for my little bakery. Well, thanks to you, I have to look no further. God bless you!

  45. Raynasays:

    5 stars
    This is my new go-to vanilla cupcake recipe. I didn’t even use the vanilla bean paste and it was still yummy and flavorful; not just yellow cake but “vanilla flavored” cake. Well done! Thank you for sharing the results of your hard work.

  46. Nicola Rowlessays:

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe twice now, flavour wise it’s gorgeous, the texture of the sponge is spot on. The only thing I am having trouble with is that they are browning on top. The recipe says 170 but I have a fan assisted oven, the second time I did 160 but they still browned. I will try again at a lower temp but wondered did other people have the same issue with browning?

  47. Dealer Mobil Purwokertosays:

    5 stars
    mantap sekali bos, bisa berbagi resep

  48. Dealer Honda Magelangsays:

    4 stars
    semoga banyak yang suka

  49. Dealer Suzuki Pekalongansays:

    5 stars
    maturnuwun wis bisa mlbu mba

  50. Dealer Honda Pekalongansays:

    5 stars
    ketone enak kueh,…

  51. Dealer Honda Jogjasays:

    5 stars
    bahan bakuene gawene kang apa bae mba

  52. Carolin stefansdottersays:

    5 stars
    Just that you have the recipe in metric is sooo awesome! I’m baking them right now, thank you, thank you! ❤️

  53. Jodiesays:

    5 stars
    Just baked them and frosted with chocolate cream cheese frosting. THE best most smooth and melt in your mouth cupcake I’ve ever baked or tasted! Jodie, down under south Australia

  54. Oliviasays:

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe tons of times and absolutely love it!! But I was wondering if I can double this recipe?

  55. Vita dsays:

    3 stars
    Hi Stef
    I’m always on the look out for a great recipe so one claiming to have been tested as extensively as yours I had to try. I often test recipes for things like Vanilla cake and vanilla cupcakes etc side by side others that I use. I tested your vanilla cupcake recipe alongside one of my other favorite ones by Simmone Logue (using metric as I’m in Australia). I offered both cupcakes to a test panel of 6 people (did not tell them which was which) and though your recipe is good my 6 testers voted for the SImmone Logue which has a higher butter content (no oil or sour cream), is simpler and the texture was fluffier.

    On a positive note I tested your ‘best chocolate’ cupcake recipe against another that I use. I substituted the water for decaf coffee in your recipe and yours won out. Anyway thought I’d give you feedback from my test kitchen. I’m a fairly experienced baker, both your vanilla and choc cupcakes rose well but in terms of ‘best’ I think your chocolate cupcake recipe is the better of the two. Hope you don’t mind the feedback. Cheers

  56. Katrinasays:

    5 stars
    Will it matter if I only have 2% milk?

  57. Kimberlysays:

    These cupcakes look amazing! I can’t waut to try them. My only hesitation is I live in Colorado,.. 6,000’. How would your week this recipe for high Altitude cupcake lovers?
    Thank you for sharing, I’m so excited!

  58. khannia Gillettesays:

    Ever do add ins like strawberry????

    • Stefsays:

      You can do add-ins, but I’d be careful of anything too wet as it changes the consistency of the batter. I’d be more likely to do a strawberry filling after the cupcake is done or use strawberry frosting. You can also use dried strawberries.

  59. Katiesays:

    5 stars
    So so so very good. Don’t skimp on the vanilla bean! My husband said they taste like “more complicated, more sophisticated Twinkies.” (He meant that as a compliment)

    I brought the rest to work and they were a huge hit.

  60. susansays:

    5 stars
    excellent! my go to recipe from now on!!

  61. Katie Bortellsays:

    5 stars
    I’ve made a thousand different vanilla cupcakes in search of greatness. This is the one. THE one. Thank God I’m frankly tired of searching!! WELL DONE! I skipped the vanilla beans and it mattered not. Still delicious! I doubled it and filled the cupcakes with 1/4 C batter each and got 28 stunning cupcakes. My oven runs a smidge hot so I baked at 345 for 14 mins. Also, and I always do this when cake flour is called for, I use half cake flour and half AP flour. Always. So for a recipe I used 1 cup cake flour and a bit less than 3/4 cup AP flour. ( always use a bit less when subbing in AP where cake flour was suggested). Gorgeous vanilla cupcake. Moist and fluffy and such lovely flavor. Couldn’t be happier!!!

  62. Candi Elmsays:

    5 stars
    I remember when you first wrote this article. You have added a lot of valuable information to it.

  63. Kathy Rhoadessays:

    5 stars
    Best vanilla cupcake recipe ever. Perfect texture. Don’t change anything.

  64. Bonnie D.says:

    5 stars
    I have made these many times they are truly the best vanilla cup cakes.

  65. RB Johnsonsays:

    4 stars
    Still my favorite Vanilla Cupcake! The addtional information is a great primer.

  66. Sherrie Goolsbysays:

    5 stars
    I recently tried this vanilla cupcake recipe…I loved it! I no longer need to search for a better one, this is the one. Delicious!

  67. Pattisays:

    I can’t wait to try this recipe! Sounds yummy and easy to make!

  68. Chantelsays:

    5 stars
    Just printed this delicious looking recipe, can’t wait to try this!!!!!!

  69. Julie Robinsonsays:

    5 stars
    This is definitely my go-to Vanilla Cupcake recipe! Been making it for years and it never fails me. Constantly get comments that it is the Best Vanilla Cupcake that they have ever tasted! Thanks so much Stef for taking the time to master this recipe!

  70. kim Bowiesays:

    5 stars
    Love the texture and the intense vanilla flavor. My go-to recipe for several years now. Made them today with raspberry purée filling and passion fruit buttercream. Yum!

  71. Debbie Murphysays:

    5 stars
    Awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing

  72. Jacquisays:

    5 stars
    I’ve been looking for a recipe like this and this was perfect, thank you!

  73. Hannah Youngbergsays:

    5 stars
    This is my FAVORITE vanilla cupcake recipe. I have used it for several years and can’t find anything I like better. Thank you so much for this tasty recipe!

  74. Suesays:

    Can’t wait to try it.

  75. Christysays:

    5 stars
    You guys, Make these!!! They are truly the best! Hands down my favorite. I’m going to try them in a cake version next. Can’t wait!

  76. Denisesays:

    5 stars
    Definitely sounds delicious and I am anxious to try!

  77. Toktamsays:

    5 stars
    It surely is one of the bests.thanks for these great recipes.

  78. Christina Hitchcocksays:

    5 stars
    These are absolutely sinful! Thanks for the great recipe!

  79. Patti Harringtonsays:

    4 stars
    Lovely and delicious…vanilla is the best!

  80. Karinasays:

    5 stars
    Always the go to recipe. Gets requested for every occasion!

  81. Jessica Florysays:

    5 stars
    These are the BEST cupcakes I’ve ever had in my life!!! AMAZING!!!!

  82. Haleesays:

    5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s truly AMAZING! There were times when I didn’t have a vanilla bean and relied upon the vanilla extract and it tasted great regardless. I’ve also added butter flavor to it sometimes. Yummy! I do realize after using this recipe several times, it is best to follow the recipe exactly as printed. I tried to veer from it and miss a step or combine steps and the consistency was iffy. It’s by far my FAVORITE recipe!

  83. Pennysays:

    5 stars
    Best vanilla cupcakes ever! I don’t bake much anymore, but these are so worth it. Great vanilla taste and delicious. Thanks so much, Stef!

  84. Annsays:

    5 stars
    Sounds wonderful. Looking forward to making them to pair with my Kahlua & Cream buttercream frosting.

  85. Mary Lou Fitzgeraldsays:

    5 stars
    Vanilla Cupcakes are the gold standard for flavor and taste. This recipe will guarantee even a beginner like my grand-daughter a perfect result. Any recipe by Stef in CupCake Project is a winner. Thank you, Stef for such wonderful, homemade goodies.

  86. annesays:

    5 stars
    Great recipe. Enjoy all the recipes from the ‘cupcake project’.

  87. Cherie Cabralsays:

    4 stars
    Great recipe! Can’t wait to make again. Thanks for updating.

  88. Sharonsays:

    5 stars
    Incredible cupcakes! I LOVE vanilla and it doesn’t get the love it deserves. Except from you!

  89. peter gershonsays:

    5 stars
    these are wonderful!

  90. Jilliansays:

    5 stars
    Nothing beats homemade cupcakes and these are simply amazing!

  91. Jennifer Fishkindsays:

    5 stars
    I made this recipe and I vote that this is THE BEST vanilla cupcake recipe!! Thank you so much!

  92. Michellesays:

    Will you be working on an all white cupcake next?

  93. Jennifer McKenziesays:

    I am SO happy to have found this recipe again. I used it back in 2011/2012 for my grandparents funerals and now my daughter is turning 2 and I wanted twse cupcakes again. They were SO good. I used full fat Greek yogurt instead. I’m not sure why I chose that change originally but I did and plan to again. I made a strawberry champagne whipped cream frosting! They were so good!
    Thank you again! :-)

  94. Samsays:

    This is the best cupcake recipe in the world

  95. Michellesays:

    2 stars
    Not as moist as I would like it’s a thumbs down on this recipe

  96. Michellesays:

    5 stars
    Just made these and they were a hit. My adult daughter said they were the best cupcakes she had ever eaten……and they hadn’t even been frosted yet. This recipe is a keeper!

  97. Donna Downssays:

    5 stars
    This is an excellent cupcake. Easy to make, bakes evenly and tastes great. I did have to substitute vanilla bean paste for the vanilla and omit the vanilla bean because I can’t get them where I live. I also adjusted the baking time for my oven, which took 19 minutes to
    bake one batch.

  98. Lindasays:

    Has anyone tried to double this recipe?? I need to make 300 cupcakes and would love to try this.

  99. Vickysays:

    5 stars
    hello! I´m from Costa Rica and 3 days ago made this recipe and I LOVE this cupcakes!!!!! this are moist, light and have the perfect amount of sweet …. and last perfectly several days. THANK YOU

  100. Laurensays:

    5 stars
    YEP! Ultimate vanilla cupcake for sure. I bake A LOT – and these are definitely the best vanilla cupcakes I have ever had. I used this as a base for a cookies and cream whipped cream cheese frosting. Divine!

  101. Cristasays:

    5 stars
    These cupcakes are the best ever!!! Wondering if I could do a mini cupcake how long would u recommend baking??? I wish I could give more stars!!!!

  102. sushinasays:

    is there any substitute for sour cream?

  103. Kayesays:

    Hi. I am a fan of your ultimate chocolate cupcake recipe, the first ive tried from your website. And would like to try this one here as vanilla is my son’s fave.
    I couldn’t find a cake flour in any supermarket here, just want to ask if I could use all purpose flour for this recipe? And any change to other ingredients? Thank you.

  104. Kendra Groppisays:

    I just made this recipe and didn’t get the same results as the picture shows. I baked the cake clatters and used leftover batter for cupcakes. Very light butnso light it falls apart. I didn’t have cake flour in hand but did what other websites recommend to convert all purpose to cake flour–subtract 2 TBS for each cup of all purpose flour. So frustrated. What didnI do wrong? I also used fresh hen eggs and it made the cake a little more yellow due to the freshness of the eggs.

  105. Laurasays:

    5 stars
    Wow!! I’ve been looking for a great cupcake recipe for SO long. This is it!!!! Thank you!!!!

  106. Shaysays:

    5 stars
    I have made these cupcakes twice now and once a round 9″ cake,all have come out amazing.I have been searching for a really good vanilla recipe and this is definitely it!! Thank you!!

  107. JLHsays:

    2 stars
    These really are not great. The flavor is good. The cake is moist. The texture is fine-crumbed, but there were several “tunnels” in the cake which made it slightly more muffin-y. And the worst part… the batter. I thought there is no way I can add that amount of milk and still have it turn out right. I ended up cutting the total amount of milk by 3 tablespoons, and even then it was as thin as crepe batter. Trying to get even amounts in the muffin cups was impossible. I usually use an ice cream scoop for exact measurements, but it was not even possible with this batter. Because it was so runny, there were streams of batter across the muffin tin that made the liners stick to the pan. Overall it was just a very messy recipe and one I won’t be making again.

  108. Mechele Timmonssays:

    5 stars
    Tried three different recipes and these are the only ones that were amazing!!! n Thank you!!!

  109. Soniasays:

    5 stars
    Wow…love this

  110. Sezsays:

    5 stars
    Hi, I have been making these cupcakes for a long time now, they taste amazing. The problem I am having is the presentation of them. They dome in the oven, but deflate pretty quickly when taken out (and sometimes spill a little)
    I have tried reducing the oven temp, leaving them in for longer/shorter, filling them less/more and leaving them in the tin to cool a little or take them straight out. Nothing I do seems to make these cupcakes looking like cupcakes and not sad little deflated lumps of cake. Pls help!!

    • norasays:

      3 stars
      this is what’s been happening to me too since my very first try. It sucks because the taste is divine, but they truly deflate as soon as they leave the oven :(

  111. Kimisays:

    If anyone is having issues with the recipe, it may be because the metric conversions are incorrect. I followed what was displayed, had a poor result then recalculated the conversions myself and had a perfect result.

  112. kaftan kiralamasays:

    Kiralık Kaftan aramak istiyorsanız bizlerle iletişime geçebilirsiniz. En kaliteli modellerimiz ile sizlerin hizmetinizdeyiz.Amaç en kaliteliyi en uygun fiyata almaksa sizlere yardımcı olabiliriz.

    Kına gecesi hüznün ve mutluluğun aynı anda yaşandığı bir gecedir. Türk – İslam geleneğinde törensel açıdan özel bir yeri olan kına merasimi günümüzde yaygın olarak yapılmaktadır. Özellikle Anadolu şehirlerinde kına yakma geleneği hemen hemen her aile tarafından uygulanmakta, kına gecesinde geceye özgü türkü ve maniler söylenerek gelin ağlatılmaktadır.

    Kaftan Kiralama için bizlerle iletişime geçiniz.

    http://bagdatkaftan.com/

  113. güzel sanatlara hazırlıksays:

    Bölümünüze sım sıkı sarılıp sevdiğiniz mesleği yapmak sizlerin elinde. Güzel Sanatlara hazırlık alanında bir numaralı adresiniz olan ruyaavcısı sanat merkezi ile Ubeyt Çağatay eşliğinde Mimar sinan fakültesine yerleşmeniz imkansız değil. Bizler ile iletişime geçip geleceğinize yön verebilirsiniiz. Eşsiz sanat eserlerine basamakları kazıyarak adım adım ulaşabileceksiniz.
    El beceriniz görselliği ile paha biçilemez duyguları ifade edeceğine eminiz.

    http://ruyaavcisi.com/guzel-sanatlara-hazirlik/

  114. Beckysays:

    Meeh, I tried these for a cupcake battle. Needed a basic cupcake to decorate. They did not turn out well. They tasted good but the presentation failed- needed more raising ingredient. Maybe baking powder or soda- I’m not much of a cook and don’t have the patience to try again experimenting with variations. Despite the wonderful reviews, Sadly I will not be making these again.

  115. güzel sanatlara hazırlıksays:

    Türkiyenin en ideal ve eşsiz Milli Eğitim Bakanlğına Bağlı Kurumu olan ruyaavcısı ile güzel sanatlara hazırlık alanında bir numaralı adres olmaktayız.
    İstanbul avcılar ve esenyurt şubesi olmak üzere iki şubemiz ile sizlere hizmet vermekten onur ve gurur durmaktayız. Ubeyt Çağatay eşliğindeki kurumumuz sizlere hizmet vermekten onur duymaktadır.
    Amacımız sizleri geleceğe yönlendirmek olup eğitim aşağı genç kuşak yaratmaktır. Bakırköy resim kursu ile gelecek sizlerin elinde.

    http://ruyaavcisi.com/guzel-sanatlara-hazirlik/

  116. Penny bunzsays:

    5 stars
    Best ever vanilla cupcake. I have hunted high and low and this is by far my favourite! Thanks so much! It’s the best!

  117. Susabsays:

    5 stars
    Best Vanilla cupcake in the Universe!!! Thank you

  118. Carmensays:

    I cant get cake flour in the UK,
    What can I use instead.

  119. Stacysays:

    5 stars
    This really was great! I tested one of these a little too early after coming out of the oven. I thought, “ugh..it needs more butter and vanilla!” Tried one the next day and thought “yum!!!” The texture was fluffy and soft! All the flavor I thought it was missing was lingering in my mouth. Paired it with an Italian meringue icing which I thought wouldn’t be enough to compensate after my initial cake tasting, but it was perfect!

  120. Lisettesays:

    A very good and true vanilla cupcake!

  121. Simisays:

    5 stars
    I love this recipe, comes out great each time xo

  122. Tema Chasesays:

    I have made these vanilla cupcakes many times along with the frosting. They are? the best!! The cupcakes & frosting deserve a 5 star rating!

  123. Patsysays:

    5 stars
    I used this recipe to make a cake for my in-laws 50th and it was a huge hit! It has been requested many times since. This is truely the Ultimate Vanilla recipe.

  124. Christysays:

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe! My go to vanilla cupcake recipe!

  125. Marlasays:

    5 stars
    This is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe. It is studded with those gorgeous vanilla bean flecks and is very tender, in fact they stay tender for days. They also freeze beautifully. And love the link for the Indrivanilla beans. I’ve been ordering through them for years because of this article.

  126. Shannahsays:

    5 stars
    This is the ONLY vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve used for years! The BEST!!

  127. Arleen Wobsersays:

    5 stars
    My family loves these cupcakes!

  128. Sandisays:

    Never liked to make vanilla cupcakes, just didn’t like how they tasted until I tried this recipe. Now I can say these really are the ultimate vanilla cupcake. I served them at a bridal shower I gave a couple of months ago and they were a huge hit. It is now my go to recipe!

  129. Barbarasays:

    5 stars
    This is my go-to, never fail recipe. Comes out perfect every time.

  130. Sharon Lockesays:

    5 stars
    If you love vanilla, you MUST make this cupcake! It’s incredible!

  131. Olubukolasays:

    Thanks so much for sharing this recipe,I have a question can this recipe also work out fine for me I leave in UK

  132. LibrariesRulesays:

    5 stars
    Well worth the effort. I hate making cupcakes that people can’t even tell are homemade. No problem with this recipe – everyone knows they are not from a box. Very light, moist and tender.

  133. Jones Julietsays:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe with marshmallow frosting sometimes too!

  134. Eileensays:

    5 stars
    These vanilla cupcakes are definitely prize winners. I have made these several times, and they disappear almost as quickly as I make them. Thank you for all your work, I have made many vanilla cupcakes but none as good as these.

  135. Stephanie Jacobssays:

    5 stars
    I love and adore vanilla ANYTHING…and if it comes in cake form I’m even more HAPPY! This recipe is THE VERY BEST! You know you’re eating a vanilla cupcake…and it’s pure heaven!

  136. Crystalsays:

    5 stars
    This vanilla cupcake recipe is amazing! I have made it. And I used the IndriVanilla beans which were awesome and a great price.

  137. Jensays:

    5 stars
    Been making this recipe for years. It is a hit with adults and kids alike. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

  138. resim kursusays:

    5 stars
    Üniversitelerin Güzel Sanatlar Fakültelerinin Moda, Grafik, Endüstri Ürünleri Tasarımı, İç Mimarlık, Şehir ve Bölge Planlama, Sanat Tasarım ve Mimarlık vb. bölümlerinde öğrenim görmekte olan öğrencilere yönelik, Temel Sanat Eğitimi, Proje Tasarımı, Tasarı Geometri, Teknik Resim, Perspektif, Tipografi Uygulamaları, İllüstrasyon Çizimi, Boyama Teknikleri gibi alan derslerine destek eğitim vermekteyiz.
    Resim kursu alanında tercih sebebiniz olmak yolunda ilerliyoruz. Bizleri referanslarımızdan tanıyabilirisniz.
    Güzel sanatlara hazırlık alanında tercih sebebiniz olmak bizlere onur veriyor.

    http://ruyaavcisi.com/

  139. kaftansays:

    5 stars
    Türkiyenin 1 numaralı kaftan kiralama mağazası olan bağdat kaftan ile hayallerinizdeki kına , nişan törenine dilediğiniz hayal ettiğiniz kıyafetler ile ulaşabilirsiniz.
    Bizler hayallerinizi somutlaştırarak sizlere destek olmaya çalışmaktayız. Güzelliğiniz için en iyi mağaza bizlerle.
    Alışverişi zevkli hale getirmek sizlerin elinde.

    http://bagdatkaftan.com/

  140. kaftansays:

    Kiralama yapacak müşteriler için beklentiye göre kaftan dikim hizmetimiz bulunmamaktadır. Diktirdiği kaftanı satın alacak müşterilerimiz için özel dikim yapmaktayız.
    • Özel dikimlerde kumaş ve renk seçimi mümkün olmakla birlikte taş işlemeler, ithal olması nedeniyle portföydeki ürünler arasından seçilmelidir.
    • Özel dikimlerde, yaklaşık bir aylık bir dikim süresine ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.
    Kaftan Kiralama olarak sizlere hizmet vermekten mutluluk duyarız.

    http://bagdatkaftan.com/

  141. kaftan kiralamasays:

    İyi Hafta sonları değerli takipçilerimiz. Sizler için düğün nişan, kına dönemi hiç şüphe yok ki stresi yoğun yaşanan zamanlardandır.
    Bu yoğun stresli zamanla sizlere yardımcı olmak adına türkiyenin en kaliteli ve ideal firmasını araştırdık.
    Kaftan kiralama olarak hizmet vermek ile birlikte kaftan çeşitleri ile sizlere yardımcı olmaya devam etmekteyiz. Bağdat caddesi üzerinde bulunan mağazamız çok kısa süre içerisinde sektörün bir numaralı mağazası olduğu aşikardır.

    http://bagdatkaftan.com/

  142. peggy walkersays:

    I found this i have tried several white cake Recipe and nothing is as great as this one before i was always pushing customers away from white cake but know i do this one and have had great results and customers are so happy .Thank you for sharing.Peggy

  143. kaftan kiralamasays:

    Kaftan kiralama sizler için kabustanda öte bir durumda gibi olabilirken bizimle beraber hayallerinizdeki büyüye kavuşacaksınız. Hayallerinizi bizler ile gerçekleştirmek ve amacınıza ulaşmak için bizi tercih edebilirsiniz. Üstelik çok uygun fiyatlara bulunan modellerimizi isteğinize göre şekillendirmekteyiz.

    http://bagdatkaftan.com/

  144. Jenny Latifsays:

    Can I use this recipe as a cake?

  145. Celiasays:

    Have made these Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes a couple of times recently for local charity fundraising events – and boy, do they sell!! The recipe is quick, straightforward and reliable and the end result is always delicious.

  146. güzel sanatlara hazırlıksays:

    Güzel sanatlar her şeyden önce kişilerin temelinde doğal yeteneğe sahip olmayı gerektirir. Ancak güzel sanatlar sınavlarına girmek ve kazanmak için doğal yeteneğin üzerine işin teknik kısmında öğrenmeniz gerekmektedir. Güzel sanatlar hazırlık kursunda kişilere temelden başlanarak kalem nasıl tutulur, çizgi nasıl çizilir, 3 boyutlu algılama yeteneği, gördüğünü algılayabilme ve kağıda dökebilme, entstrüman aletlerini tutuş şekilleri, ekip çalışmalarına uyum sağlama, duracağın yerin belirlenmesine karar verme gibi temel donanımlarla başlanır ve daha akademik konulara yönelme sağlanır.
    Güzel sanatlara hazırlık alanında bir numaralı adresiniz olmaya devam ediyoruz.

    http://ruyaavcisi.com/guzel-sanatlara-hazirlik/

  147. kaftansays:

    Türkiyenin en ideal kaftan modellerine sahip mağazamızda onlarca çeşit arasında ruhunuza en yakın modelleri seçebilme imkanına sahip olabileceğiniz modeller ile karşınızdayız.
    Bağdat kaftan olarak sektörde yeni ve yeniliğe açık bir mağaza olmak ile beraber kısa süre içerisinde köklü bir firma olarak anılmak bizlere gurur vermektedir. Siz değerli takipçilerimiz ve saygıdeğer müşterilerimizin övgü ve memnuniyetleri ile farkındalığımızı ortaya koymanın mutluluğunu yaşamaktayız.

    http://bagdatkaftan.com/

  148. Alexsays:

    This really is the best vanilla cupcake recipe ever! i have been searching for so long and so happy to have found it. I have made this recipe three times in two weeks and everyone at work is raving about it! Thanks so much for sharing!

  149. Robyn Holczsays:

    I came across this recipe for the ultimate cup cake today when looking for something to cook with my 4 year old grandson.
    The recipe was perfect, easy to make and the cakes were so moist. The bonus was, he even ate the cake after licking the icing off and said how nice it was.
    I will definitely be making these again.

  150. Catesays:

    I tried this recipe three times, including twice today. Three times it failed. The liquid to flour ratio is way off. The batter was watery every time. The cupcakes took 22 minutes to bake. The cupcakes were rubbery and way to brown despite being a tab under baked in centers.

    I weigh my ingredients and have two oven thermometers, in the back and front of the oven. So there is no issue with measuring or baking.

    Terrible recipe. Don’t waste your expensive ingredients and time on this one.

  151. Thue Xe May Da Nangsays:

    Thanks for sharing :)
    These are so delicious. Wonderful ideas for making the perfect cupcake

  152. Evesays:

    Hello,
    This is the first time I’m baking a cupcake.. But all the recipes I find have some ingredient like Sour cream or cream cheese that I dont have and cant find in the supermarket nearby. I’d be incredibly grateful if you could give me a simple recipe with ingredients I have on hand

  153. gIgIsays:

    eVEN THOUGH THE BUTTER WAS AT ROOM TEMP THE BATTER HAD BITS IN IT.
    I DID NOT WANT TO OVER BEAT SO I LEFT IT LIKE THAT, CANT WAIT TO SEE HOW THEY COME OUT,

  154. Rahul Academysays:

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful ideas for making the perfect cupcake. I like cupcakes and now, I enjoy this at home I follow your steps for baking perfect cupcakes.

  155. CakenGifts.in Ghaziabadsays:

    Making vanilla cake is so simple after seeing your this recipe.

  156. Kaishiasays:

    Girllllllllll best recipe hands down ! I ate 3 right out the over with no frosting! I told my boyfriend they are the perfect cupcake perfect balance and flavor not too sweet! Moist and soft! I could go on and on! I’ll use vanilla bean for the rest of my life thank you for this my boyfriend and our son enjoyed them now for the second batch I better find a recipe lol also I didn’t have cake flour so I used cornstarch in the all purpose flour

  157. Khadija Nelsonsays:

    I have to comment here and correct my previous review. So I made both the ultimate vanilla and chocolate cupcake recipies and my first impression was that they were a tad underwhelming. I had baked them and tasted them shortly after they had come out of the oven and cooled down somewhat. Once they cooled I stored them in the fridge until the next day when I would frost them for a baby shower.

    I tried them the next day and as it turns out they are both great cupcakes. I believe I may have tasted them too soon because they were no longer airy and light once they had settled and fully cooled. They were moist and rich. Very enjoyable. My mom is not a cupcake person and without my knowing she ate nearly all my leftover unfrosted cupcakes. They were also a hit at the baby shower and the review from the mom to be was that they were AMAZING. So to correct my last review I would like to say they are great cupcakes. The vanilla is certainly hard to beat. The chocolate is very enjoyable as well, reminiscent of a brownie, but a little too chocolatey so I would perhaps tweek it somewhat the next time around. That being said thank you for both recipes they are very enjoyable and it is a relief to have found them both!

  158. Khadija Nelsonsays:

    Just made the cupcakes and while they are tasty I feel they are too light and airy. For me personally a cupcake that is a bit more dense and a bit more moist would have been more satisfying.

  159. Norasays:

    i’m in such a dilemma, these taste absolutely divine, they really do. But everytime I bake them, they deflate before I even take them out of the oven. I follow the recipe, measurements, and temperature settings exactly. First I thought it was bc I didn’t use the proper kind of cake flour (I live in France and cake flour here consists of all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt), so I made ‘American’ cake flour myself. Still no success. Then I thought it might have been my oven so I turned on my bigger oven after months(we’re in the process of moving and our stove/ 90cm oven had been gathering dust because we don’t have gas yet). That oven is my reliable baby and has worked perfectly for years. Still, they deflated when they came out of the oven. I then figured it may have been my baking pans so I bought a new one, but they still deflated. I have NO idea anymore what I could be doing wrong, and it’s agonozing because the flavor is absolutely amazing.. Does anyone have a clue what might be going wrong? The only thing I can think of now is that I turned my ovens to the fan setting rather than top+bottom heat..

  160. Dicksays:

    Don’t know who scripted this site but it truly is 1 off the worst set up websites I have ever seen. Especially on the phone version. Here’s an idea: hire some experienced people that actually know how to code a website thoroughly and not these Muppet’s you clearly hired straight out of school! thank-you and have a nice day :)

  161. Baked Curacaosays:

    Has anyone tried veganizing this recipe?
    Substituting dairy for non-dairy products and eggs for aquafaba?

  162. Marinasays:

    Help :'( I just made these and the taste is amazing but they didn’t rise and sunk in the middle. Recipie says they shouldn’t brown… mine did. What am I doing wrong? The oven was only on 155 fan forced.

  163. Paulasays:

    I bake cakes daily for my cafe. These cupcakes are fantastic! Moist and delicious. I just sybarites normal cram as I didn’t have sour cream on hand

  164. Anne Qsays:

    Tried it this weekend and yup definitely one of the best cupcakes I’ve made and tasted! I left the vanilla bean out and cooked it for 3 mins longer. Still soooo good!

  165. Jennifersays:

    Can I add strawberry purée? How much do you think if yes

  166. Avasays:

    My oh my! I was a bit skeptical because some reviews says they were not done in the middle, and I must admit, I did not think they were the best looking cupcakes, but oh boy, I’m so glad I tried it. The best vanilla cupcake I’ve ever baked and I baked about 354,789. I did not have a vanilla bean but I used vanilla paste so that makes up for it. They are delish!

  167. Avasays:

    My oh my! I was a bit skeptical because some reviews says they were not done in the middle, and I must admit, I did not think they were the best looking cupcakes, but oh boy, I’m so glad I tried it. The best vanilla cupcake I’ve ever baked and I baked about 354,789. I did not have a vanilla bean but I used vanilla paste so that makes up for it. They are Delian!

  168. Sallysays:

    Just made my first test cupcake, and it turned out beautifully! My oven takes 17 minutes ’til they are done. Delicious! Soft, moist, and light; will be frosting with lemon buttercream. Making these for my daughter’s 12th birthday party tomorrow. Thanks so much for the recipe, will definitely be my go-to for vanilla cupcakes!

  169. Silviasays:

    This recipe did not stick. It was fell flat. The cupcakes did not rise and the cupcake fell apart. I measured everything out exactly, so not sure what happened here.

  170. Torasays:

    So, I wandered into cupcake project for advice on downsizing cakes into cupcakes and I think we all know why I stayed here.
    Yesterday, I got my big package of gluten free flour and needed something to bake. Turns out I had everything for this recipe except the vanilla bean. (I will remedy that for the next batch.) I didn’t have to modify the recipe at all, being GF I usually have to add xanthan gum to get a decent rise. Apparently I over filled these cupcakes because they were all attached to the muffin tin. Looked like little cookies sitting on top. I used the CP buttercream frosting on top with red food coloring, because why not??
    I will not be stingy with the vanilla next time.
    I am making my next batch for my friend’s studio opening! (Because I can’t keep these things at home! Cupcakes for breakfast should be rationed.) She’s also GF and I can’t actually go, so this is my way of supporting her. :]
    Thank you for the amazing recipe! ^+^

  171. Karensays:

    Can I omit the vanilla bean seeds and use vanilla bean paste in place of extract?

  172. Jensays:

    Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I have made these cupcakes probably 5 times already and I realized I never commented to say how wonderful they are! My 7 year old has requested them for 3 birthdays and counting now, and every year they are the hit of the party. My son and I both prefer them with your vanilla bean frosting, but they’re also good with pretty much any frosting flavor you might fancy. This may not sound like a compliment (haha), but these remind me of a much more flavorful version of cake mix cupcakes. By that I mean they are fluffy and tender, much more so than your average from-scratch cake. My kids love cake mix cupcakes (and will generally just lick off the frosting when I make homemade cake), so for them this recipe feels familiar and they don’t just lick off the frosting! I love that it’s sooooo much tastier than cake mix. I’ve made it with just vanilla extract, with a mix of beans and extract, and even with vanilla bean paste, and all were delicious (the actual beans were a bit more floral, but all the options are seriously good). If you’re looking for a more old-fashioned homemade cake that’s a bit denser and sturdier, this is not it. But if you enjoy light cakes with a crumb that nearly melts in your mouth, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.

  173. Stefsays:

    I’ve made these twice now and unfortunately I’ve got to say that I’m with the 33% that haven’t rated them as the ultimate. There is just something not right with them, they’re a little too yellow for use as wedding cupcakes and don’t look nice in the white cupcake liners. Flavour is ok, but I’ve had better these are almost too oilly. The recipe is ok but definitely not the ultimate and won’t be my go to.

  174. Laura Heathsays:

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your recipe!!! My family bakes all the time, but has yet to find the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe; until now. This cake’s flavor is everything you want in a vanilla cupcake. All vanilla and no cornbread taste. Its texture is moist with a soft crumb. On top of it all, this cupcakes rises beautifully. I still cant believe I’ve found “THE ONE and ONLY” vanilla cupcake recipe!

  175. Laura Heathsays:

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe!!!! My family bakes all the time and had yet to find the perfect vanilla cake recipe, until now. This cupcake’s texture was moist and had a soft crumb. Its flavor was everything you want in a vanilla cake, pure vanilla without a cornbread taste. It rose beautifully too. I still cant believe Ive actually found “THE ONE and ONLY” vanilla cake recipe!

  176. Amandasays:

    How many minis should this make? Should I cut the baking time in half? Would you pair the honey buttercream with this? Thank you!

  177. Jesssays:

    Easy n delicious cupcake recipes

  178. Twinksays:

    Help please?? I have tried baking these cupcakes 5 times. Each time they sink in the centre like an inverted volcano. What am I doing wrong??

  179. Ailishsays:

    Hi Stef, have been using this recipe for the past couple of years and love it. The only problem I have is that the mixture curdles/splits when I add the liquid at the end. What do you think I’m doing wrong?

  180. Luthfansays:

    This is best vanilla cupcake recipe ever!

  181. cau thang da nangsays:

    Love this cupcake, it’s my favorite because it’s part of a beloved weekly family tradition– Sunday cake and ice cream and a move. I will shre this recipe with my friends. Thank for sharing this

  182. adrianasays:

    I’ve made this recipe 3 times and for some reason they’re not cooking inside. I thought it may have been my oven but then i cooked a totally different recepie and they cooked perfect. im convinced its the sour cream.. any thoughts what the reason may be? please help.

  183. agussays:

    wow i like that cupcake.
    its a good article, thanks for this cupcake recipe…

  184. Taylorsays:

    I always use this recipe for my vanilla cupcakes and to build off of for new flavors! Most recently I made apple spice cupcakes with this recipe. I added 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, 3 small granny smith apples (peeled and grated), and instead of the whole milk I did half half & half and half apple cider. They were moist and delicious!

  185. akfen bulvar konut projesisays:

    akfen bulvar loft konut projesiyle artık yerli ve yabancıların gözleri artık İstanbul da bu proje satıcısına da alıcısına da büyük yatırım imkanı sunmaktadır. söz konusu yapıttı almayı düşünen alıcılarına istenilen taksit ve ödeme imkanını anlaşmalı bankalarda en düşük faiz oranlarıyla yapmaktadır. sitede eşsiz büyüklükte acık ve kapalı yüzme havuzları,şezlonglar aile havuzları bulunmaktadır. ayrıca spor kompleksleri, koşu parkurları basketbol ,futbol,voleybol sahaları ,çocuklar için yeşil alan ve oyun parkları ,aileler için site içerisinde alışveriş merkezleri,mağazalar ,marketler, süs parkları ,kafeler, bowling gibi aktif olacakları mekanlar sunmaktadır. çocuklu aileler için eğitim kurumlarına yürüme mesafesinde bulunan bu proje ilgi odağı olmuştur. yine sağlık kurumlarına ,ulaşım güzergahlarına ,belediye ve hükümet binalarına yakınlığıyla bilinmektedir.projede ki daireler 249 bin tl den başlamaktadır. istenenlere İtalyan tasarımı duvar kağıdı ve boyalar ,Fransız balkonlar,Amerikan mutfaklar ve el tasarımı mutfak dolapları ve krom taşlamalı balkon askılıkları ,çelik ve akıllı kapılı evler sunulmaktadır.

    akfen bulvar loft konut projesiyle artık yerli ve yabancıların gözleri artık İstanbul da bu proje satıcısına da alıcısına da büyük yatırım imkanı sunmaktadır. söz konusu yapıttı almayı düşünen alıcılarına istenilen taksit ve ödeme imkanını anlaşmalı bankalarda en düşük faiz oranlarıyla yapmaktadır. sitede eşsiz büyüklükte acık ve kapalı yüzme havuzları,şezlonglar aile havuzları bulunmaktadır. ayrıca spor kompleksleri, koşu parkurları basketbol ,futbol,voleybol sahaları ,çocuklar için yeşil alan ve oyun parkları ,aileler için site içerisinde alışveriş merkezleri,mağazalar ,marketler, süs parkları ,kafeler, bowling gibi aktif olacakları mekanlar sunmaktadır. çocuklu aileler için eğitim kurumlarına yürüme mesafesinde bulunan bu proje ilgi odağı olmuştur. yine sağlık kurumlarına ,ulaşım güzergahlarına ,belediye ve hükümet binalarına yakınlığıyla bilinmektedir.projede ki daireler 249 bin tl den başlamaktadır. istenenlere İtalyan tasarımı duvar kağıdı ve boyalar ,Fransız balkonlar,Amerikan mutfaklar ve el tasarımı mutfak dolapları ve krom taşlamalı balkon askılıkları ,çelik ve akıllı kapılı evler sunulmaktadır.

    http://www.emlakdream.com/haber/Akfen-Insaat-tan-Incek-e-dev-proje-Incek-Loft/30545

  186. Anjali Lakhwarasays:

    I loved this recipe. followed it to a T except didn’t have a vanilla bean so when I added butter to flour mixture i put in 1 tablespoon of vanill bean paste in addition the vanilla added to sourcream egg mixture and made 1 1/2 recipe and produced the perfect ammount of batter for two dozen cupcakes. i frosted them with the vanilla bean paste buttercream frosting on this website. Love it

  187. Esenyurt konut projelerisays:

    Esenyurt konut projeleri bölgesinde en çağdaş görünümlü konutlarından biridir.bu projede ki dairelerde bir evde olması gereken tüm konfor ve dizayn barındırılmaktadır.eşsiz manzaralarıyla havuzlu bahçesi koşu parkurları, yüzme havuzları ,süs havuzları şadırvanlar ,spor kompleksi ve oyun parklarıyla tüm yaşamı bir bahçede tasarlanmıştır .eğitim kurumlarına yürüme mesafesinde ki yapıtlarımız hastane sağlık ocağı gibi sağlık merkezlerine yakınlığıyla bilinmektedir ayrıca metro büse yakınlığı ve hava alanına olan kısa mesafesiyle en gözde mekanlar arasındadır. banka kredilerinin en düşük olduğu bu günlerde yapacağınız en karlı yatırımdır. sahibinin yaşamını kolaylaştıran bu konutta tüm konfor düşülmüştür. konutta ki evler de merkezi internet sistemi ,uydu sistemi 7/24 aktif kamera sistemi ve acil durumlarda devreye giren acil durum selektörleri mevcuttur.İtalyan tasarımı boyalar ,Fransız balkonlar ,Amerikan mutfaklar ve kabartmalı fayans modelleriyle evinizde sanat kuşağı oluşturulmuştur.

    http://www.emlakdream.com/etiket/esenyurt-konut-projesi/

  188. kartal konut projelerisays:

    kartal konut projeleri çağının en çok kazandıran yatırımları arasındadır .sizde geleceğinize en büyük yatırımı gayrimenkule yapacaksanız konutlarımız dan yana kullanın bu hakkınızı çünkü faiz oranlarının en düşük olduğu bugünlerde evinizi hem en uygun fiyata hemde en lüks olanaklarıyla alın .konutlarımızda akıllı sistem kapalı devre kameraları ,merkezi internet ve uydu sistemleri, özel güvenlik gibi imkanları mevcuttur ayrıca isteyene şık tasarım mutfak dolapları Amerikan mutfağı Fransız balkonu ,İtalyan kabartma boyalarıyla sizlere bir evde olabilecek her türlü imkanı sağlamaktadır. açık ve kapalı havuzu,spor kompleksi ,koşu parkurları,yürüyüş ve jımlastik aletleriyle sizlere geniş imkanlar sunmaktadır.krom ve çelikten kapılar kabartmalı duvar ve ters tavanlar ,ebeveyn banyoları vardır. ayrıca site içerisinde dubleks dairelerimizde mevcuttur.bahçede ki yeşil alanında site kararıyla organik sebze ürete bilir veya çiçeklendirme yapabilirsiniz.Avrupa ve doğunun sentezini bulabileceğiniz yapılarda deprem ,yangın gibi afetlerde can güvenliğiniz için her türlü olanaklar dizayn edilmiştir. ekstra büyüklükte çift asansörler,geniş merdivenler ,ferah manzaralarıyla siz alıcılarını bekliyor.

    http://www.emlakdream.com/etiket/kartal-konut-projeleri/

  189. Kartal konut projelerisays:

    Kartal konut projesi yaşamına renk katacak konutlarıyla siz ev sahibi alacaklarına her acıdan geniş çapta imkanlarını ayaklarınızın altına sermektedir projede ki evlerin mimari yapısı çevresinde ki tüm konutların üstünde konfora ve lükse sahip yaşamınıza ve geleceğinize en büyük yatırımınızı en düşük fiyatlar ve istediğiniz taksit koşulları ve büyüklüktedir.eşsiz manzaraları geniş açık ve kapalı otoparkları ,yüzme havuzları ,koşu parkurları,spor kompleksleri ,havuz başı oturma şadırvanları ,geniş oyun parkları mevcuttur. konutlarımızda Amerikan mutfakları, Fransız balkonlar ,İtalyan tasarımı boyalar ,renkli florasanlı ters tavanlar kabartmalı fayans ve renkli boyalarıyla içinizi ısıtacak şahane konutlarıyla sizleri bekliyoruz.Eğitim ,ulaşım,sağlık merkezlerine yürüme mesafesinde bulunmaktadır .

  190. NSsays:

    Hi,
    I came across this recipe and then I decided to make 2.5 times the batter to make a cake and 2 dozens cupcakes.

    However, the cake and cupcakes seems to have flattened and the cake too seems to have shrunk from the out to in a bit.

    They were lovely dome shaped at 14 mins, but uncooked. So for the cupcakes I let it 3-5 mins longer while the cake 10 mins longer. The cake is supposed to be a birthday cake

    Any suggestions please?

    I intend to make your chocolate cream cheese frosting to coat these.

  191. Rodleensays:

    hi, I have been searching ages for a good recipe. can I use plain flour as in my country we don’t have cake flour thanks

  192. Esenyurt Konut Projelerisays:

    İstanbul Esenyurt bölgesinde Uçar Group imzası ile hayata geçecek Gümüş Panorama projesi 19.200 metrekare arsa alanı üzerinde inşa edilecek. 627 konut, 107 ofis, 33 cadde dükkanı, 30 dükkanlı bedesten ve sosyal tesislerden oluşacak projeye yönelik çalışmalar ve ruhsat süreci tüm hızıyla sürüyor.
    Esenyurt Konut Projeleri ile geleceğe yatırım yapabileceksiniz üstelik geri dönüşü çok güzel olacaktır. Kazanç sağlayabileceğiniz bir yatırımı neden tercih etmeyesiniz ki ?

    #EsenyurtKonutProjeleri #konutprojeleri #konutprojeleriesenyurt #konutprojesi

    http://www.emlakdream.com/haber/Esenyurt-konut-projeleri/72561

  193. Laurensays:

    I have been using your recipe for years and I’ll tell you, they are always a HIT! But, I have never made it in cake form, do you think everything will turn out okay if I follow these exact instructions using a round cake pan?

  194. Yedi Mavi Projelerisays:

    Yedi Mavi Projesi
    Kalkavan Yapı, Hasan Sever İnşaat ve Gül Yapı Gayrimenkul Geliştirme İş Ortaklığı’nda, 1 milyar 140 milyon liralık rekor ihale bedeliyle TOBB’unZeytinburnu arazisi üzerinde hayata geçirilecek Yedi Mavi Projesi ’nde ön satış süreci başladı.

    17 katla 6 blok halinde yükselecek olan İstanbul’un yeni hediyesi Yedi Mavi Projesinde,1+1, 2+1, 3+1, 4+1 ve 5+1 olmak üzere 5 farklı daire seçeneğinin yer alıyor.

    Llansman tarihine kadar avantajlı fiyatlar ve ödeme koşullarıyla satışa sunulacak olan
    Yedi Mavi Projesinin ortaklarından Kalkavan Yapı Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı Nazım Kalkavan ve Hasan Sever İnşaat Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı Hasan Sever’in katılımıyla Eylül de yapılacak lansman öncesinde proje detaylarının konuşulacağı Yedi Mavi projesi basın toplantısı düzenlenecek.

    Yedi Mavi Projesi , marmara projesi,emlak dream yedi mavi projesi,

    http://www.emlakdream.com/haber/Yedi-Mavi-Projesi-Lansman-Oncesi-Basin-Toplantisi-/78285

  195. sallysays:

    I have a question about this recipe . is cake flour like pastry flour? would it not work out if i used all purpose flour? I read online you can just use 1 cup of all purpose and take out 2 tablespoons of it and replace it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch… would that be ok in this recipe?

  196. Bahçeşehir Konut Projelerisays:

    İstanbul’un gözde semtlerinden biri olan Bahçeşehir Konut Projeleri ile geleceğe yatırım yapmanızın vakti geldi. Sizde böylesine muazzam bir semtte konut sahibi olmak ilerleyen zamanlarda konutun değerini onlarca katına çıkarmak istiyorsanız bizimle irtibata geçiniz.

    Bir çok firma ve kuruluşun desteği , ilgisi ve taleplerini değerlendirerek en ideal seçimleri yapmalarında yardımcı olmaktayız.

    konut projeleri, bahçeşehir konut projeleri, konut projeleri bahçeşehir, kaliteli konut projeleri,

    http://www.emlakdream.com/

  197. kartal konut projelerisays:

    Geleceğin yatırımı olarak değerlendirilen konut ve arsalar emlakdream güvencesi ile istediğiniz tarzda ve istediğiniz konumda sizlerle .

    Kartal Konut Projeleri ile İstanbul Anadolu yakasının en çok değer kazanabilecek konutlarını sizlere sunmaktayız. Sizler için yapılan araştırmalar neticesinde web sitemizde yer alan iskanlı konutları incelemenizi tavsiye ediyoruz. Bilgilendirmeler için 7 gün 24 saat çağrı merkezimizde sizlerin çağrılarını beklemekteyiz.

    Sevdikleriniz için yaşamın önemini iyi biliyoruz bu yüzden en kaliteli mekanlarda en gözde mekanları sizler için derledik.

    http://www.emlakdream.com/etiket/kartal-konut-projeleri/

  198. soniasays:

    I tried this one yesterday. But mine came out a little dense. not like an “airy” muffin but more like a cake. I was wondering if you can tell me what could have gone wrong. Taste-wise really good.

  199. Caseysays:

    Hey there! Love the site! And I love this recipe, but I have a question- why are the instructions to mix the sugar in to the flour and then add the butter, as opposed to creaming the butter and sugar together and then adding to the flour? Thank you!!!

  200. Sarahsays:

    I unfortunately have to make this dairy free as my son is allergic to milk…could I use dairy free sour cream? If not how much butter and oil do I add to compensate?

  201. Lynnettesays:

    This recipe is my new favorite! It made me a beautiful, flavorful, and soft cupcake. I absolutely loved it!
    Question- my cupcakes fell though. Anyone know why?

  202. Amy Crummeysays:

    These are so yummy. Ever made them into a cake?

  203. Mauisays:

    Hi Stef!

    I am a newbie to baking and I just came across of your recipe and tried it the other day…the taste was HEAVEN!! The only problem is the cupcakes turns out too fluffy. Also while baking it has a good form but as soon as I took it out from the oven it went flat. Do you have any idea what went wrong. I baked it at 180 deg and for about 20 mins. Please help. Thanks

  204. Chantelsays:

    Finally! The recipe I have even searching for! Light, moist, fluffy, perfect sweetness and crumb, just the best cupcake you’ll ever have.

  205. Jacindasays:

    Made these today and my batter wasn’t runny? What am I doing wrong ??

  206. Nancysays:

    I have been baking for many, many years and always on the search for the ‘ultimate’ vanilla cupcake–this is IT!!! These cupcakes are light, and moist and just scrumptious and the vanilla bean paste buttercream is to die for! I will look no further for the perfect cupcake–I found it! Everyone who ate one wanted two!! A hit!! Trying it as a cake next for grandson’s birthday. Thank you so much for this recipe!!

  207. Jillsays:

    Hi! Do you know if these would freeze well? I have to make for a big event and was hoping to make in advance. Thanks!

  208. Kaysays:

    Just made these today. I made a couple revisions, was out of vanilla extract and used vanilla bean paste. I also steeped the milk with the bean pod before I added it to the batter. They taste awesome. Will be using this recipe again. Thank you!

  209. Sarahsays:

    These are divine! I LOVE vanilla cake (not a huge chocolate cake fan – although I love the ultimate chocolate cupcake). Made them on a whim because my daughter wanted to bake cupcakes. So I didn’t have vanilla beans. I used vanilla bean paste instead (which I had previously picked up based on another recipe you have.). It worked great. The batter was not too liquidy, so I was a little worried, but they were perfect. My kids and husband couldn’t even wait until I frosted them. I used the vanilla buttercream recipe, which was a perfect compliment.

  210. Kenna Equallsays:

    I loved this! I tested this last night in order to make them for my son’s birthday party this weekend, mine turned out a little dry but i think it was mostly because i didn’t take them out of the pan so it was baked a little longer than necessary probably. the flavor is amazing though and i’m really excited to share this with everyone this weekend!

  211. pardissays:

    These cupcakes are absolutely delicious. The best i have ever made. Despite ommitting vanilla beans( since i cant find in my country) every thing is fine. Sweet enough, very moist and not high in calories. Thank you for sharing this brilliant recipe with us.

  212. Alicesays:

    I made these today, and they are certainly moist and soft. No need to worry about them drying out, I think. But they did not rise as much as I’d expected, and I noticed that the crumb was rather compact. It wasn’t fluffy at all. I suspect either my leaveners have gone stale, or I overmixed the batter (though I made these by hand). Can anyone help? Novice baker here. Thank you!

  213. kardomynsays:

    First, thanks for posting in grams too, makes it a lot more accurate. Unfortunately though, these were not what I am looking for. Texture was not great, too bread like. Too sweet as well. And since moving to the US I have been trying to find a decent cake flour but seriously, that stuff tastes like chalk and smells like plaster of paris mixed with unknown chemicals. Why can’t they just make real cake flour here :(

  214. Anonymoussays:

    I made these today and they sunk in the middle and were quite ‘wet’…vanilla was quite strong so gave a nice flavour but i dont know what went wrong…the tops were also quite dark

    • Charmainesays:

      Mine was the same, I followed to a T but I dunno what went wrong! Any advice x

      • Loves2bakesays:

        Same Thing happened to me. I took them out just now after 14-15 minutes. They look pale, but that’s how they are supposed to be. Did the toothpick test, all good. Suddenly they started to sink. In my opinion the baking time is way off. Needs around 18-20 minutes like all other cupcakes I’ve ever baked. That should have been a hint that I took them out way too soon. In any case, very disappointed…

  215. Moniquesays:

    I baked the vanilla cupcakes today, could you tell me why they taste a little like cornbread. Did I over mix the batter? The texture of the cp was awesome, it was very soft

  216. sweetstuffsays:

    Tried soooooooooo many cupcake recipes and yes this by far tops all the others. I will be using it going further. Thanks for sharing. Have you got a red velvet cupcake recipe?

  217. Maureensays:

    They are a lot or vanilla cupcake recipes but there is something about this recipe that looks stunning. Maybe because it’s the best cupcake recipe? And I really do love the crown on top of the frosting. It looks very irresistible! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  218. Mizuesays:

    Hi, I’m a big fan of this vanilla cupcakes and baked with this recipe for many times.
    The only problem/trouble I had was after baking the middle will sink a little and it turns not so good looking (though it taste great) all the time. And now I finally found a solution to this sinking in the middle problem.
    What I did was to add flour to the batter at the end (before milk) instead of adding it to the sugar at the beginning. I suspect that adding flour at the very beginning of the process cause the batter to be over mixed thus sinking in the middle. After this method, it looks perfect without frosting !(Before I had to add frosting to hide the not to good looking top. Hope this helps someone out there who has the same problem.
    M

  219. Anniesays:

    I just baked these tody and O.M.YUMMM! I didnt divert from the recipe since this was my first time with the recipe. Im wondering however what a little orange zest would do. I baked it around a hershey’s kiss and topped with a basic vanilla buttercream. The person i was baking for isnt to adventurous. I would reccomend this recipe to EVERYONE!!

  220. Wendysays:

    I used this recipe to create some retro twinkie style desserts. They came out perfectly moist. I filled them with chocolate marshmallow creme and topped them with a bittersweet chocolate ganache glaze. They were amazing and I’ve already been told they will be a sell out at the summer farmers markets.

  221. Sarahsays:

    Oh man these are soooo good! I’m making more right now! Vanilla beans in our store are $1.15 ea. so I got a good deal! http://oldbarnbulkfoods.blogspot.com/

  222. Melodysays:

    These are amazing. I even had to make some modifications because of ingredients I was lacking and it was still AMAZING!

  223. leorasays:

    One more question,
    Can I make it non-dairy?

    Ie use unsalted margarine and soy milk and non-dairy sour cream?

    Do you recommend soy milk or non-dairy creamer instead of the whole milk?

    • Stefsays:

      I haven’t tried it with margarine, but I think it would work. Or, maybe Earth Balance. I would use soy milk instead of the milk.

  224. Leorasays:

    Hello,

    I am thinking about making these for my daughters birthday party.

    Were having a bunch of guests so I was actually thinking about making cupcakes but also the cake on the other link.

    1. Can I make just one recipe and double it and use half for the cakes and half for the cupcakes? or do you recommend me making them separately.
    2. I am planning on using the frosting, but I want to completely cover the whole cake with mini colorful sprinkles. Will that taste okay?
    3. How many people does the cake itself feed?

    THANKS!!
    waiting for a reply!

    Leora

  225. Marichesays:

    I did them yesterday and turn out abosulutely perfect. I used cream cheesse and a littlenbit of vinegar instead of sour cream and works great.

  226. Jadesays:

    These were FANTASTIC! I made a double-batch (minus the called-for vanilla bean) for my son’s birthday party a few days ago and they turned out beautifully! Nicely domed, very vanilla, and substantial enough to hold together, yet light enough to be truly enjoyable. These were just plain perfect. Thank you!

  227. Zainyssays:

    What happens if I use imitation vanilla extract instead of pure vanilla extract, alongside the vanilla bean? I can’t use pure extract because of the alcohol :-/.

  228. Marasays:

    I am so disappointed! I was looking for a fantastic vanilla cake/cupcake recipe. These are not great. They have good flavor, but the crumb is coarse and they don’t peel from the paper. Good enough to send to school with the kids, but certainly not anything to turn into a wedding cake. I try to go by weight with flour since humidity/location can throw the measurement. I didn’t see the comments about the flour weight and went by What the recipe called for (175 g). I’m SO GLAD I tested this recipe out cause I certainly wouldn’t have been part of the group that gave the thumbs up. I may try with more flour at a later date. At this point I’m much happier with a different recipe. Please check the weight measurements.

  229. Sashasays:

    Also, is it necessary to put vanilla paste because it isn’t available in my country and amazon doesn’t deliver

  230. Sashasays:

    How long do these cupcakes take to make with the icing? I need it to be done in 1 1/2 hours (I have cooking classes) and is it necessary to put extract instead of essence :)

  231. Marysays:

    “Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.” Until just combined is the same wording they use in pancake recipes when they want you to leave lump, so unless leaving lumps was okay (which i doubt) you should change the wording. I just spent $10 buying a vanilla bean just to throw my cupcakes away.

  232. Racshellesays:

    October 15, 2014

    This cupcake is the truth. I am a very good baker and have baked for over 20 years. My desserts get very good reviews from family members for taste and for being moist. I have baked cupcakes that I have been very unhappy with as they were either too gummy or too cake like (dense). I set out on a mission a few weeks ago to find a recipe that would allow me to bake a light, fluffy and moist cupcake that tastes similar to the cupcakes bought at a bakery or at Sam’s. I have baked long enough that I am able to look at the ingredients of a recipe for a cake or cupcake and be able to tell if the recipe will do what it says it will do. I found after doing a search for “light, fluffy, moist bakery cupcakes”, several hits and after looking at them all, this one struck me as a great possibility. I read every one of the reviews I was sure that this cupcake recipe might be the one. My clues (1). Cake flour (much lighter than regular flour (2). Vegetable oil instead of shortening or usual amount of butter in a recipe ( Makes a big difference in the moistness of a cake from my experience) (3). Sour cream (a great moisturizer) (4). A liquid (loose) batter. I made these cupcakes tonight to see if what I believed and read from many about the light, springy, fluffy and moist texture would hold true so if it did not I would have time to search again for another recipe. I am happy to say this recipe is what it claims to be. This is a great bakery style cupcake and I am so happy to have found it and tested it. I did not use the vanilla bean (only adds flavor), I did not add extra vanilla flavor and I even used baking soda, and baking powder that I have had in my baking supplies in their own ziplock bag for awhile and my cupcakes baked well and rose over the top of the cupcake wrapper. I will be making these fresh on the day of Halloween for our annual fall festival and I already know they are going to be a hit with the buttercream icing recipe that I found. I am excited and I thank all those who created or tweeked the cake batter recipe to give me (speaking for myself) an at home bakery quality cupcake. A cake should be a cake(dense but moist, in my opinion) and a cupcake should be a cupcake: light, fluffy and moist, in my opinion. The buttercream frosting I will be making to pipe onto these cupcakes will make these cupcakes over the top delicious and bakery quality. I can not wait to bake them, pipe buttercream frosting on them, decorate them and serve them all on the same day 10/31/14.

  233. Jerry Tafurosays:

    Why not use the creaming method ? What’s the advantage of this method ? I feel as if beating the flour and butter together for three minutes will activate too much gluten in the cupcakes making them tough, but I’m not too sure because butter is thick unlike liquid and might not activate too much gluten. Has anyone tried this recipe but applied the creaming method ? Thank you <3

    • Racshellesays:

      I made the recipe exactly as the directions said but did not worry about mixing for any amount of minutes more than it took for me to combine and make sure the batter was smooth. I use the slowest speed on my mixer (irregardless of what the mixer says is being done) that will adequately mix my ingredients for everything I mix and bake. The only time I use my mixer on high speed is to make buttercream or cream cheese frosting to get the ingredients mixed well. The only place I saw in the recipe to mix for three minutes was the vanilla bean sugar mixture with the 1/4 cup of butter (1/2 stick softened at room temp) and I definitely did not waste my time beating that for three minutes and I did not use the vanilla bean. My cupcakes turned out light, fluffy and moist and rose over the tops of the cupcake wrapper. In my opinion as long as you do not over mix at any stage of adding the ingredients, just making sure that the ingredients are combined well enough that the batter is smooth as quickly as possible you won’t go wrong if all the measurements are measured correctly. By the way I did not worry about weighing any of the ingredients and the cupcakes came out great. I hope this helps.

  234. Hayleysays:

    ABSOLUTELY positively the best vanilla cupcakes I have EVER made! I wasn’t really expecting much, because every other cupcake recipe seems to say it’s the “ultimate” but these really, really were and I’m so happy with the results :)

  235. London Nycolesays:

    Does the flour need to be sifted at any point

  236. Liyanasays:

    hi,
    I tried baking these cupcakes but the cakes didnt turn out as fluffy and soft as expected. Would using all-purpose flour alter the texture? My batter didnt turn out as liquid as mentioned it was pretty dense.

  237. Sydney Sunsays:

    I’m always looking for the best recipe for everything so I’m definitely going to have to give this a try!

    Follow my blog at http://www.forloveofbaking.com

    Sydney

  238. Lizsays:

    Fabulous recipes!! I did both the “Ultimate vanilla” & the “Ultimate chocolate” cupcakes. 1st things first…the fluffiness of the vanilla ones are indescribable…it’s like a big fluffy cloud from heaven! So delicious! And of course I used the vanilla bean butter cream frosting….SO GOOD!! The vanilla bean paste really set it of to a whole nother level! Amazing!!

    I really like the chocolate too! I used Hershey cocoa and nestle semi sweet morsels. I should’ve used a sweeter milk chocolate but it worked well cause the chocolate cream cheese frosting was sweet enough.

    Side note, if your worried about the soupy-Ness of the vanilla batter, don’t be! Just make sure if your putting allot in the oven at one time to make sure they ALL get done. Check every 2 minutes like the instructions say.
    So…thank you so much! Both very excellent recipes!!

  239. Christinesays:

    I baked these for my nephew’s wedding on July 5. They turned out beautiful! I think people forgot what real vanilla tastes like because they were raving about these. It was a little daunting since they also had a professionally crafted bakery wedding cake, but I heard nothing but wonderful things about these cupcakes. Absolutely perfect. I used vanilla bean, vanilla paste, and cake flour as instructed.

  240. Shobanasays:

    Hi

    I made these yday and i have to tell u, it was delicious and so tender and moist. The raised well in the beginning but then sunk in :( what did i do wrong? I really wanna make these again sans the sinking middle :)

  241. Nikkisays:

    I made these cupcakes today with the vanilla bean buttercream frosting…I think I am in cupcake heaven. They are moist, and they remind me of a good vanilla cake. Thank you for creating my new “go to” cupcake recipe.

    I encourage everyone to use good quality unsalted butter when making the frosting. I usually use a good European or Cabot brand butter. I don’t like vanilla paste, so I used vanilla bean seeds from the pods. Then I store the used pods in organic raw sugar for my use in tea (southerner girl) or other beverages that require sweeting.

  242. Ashleysays:

    We have been looking for an awesome vanilla recipe and this is the 4-5th one we have tried. I’m not the baker, but I wanted to show what I’ve got and made these tonight. This is definitely our new recipe! So light fluffy and delicious! I didn’t use any vanilla beans but I’m sure they only make it better. Thank you for this recipe!

  243. Lynn Adamssays:

    Just made these cupcakes and they are WONDERFUL! I divided some of the batter into three bowls and added neon colors — lime green, teal blue and purple, leaving one quarter white. I then swirled them together to make “tie dye” cupcakes for our granddaughter’s birthday. They came out high and beautifully domed, and SO TENDER. I did a test cupcake as usual and filling the liners 1/2 full was perfect, although I got 18 cupcakes in all — but no complaint there! Can’t wait to frosting them to see the final outcome. The party-goers will be SO HAPPY! This recipe is absolutely a keeper!

  244. Torkstersays:

    Umm, you weren’t kidding. By far the most delicious vanilla cupcakes I’ve made and will continue to make. No others can compete…and believe me, I’ve made quite a few cupcakes in my day. So incredibly pleased with this recipe! Also making your chocolate cupcakes for a cupcakes I’m making for a graduation. Should be a delicious pair!

  245. sbobetsays:

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  246. Anniemesays:

    Thank you thank you thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
    After years of trying dozens of cake recipes (no joke), I’ve finally found a keeper. I will be making a wedding cake this summer (my first one, ahhh!) and have been trying to find the perfect recipe, one that’s dense enough to hold some weight, but still light, airy, and (most importantly) moist.
    I’ve made this now twice into cakes and the result each time has been perfect.
    It does form a pretty nice dome on the top, great for cupcakes (not so much for cakes), but that just means I can sneak a little snack in while leveling the cake :)
    The second time I added some almond flour and almond extract, and it turned out lovely.
    Both times I used mini 6′ cake pans, and filled them pretty generously, which required about 28ish minutes at 350, given the depth, but they still baked very well.

  247. Neenasays:

    This is definitely the best vanilla cupcake recipe ever! Beats Martha Stewart hands down!
    I modified it a bit as they were not sweet enough for me, by adding 1/4 cup extra sugar.
    I love the dense taste of the cupcake coupled with the intense vanilla flavour. Oh, and they smell amazing! 5 stars for sure! :)

  248. Sashasays:

    Has anyone ever tried making this recipe into a cake? If so, what size pan did you use and how long did you bake it for? I’ve used this recipe before for cupcakes and LOVE it and I’d like to try and bake a cake this time but I’m not sure if it will turn out the same.

  249. Bellasays:

    Hi! Thanks sooo much for this recipe! I had trouble finding the best vanilla cupcake recipe and I was always let down with dry cupcakes. THIS IS IT! These are super moist but fluffy, not at all dry! I used plain flour instead of cake flour, and vanilla bean paste instead of a vanilla bean. Turned out great, they did brown ontop slightly, but not to much. Thanks so much!! :)

  250. Amandasays:

    Hi there,

    I’ve made these twice now. The second time round I encountered an issue with this recipe. The tops were a little golden brown in some areas after it tested cooked, but after letting them cool the cupcakes sank in the centre. It was still moist and tasted nice, but presentation was pretty dismal. Can you please advise? This is such a promising recipe so help would be great! xoxo

    • Katarina Strydomsays:

      I just took them out of oven and cooled. They are delish but experienced the same thing. DOnt mind the colour as I always use frosting etc but some shrank inside and pulled away from the paper. That is a problem for me! Can someone tell us what we doing wrong?

  251. Farahsays:

    I used this recipe to make a mini rainbow cake. It turned out great. My sister even commented that it tasted better than the one she had at a cafe!

  252. skip hire Bedfordshiresays:

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  253. Evelynsays:

    To me the ultimate bottom line for cupcakes and yellow layer cake is the 1234 cake recipe. I have used this for 50 years and my mother before me. It is all butter, no oil. And I have always used cake flour for a fine crumb and a tablespoon of vanilla. Any butter creme icing is good, but in the spring when the strawberries are local, Strawberry Icing is to die for! The recipe out of Back in the Day Bakery cookbook is the best I have ever had! My grandmother would add half a can of Sauers cake spice to the batter and fold in 2 cups of pecans and 2 cups of raisins. She would bake it in 3 layers and frost it with Caramel Icing. This is the cake she would have at holidays for us. Did not last long!

  254. Diannasays:

    best cupcake recipe I’ve ever used! EVER!

  255. Elvasays:

    Hi,
    I’m going to give this recipe a try this week. 1 question though. The 175g of cake flour is sifted weight or unsifted? Thanks.

  256. Meisays:

    My sister-in-law made these and I had to get the recipe. I ended up making it as a a gluten and dairy free three layer cake for my own wedding. It was delicious and turned out beautiful! <3

  257. Patricksays:

    Did not have all the fancy ingredients so i just used all purpose flour instead of cake flour, used 3 medium eggs, double cream instead of sour cream, and vanilla pods are incredibly expensive so i just used the imitation extract and also for the frosting i experimented a bit with mascarpone, coffee sugar nutmeg and coffee powder……………i did this for a dinner we were invited to and everyone wanted a second helping……..the result was a light, moist, flavorful cake……. :D my first ever vanilla cake was a success

  258. Kimberly Annsays:

    Gave this a shot, this evening. I was pleased with the results, but didn’t expect to be blown away – I guess that’s why ‘vanilla’ has become a term for boring, huh? They were good! Not amazing, but good! It wasn’t the best cupcake I have ever had, but it’s the best vanilla cupcake that I’ve had. So I guess that’s saying something.

    I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream and 1% milk instead of whole milk because that’s what I had on hand. They were light, fluffy, and spongy. I halved the recipe just to test it out, and it made 9 cupcakes instead of 8. I baked for about 16 minutes even though they were probably ready at 14… I like the extra flavour that a little golden brown colour around the edges adds. I used your vanilla bean buttercream recipe, as well. Nice! All in all, it was a decent cupcake – definitely not dense or floury like some recipes are. I would make it again, for sure.

    • Vonniesays:

      I haven’t tried this recipe yet but it is the one I plan to make for the “taste test” for my brother’s wedding. Can this recipe be doubled? Any tips I should know before trying to double it? Thanks!

    • Kimberly Annsays:

      Just wanted to note: I tried these cupcakes again and used all butter instead of butter and oil, and buttermilk instead of whole milk – it worked nicely, as well. The texture on the cupcake top wasn’t the same, but it tasted a lot nicer. I didn’t have any vanilla beans left, so I doubled the vanilla extract – I used a bourbon Madagascar vanilla extract with seeds. For this batch, I ended up piping some raspberry filling into the middle of the cupcake with a bismarck tip and then topping it with a generous dollop of vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. They came out lovely, though very very rich – you definitely couldn’t eat a lot of them in one sitting.

      If you’re going to use all butter instead of butter and oil, you might not want to mix it for as long as it states in the step where you mix the dry ingredients with butter. It will go from fine buttery crumbs to a dough very quickly. :P

  259. Amysays:

    I made these cupcakes last night for Valentines Day….they are amazing! Hands down the best vanilla cupcake – ever! I did not have a vanilla bean so I left that out, and used greek yogurt instead of sour cream because I had it on hand. Also used 2% milk because I did not have whole milk. Still – outstanding! Frosted with cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries! Will make them true to recipe next time, though I can’t imagine them tasting any better!

  260. Janelsays:

    Is it okay to double this recipe to make ~30? Is the recipe okay to double or should I make two separate batches?

    Thank you! I am excited to make these for a valentines day birthday party!

  261. Natashasays:

    Ive been baking since I was 10 and have made well over 60 different types of vanilla cupcake and I can say without doubt that these cupcakes we THE BEST I have ever made. My boyfriend who seems to dislike anything with vanilla in it ate 12 cupcakes in one sitting (that must say something).
    You’re doing a great job and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.

  262. Janesays:

    Thank you for sharing! I am getting ready to bake these but don’t have access to a vanilla bean today. Can I use vanilla bean paste for the cupcakes and if so, how much?

  263. Ambersays:

    Hi Stef,

    I bake quiet a lot and I am always looking for new recipes and occasions to bake. I tried ‘The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake’, as well as ‘The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake’ for my daughter’s school party. The chocolate ones, turned out beautifully just like the ones displayed on your website. But the Vanilla ones did not rise, they became brown and did not cook through. I rebaked a fresh batch and the second ones turned out a little better, cooked through but still did not rise and a little brown from the top. I followed the recipe exactly – can you tell me what I might be doing wrong. I want to champion the vanilla cakes as well, I am a bit of a perfectionist.

    Thanks

  264. Jessi Beesays:

    It turns out you *can* make these cupcakes better!

    The first time I made them for my boyfriend’s birthday I misread the recipe and thought I added the vanilla bean paste to the batter instead of vanilla extract and added 1 TBSP of the vanilla bean paste instead.

    They are so good that way I will continue making that mistake.

    Delicious!

  265. Erinnsays:

    Though I bake quite a bit, I’ve never been sold on vanilla cupcakes (or vanilla anything, for that matter)… until this one. It’s become my go-to cupcake recipe, dethroning several other seductive flavors. Whenever I make them, my fellow vanilla skeptics are converted. They are perfect. Thank you.

  266. Divya-Ellasays:

    i just wanted to know what can i do if i don’t have access to vanilla bean paste?

  267. Daphne menesessays:

    My question is can I use half and half milk for making cupcakes?

  268. Jennsays:

    I have made this recipe so many times now – and every time they come out perfectly and people are always asking where I bought them. I get so many compliments. They really are the best! I always use the chocolate cream cheese frosting. It’s just a classic combination.

  269. Kuyetsays:

    wow!I’ve been looking for the ultimate vanilla cupcake recipe. this looks and sounds great. i don’t really know where i can get vanilla beans but i sure will look til i get some. this is just so awesome. came at the right time too. what with Christmas around the corner, i think i’ve found the christmas treat for this year. Vanilla cakes. Yum yum.

  270. jual jaket kulitsays:

    nice for posting this article good job and interesting..I try at home..thanks

  271. DarkChocosays:

    Oh my god, I just made this today and I have to tell you that the cupcakes were the best I’ve ever made. Actually I made a slight alteration to the recipe by increasing the amount of butter by 15 grams and reduce the amount of oil and milk because I don’t like too moist cupcakes. They were light, not dry and heavy like those made by the creaming method, and I decide that this will be my go-to recipe for vanilla cupcake from now on.

  272. Suzanasays:

    I will definitely try this recipe!

  273. Suzanasays:

    I definitely will try this… I’m pretty sure this must be one of the best vanilla cupcake recipe ever ;)

  274. Cersays:

    I baked these hoping that they would be the best vanilla cupcakes, but OOOHHHH was I disappointed. I followed the recipe exactly, but when they came out of the oven, the tops were dipped inwards instead of flat or round. Had to start all over and made Rose Levy’s yellow cupcakes instead that turned out delicious.

    I don’t recommend you waste your time and ingredients using this recipe. PERIOD.

  275. Denisesays:

    I so want to try a recipe with vanilla bean, but here in South Carolina they are EXPENSIVE!! They are like $9.00 for one or two vanilla bean sticks in a jar. :( These will ONLY be made on my birthday which is next year!!

  276. Katherinesays:

    I needed a tried and true vanilla cake recipe for the the Breaking Bad themed cupcakes I baked over the weekend. I came across this and made a couple of modifications (the biggest one being that I don’t bake with eggs so I used a starch-based egg replacer) but the cupcakes were absolutely flawless. I’ve never been a huge vanilla person but I can definitely say that this will be my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe now. :) http://www.goudamonster.com/2013/09/breaking-bad-blue-meth-cupcakes/

  277. Edensays:

    I have never wrote an review before, but after trying this cupcake recipe, I had to. I did not use the vanilla only the vanilla extract, since that was the only one I had in the house. While I was making the batter, I was thinking this is the worst looking batter I ever made. This will never work out and I am an experienced baker. Once I took them out of the oven I realized they look really great. I tried them and OMG, they are so beyond great. No Cake mix can keep up to this or any other recipe I ever tried. Thanks so much for the recipe, this will be my go to recipe for cupcakes from now on. My chocolate cupcakes are in the oven now, lets see if it will be just as great. Thanks

  278. Marinasays:

    I just made these today and they are simply divine. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I am wondering though how the mixture would go with baking as a cake, can you recommend cooking tempretures and times? Thanks again.

  279. Angelasays:

    I’ve baked these cupcakes three times now, and hands down they are the best vanilla cupcake I have ever had! I cut down on the sugar, to half a cup and they still taste just as good. The great thing about this recipe is that the cupcakes last a good 3 days and they are still moist and light. They don’t go dry and stale. Perfect!!

  280. AKSsays:

    Holy Vanilla Batman!!! Moist and very strong vanilla taste without the chemically taste of a mix. Since I didn’t have a vanilla bean, I mixed 1 TBSP vanilla bean paste per one cup sugar. I tripled the recipe because I needed 100 minis. I wound up with 9 dozen minis and 19 full-sized cupcakes. Really great recipe. Thanks!!

  281. Briansays:

    I love cupcakes and I have made a lot over the years, however I am trying to perfect my own recipe. I came across this recipe as I was looking for ideas. I did make these as prescribed but the cake was cloyingly sweet and sticky. I made a second batch using 3/4 cup sugar and a few tablespoons of milk and those came out like I like them. I weighed the ingredients and 225 grams of sugar was too much. I also used a vanilla Greek yogurt as well as the sour cream, both were good. The cake flower is a must but cut the sugar and milk and it will turn out nice!

  282. Gracesays:

    This is one of the best tasting vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever made, and VERY light and moist. However, I prefer a heavier, yet still moist and fluffy cupcake. When I say heavier, I would like one that has less air, weighs more in my hand, yet is still super soft and moist. This one is so light, it’s like eating a sponge cake or something. What kind of change can I make to this recipe in order to get a heavier cupcake that still has its moistness and flavor?? Any thoughts? Thanks!

  283. Kristensays:

    This recipe is fantastic! A friend’s mom wanted me to make cupcakes for her sons birthday party but I didn’t have a good vanilla cake recipe. All the ones I tried came out dry and cornbread-y. I was getting worried I wouldn’t find one in time but then I found this one; so fluffy and moist! The first batch I used the vanilla bean and the second I substituted the bean for 1 tbsp of vanilla bean paste. Both came out great with a fabulous vanilla flavor. I would definitely recommend trying this recipe!

  284. Gloriasays:

    Hi thank you for sharing this recipe! I must say that your vanilla recipe is the Ultimate Vanilla recipe! The first time i tried it i did not use vanilla bean for it is very expensive and hard to find , i did not liked it end up throwing the whole batch, so the other day i was lucky to get a tahitian vanilla bean so i tried it again today…wow i was blown away i!!!! it is really important that you follow every ingredient or else it will fail…it is a success! Thank you soooo much!!!!!

  285. susansays:

    These are THE BEST vanilla cupcakes EVER!! I am not one who likes that typical overly sweet buttercream frosting…and this frosting is so light and sweet and so easy to work with. My granddaughter wanted these for her birthday party so I gave them a trial run actually expecting them to disappoint me, and boy was I ever wrong!! Thank you so much for posting this excellent recipe. Also, I used vanilla bean paste in the entire recipe. Thank you again!

  286. Ktsays:

    Cupcakes are just ok. Not worth all the effort or the cost of the vanilla bean. I made these for a birthday party and received no compliments on the taste (just the appearance). I echo the other comments on expecting to be blown away and was left with just an ok cupcake. Frosting was the best part- i made the strawberry whipped one provided on the website. These were NOT ultimate!!!!!!

  287. Em Wsays:

    I found that these were not the most amazing …they were just okay , I baked it in 12″ pan, 2 layers, the cake came out very very dense not light and fluffy as I would expect from cake flour

  288. Andrea dinallisays:

    I am Brazilian and I love your recipes. This excellent vanilla just do it and everyone raved to me, there is nothing to improve. The best.

  289. Marysays:

    I made the cupcakes last night but they didn’t rise and they tested them like raw flour , I’m not able to get cake flour in the uk and I used all purposes flour, can I use self rising flour this time? I want to make them again but not sure if this flour will work..thanks

    • Stefsays:

      Hmm.. I doubt that the problem is with the flour. It’s possible that you left off the baking powder or baking soda or that one of those has gone bad.

  290. nickzsays:

    @steph my cupcakes come out flat am i doing something wrong? i use normal plain flour.

  291. Melisays:

    OMG! Best cupcake ever! Had to stop myself from eating all of them! Was super moist and light. Vanilla flavor came through beautifuly. Loved the cupcake alone but paired with your vanilla frosting…. To die for! I could
    Make these all day long.

    Also I didn’t have whole milk so I used 1/4 heavy cream and the rest I used almond milk. Great recipe! Now you just need tutorials on how to pipe frosting.

  292. Nancysays:

    This is now my “go to” vanilla cupcake recipe!! I have searched high and low and had many failures! I have been baking this recipe for about a year and will not stray from it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I get rave reviews everytime I bring these somewhere. I use the frosting recipe from Glorious Treats, it has just a touch of cream cheese in it but not too much to overhealm like a traditional cream cheese frosting. You all make me look like a rock star!!!

  293. Sabrinasays:

    Just thought I’d say I adapted these to make lemon cupcakes and they were incredible. Exactly what I was trying to achieve. I subbed lemon zest for the vanilla bean and lemon extract for the vanilla extract. Only other changes were plain greek yogurt for the sour cream and buttermilk for the milk. They were light, flluffy, moist and just delicious. I can’t wait to try them as vanilla. I’m also thinking of adapting them for my champagne cupcakes. Both of my previous recipes for lemon and champagne cupcake always ended up being too dry and too dense – so glad I found this recipe! Thanks!!

  294. amisays:

    These are the best vanilla cupcakes I have ever eaten. Actually, these are the best CUPCAKES I have ever eaten. So moist, light and wonderfully soft. The taste of vanilla comes through perfectly and I love the sight of vanilla beans inside the cake! I make them with vanilla-strawberry frosting mascarpone and they are really delicious. Every time I bake them they disappear from the plate in no time. Thank you so much for this recipe.

  295. Mimisays:

    I made the cupcakes last night, and it wasn’t as hard as I thought. Quite a thrill using real vanilla bean seeds!

    I did a test cupcake using one of my paper cup designer cupcake holders, and it took forever to bake. In fact, I gave up because the top got all brown, but the inside was still gooey.

    Then I tried it with my usual cupcake liners in a cupcake pan, and – perfection! They did take longer than I thought to bake though – I have a fan-forced oven so I thought they’d bake faster, but no, it took them about 25 to bake through.

    My batter wasn’t liquid, although I followed the directions exactly. Not sure if this was a factor, the batter not being liquid.

    I got rave reviews from my coworkers on them – they all noticed they were made with real vanilla beans!

    I will keep this as my “go to” recipe for vanilla cupcakes, thanks!

  296. Hnsays:

    Hi, is there any substitution for cake flour? Because they don’t sell cake flour in Australian shops.

    • Stephaniesays:

      Measure out a cup of regular all-purpose flour and take out 2 Tablespoons. And add two Tablespoons of corn starch and sift together very well. And i mean sift them together about 5 times so the cornstach really gets mixed in with the flour. Cake flour is just a little bit lighter then all-pupose but not much diffrent. I have done several recipes that call for cake flour and use regular and they turn out great. I am just trying this recipe for the first time today so I can’t say for this one. :)

  297. Lesleysays:

    Stef, ever try doubling this recipe? recommended or not?

  298. Lizsays:

    Hi! How much oil could i use instead of butter?

  299. Huasays:

    I made this recipe and it was a hit at work!!! Thank you!!!

  300. Monicasays:

    Hey Stef! I was wondering if you could help me out. I tried the recipe and the cupcakes sunk, didn’t rise. I’m pretty certain thisis because I am from Mexico city and the sea level here is probably different, so I was wondering how to adapt the recipe to my sea level. Could you give me any pointers? I can send you a picture of how they came out if that helps. Thanks!

  301. Carolinesays:

    HI,

    First of all, I would like to thank you because I thought I stood no chance EVER at baking, but you just gave me sooo much hope. The cupcake turned out amazing.
    They taste amazing and are easy to make. I am a big fan of yours now.

  302. blogsays:

    These are really The Ultimate Cupcakes. I made these and it’s my first ever attempt to make cupcakes from scratch, these are fluffy, moist and very tasty. I use some of my own tricks, I mixed all dry ingredients and leave in separate bowl, than all liquids, I put milk in microwave for 1 minute and than add vanilla extract to it, I separated eggs, and beat egg whites with mixer until fluffy and light, i mixed all liquids one by one, egg yolks, hot milk with vanilla, than sugar, butter and oil in it, than i mixed it with the hand mixer. Than add all dry ingredients slowly and mix it on low speed, just for 2 minutes, than mix it with hand, in the last just fold egg whites in the batter. I fill the cupcakes holders 1/2 and than add chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, caramel chips, in each cupcake batter a different taste to add. i made one with red food color. All turned out so yummy. Definitely these are my Ultimate Vanilla Cupcakes forever. Thank you so much. kindly if you share your Ultimate chocolate chip cookies recipe and for Pizza dough also. Thank you again. Stay blessed.

  303. toobzymomsays:

    Were they all baked from the same batch of batter? If yes, my only suggestion would be that the longer the batter sits, everything is not as perfectly blended together as when you first complete the mixing and pour into the pans – although not necessarily easy to see, the longer the batter sits, the more some ingredients separate out a bit, i.e. are less emulsified, causing that ringed appearance. Try giving a few gentle stirs each time before you pour into each pan.

  304. Emilysays:

    Have you ever made this into a layered cake?

  305. Janetsays:

    I have made this recipe many times and love the way these cupcakes taste the first day. My problem is how to store them so they stay fresh and moist. I cool them immediately on a rack and store in airtight tupperware containers at room temp prior to frosting. They are so dry and crumbly after 2 days. Refridgerating dries them out, too. I have a wedding order to fulfill and would love to use this recipe. Please help with storage ideas!

  306. Nataliesays:

    What size vanilla bean did you use in this recipe. Trying to purchase from Indivanilla but I have no idea what size I need to purchase?

    • Anonymoussays:

      I purchased the med. size and I used 2 of them in the recipe. It worked out great for me. Good luck and happy baking!

  307. Anonymoussays:

    I’ve baked these a few times, and I have to say they are very forgiving and turn out great every time. Once I even had to omit the sour cream and substituted the closest thing I had, which was cream cheese! I know, I know… but they still turned out great. I’ve also made it without the vanilla bean, and just used a little bit more vanilla extract. I live in a very dry climate, so the batter is never runny for me, like you’ve indicated in the recipe. No matter. Works great. Thanks for the recipe!

  308. Anonymoussays:

    This recipe is now my go to Vanilla recipe. I’ve used it in cake and cupcake form. Both work beautifully! I really want to thank you for the IndriVanilla link. After so many orders for this flavor, paying $6.00 per bean retail really started cutting into profits. Getting the 10% discount by typing in the ultimatecakeproject was really nice. Once again, THANKS so much!!

  309. Toni Cameronsays:

    I tried this recipe today and had to split the batch into 2 to try 2 types of flour. I couldn’t find cake flour without added raising agents so trialed Italian 00 Flour and a cake flour that had cream of tartar and raising agents already added to it. The Italian 00 Flour gave a flat topped, low rise result with a richer flavour and a hint of subtle custard softness in the crumb than the other flour, which somehow wasn’t as flavoursome with a less luxurious crumb. The Italian 00 Flour won hands down. I will make this again in 2 weeks to fill a birthday order for my hubbys colleagues so I can return to provide the feedback I get from them, and they are mostly older men so will be interesting.

  310. Mariamsays:

    Great cupcakes!! I used plain yogurt instead of sour cream, and Badia vanilla instead of vanilla bean.

  311. Anonymoussays:

    made two batches of these, both came out exactly the same dark brown on top and still uncooked on the inside, i placed them in the middle of the oven first batch then on ht bottom for the second one, the flavour is lovely but they just won’t do what i want them too! any tips?

  312. Anonymoussays:

    Also your picture of the cake is a lot paler than mine,I used unsalted butter like the recipe says?

  313. Anonymoussays:

    Made these today,cake is very tasty but very moist. I used castor sugar,would that make a difference?

  314. Dru @ Teenage Cakelandsays:

    These cupcakes are definitely the best! I’ve made them in cake form twice and they’re still incredible!

  315. Anonymoussays:

    the worst cupcake ever made

  316. Anonymoussays:

    Tried this after all the hype – sadly it came out boring and was a huge letdown :(
    Dont know where I went wrong, followed recipe to the letter incl splitting up my vanilla pod.

  317. Nicoletta Hopssays:

    I just baked these cupcakes for my boyfriend’s birthday. When they first came out of the oven I was concerned they weren’t done. However, 14 minutes was just the right time. The cupcakes are the lightest and fluffiest I have ever baked. I also made the Vanilla Bean frosting. It piped so well my cupcakes looked professional!

  318. Isissays:

    I have to say, I was disappointed. They kind of tasty like bad pancake batter somebody decided to bake in muffin tins–but hey, maybe t’was just a fault on my part.

  319. Amy Jonessays:

    Absolutely incredible! The texture is fantastic! Extremely airy. I will definitely make these again!

  320. blogschmogsays:

    Can I make this as a cake? Does it come out as moist as the cupcakes?

    Thank you in advance!

  321. Unknownsays:

    WOW ! Amazing recipe :)

    I posted some images of the cupcakes that I did on my blog here: http://brownieboxblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/perfect-vanilla-cupcakes-for-valentines-day/

    These are definitely the best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever tasted.

  322. Anonymoussays:

    This cupcake turned out great! I had made it and got very excited when watching them bake. They rose so evenly and looked and tasted wonderful! I like all the different fats used in this recipe. Sometimes all oil cupcakes can turn out too greasy and all butter cupcakes can be dense. So this was the perfect balance! This will be saved in my recipe box!
    THANK YOU!!!!

  323. yasmeensays:

    I have baked it twice but the second time I changed much in it . First try I found it too sugary and oily , and more to yellow cupcake . I think due to being from another country ingredients really don’t carry the same characteristic . This is the final recipe I made and I have found it just how I would like a vanilla cupcake . These are what I have changed ( 150 grams sugar / 170 grams yogurt instead of sour cream / 1/8 cup veg oil , all purpose flour instead of cake flour and 1/2 cup water instead of milk .) even for all purpose flower I have to choose specific product .
    I Really think you should try it . And thanks for cupcakes project really I love to read you . You are always inspiring .

  324. tutusays:

    tried this and was a hit. however can i try baking it as a full round cake and how many inches round pls. i wld like to bake it in a 10 inches round pan.

  325. Anonymoussays:

    Thank you so much for this recipie. The texture of these cupcakes are divine- soft, airy and extremely moist! These have to be the ultimate cupcakes ever!!!!

  326. Anonymoussays:

    My ones came out quite brown after 14 minutes. Is the temperature quoted in the recipe (175C) for non fan assisted ovens? They were still delicious but just a bit overdone! Please answer me because I am making more of them tonight? :)

  327. Matrella Noneyasays:

    I made these cupcakes for an office function and everyone loved them. While I loved the texture of the cake, I expected more of a vanilla taste. I frosted the cupcake with a vanilla bean swiss meringue frosting but the burst of vanilla I was hoping for was somehow missing. I will make these again because the recipe made areally good fluffy cake; but I may tweak it a bit so that the burst of vanilla flavor I am looking for will shine through. Not sure how I will do it yet but working on it. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

  328. Anonymoussays:

    I made these over the summer and forgot to comment! I had an order of two dozen vanilla cupcakes with Nutella frosting. I wanted the best cupcake since it was one of my first orders and then I came across this one! I ordered Madagascar vanilla beans off Amazon (a vacuumed sealed pack of about 54 beans was $27, couldn’t beat that!) and used one of them in this recipe. I only had skim milk at the time so I used that instead of whole milk–this didn’t make the cupcakes any less moist…they were AWESOME! I only know this because I had about a half dozen left over that I brought down to the beach with me and my family the next day. They loved them too! I highly recommend these with the Nutella butter cream. I am planning on making about 4 dozen minis of this recipe for next weekend for an order. Those are going to be frosted with vanilla butter cream. Thanks for this recipe!!

  329. Britnysays:

    Thank you , Thank you!!! I made these for my daughters 2nd Birthday party and they are the best cupcakes I have ever made! I have to say that I tested this recipe and one other I found on another blog and this one won for me, hands down! They taste amazing and the texture is perfect! I live at 5200 ft, so I did make a few adjustments for high altitude and, like I said before, they turned out great! This will definitely be my go to for vanilla cupcakes from now on.

  330. poonamsays:

    Stef this is the BEST vanilla cupcakes I have ever made. its just melts in your mouth- like small clouds!!! OMG! Divine. I think my hunt for the best vanilla cupcake might have just ended, thank you!

  331. Anonymoussays:

    They were perfectly fine, but definitely not my ULTIMATE vanilla cupcake. I’m certain that they’ll be consumed quite quickly at work tomorrow, so I don’t consider it a loss at all. Worth the try, and I’ll probably come back to this recipe in the future, but I’m going to have to keep looking for my version of the best vanilla cupcake ever.

  332. marshiesays:

    omg..i can’t wait to bake a super good and tasty vanilla cupcakes..i’ll try your recipe later..

  333. Anonymoussays:

    I have been searching for the ultimate eggless cupcake recipe. Has anyone tried this without eggs and what did you use instead?

  334. Anonymoussays:

    Hi, I made these and the taste was excellent. However, I used the weight measurements, and I do think your flour by weight is off. 1.75 cups of cake flour should = 222 grams, not 175. I used 175 grams and the cake was a bit dense.

  335. Anonymoussays:

    Hi stef! Im Victor. Am a bit confused about the correct measurement of the flour, 1 3/4 cups (175 g) cake flour. i normally weigh my ingredients using a digital scale and 1 3/4 cups of cake flour is 262 grams. just wanna know which measurement is correct. thank you! =)

  336. Hani Campbellsays:

    Hi,
    I live in Asian, Singapore and I just wanna said “Thank You” for sharing this recipe! I baked this vanilla cupcakes for Boxing Day. My husband said that these cupcakes are very moist & I should keep it for our future baking. I also left the cupcakes for days in room temperature & it’s still moist. Now am going to try you Chocolate cupcake & hope the same result too….Thank you so much!

  337. Anonymoussays:

    After having tried several vanilla cupcake recipes that claimed to be the best, I was very hesitant to test one more recipe.

    But I am glad that I did because it was well received by all testers. The cupcake is very moist, fluffy with a strong vanilla flavour.

    I may try to sub some of the oil with butter to make it a tad more dense.

    On the whole, definitely a keeper and my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe.

  338. Fernanda Dávilasays:

    After reading all of the feedbacks I can’t wait to bake these right now, hope it turns as moisty and delicious as most of you have said, greets from Monterrey, México. :)

  339. 9756062e-4b95-11e2-b464-000bcdcb8a73says:

    Stef – Love, love, love the taste and texture of these! However, mine came out very pointy – like mini volcanos! Any ideas about what I did wrong? They come to a point in the center of the cupcake but with a slight indentation in the center of the point. Very odd. I bake frequently but can’t figure out what the problem could be – obviously no one else had that issue. Thanks for any thoughts!

  340. 9756062e-4b95-11e2-b464-000bcdcb8a73says:

    Stef – I too have been in search of the perfect vanilla cupcake. I love, love, love these cupcakes! However, mine came out looking like mini volcanos — rose to a point but with an indentation in the point. Very odd. I would say I’m a good and frequent baker but can’t figure out what I did wrong. Any ideas? Maybe over/under mixing – error in soda or powder measuring? But as I said, delicious. I will try again but thought perhaps you’d know what my problem could be. Thanks!

  341. morningmoonsays:

    I just made this but very disappointed. Mine came out soft and moist and taste delicious. But texture wise isnt exactly like cake. It’s …pancake-y. I wonder what’s wrong. Maybe because of the mixing method? And also it tastes a bit eggy and the bottom is a bit oily. The cupcake is done with no wet centre, but I have impression like biting on an undercooked cake. Very sad, do you know what’s wrong with my cake? Thanks.

  342. Laurasays:

    I just made these for a holiday party and they are as promised the ULTIMATE vanilla cupcake, so moist and rich! Delicious! I have been on a quest to find the perfect vanilla cupcake since I stop at my favorite bakery in Minneapolis every time I travel there, just for their vanilla princess cupcake. Thanks to you I can make my own. They are fabulous and I know everyone at the party will want the recipe!!

  343. Arellyssays:

    THANK YOU! I have made these a couple of times and they are always DIVINE and PERFECT! They are always a hit! I especially love the Vanilla Bean Frosting on them! I did have one question?! Since there still isn’t an Ultimate Chocolate cupcake, do you think I would be able to omit the vanilla bean and add cocoa powder to this recipe to convert it to Chocolate???

  344. Silverblazesays:

    My daughter has tried many vanilla cupcake recipes, she just can’t find one that she likes. I came across this one and shared it with her. We made it together today and she loves it!! She loves to bake cupcakes for family and friends. This will be the recipe she will use from now on, when vanilla is requested. Thanks so much!! :-D

  345. Anonymoussays:

    They taste like pancakes and seem to be a little too oily/moist. We don’t have cake flour in Australia so had to use plain with a little corn flour

  346. Anonymoussays:

    I just happened to stumble across this recipe and was eager to try it. Oh boy! was this a hit:) The cupcakes were devoured by my colleagues at work and someone even said these were extremely professional in taste. Thank you Stef for a simple yet delicious recipe:)

  347. Drea Asays:

    I can’t wait to make these cupcakes! I just started cupcake blogging and uploaded my first post a couple days ago. Check out my blog at dreamincupcakes.blogspot.com

  348. Amandasays:

    I want to use this recipe for my daughter’s birthday cake. I’m planning on making a 3 tier ruffle ombre cake. What would you different on a cake as opposed to cupcakes? I ask this as I sit looking at my poor cake that fell apart when I put it on the cooling rack :(

  349. Amber Stultssays:

    I made this yesterday as a mini-cupcake for a co-worker’s birthday. For the frosting I used milk chocolate carmel. There were so many I sent half to my husband’s work. One of his co-workers left a note which read, “Best thing that’s happened to me all day”. I will definitely use this as my go-to vanilla recipe.

  350. nkb07says:

    Can I substitute Whole Milk for 2%? I have everything else and would so so so not want to go back out to the market!

    Thanks!!

  351. Melsays:

    Just baked these for the first time. They came out perfect. Light, moist and fluffy. Thanks for the fab recipe!

  352. me!says:

    hi stef! i have tried quite a few buttermilk cupcake recipes and most of them have turned out not as fluffy as i like them to be. after going through these threads, it seems like butter seems to be the cause of the denseness. would substituting the 160mls of milk with buttermilk make the cupcakes even fluffier? would really appreciate it if you can advice. thanks!

  353. Anonymoussays:

    Ok I have finally arrived at my go to Moist Vanilla Cupcake recipe destination!! I thought it was only right to come and comment after using this recipe TWICE in one week! I made them for some real and honest critics, “preschoolers” and they LOVED them. I then made them for my own family and, you guessed it, they were a HIT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU AND THANK YOU!!!

  354. Anonymoussays:

    Hello Vanja,

    I just wanted to ask that when you added the extra flour if your batter was now thick and not liquidy as stated in recipe. I did find that 1 3/4 cups was not 175g. The difference between the two (175 g and 200g) I found was kind of extreme – very light and fluffly and then quite dense. Not sure if that was becuase I used all butter with the batch with more flour. Just wondered what you did and how you found your cupcakes with the additional flour.

    Thanks!

  355. Anonymoussays:

    I had a party on the weekend and I tried the recipe! It was a hit! Thank you so much!

  356. Anonymoussays:

    I plan to make these for my daughters birthday coming up. I tried two trial testing all butter and 1/2 butter and 1/2 oil. The half and half cupcakes were very light and the all butter denser. The one thing I found was that 175g as listed in the recipe is not 1 3/4 cups of flour. I even did some research online and found that approximately 196-200 g (depending on what site) was the actual weight for 1 3/4 cups. The recipe did say the batter would be runny – yes that is true when I used less flour. When I used the correct amount of flour the batter was thick not runny and the cupcakes were dense – I did use all butter for these so that may also have contributed to the heaviness – they were not dry just dense. Did anyone else find this problem? Should the other ingredients be altered due to the increase of flour – maybe any of the wet ingredients? If anyone could offer their comments / thoughts that would be great as my daughters birthday is this weekend and I don’t know which way to go? Thanks :-)

  357. smwsays:

    Made them, loved them, so did everyone else. Next time I’ll try the butter as I enjoy dense cupcakes. The buttercream was a tasty disaster due to several superhot days and a very hot kitchen (had to put the butter back into the fridge to firm up as it kept melting on the counter).

  358. Anonymoussays:

    Great recipe!! I had to substitute many ingredients, such as cake flour for regular white flour, yogurt for sour cream, no vanilla bean, etc., and they still came out amazing!!! thanks so much!!!

  359. Anonymoussays:

    Teaching my 10 year old that things are more delicious when they are homemade and this was great proof – THX!! She is a huge cupwars fan and would love to take this recipe and add different flavors. Has anybody found some variations that they love? THX

  360. Anonymoussays:

    I made half the recipe but without the vanilla beans. The topping was just a simple Marshmallow last 5 -6 minutes in the oven. I gave it to a group of my coworkers before making two full batches for my daughter’s birthday this weekend. Not only was so easy, but it took me only 50 minutes from begining to end. The best coment from a cupcake lover was “Best cupcake ever”.

  361. INAELLAsays:

    I am usually so bad with recipes but I was very careful with this one…(except that I added a bit more vanilla extract than this recipe calls for). I love vanilla so I thought the more the better and YUM! This is by far THE BEST cupcake I’ve ever tasted. Could not have done it without the recipe!

  362. Kayleesays:

    This is just the information I am finding everywhere. Thanks for your bridal gowns blog, I just subscribe your blog. This is a nice blog..

  363. Anonymoussays:

    Any idea why my cupcakes shrunk when out of the oven? I’ve tried the recipe twice, in pleated cupcake holders (those that do not require muffin pan). I love the texture and would definitely like to improve the look of them.

    Jade

  364. NatureGirlsays:

    all I can say, after having tried these, is a huge OMG! And I substituted soy milk for the milk and low-fat yogurt for the sour cream. I’ve been baking for years, and these are really the absolute bestest ever! the texture is sooooo mmmmmmmm and the flavor so WOW! Put them out for dessert last night for my family of chocolate lovers, and they were gone gone gone in the blink of an eye.

  365. adventuresofahopelessfoodiesays:

    Hello,
    I wrote about your recipe on my new blog, because I’m absolutely obsessed with it. Your website is wonderful, and I can’t wait until you finish coming up with the ultimate chocolate cupcake recipe. You can read my post here: https://adventuresofahopelessfoodie.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/sam-bakes-cultural-food-night/
    Thanks again for this wonderful recipe! I love it!
    ~Sam

  366. Anonymoussays:

    Followed directions eactly. mixed 3 min. on suggested speed as directed. Tasted good Looked good except inside had some small air holes. Noticed some small bubbles when baking. Is this because the batter is so liquid

  367. Aresays:

    I was also going to use the vanilla bean paste in place of the bean but was wondering how much?!

  368. mybakingempiresays:

    Made these today, and they’re incredible! I used some of them to make the fried cupcake nuggets from another of your post. The rest will be frosted tomorrow :)

  369. Wedding Dressessays:

    They were too fluffy and tasted like muffins that can be found in our local supermarkets here. Thanks for sharing.

  370. Anonymoussays:

    Hi,

    I converted your recipe into an engagement cake for 60 and frosted it with vanilla and lemon buttercream and topped it with decorative almond flavoured fondant. Two weeks later, the guests are still praising it on Facebook – memorable!!!
    Thanks for your efforts and sharing

  371. Anonymoussays:

    I tried these and they were beautiful. One question though, it says here 13/4 cups cake flour which I weighed and it was was more than 175g! Am I imagining or doing something wrong. I went for cups and the cake was a bit dense but still nice. I guess I’ll try grams next and see how it turns out.

  372. Anonymoussays:

    OMG the best cupcakes I have ever made/eaten. Thank you so much. i have been looking for a recipe like this.

  373. Winky Buosays:

    Gotta be honest. Not a fan of Vanilla Cupcakes, but decided to try this for a friend who won’t eat anything with chocolate.

    The moist and tender crumb was a surprise! I tried to do the squish test, and it would softly spring back instead of disintegrate in my hand. I finished the whole cupcake… and that’s still without frosting! I have tasted many that were either too dry or heavy like a rock.

    I am looking forward to the giant cupcake I am making with this recipe. *fingers crossed*

  374. Anonymoussays:

    i have tryed these cupcakes twice now but they go very brown on the top(not burned) what am i doing wrong yet they taste really scummy :)

  375. Annsays:

    I actually got the same result, I tried the recipe today and it was so pretty in the oven and then came out and slowly started deflating and the tops once cooled got all wrinkly and looked quite hideous. I just came home and checked up on them and now they look even worse. Really sticky at the top, it was so much nicer and tastier when it was still nice and hot out of the oven. I’ve made cupcakes before and never had this issue so is there anything I might have done wrong?

  376. Stefsays:

    I can’t remember. Looks like it might have been a Wilton 2D.

  377. Anonymoussays:

    I made these yesterday and they turned out absolutely awful. Recipe was followed exactly but it turned out to be a big doughy mess. I wasted eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla and the cupcakes have to be thrown in the garbage.

  378. Grace Lim-Clarksays:

    Hi Stef, I’ve made these many times since discovering your Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake recipe two months ago – bridal showers, parties, and just to eat at home. The first time I made them, there were ‘tunnels’ (the oven must have gotten too hot), but every batch after that has come out tasting like a vanilla cloud. Light, fluffy, airy and moist vanilla bliss!

    The vanilla bean makes all the difference, it does! I start with all the ingredients at room temperature and test every minute after minute #14. I used extra virgin organic olive oil once, but the taste was too overpowering, so now I use peanut oil but any oil without a strong flavor would probably work.

    Thanks again for this amazing recipe! I’ll be posting my test results on your Chocolate Cupcake recipe next!

    http://graciecooks.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-ultimate-vanilla-cupcake-bar-none.html

  379. Sunniesays:

    I made these the other night, just to try them out, but one of my customers had a birthday “emergency” and wanted to buy them off of me. She took them and passed them around, and I had another order for 3 dozen of them within hours. I say that’s success! Thanks!

  380. Deliciously Delilahsays:

    Awesome Awesome Awesome! I made these a few days ago and they are absolutely the best. I make my own vanilla sugar, so I got to skip that step. I had already done so on a larger scale. I keep that stuff around, now I have another reason to make more. I just got a shipment of fresh beans. (beanilla.com has the best)I used a white chocolate ganache frosting and they were perhaps the best cupcakes I have ever made or tasted! Great job with this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing.

  381. Laurasays:

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I have been searching and had it narrowed down to yours and Magnoliia Cupcakes recipe. I made both and took to work and had them vote. Hands down, this recipe was the winner! Made for a housewarming party and they raved about them! Hint on vanilla bean, found at World Market for $2.99 for 2! They were large also! Cheapest i found.

  382. Anonymoussays:

    I made these a couple days ago and they were awesome! The cupcakes had a really nice texture and had a very light vanilla flavor. And wow that icing is the bomb just an amazing flavor. My husband who doesn’t even like buttercream frostings was in love with this frosting.

    Next time I make these I’m going to double the frosting batch so I can use an even bigger tip then the wilton 1m I used this time.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Christine

  383. Tarasays:

    So I made these the other day just as an initial test knowing they wouldn’t be nearly the true ‘ultimate’ because I didn’t have all the right ingredients. I am planning to buy vanilla pods online (can’t bring myself to pay store price), so I skipped that part and also, can you believe my supermarket doesn’t carry cake flour (which I went to town specifically to buy) so I had to settle for normal flour.

    Regardless, the batter tasted out of this world, so I hoped for good things. When my daughter tasted them she said, and I quote: “this is the best thing I have ever put in my mouth.” haha! Pretty cute. Anyhoooo, I didn’t personally feel they were THAT good, but I do think with the vanilla pods they could be. They were still very good though.

    My question is, how important is the cake flour (since my store will probably never have it stocked)? I will find it somewhere if i have to (I’m living in UK at the mo, so I have no idea how hard or easy this flour is to find)! How detrimental to this cupcake’s ‘ultimicity’ will all-purpose be?

    Thank you!! I’ve recently found your site. Can’t wait to try the Tiramisu cupcakes, pina colada cupcakes and cookie dough cupcakes! I think I better start a new exercise plan, as well!

  384. Anonymoussays:

    these blew my mind!!! I used a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste pluse a a half a teaspoon almond extract and used buttermilk instead of whole. the taste and texture were out of this world!! thank you! had so much flavor. I feel like so many cakes are just a base for the frosting but these were so tastey all by themselves.

  385. Anonymoussays:

    Best cupcake ever!! Thank you so much. I have tried so many vanilla cupcake recipes and they have never turned out right. This is perfect! I hate using boxed mix and knew that there must be something way better out there but disnt find it until I can here. I made rainbow cupcakes with them today, and will be making a huge order of them for Eid al fitr. Thanks again!

  386. CBsays:

    Found this recipe my typing in google “best cupcake recipe” and in one word… WOW!
    I have been looking for a cupcake recipe that was soft like a cupcake should be, as opposed to most recipes that come out more like a muffin. I think half the secret is the cake flour! Thank you so much!

  387. Tarasays:

    I used to live in a country with no extract. It is very unfortunate as I find they taste very different. I wonder if you can buy beans online and make your own extract by putting the beans in a bottle of vodka? It takes many months to a year so not a quick fix but worth a try. Likewise you can probably buy vanilla extract online. I believe essence is just an artificial clear substance. Also I believe a few drops is equivalent to a tsp.

  388. Jsays:

    Blech. The texture of these cupcakes was very eggy. Followed the recipe exactly, and I am no novice cupcake maker. Would definitely not make these again.

  389. Katie Gergsays:

    hi flavor wise these cupcakes are extremely yummy! when I made them though they didn’t come out as moist as the other reviewers mentioned. I’m wondering what I am doing wrong, I measured the ingredients exactly so I think it may be my oven, I also don’t know if foil liners impact the dryness of it because I felt they were still very hot when I removed them from the tin pan.

  390. Anonymoussays:

    This recipe is a keeper! Just baked these n thou I substituted the sour cream w yoghurt, it still turned out great!!!
    I will try w sour cream again!

    Thanks for sharing!

  391. Natashasays:

    Hi, I’m confused about the flour amounts you listed. It has 1 and 3/4 cups flour or 175 grams but the conversion for that amount should be closer to 220 grams. When you baked them, did you go by weight or cups?

  392. Anonymoussays:

    I made these today after stumbling on your blog and reading all the reviews and must say these were just so soft,moist and light….I didn’t have cake flour so used all purpose and didnt have sour cream so mixed yoghurt with single cream and frosted with blueberry buttercream and they were absolutely delicious….my son cldnt stop asking for more!…..thank u sooooo much for this recipe.

  393. Staceysays:

    OMG. You’ve saved my sanity and probably my life with this recipe. It’s perfect. It’s the texture of a box mix, but the flavor of homemade, and the little cupcakes are just beautiful with the speckles of vanilla bean. They’re all just so lovely. We made a batch last night that turned out 12 normal sized cupcakes and about 80 minis. My only sad thought about these cupcakes is that it’s so perfect that we can’t use our Nutella Buttercream with them! The buttercream takes away from the perfectness of the cupcakes, and makes it a little overwhelming I think. We’re going to try your vanilla cream cheese frosting recipe, and I’ll probably cry a little bit from sheer happiness when I taste it. Thank you thank you thank you!

  394. Marisasays:

    Absolutely perfect. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

  395. Anonymoussays:

    I agree with you Erin about it being too moist and stuck to my teeth when I took a bite. It is nice though but I won’t term it the ultimate vanilla cupcake for me.

  396. Anonymoussays:

    Hi, I baked the cupcakes according to the recipe given. Baked them just yellow, not brown. It was fluffy and moist and tasted good. Then when I left the cupcakes for 2 hours on the plate, there was moisture on top of the cupcake. I never encounter such in other recipes. Did I not bake long enough?

  397. Unknownsays:

    Making mine right now, your directions were easy to follow and I added a teaspoon of lemon zest

  398. Kat Hsays:

    I think I need some help. I am a novice cook. I love this recipe and it always comes out tasting fantastic. However, the cakes often shrink in their cases and become quite a bit smaller than when they come out the oven, often peeling away from the cases. I hand rub the butter into the dry ingredients, and use a single stem electric whisk to mix the rest. Any ideas where I’m going wrong. I have wondered about trying some self-raising flour to see if they keep their size and shape better.

    Just made a batch now a your chocolate cream cheese frosting – OMG

  399. *dish*says:

    wow! these came out amazing!! i used them to make tie-dye/rainbow cupcakes, and the texture and taste were wonderful! thank you ;)

  400. Anonymoussays:

    Just tried this recipe today and it turned out great everyone loves it. Would try it again tomoro. Thank you for sharing.

  401. Missisays:

    Absolutely fantastic recipe. Light, fluffy, clean clear vanilla flavor. I am planning to pair this with a vanilla buttercream, the twist, infuse the heavy cream with lavender flowers. Thank you do much for posting the recipe.

  402. mom929says:

    Anyone know whether these freeze well? I’ll be making 250 cupcakes — as well as all the other food and hosting at my home, so I can’t be baking the night before the party.

  403. Anonymoussays:

    These are definately the Ultimate! They are AMAZING!!! Thank you for this recipe!

  404. 3d56d636-cba6-11e1-875e-000bcdcb5194says:

    Mine were exactly the same, they looked fantastic when i took them out of the oven but as they cooled they sunk. I can’t get “cake” flour in England, just plain, self raising or bread. I just use plain usually. I didn’t get my cream or milk to room temperature either though so that probably didn’t help. I will be trying again at the weekend though
    Amanda

  405. Dolce Delightssays:

    as far as a yellow cupcake goes, this one was not my favorite… however I was in search of “The Perfect Pistachio Cupcake” and this recipe plus one packet of jello instant Pistachio Pudding mix is the perfect pistachio cupcake (and the 5th different one I have experimented with)

  406. Anonymoussays:

    Wow these cupcakes looks fabulous ~ I need to make a cake for my sister next weekend for her birthday ~ was wondering with 1 amount of batter can I make 2 x 8 inch round cake and if so how long should I bake it for?
    Thanks :)

  407. Madaleen Bothmasays:

    Yummy cupcakes! We tried it with avo instead of sourcream and they were delicious! keeping this one for the future. :)

  408. Anonymoussays:

    I was very exicted about this recipe but it did not work for me. They look horrible and they are way too soft…

  409. ANONYMOUS JH108 GIRLsays:

    it was amazing! they were really THE most ULTIMATE VANILLA CUPCAKES ever!!! i used plain low-fat yoghurt instead of sour cream, and vanilla essence instead of the beans. Turned out just fine!!! TIP: When mixing the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and later the butter, use a sifter. Makes the job very easy and gets rid of clumps :D

  410. Anonymoussays:

    I have been looking for a fabulous vanilla cupcake recipe for a while, after trying these my daughter told me the search was over! I made them for a July 4th party, topping them with creamcheese frosting, raspberries and blueberries. They were a huge hit. Thank you!
    I had a problem with my cupcake cups indenting as well because they were Wilton and my pan is Goldtone from Williams Sonoma. I find the Martha Stewart cupcake cups are less fluted, I’ll have to stick with those!

  411. Anonymoussays:

    How much vallina extract should you put in if you want to use that instead of vanilla bean?

    • Stefsays:

      The vanilla extract is not a replacement for the bean. Just leave the bean out if you don’t have one. I make it like that all of the time and it’s still delish.

  412. Anonymoussays:

    Has anyone used William Sonoma ground Tahitian vanilla bean? I would really like some input in using this to substitute pod. Will the flavors change greatly?

  413. Anonymoussays:

    Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Have baked it and loved it. Your cupcake looks lovely. Would you be able to share the piping technique? What is the piping tip? Thank you and happy cupcake baking!

  414. Ameliesays:

    Vanilla bean source update to what is mentioned above!

    The JR of JR Mushrooms retired and sold his business to Olive Nation. So, the same vanilla beans (and the same deal!) are available there–at least last time I checked.

    http://www.olivenation.com/Vanilla-Bean-C54.aspx

    They are still also available on Amazon as JR Mushrooms & Specialties vanilla beans. I just wanted to let people know these are the same beans, in case the Amazon version disappears!

    FYI I was the web designer for JR Mushrooms, but I am not involved with the Olive Nation website.

  415. Anonymoussays:

    the taste is AMAZEBALLL!!!!! thanks for sharing~

  416. Soccer Starsays:

    These are amazing! I made them yesterday, but by the time my friends got their hands on them, there are only 2 left! Definitely the ultimate vanilla cupcake!
    ~Stephanie

    P.S. I like your name! :P

  417. Anonymoussays:

    I agree with you Erin. I just tried them and they were only “OK” for me. Followed everything to a “T” …just not that great…grrr. I really wanted them to blow me away too …I soooo want to stop looking for that PERFECT vanilla cupcake. The search goes on….

  418. Anonymoussays:

    Just made these (made minis) and they are delicious and moist with a wonderful vanilla flavour. This will be my new go-to vanilla cupcake recipe! Thank you :)

  419. joyskitchensays:

    I am going to make a test batch of these – I’m looking for a great vanilla cupcake recipe to make for wedding cupcakes for my sister in laws wedding – so this looks perfect! Question – how many cupcakes does this recipe make?

    Thanks!

  420. Anonymoussays:

    So how did your cupcakes fair in the fridge overnight? My cupcakes taste so delicious the day of, then start drying out by the next day.

  421. Anonymoussays:

    I’ve made this recipe about three times. Every time I’ve produced insanly fluffy, light, and moist cupcakes. Absolutely delicious. However, by the next day, they dry out considerably. I store them in an air-tight container, as I do with other cupcakes. Can anyone offer any advice?

  422. Miriam Msays:

    Hii, I have a very important question.
    I just tried this recipe and whenever I put my cupcakes in the oven the bottom always gets too brown/burns or isn’t eatable while the top of the cupcakes seem to be fine. I tried placing the liners in the middle of the oven (height-wise) but still the cupcakes seemed to dry.
    My oven is driving me crazy. I don’t know what to do with it anymore, it’s so frustrating. Should I add more milk/sour cream to keep my cupcakes soft and give it a juicy texture? Any suggestions/advices, please?
    Thanks!

    • joyskitchensays:

      a general rule of thumb when it comes to ovens is the lower the cooking temperature the lower you should place the rack in the oven. Maybe your oven is cooking hot my old one used to? maybe try a test batch at 25 degrees lower at the middle rack? make sure you don’t preheat your pan – just the oven.

  423. JCsays:

    These were really the best vanilla cupcakes I have ever made and I bake A LOT (facebook.com/sugarlilysweets). I used buttermilk in place of whole milk and the result was phenomenal. Finally, a counterpart for my moist and fluffy chocolate cupcakes! Also, 1.5 ounces of batter per cup was perfect for me.

  424. Stephaniesays:

    I tweak this recipe to make my Sweet Iced Tea cupcakes and they are absolutely divine. I had a family member tell me that it gave them a flavorgasm! :-) That’s some very high praise right there!!!

  425. Anonymoussays:

    BEST CUPCAKE RECIPE EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER. NO JOKE :D yum <3

  426. Sarasays:

    Normally I’m a straight chocolate girl, but I was intrigued by the claim, so of course I had to try the recipe. O M G. They deserve every bit of praise we can heap on them. Fabulous taste, fabulous crumb. I think I’m in love.

  427. Heidisays:

    I’m crazy about white cake. Always have been. Right when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make them. I just made them yesterday and I’m very impressed. VERY impressed. They are delicious. The texture is perfect and they are super easy to prepare. I posted the results on my blog last night so please take a look. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. It’s definitely a keeper.

    heidibakes.blogspot.com

    Thanks,
    Heidi

  428. Anonymoussays:

    Can this recipe be adapted to make a cake i have made these cupcakes and mini cupcakes and they were a huge hit a friend asked me to make an anniversary cake and thought this batter would be perfect can anyone tell me if i wanted to make a three tier wedding style cake what would the measurements be…..THANKYOU.

  429. Anonymoussays:

    Made these for my friend’s birthday. They tasted ok. The flavor wasn’t strong enough and it wasn’t sweet enough either. i expected more out of these cupcakes and was disappointed.

  430. Anonymoussays:

    This is in my top 5 favorite cupcake recipes! I was feeling experimental, so I substituted 1/2 c cocoa for 1/2 c of flour & they were delicious! Light & chocolatey! This is my go-to vanilla recipe~~Thanks!!!

  431. Kristensays:

    These looked great at 14 minutes, just a little underdone, and then fell horribly by 15 minutes. We’re talking, practically donuts because they indented so deeply – nearly an inch. I don’t think there’s enough frosting in the world to cover these up.

    I don’t think I overfilled, but I’m still going to try again with much less batter in the cups, just in case. The alarming part of all this is that I have THREE more batches with the dry ingredients already mixed and everything measured out, just waiting to go in the oven – this is for my son’s first birthday party and this is supposed to make 48 cupcakes for me – so this could be a colossal disaster. I wish I had baked a test batch first.

  432. Anonymoussays:

    I tried this recipe last night and fell in love with this recipe. Thank you so much for coming up with this recipe and now this recipe is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe.

  433. Corrinesays:

    Wow, these cupcakes were such a hit! I brought them to work to share with the office and everyone loved, loved, loved them. I frequently bring in new cupcake recipes for them to try and I believe this was their favorite. I live in Denver so I had to adjust for the altitude, but I got it right with the first try :)

  434. DebbyGMomof3says:

    Can someone tell me how well these hold up being baked a day or two before eating? (If you can manage to not eat them all, that is.) ;)
    I am a wedding cake baker, so I need recipes that hold up well for a couple days. I’m a committed scratch baker, but I’ve found most scratch cakes only do well for the day-of, and that’s just not possible for me.
    I’m intrigued by the recipe though, because it’s reverse creaming AND both butter and oil — what I’ve been looking for in a new recipe. :)

    • Corrinesays:

      Hello Debby,

      I made these cupcakes (frosted with the vanilla bean buttercream) a day ahead and they were still fantastic the next day….I don’t know about two days ahead though as they were all devoured that same day lol :)

  435. Christiesays:

    I’ve tried many, many vanilla cupcake recipes. Most of them are too dry. This is definitely my favorite. Its moist, tender and rises nicely. I’m a fan! Thanks for sharing!

  436. Catherinesays:

    I just made these cupcakes. 1 problem: the cake itself tasted good, but the tops were sticky and shiny, not like they should be. What did I do wrong?

  437. maddysays:

    I just made these cupcakes and they were Delicious! I made some modifications based on what I had (I didn’t use a vanilla bean, i also used fat free sour cream and 2% milk). I also made them rainbow so they are extra festive :)

  438. Anonymoussays:

    Made these today and everyone in the house loved them! Making them for Mother’s Day! Thanks!

  439. Anonymoussays:

    OMG..OMG..OMG.. So, I have shed many, many tears… I have spent many long nights, many endless days searching and baking and tweaking and failing and sacrificing many innocent ingredients in trying to find the perfect vanilla cupcake… My search ended when I came across your recipe… And then I cried some more because I was so happy… These are truly amazing!!! They are so light, fluffy, moist, and they rised and domed beautifully!! DELICIOUS!! …I can’t stress enough though, that having your cold ingredients at room temperature is of VITAL IMPORTANCE for success. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe with us! Now.. How about an ultimate chocolate cupcake recipe :) Rosy

  440. ye-mek.netsays:

    We love this recipe… Thanks for sharing with us.

  441. Anonymoussays:

    Hi stef, I’d like to make these for my son’s first birthday. If I need to double the recipe do simply double the ingredients? Always so unsure about baking powder etc… Thank you so much!!! Elizabeth

  442. Juliana Morgadosays:

    I made these the other day, topped with italian meringue buttercream, and it was awesome for me. But my boyfriend said he thought my standard recipe for vanilla cupcakes, the one from Joy of Baking, had more vanilla flavor than this one. Could you imagine? As for me, I was between the two. Can’t decide.

    This is my ultimate vanilla cupcake: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=384957218222152&set=a.232437856807423.76831.100001236318214&type=3&theater

  443. Mariasays:

    I made these perfectly vanilla cupcakes this weekend for my daughter’s 12th birthday party. One word…AMAZING!!!! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out great. I had never split open a vanilla bean before, but I did it and it made all the difference in this cupcake. Everyone loved how the cupcake was light and fluffy. I followed your advice and used the vanilla bean buttercream frosting….wow! Again, I never worked with vanilla bean paste, but I will now!! Both the 12 year old girls and the adults’s comments were all positive and that this was the perfect vanilla tasting cupcake! I found that the recipe made 19, not 16 cupcakes (bonus!!). I will definitely be making these again! Thank you for your tireless work in perfecting the most amazing vanilla cupcake!

  444. Anonymoussays:

    Just took my test cupcake out of the oven, which I shared with my vanilla cupcake-loving 17 year old son. The recipe yielded 19 slightly mounded, golden, fragrant cupcakes. They took 16 minutes to bake in my oven. My son described the texture as “dense” and the flavor as “really good”, emphasis on the “really”. I, admittedly a lifelong chocoholic and therefore possibly should be disqualified as a judge, prefer the lighter texture and flavor of Billy’s Vanilla Vanilla cupcake. I haven’t decided on a frosting yet, but my son requests some be left plain. They are that good. “Really”.

  445. Anonymoussays:

    hi i was wondering if i could make this cupcake into a strawberry one?? would that ruin the cupcake?

  446. Anonymoussays:

    I just made a batch and they were simply delish! If I would like to make a chocolate version, what would the recommended ingredients be?

  447. Anonymoussays:

    I just made a batch of Vanilla Bean cupcakes with your recipe and they are simply delicious!

    I was wondering, if i were to make a chocolate version, what would the recipe then call for?

    You can email me at pamie07@hotmail.com :)

    – Pam

  448. Anonymoussays:

    I have just made these and was dissapointed as they did not rise. When I took them out the oven they sank. Any tips as the flavour is great.

  449. Noellesays:

    They were a little too light to me. Oh well, I guess it was worth a shot. I’ll stick with my recipe :)

  450. Anonymoussays:

    I am so disappointing in this recipe. I was really hoping that it would be my go to vanilla recipe. But unfortunately wasn’t. The only good thing about it was the vanilla. Other than that the cake itself didn’t have any flavor. Will not make them again sadly.

  451. Anonymoussays:

    I followed this recipe to the T and the cupcakes deflated when they cooled down.

  452. Anonymoussays:

    These were the first cupcakes I have ever baked…and they turned out to be the best cupcake I have ever had! They were so light and delicate and had a wonderful, natural vanilla flavor. I am in love with baking cupcakes now!

  453. Anonymoussays:

    What tip did you use to frost? Made these today…big hit. Thanks!

  454. Seanasays:

    Made these for my daughters birthday celebration at school. They were a huge hit. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  455. Susansays:

    Sounds like a very good recipe but I can’t imagine paying that much for a vanilla bean! You may want to try an ethnic store. I actually buy mine at a little Japanese farm store around here and they are half the price (and still organic :) )

    Budget Earth – Baked Acorn Squash Recipe

  456. Priscillasays:

    I, too, wasn’t impressed with this recipe. They were too fluffy and tasted like muffins that can be found in our local supermarkets here in Malaysia. Still, love the reading the feedbacks from the readers. :)

    Still searching for that one perfect vanilla cake/cupcake recipe!

  457. Anonymoussays:

    I got so excited with this recipe (for my baby christening party) that I forgot to adapt it to a high altitude city!It was a 100 cupcake disaster. Must try again.
    Jessica (from a high place in Mexico)

  458. Anonymoussays:

    I’m making mini cupcakes with this recipe. These are (as indicated in the directions) VERY time-sensitive. If making mini cupcakes, I’d recommend baking 7-8 mins and checking them every 1 minute until they’re done. They won’t look done, so doing a toothpick test is a must. Worth the time and effort! Thanks for making me look good, Stef!

  459. Anonymoussays:

    I’m making these for a birthday party, but I think I have to make a second batch because I’m eating them all!

  460. Anonymoussays:

    I’ve just made these vanilla cupcakes and I’m really pleased with the results. The ultimate test is when i put them in the fridge overnight, will they still be as moist & fluffy. I normally get orders for 80+,so need to bake them all the day before.
    The recipe is very forgiving, because i accidently added the milk to the eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream & oil mix & they still turned out perfect.
    I didn’t use a vanilla bean because they are so expensive & this was my test batch, but i will definitely be using them for special occassions & orders.
    I have 1 Smeg oven & 1 Bosch oven, the smeg bakes beautifully, with just a slight dome but cupcakes in the bosch oven alway turn out very peaked. Obviously different ovens give different results.

  461. Anonymoussays:

    what can i use instead of non self rising cake flour? its just that i live in mexico city and i looked everywhere and they dont sell them in any place

    • Anonymoussays:

      Hi!
      There are a couple things you can do:

      use plain/all purpose flour + cornstarch/cornflour (1 cup cake flour= 1 cup plain flour-2 tablespoons flour + 2 tablespoons cornstarch joyofbaking.com

      less plain flour (1 cup cake flour = 1 cup plain flour – 2 tablespoons flour) sweetapolita.com

      Jessica

  462. trocaderosays:

    This recipe is fantastic. I’ve made it several times and everyone has raved about it every time. I cook it for slightly longer though. I was following the recipe strictly and then I left one batch in the oven for a few minutes too long. They were lightly golden on top and I thought I’d ruined them but I liked the flavor even more. They were still lovely and moist on the inside.

  463. Helga Payawal-Vergarasays:

    Hi I am also searching for the best vanilla cupcake recipe. I would really want to try this but the problem is Vanilla beans are not available here in the Philippines and shipping costs a lot. Vanilla is only available in extracted forms. Will it be a good substitute?

  464. Christie Dsays:

    As I weigh my ingredients, I noticed that the weight listed in the recipe did not match up to the products I was using. Luckily I noticed right away. While some flours & sugars are very similar in weight not all so just make sure to check when weighing. The nutritional value on the flour and sugar will tell you how many grams per 1/4 C. I just grab a calculator and figure out how much I need per the recipe.

  465. kelnbutlersays:

    I live in high altitude (7,000 ft to be exact) and am wondering how this works. Has anyone tried it in high altitude? Any substitutions? Thanks!!

    • Anonymoussays:

      Hi!
      Keeping the recipe as it is for high altitude places turns out a complete disaster (based on my experience).

      Doing some research: you need to cut down baking powder and sugar and add more liquid and turn up oven temperature a bit. Not quite sure amounts but. Hope this helps

  466. Anonymoussays:

    I made these and they came out awesome. Loved the taste and texture, except that I got tunnels. What happened?

  467. Arianasays:

    made these for my birthday yesterday and they turned out great! perfect texture. light, but moist…and fluffy. it had a delicious vanilla flavor and was perfect with chocolate cream cheese frosting. saving this one in my recipe book for sure!

  468. Hayley Callawaysays:

    Just made this recipe!! And let me say.. it IS the ULTIMATE vanilla cupcake recipe!! I used vanilla bean paste in the actual cupcake instead of a vanilla bean and it turned out fine. All I would say is Double the vanilla bean frosting recipe :]]]

  469. Anonymoussays:

    A-Maze-zing , defo the best, i also injected with strawberry jam, & topped with vanilla buttercream, delicious!! Had to sub a couple of ingredients but still turned out fab! i used fat free yoghurt instead of sour cream & I used coconut oil! Still amazing & so light!!

  470. Anonymoussays:

    After trying out 4 other recipes this one won taste buds down! I baked 6 dozen for a wedding shower with ultimate vanilla buttercream sunflowers as decoration…OH My GOODNESS…not only beautiful but scrumptious!

  471. Angelasays:

    I made these yesterday and my husband couldn’t stop going on about them. they are by far the best looking and best tasting cupcakes I’ve ever made. thank you! can’t wait to try out your other recipes, i’m hooked!

  472. Mariesays:

    So the texture is perfect, it’s fantastically moist and sweet but as for the vanilla, I can’t even taste it. I could smell it in the sugar and it smelled divine, but could not taste it at all in the cupcake. It just tasted like a sweet white cupcake to me.

  473. Noa Jordansays:

    I’m not sure what the deal is with the random people who hated this recipe, but I made them tonight for the first time and they were delicious. I was looking for a moist recipe with a fine grain and this was perfect. I might try it with just butter to see how dense they come out. This will also be a good base for cakes as well. Thanks for sharing!!

    • Edithsays:

      You do realize that not everybody has the same tongue? People don’t necessarily have to go crazy over a certain recipe. Sometimes they just prefer something else.

  474. learnfromtasingsays:

    OMG… indeed this is the real thing… just made it today and was so proud to tell you this is really the best vanilla cupcake! been searching far and long for the right consistency and been testing different kinds of recipe and I’m so happy to find this waaaaaaaaaaaah! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU ALL

  475. Amazing Lovesays:

    I just took these out of the oven about 10 minutes ago. When I tell ya’ll that this thang is delicious!!! This cupcake is certainly a blessing to my soul! And I haven’t even frosted them yet!

  476. Anonymoussays:

    I have only made a gluten free version of this cupcake. It was delicious, fluffy, and had a nice flat top. I replaced the cake flour with…
    1/3 & 1/4 cup tapioca flour/starch
    1/3 cup corn starch
    1/3 & 1/2 cup white rice flour
    1/2 teaspoon xantham gum

    I also added an extra spoonful of sourcream and an extra tablespoon omoisture; because gluten free baked goods need a little more moisture.

    • victoriasays:

      is this 1/3 C tapioca flour and 1/4 C tapioca starch or one of the other. Also whats the extra table spoon of moisture? milk?

  477. Carolinasays:

    I did it! it was spectacular! woow! I used Créme Fraîche instead and worked perfectly! You have the receipe of vanilla cupcakes in Spanish in my blog: http://www.lacocinadecarolina.com/2012/03/la-receta-de-cupcakes-de-vainilla-mas.html
    xxxxxx
    Carolina :)

  478. Anonymoussays:

    ok so i made these and AMAZING. best vanilla cupcake ever! and i have made some pretty shitty vanilla cupcakes.

  479. Katrinasays:

    Finally a vanilla recipe from scratch that is actually light and fluffy! I have been looking for this for years!

    The texture is amazing! The first time I made these I added 1/2 cup cocoa to make a sort of red velvet and they were delish with cream cheese icing. Tonight I made the original vanilla and Im in heaven! I did replace the sour cream with fat free yogourt both times because that is what I had on hand and they are still amazing and perfectly domed.

  480. Nicolesays:

    I baked these for a get-together yesterday with cream cheese frosting, and they were fabulous. I thought I had a favorite before, but this is it. I didn’t have a vanilla bean, so I used extract and paste. Thanks for going through all the effort to get the best vanilla cupcake.

  481. Chris Wsays:

    Exactly the cake I was looking for! Soft, fluffy, moist, delicious! Instead of unsalted butter plus the pinch of salt I just used a lightly salted butter and I used semi-skimmed / half fat milk and they still tasted great!

    I frosted mine with a white chocolate buttercream frosting using a little cream cheese too. yum!

  482. Anonymoussays:

    Have you ever substituted vanilla yogurt in place of the sour cream? I use vanilla yogurt in my recipe and it’s very moist and adds to the vanilla flavor!

  483. Natalie Kingsays:

    I came across your blog and was looking to improve upon the vanilla cupcake recipe that i use in my online cake bakery and was very excited to try this ultimate vanilla cupcake!
    It is my birthday, so i thought id use this recipe to make my birthday cupcakes – i was a bit alarmed at how liquid the batter was and that the cakes have to come out of the over with batter still on the tester – to me this is underdone, but i did as i was told and i didn’t regret it! They really are very good! very very moist without being raw, this will now be my vanilla recipe! As a note, i used vanilla paste, not a pod (in the UK these are really expensive!) and i used yoghurt instead of sour cream and they were none the worse for it!

  484. Marinasays:

    I made these today and they are AMAZING! The flavor is out of this world and they are gorgeous! I made vanilla bean swiss meringue buttercream and it complemented the cupcakes perfectly. Thanks for posting this wonderful recipe!

  485. Diane {Created by Diane}says:

    looking forward to trying the recipe :) thanks

  486. luellamageeansays:

    oh and mine browned and went golden on top, even though the recipe says they/re not meant to. do i need to turn my oven down considerably? would that be why they shrunk?

  487. luellamageeansays:

    I tried the cupcakes. and they do taste yummy! although mine look quite ugly! they looked beautiful and domed until they came out of the oven, then they shrunk back looking wrinkled and with a medium bump in the middle. Are they meant to dome and stay domed? or be flat? would it be that I used normal plain flour with 2 tbl corn flour substitued ( as we don’t have cake flour readily available in Aus). I’m going to try make it as a cake- as it would be handy having a flat cake!!!!

    • Stefsays:

      They should have a small dome and yet, cake flour substitutions don’t work quite the same as real cake flour so that could be it.

  488. Nom Nom Sweetiessays:

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-ONE-LB-Madagascar-Bourbon-Org-Extr-Vanilla-Beans-6-7-/230688786581?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b61f8895

    This is where I got my last bunch of beans… they’ve lasted me almost a year and I put them into everything instead of vanilla extract…but just in case, I used some to make my own extract. :) It was a nice deal, because for certain amounts of beans ordered… you get free extra beans. It’s a good deal.

    Also, I’m going to try this recipe in the next few days. I like a denser cake, so I’m going to sub the oil with doubled butter instead like you mentioned in an earlier comment. I’m also going to try baking as a cake instead.

    Thank you for the recipe.

  489. naomisays:

    Wasn’t impressed with it. Thought it would be over the top but tasted eggy to me.

  490. Anonymoussays:

    hi i was wondering how should i change the recipe around if im trying to bake a six in. cake for my daughters birthday using this recipe. thanks

  491. luellamageeansays:

    Hi stef.
    Just wondering if this could be made into a cake?
    Also, do these cupcakes dome?
    Thanks
    Luella

  492. mooelevensays:

    A bit wet and oily – I think I’ll try a different recipe next time. Still love the Cupcake Project though!!

  493. Unknownsays:

    The first time I made these cupcakes they turned out perfect! The second and third time they have come out lumpy on the top. I was planning to make these for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow but am worried the bumpiness will make them difficult to frost.

    Anyone have any tips to avoid getting the bumps??

  494. Ashleysays:

    I’m definitely going to have to test this recipe out. Sounds very yummy!

  495. Patti Leppanensays:

    YUMMMMMMMMMMMO, I”m a vanilla cup cake freak, I try a new recipe every week, so far this is my all time fav. recipe, so light and moist, I did add a little more vanilla, just because. Delicious! I give this cup cake 5 stars, I made a butter cream frosting, with flour, butter, sugar, milk and mor vanilla. Awesome! I will make these again, ( tonight if I have sour cream ) Thanks for sharing!

  496. Suzannesays:

    Stef, Thank you so much for your wonderful blog and beautiful cupcakes! I made a double batch of the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake tonight and I made them gluten free! :) OMG I’m in heaven! They are So GOOD. I followed the recipe exactly using a kitchen scale and weighing out everything (thanks for listing out both type of measurements…weight seems to work so much better when baking gluten free). Just in case anyone wants to know I used C4C, Cup For Cup by French Laundry which you can buy at Williama-Sonoma.

    Thanks! Suzanne

    p.s. your frosting is fabulous too!

  497. Larisasays:

    Decided to do a vanilla cupcake showdown with some friend using this recipe and 3 others I found on other blogs. I didn’t have vanilla bean, but followed the rest of the recipe. Even without the vanilla bean, this recipe was voted the favorite!

  498. Anonymoussays:

    These are absolutely phenominal! I can’t stop making them! But please Can you come up with the ULTIMATe Chocolste cupcake! I’ve tried so many recipes only to be disappointed! Help! Lol.

  499. Arianasays:

    I am an experienced home baker…I’ve been looking for a fabulous vanilla cupcake recipe for years. Everything I tried was too crumbly, too gummy, too sweet, too sticky, too dry, too something. These are PERFECT. This method of mixing is called (by America’s Test Kitchen) the “Reverse Creaming” method. It works great. I used a food processor to combine all the dry ingredients with the butter, until it was perfectly homogenous. Then I mixed all the wet ingredients together (including the milk, a departure from the instructions) until they were totally mixed. Then I dumped the dry ingredient/butter mixture into the wet stuff and gently mixed them by hand. PERFECT. No curdly looking stuff because I had everything at room temp. THIS IS KEY!!!
    Heat your milk for 20 seconds in the microwave. Let your eggs sit in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes. Let the sour cream sit out and warm up a bit.

    I am in love!

  500. Anonymoussays:

    Is it possible to use all purpose flour in this recipie???? Please help, its all i can get my hands on…..

  501. Vanjasays:

    “Vanja, I’m no longer exited about what it’s like in Paradise. I just had a taste of one of you cupcakes.” This compliment was given to me a couple of weeks ago from a coworker when I had brought left over cupcakes to work. These vanilla cupcakes are really amazing! They are fluffy, yet moist, and really, REALLY tasteful. I have made them 6 times now, and here’s a few tips for those of you who still haven’t tried them, and for those of you who have tried them, but for some reason failed:
    * It’s crucial the eggs have room temperature. If they are too cold, the cupcakes will collapse, making a crater on top.
    * Do NOT replace full fat sour cream with a lighter type! If you do, the cupcakes lose some of their substance.
    * Use LOW speed when mixing the batter. If you go medium og high, the batter won’t “stick” to the cupcake liners.
    * Weigh the batter when filling up the liners. For regular size liners, 48-50 grams will give perfect size cupcakes.
    * I added an extra 25 grams of baking flour (= 200 g).
    * I think the cupcakes taste even better using only 1/2 vanilla bean, replacing the other half with 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar.
    I really wish for you that you’ll succeed in making these. I bake a lot for sale, and through all my years of baking, these are by far my my favourite <3 Thank you SO much, Stef!

    • Stefsays:

      Vanja – What a wonderful compliments! Thanks so much! Also, I’m sure that others will find these tips really helpful!

    • Vanjasays:

      My friends absolutely LOVE these! Served them at a Mary Kay homeparty two weeks ago, made another batch for the annual ski weekend with some other friends and making yet another batch for the knitting get together in my house next Monda. Just can’t get enough! LOVE them!

  502. Jennifer Barnessays:

    These are the perfect vanilla cupcake! I filled and frosted mine with canoli and chocolate chip filling – amazing! Your recipes have perfect texture, thank you for sharing!

  503. Jamie Leasays:

    These were amazing! I made them as mini cupcakes for a coworker’s birthday, and people were raving! Thanks so much for the recipe!

  504. The Cakery Bakerysays:

    Hi, I was just wondering if you can make these white cupcakes?

  505. Anonymoussays:

    I just tried this Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake recipe and it was a total DISASTER!!!! I have never seen worse looking cupcakes! :( I did everything right, but they just burned in the oven and were still runny inside :( Can anyone help me!?? Is it just my oven?

  506. Stefsays:

    Philippa – You don’t need an electric mixer. You can just use a spoon.

  507. Andiesays:

    Dear Stef,
    I baked these a few days ago and I still can’t take my mind off them. They came out so perfect I simply couldn’t believe my tastebuds. I used French Meringue Buttercream for frosting and filled them with blueberry jam. They were just sensational. I am one happy baker, and I really want to thank you for perfecting this recipe! I hope it’s not contrary to your blog policy to have links in comments (and I appologize if it is), but here is a link with pictures to the result :) http://www.reteteveggie.com/en/2012/02/13/the-ultimate-vanilla-cupcakes/
    Hugs from Romania!
    Andie

  508. Anonymoussays:

    I made these cupcakes, taste really good, moist and fluffy but they are really oily. The cupcake liners are covered in oil, right after they were taken from the muffin tins (before putting them to the cooling rack). Oh well, maybe I will try to bake them again and see what happens. I still wonder what I did wrong…

  509. lukesays:

    The batter is delicious…not sure if they’ll make it to the oven

  510. Bethsays:

    I have to add to the stream here…these were incredible. I doubled the batch, and it was a good thing, because I probably ate half before I even shared them with anyone else! Thanks for sharing! YUM.

  511. Anonymoussays:

    I am not sure why others either had problems with or said this was just an ok cupcake. Mine came out beautiful, were light and fluffy, tasted DIVINE!!! All my ingredients were fresh and my vanilla beans were nice and moist. I also make my own vanilla extract. Maybe the vanilla bean makes all the difference in the world in the flavor? Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!!

  512. Bonocasays:

    These were good but not knock your socks off great. Am an experienced baker and followed directions exactly. Will keep looking for the ultimate cupcake….

  513. Anonymoussays:

    outennesLOVE THESE!!! MAKING THEM FOR MY WEDDING :D
    Thank you!!!

  514. Anonymoussays:

    Best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever baked!! Thanks for the recipe!

  515. Unknownsays:

    I just made these amazing cupcakes! Everyone at the party raved about them in fact I had to print the recipe and pass it out. The only change I made was using Vera Cruz Mexican Vanilla (available on line at http://www.veracruzvanilla.com or in No. Cal whole foods markets) and also used their Mexican vanilla beans. The difference using the Mexican vanilla was incredible. Thank you for a great recipe I’ll definitely be using again for future parties

  516. annettesays:

    i just made these..
    MAJOR FAILURE

    for some reason they didn’t rise and now they are small and wet..yuck

    • Nom Nom Sweetiessays:

      Check the expiration date on your baking powder or baking soda. Also, if the soda has sat around for longer than 2 months opened… always go grab a fresh box. It absorbs so many odors that it can really create a weird taste, also.

    • Carmensays:

      I had the same problem…made 2separate batches and both times the cupcakes fell when out of the oven. I also did mini cupcakes and they were like baked pancake dough with lots of holes on top once cooked.Not sure I will ty them again.

  517. Anonymoussays:

    These are FANTASTIC.
    I add just a splash of almond extract and it takes them over the top yummy!
    This is my new go-to vanilla cake recipe.

  518. Judi Qsays:

    Not overly impressed, and neither was my panel of 12 taste testers. Out of 10 kinds of cupcakes critiqued this weekend, this vanilla cupcake (which I did a white-on-white, using a vanilla buttercream frosting) received the lowest ratings from my panel. Won’t be using this one for making wedding cakes or cupcakes.

  519. Adriennesays:

    I just now made these cupcakes, and I’m tempted to eat them all myself! NOMNOMNOMNOM :D I’m working on making the vanilla bean frosting to go with them right now. Can’t wait ’til it’s all done!

  520. davesays:

    Thanks so much for sharing your recipe, I can’t wait to try it!
    My favorite vanilla is from Mexico, and can be found at http://www.MexicanVanilla.com.

  521. Philippasays:

    I can’t wait to try this recipe! I just have one question though… when I mix in the sugar/vanilla bean mixtuer with the flour etc, do I use an electric mixer, or shall I use a wooden or metal spoon?
    Just thought I would ask, as sometimes the outcome of how well they rise depends on if I use an electric mixer or a spoon.
    Thanks for the great recipe, keep up the good work! Philippa.

  522. Jenni@Story of My Lifesays:

    Uh-mazing. My husband and I are vanilla cupcake connoissiurs, and these are most definitely among the the best we’ve had. Delish. THANK YOU!

  523. Stefsays:

    AC – As I never make cakes, I’m not really sure. Sorry.

    Wilene – You can use paste. But, my Explorers found that it was better with a bean.

  524. Leyasays:

    Hi Stef,
    This is the first recipe I saw on your blog, and I tried it today. I totally agree with all who have said that this is the best vanilla cupcake ever…I have never tasted a better one,anywhere! My husband and kid who only eat desserts with chocolate in them raved about this one, and wanted second helpings! Changes I made – sub homemade yoghurt with sour cream. I also didnt have vanilla extract, so I added more vanilla bean seeds and 1tblsp extra yoghurt to balance the liquid measurements. I had to bake them for approx. 18 minutes. Noticed that after they cooled down, the top was slightly harder than the inside. But I thought that the mildly crunchy crust and the crunch of the vanilla seeds added to the taste of the cupcake. Thank you for this keeper recipe!

  525. Jodisays:

    Woo-hoo! You did it!! This really is the recipe for the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake! This is the first vanilla cupcake recipe that I will make again (and again, and again…)! I made these for the dessert table for my daughter’s wedding. I used vanilla bean paste (my only change), and they rose beautifully and taste so yummy! Thank you so much!!!

  526. Anonymoussays:

    They are really the best!!!!

  527. Wilenesays:

    i was wondering if vanilla bean paste would do the same as the vanilla bean? i have paste on hand but if you think it wont ill wait to make these :)

  528. Anonymoussays:

    I too was underwhelmed by this recipe. I love your blog, but these just didnt blow my mind like I thought they would. I am baker by profession and was thrown off by the way these were mixed, and I think it was the oil that dominated the flavor in these. It overwhelmed the vanilla in my opinion, given the quantity of it, it should been very vanilla forward. My crowd, who is honest and mostly loves my creations gave these a “meh”. However this does not stop me from loving you or your blog any less! :)

  529. Anonymoussays:

    Thank you so much for the recipe kuddos to all 50 bakers. I substitute yogurt for sour cream and vanilla milk for the whole milk since I didnt had vanilla beans in my kitchen, but the texture of this cupcake is AWESOME!. Im making them again once my vanilla beans arrive so i can get a full vanilla flavor.

  530. ACsays:

    I’ve been searching for vanilla recipes that will be my “go-to” recipe and found this. I can’t wait to try. Just a question though, how many cups of batter can this recipe make? can this make a 6″x3″ round cake? Thanks!

  531. Anonymoussays:

    I made these today. I was scared because I do not typically have good luck with baking cakes. I has some vanilla infused olive oil on hand so I used that. THESE ARE AMAZING!

    I am going to make these for my boys birthday party. THANKS!

    Amber
    Gilbert, AZ

  532. poshnesssays:

    I am so glad I found/tried this recipe before I did another one. I knew when I saw butter and oil I was going to have a winner. I didn’t have vanilla bean so I used vanilla bean paste and I used half/half instead of whole milk and it was sooo good. I had a little batter left and sprinkled some french vanilla pudding and it was STILL good! Thank you so much for this recipe! It is so in rotation!!!

  533. Emilysays:

    So I made these cupcakes for a football party and I have to say, they were ALL gone before half time! Definitely by far the BEST vanilla cupcake recipe! Thanks!!

  534. Anonymoussays:

    Yummmm! Made these cupcakes tonight with your vanilla bean buttercream frosting. My daughters, who normally just eat the frosting, ate the whole thing! Hubby was quick to go back to seconds. We’re definitely part of the 2/3s in favor of this recipe! It is the best vanilla cupcake that I have baked yet.

  535. Anonymoussays:

    I made these today and I was a bit disappointed. The flavor wasn’t as strong as I hoped it would be, and the cake was a bit too moist/airy.

  536. Anonymoussays:

    oh yesss these are VERY good :) I used Wilton Buttercream icing:) My new go-to recipe!

  537. Jennasays:

    My friend and I are in Oxford, England waiting for school to start so we just made these and absolutely love them!!! We used the chocolate cream cheese frosting since neither of us are big buttercream fans, and both the cake and the frosting were delicious. I put a shout out for them on my blog. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes as we procrastinate on our degrees :)

    Here’s a link to the blog post if you want to see our experience baking them and pictures http://buyinganelephant.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/the-first-cupcake-experiment/

    Thanks again for the recipe!

  538. Betsysays:

    I left out the vanilla bean and used our leftover eggnog as the milk, topped with cream cheese frosting. A double batch turned out good. It really made a difference to take them out of the oven exactly on time, in my oven that was at 11 minutes.

  539. MRT Ridersays:

    Hi Stef! I made this for my brother’s bday and I thought it was really good! However, my cupcakes turned pointy, I only had one which had a dome shaped top. What would be the culprit, was it the overmixing? I use a hand mixer by the way. Other readers, please help too! Thanks a lot! ;)

  540. Anonymoussays:

    this is THE BEST vanilla cupcake recipe ive ever baked..i’ve been experiementing for a year now and have not found a single recipe that wasnt dry and bland, until now. i used 2 tsp vanilla in place of the vanilla bean and it worked just as well.

  541. cupcake loversays:

    i cant get hold of any cake flour, if there really no other flour i can use instead?
    :(

  542. Anonymoussays:

    I tried out this recipe yesterday and they came out great!! Loved the bread!! Although, the bread came out way too soft. Thanks for the recipe!!!

    P.S. The vanilla bean was waaay too expensive!! 9 dlls for only ONE vanilla bean!! oh well, it was worth it! :D

  543. Kimisays:

    OMFG I just made these last night & they are amazing!!!! So soft, vanilla-y & moist. I bow to you. Finally, a vanilla cupcake that isn’t dark, dry, buttery or just plain boring. I ate like five without the frosting lol whoops

  544. Johnsays:

    Here it is early Christmas morning and I have just finished baking and in a moment of relaxation discover this wonderful vanilla cupcake recipe. Oh, do I wish all the ingredients were on hand!

    New Year’s day vanilla cupcakes are in the works. Thank you.

  545. Anonymoussays:

    I made a test batch of these cupcakes today, and they came out delicious but had a “wheaty” taste to them…I wonder what caused it? I’m making a another batch for my daughter’s party this Friday and would love to correct this “wheat” taste….any suggestions? I followed the recipe exactly…I didn’t shift the flour though…so I will shift it this time around and hopefully that will help! Otherwise these cupcakes are great…light and fluffy!

  546. Stefsays:

    Tiffani – Same thing.

  547. TiffaniGsays:

    Is there a difference in using granulated sugar or just “sugar”? Thanks!

  548. vividcupcakessays:

    this is by far the BEST vanilla cupcake recipe out there!!!! just tried it and my stepson can’t get enough of it! I had to hide the rest of the cupcakes from him ;)

  549. Jailinsays:

    So I made this the other night, but silly me got Self Rising Cake Flour, rather than Swans Down Cake Flour which doesn’t have the added baking powder and salt. So what I did was omit the BP and salt from the recipe. I LOVED them! I always find that getting a good vanilla cake or cupcake has been such a hassle and this recipe is amazing! I always use vanilla beans in my vanilla/yellow/white cakes, but this recipe is just perfect! Thanks so much! Now to find an icing I love!

    • Paulasays:

      Hello! I know this was ages ago, but did you add the baking soda as well to make this recipe work??

      • Charmainesays:

        Hiya, I was gunna ask the same question.
        Had thought about using self raising flour, but like urself do I still add the baking soda.

  550. Stefsays:

    Jacquelyn – Unfortunately, the flour was probably the problem. I’ve never tried this recipe with pastry flour though, so I can’t say for sure.

  551. Jacquelynsays:

    Stef, thank you for your sharing your recipe. I made these tonight, and used Arrowhead Mills Organic Pastry Flour (says it good for pastries and cakes) because I couldn’t find cake flour at the store. My cupcakes turned out tasting like sweet cornbread. I’m guessing my choice of flour is the problem? Thank you for your help!

  552. bells-bakerysays:

    These are so delicious,Vanilla pods a tad expensive but oh soooo worth it!

    Thanks for sharing :)

  553. Anonymoussays:

    Mine just came out the oven. Wow wow wow, I am so proud of myself (thank you for the recipe).

    South Africans who grew up on tea with “queens cakes,” are going to love them. They are soft and hmmmmm.

    This is now my secret recipe that I will be making flop proof – Oh and I did not have sour cram so I mixed 2tbsp of lemon juice with fresh cream and it worked.

    Tea is calling….

  554. Anonymoussays:

    These cupcakes are amazing! I’ve probably made them over twenty times and they never disappoint. Everyone oohs and ahhs over them! I change two things when baking them only because I like a little bit denser cupcake. I use all butter and sub buttermilk for the milk. They still come out light and fluffy. One person I made them for said they taste like a vanilla cloud :) topped with your vanilla bean Buttercream…oh my goodness! A little piece of heaven. Thank you!

    Wendy

  555. Anonymoussays:

    am i able to cut out the cake flour and use all pupouse instead? if so would i need to sift it and what would the measurments be?

  556. Anonymoussays:

    I just want to thank you soooo much for posting amazing recipes. I love to bake and this site is always my first stop for recipes! Keep up the great work.

  557. Pascalsays:

    I always been interessed to cupcakes. They are cute, and seems to be so tastefull. I am good in the kitchen, but never really try to make homemade cupcakes.

    Yesterday I tried the Ultimate Vanilla cupcakes with the Vanilla Bean Buttercream frosting.

    My wife, my daugher and I totally APPROVED the result. For the Vanilla lover, those recipes are a must.

    Not only the taste is great, but the cake is so moist, it melt in your mouth! Yummy!

    Now, what should be my next trial ? :)

  558. Anonymoussays:

    This recipe was AWESOME! I used a little less than the 1/4 cup of oil. It was perfect! Everyone at my office party loved it! Thank you for this recipe! Can you do an ultimate chocolate recipe?????!!!!

  559. estherosays:

    I was looking for an oil based recipe and this is it!! they are soooo good even without the frosting. I substituted sour cream with buttermilk and tad more of butter. I agree that using oil instead of butter gives all kinds of cupcakes a lighter and spongier texture even after being refrigerated. Thank you so much for this recipe! it’s definitely for keeps!

  560. Stefsays:

    Anon re beans – I have links for buying beans in the post.

    Anon re cake flour – Great question. I used Swans Down, but I haven’t really experimented with other brands.

  561. Anonymoussays:

    what is the best brand of cake flour to use?

  562. Anonymoussays:

    I just made these cupcakes and they were divine…I am having a hard time not eating them one right after another. They remind me of the vanilla cupcakes a popular coffee shop brings out around Valentine’s Day. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe.

  563. Anonymoussays:

    where can i buy the vanilla bean to make the cupcakes?

  564. Stefsays:

    Kristy – I use so many different kinds of liners because I’m always looking for new patterns. I’ve been really happy with the solid color ones from Fancy Flours. They hold their color really well.

    Viviana – I’m not sure. It’s possible that it was over-mixing, but it’s hard to say.

  565. Vivianasays:

    Hi thanks so much for the recipe! I just made them and they taste awesome. I followed the recipe exactly… But just have one problem, my cupcakes have tunnels. What could I have done wrong? Over mixed maybe? Please help thanks
    Viviana

  566. Kristysays:

    Also a quick question – I want to purchase some greaseproof liners – black and brown for the holidays. Do you have a favorite brand? Thanks!

  567. Kristysays:

    I made these last week for my son’s birthday party – absolutely wonderful! Tried another recipe I found first which came out very cornbread like. These are light and fluffy and the consistency of a cupcake, not at all like cornbread. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and all of your hard work! I must say one thing – I should have done a test cupcake because they rose higher than I anticipated, next time I will know. Awesome!!! I will use again and again and again….

  568. Stefsays:

    Lizzie – I may create a vegan version some day, but I have not done so yet. Sorry.

    Pam – You may want to try a different brand of wrapper. That problem happens more with some brands than others.

    PosterGal – Hmm.. the tops do typically get just a bit harder than the insides. Be sure to remove the cupcakes from the trays immediately to help with that.

  569. Nataniel og Louise Haibrocksays:

    I’ve tried out quite a few different cupcakes in my fairly short life (you can say that when you’re under 30, right?!). This is by far THE best vanilla cupcake recipe to date. WOW, the texture, the taste the ‘more-ish-ness’ (is that even a word? I’m from Denmark, so I guess I’m excused!)I’ve shared this recipe with as many of my fellow baking enthusiasts as possible – and they love it to death too!
    Thanks a ton for sharing – FYI I used creme fraiche and they were fab!
    Louise

  570. Rebeccasays:

    This recipe is delicious. It’s become that go-to vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve been searching for! I don’t have vanilla beans so I made it without, but I definitely would like to try it with. The texture was great, my favorite part, nice a fluffy!

    PLEASE do a ultimate chocolate cupcake! And maybe a red velvet… And of course any other flavor you’d like to add!

    Thanks so much for sharing!

  571. Anonymoussays:

    I agree with Erin – I’m kind of in the middle. I was expecting the cupcake to blow me away given the fact that they were crowned the ultimate…and it didn’t. I baked these for a child’s birthday party and they generally didn’t inspire any “wow factor” compliments. However, i would eat the raw batter ALL. DAY. LONG….tastes like the ultimate vanilla ice cream, only melted =) Added bonus: you inspired me to finally trade in my raw vanilla bean virginity ;)

  572. Poster Galsays:

    Thank you so much! This is really the ULTIMATE VANILLA Cupcake. The texture of the cupcake was fluffy. The vanilla bean did the trick. It is delicious. With the vanilla bean seeds. One thing I noticed though, after the cupcake cooled down, the top of my cupcake was a little harder than the inside. Any suggestions/comments on what I may have done wrong?

    http://myredmixingbowl.blogspot.com/
    http://www.artpiececakes.com

  573. Anonymoussays:

    Update from Pam commenter #62…
    the next day the cupcake papers started peeling away from the cupcakes :(
    Any ideas on how to prevent this from happening? I love everything about this recipe but would hate to give someone cupcakes with wrappers peeling off :( please help!

  574. lizziesays:

    love your website! what would you replace the eggs with?

  575. Jessica NYCsays:

    THANK YOU thank you thank you!! I have been searching for a vanilla cupcake recipe that incorporated oil as well as butter for months!! Honestly I have. Finally a moist & fluffy vanilla cupcake, the recipe was spot on in my opinion.

    One question, were the tops of your cooled cupcakes sticky? I followed the measurements perfectly. Any input I would appreciate.

  576. Anonymoussays:

    Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
    I just made this recipe and they are beyond fantastic!
    Everything that I have been searching for in vanilla cake. I have tried & tested countless recipes that had the taste but never the texture I wanted. This is it for me :)
    I used vanilla bean paste and butttermilk (that’s what I had on hand) and it is now officially my “go to” vanilla recipe.

    Pam

  577. Stefsays:

    Meemz – Yes, you can. Typically you can freeze cupcakes for 3 months or so. Although I haven’t tried these specifically. I’m not sure on the essence question as I’ve never worked with it. Sorry. You may have to experiment.

  578. Meemzsays:

    Can we freeze the cupcakes without the frosting? If yes, then for how long? In my country we don’t have vanilla extract only essence. Is it ok to use that or should i opt for powdered vanilla instead?

  579. Stefsays:

    Camilla – The crown is made out of paper. Although, I’m sure if you are good with fondant, you could make a fondant crown.

  580. Camillasays:

    Hi! I’m glad to have found these. I’m making cupcakes for my daughter’s 3rd birthday tomorrow and she actually requested vanilla. Did you make the crown out of fondant or is it paper? Thanks for the help. meelers@gmail.com

  581. Piano Toysays:

    Hi! Your cupcake project is the most beautiful and tastiest I have ever seen. If I were the judge, I would have given it a rating of 100%. I will surely keep your recipe in my list of “special recipe” for a special occasion. Thanks for sharing it!

  582. LeahKsays:

    Just made a double batch of these and they are excellent! Limited by the ingredients I already in the house, I used only vanilla extract and made it with skim milk instead of whole…and they were still wonderful! Looking forward to making them again with the vanilla bean and whole milk. Thanks for the great recipe!!!

  583. Doll Playsays:

    These cupcakes are fitted for my little princes! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with us!

  584. Stefsays:

    Madcup – You can, but it won’t be as light and fluffy. I’ve tried it with all butter and it is a lot denser.

  585. Nicolesays:

    I just made these cupcakes and they were so delicious! The only change I made is that I soaked the de-seeded vanilla bean in the milk! Very very delicious. Topped with milk chocolate sour cream frosting!

  586. Anonymoussays:

    I did replace vanilla extract for the bean, 1:1, and they were still delicious. Obviously using the beans would be much better, but it still makes for a great cupcake! Thanks!!

  587. Tabby Largesays:

    Love it! From the looks of it, this is really the King of Vanilla cupcakes. Add me to the groing list of bakers who tried out this recipe. Thanks a lot.

  588. MadlukMastersays:

    Hi,

    The vanilla cupcake recipe is great! But I have a quick question! Can I substitute the canola oil with butter?

    Thanks,
    Madcup!

  589. Stefsays:

    Anon – I’d rather not share one and two. There was a reason that they weren’t chosen.

    Nisha – I don’t have an answer for you. But, I may give that a try sometime.

    MagdaHondi123 – You could, but then it would only be good – not the Ultimate.

    Ruth K. – Hmm.. I don’t know what happened. Sorry to hear.

    Anon – I used my vanilla bean buttercream.

    PamP – Sounds like they were a success! Thanks for the full report!

  590. PamPsays:

    …I tried these cupcakes along with the icing this past weekend and here are reviews I got:

    Mike (son-in-law) said he hates send the rest to his house so I am not forced to eat them

    Kira (granddaughter) said these taste just like the ones at Cupcakes on Kavannaugh (her favorite place to eat cupcakes).

    Eli (grandson) said these are better than the ones at Cupcakes on Kavannaugh.

    Summer (daughter) said – she was trying to figure out how to sneak another one in without the kids finding out.

    I thought they were excellent. Best I have ever eaten…..

  591. Anonymoussays:

    HI, I AM FROM MEXICO LOVE YOUR BLOG. I WANT TO BAKE THESE CUPCAKES FOR A FRIEND JUST I QUESTION, WHAT IS THE FROSTING YOU USED IN THE PHOTO?

  592. Anonymoussays:

    Thanks very much for the ingredient weights! Cant wait to try it now! (and hopefully use some of your conversions for other recipes!)

    Steve

  593. Amandasays:

    I made these last night, they are the BEST I have ever had!

  594. Alisays:

    I suck at baking but i’ll definitely try making this. thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ll get back on how it went

  595. Ruth Ksays:

    I don’t know what went wrong! These cupcakes turned out greasy on the bottom, any tips?

    • louisesays:

      Hmmm… just a guess but maybe your butter was too soft / partly melted when you mixed these cupcakes? Or another possibility is that you may have overmixed the batter…. these things can sometimes cause greasy cakes… it is only a guess though…

    • louisesays:

      Another possibility may be that if you greased your cupcake tin / tray, then you used too much butter or oil… you could also try reducing the amount of oil or butter in the recipe…

  596. Jensays:

    I have a go-to vanilla recipe… So I’m going to have to give this one a shot.

  597. Anonymoussays:

    ohhhh my goodness, this is devine – perfect texture!!! I subbed plain yogurt for the sour cream, still turned out delicious. I think this will be my go to recipe, thanks so much for sharing!!!

  598. Simransays:

    I just baked these and gosh! these are so good. I did make some changes (yogurt instead of sour cream, plain flour instead of cake flour but I used confectioner’s sugar so I think it balances out). Here’s my post:
    http://foodiezone.blogspot.com/2011/10/beach-cafe.html

  599. Benneisays:

    Thank you Steph for the recommendation to IndriVanilla. I just placed an order for 1/4lbs gourmet beans, and I’m so excited to get them. The customer service was EXCELLENT! Would definitely recommend! I’m so excited to receive my beans, I have never tried real vanilla beans before, as I have always found them to be outrageously priced in stores. If I remember, I’ll update on the beans when they arrive!

  600. Faithsays:

    I mead these for my hubby when he got home from a weeklong trip. Vanilla bean is his favorite and these did not disappoint! I topped half with your vanilla bean buttercream (delish, by the way) and the other half with a milk chocolate frosting that is a staple in our house. They were awesome! Perfectly light and fluffy, I will be making these again. Thanks!

  601. TaylerQsays:

    I’m going to bake a rainbow version of these for a bake sale this thursday. I hope it turns out as fantastic for me as it has for others! :)

  602. MagdaHondi123says:

    can i just take out the vanilla bean???

  603. SDDDollsays:

    I’ve tried multiple vanilla recipes and this is my favorite by far! I’m not a vanilla fan so I look for a little extra, this was flavorful but not overpowering, light, fluffy and for the small amount of butter, it still had a nice buttery taste. I did a honey cream cheese frosting with cinnamon streusel as a play on crumb donuts. Props to you and the testers!

  604. mrs. buttercupsays:

    I will be making this for my son’s first birthday cake this weekend, for roughly 40 people. Any suggestions on amounts? I can’t wait to taste it!!

  605. Kimsays:

    I just made this as a wedding cake.. LOVE that it bakes almost flat, and it is absolutely the BEST tasting vanilla cake I’ve ever made! I had a question though… the first 2 8″ cakes I made looked perfectly fine, but the rest of them (three 10″, three 6″ and 1 more 8″) all had a ring in the middle of it that was a darker color. I can’t figure out what I could’ve done to make it different.. I doubt it makes it taste any different, but just wondered if you had a thought as to what I may have done. Thanks so much for such a AMAZING recipe!! btw each batch (there were MANY bc I didn’t want to double it as I was afraid it would change the batter) made 2 8″, 3 6″ and 1 10″ (layers- I stack them 3 high)

  606. Sweet Tooth Sweetssays:

    I have a vanilla cupcake recipe that I like to use but am always looking for something even better. With it passing the test of 50 bakers I’m sure it really is the ultimate vanilla cupcake recipe. I like your suggestion that you can substitute yogurt as I like to find healthier alternatives when possible. I’ve just starting working with vanilla beans and love the flavor; it really does make a difference. Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try this one.

  607. elliecakessays:

    AMAZING!!! Had my own small panel of testers and they all loved it!!! And one of the testers was a past home ec teacher at our school if it passed her tasting you know it is amazing!

  608. Joysays:

    oh my, this is a great project. Trying to find the best recipe.

  609. Francessays:

    Stef.

    I didn’t have any vanilla beans handy so I substituted a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste instead. Since I live in Florida and the humidity usually affects the cupcakes if there’s too much liquid, I used all butter instead of butter/oil. I get much better results with an acidic batter (not having the batter flow over the cups) if I do not use baking soda. I baked them in commercial 1.75 oz. cup pans for 14 mins. (yield 48 cupcakes) (I checked the oven temperature with another thermometer and it is correct).

    The cupcakes had a slight dome, taste like vanilla and are light and fluffy (not as light as box cake but not dense either). My grandchildren ate them warm without frosting. :)

    Thanks to all the Explorers for testing the recipes. I will be making this again.

  610. Trangdosays:

    Kate21 and Steve and anyone needing to bake by weigh, (I think it’s a better way anyway,) here’s a on-line conversion site that I use often: http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_volume_cooking.htm

  611. Nisha S.says:

    Hi Stef! Any idea how I can make it without the eggs, yet have the cupcake turn out the same (at least similar)? Thanks for the help! :)

  612. Anonymoussays:

    Looking forward to trying this recipe!! Any chance we can get recipe 1 and 2? This would give the rest of us the opportunity to be explorers too.
    Thanks!!

  613. Stefsays:

    Sugar Daze – I found that the cupcake was too heavy with only butter. The oil lightens it up.

    Maggie – There was no one consistent problem that they had. That was part of the reason that I stopped at this one. With the other recipes, most of my tasters agreed on the flaws so I could work on fixing them. With this one, the people who didn’t think it was the Ultimate either thought it was very close but was just missing something, preferred a denser cupcake, or ended up with cupcakes that did not come out looking right.

    Bryna – If you don’t have a vanilla bean just leave it out. The cupcakes will still be good, they just won’t be the Ultimate vanilla. I don’t think that adding more extract will help much.

    Steve and Kate – I’m working on it! Check back soon for updates to this post.

    Erin – Try it without the oil and with double the butter. If you prefer your cupcakes denser, you might like it better that way.

  614. Erinsays:

    So… I made these last night… And, I gotta admit. I was a little underwhelmed. For them to be called the “ultimate,” I guess I expected something mind-blowing… And, these weren’t mind blowing. They were good, don’t get me wrong… they just weren’t AH.MAZE.ING. I made them for my husband’s grandmother’s 75th birthday today, and nobody shouted their praises… I had to ask if they were good, and everyone was just kind of like, ‘Oh. Yeah. They’re good.’ Like I said, underwhelmed.
    Also, they were a little *too* moist. Is that possible? I think I might like a more dense cupcake… this was just too fluffy and light and moist. It was kind of hard to chew sometimes…
    So, I don’t think I’m in the 66% that LOVES them, but I’m also not in the 33% that doesn’t. I’d say I’m in the 1% of gray area. Good recipe… but, just good. (I will, however, probably make them again…)

    • Laurasays:

      So I made these for a cupcake contest, and I was pretty underwhelmed. I bake a lot and like the above poster, I get a lot of compliments on what I make. These were just meh. I love all things vanilla and don’t like or eat chocolate so I was so excited to make these. The cake was kind of dry, and the frosting was almost too buttery. I usually make more cream cheese based frostings so I might try that instead of butter next time. The frosting kind of wilted on the cupcakes despite me piping it on. I used vanilla beans and vanilla bean paste as instructed. My frosting appeared to be much darker and grainier than the picture, too. Way more specks from the paste I guess.

  615. Kate21says:

    I agree with Steve! Being from Australia I am often put off buy recipes with cup measurements, It would be wonderful converted to grams!!

  616. Anonymoussays:

    Being from England i always have problems with recipes in cups! Before i have always just ignored the recipe or done a very very rough conversion. i NEED to try this recipe and as so much effort has gone in to calculating exact amounts i would be grateful if someone knows what the quantites are in grams!

    Steve

  617. vertigoxcuredsays:

    Haahahahah that will teach me to actually read the entire post instead of scanning it! you mentioned the same place i get mine from! YAY

  618. vertigoxcuredsays:

    if yall want to buy bigger quantities of vanilla beans this is where i get mine http://amzn.to/rh3ZAb. i didnt know how many i would be using when i did buy them…so like a dummy i bought two 1/2 lb bags…and even at the rate i used them i just opened the second bag a few weeks ago! i bought both bags on aug 11 2010 and the beans are still fresh and moist even a year later! i use vanilla beans in everything now that i have them. i made my own vanilla extract, frostings, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, jams, ice creams..you name it.

  619. Viviansays:

    Finally! I can’t wait to try this!

  620. Brynasays:

    I KNOW that this is like, blasphemy, but if I don’t have a vanilla bean can I substitute extra vanilla extract? What’s your thoughts?

  621. Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchensays:

    I will definitely be trying this recipe…probably soon! Just out of curiosity, what did the third of people who didn’t approve of this recipe have to say? What were their issues with it?

  622. Sarasays:

    I definitely need to try this recipe!! :) Looks delicious…and I love that adorable photo of the cupcake with the crown!

  623. Sugar Dazesays:

    I’ve been checking in frequently to see how this experiment was going and excited to see you have a winner. I’ll definitely be trying this out as soon as I get a chance and see how it fares against my usual vanilla cupcake. Interestingly, this recipe is not so far off from mine though I stopped using oil in my vanilla a while back as I found it left the tops too shiny and the flavor wasn’t as full as when I just use butter. Comments on that?

    • Krisinda A.says:

      Depends on the mouth feel afterward. Butter sets up diff and with the different fats than oils. Of course butter gets a more natural mouthfeel but also it lends to moistness of the cake as oil. Butter lets the cake usually rise better. I have scientific reasons but depends on what each individual person likes best

  624. Stefsays:

    Asiya – Although I LOVE vanilla bean paste in frosting, I found that in the cupcake the vanilla bean paste didn’t yield as strong as vanilla flavor as the bean itself.

    Debbie – Hmm. Not sure what to suggest. Could it be the brand of wrapper?

  625. IndriVanillasays:

    Thanks for the shout-out, Stef! I’m glad you liked your vanilla beans. IndriVanilla is also on Facebook! Join us for recipes, news, and ideas! http://www.facebook.com/pages/IndriVanilla-Natural-Bourbon-Vanilla-Beans-from-Java-Indonesia/225684140805640 or at http://www.indrivanilla.com :)

  626. Chelseasays:

    Has anyone tried making this in cake form?

  627. Debbiesays:

    So excited to finally get to try them. Yes they are amazing . One question, my cupcake wrappers indented during baking. Any suggestions. They are my new favorite vanilla cupcakes. Thanks for all your dedication to this awesome recipe!

    • Melindasays:

      I have found that I have that problem too with certain brands of wrappers, but more importantly with how the wrappers fit the pan. If the wrappers are too wide (or not shaped well) they indent more. Likewise if they are too snug, sometimes they will indent. Sometimes the cheap pastel colored ones are the best, even though other prints are fun, I tend to have bad luck with them unless I am buying from a craft or baking store.

  628. Asiyasays:

    This looks great! Did you ever try to use vanilla bean paste instead of the bean and vanilla extract? Just curious what the results would be like as I use the paste since there is no alcohol in it.

    • Anonymoussays:

      I used vanilla bean paste and extract and it came out fabulous! I also used the paste for the frosting.

    • Melindasays:

      I also use the paste (and use imitation stuff for things that need it to be more liquid or recipes where it’s not that big of a deal) and they came out amazing! Just had extra vanilla bean specks. Which are always pretty.

  629. Anonymoussays:

    Erin, that sounds amazing, as i have made the cupcake i cant imagine using the cannoli, perfect perfect,im going to try that…

    connie

  630. Erin Wsays:

    Stef, I made these last weekend for my great grandmother’s 100th birthday party. It was the first time I frosted or filled them with anything (because they’re THAT good without). I filled them with cannoli cream and topped them with a mascarpone whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and a cannoli shell wedge. D I V I N E. Truly.

    Not surprisingly, it got the seal of approval from my great grandmother. Thanks again for letting me be a part of this! :D

  631. Rachelsays:

    I’ve been trying to decide what kind of cupcakes to make for my blog this week. I think I’ll have to give these a try! Thanks!

    http://www.a-cupcake-story.blogspot.com

  632. A Yo Moniesays:

    WOW! Six dollars for one vanilla bean, Thank God I live in Chicago, its only a dollar and some change for one vanilla bean.

  633. A Yo Moniesays:

    WOW! Six dollars for one vanilla bean, Thank God I live in Chicago, its only a dollar and some change for one vanilla bean.

  634. A Yo Moniesays:

    WOW! Six dollars for one vanilla bean, Thank God I live in Chicago, its only a dollar and some change for one vanilla bean.

  635. Tiinasays:

    Ria, I’m in Finland and we don’t have sour cream either. I have always used creme fraiche instead, without any problems. Never thought about yogurt, maybe I’ll give it a try.

  636. Stefsays:

    Ria – The best substitution would be a full-fat thick plain yogurt.

    • lousays:

      Hi, I’m not a fan of sour cream, if you replace it with full fat plain yogurt, will the cupcakes taste the same? Why is sour cream used, rather than yogurt? Isn’t sour cream used to make cakes less sweet? I don’t want to use yogurt if the recipe won’t taste as nice…

  637. MellyBean2says:

    *must…bake…cupcakes…*

    http://www.beautyandthearmageddon.blogspot.com
    @SweetIntensity2

    • KYMsays:

      Hi…love this recipe…delish. one question please.
      How are these best stored?
      As I need to cook night before to be eaten next day.
      Also could I freeze them?
      Thank you
      KYM

      • Kali Bsays:

        I bake mine a few days in advance to reduce day of stress and store them in the freezer. A frozen cupcake and/or cake is easiest to frost

        • Taysays:

          Hello I have a question? I thought half&half was 50%real cream & 50% regular whole milk? please with no disrespect intended but I thought that made up half & half

  638. Riasays:

    Hello!
    Thanks so much for sharing your recipe, I can’t wait to try it!
    I have a question, though: can you use something else instead of sour cream? I live in France so what we have is either ‘crème liquide’ (a bit like whipping cream) or ‘crème fraîche’. Can I use any of them?

    Thanks a lot!

    • ekcelliottsays:

      I often use creme fraiche in lieu of sour cream when baking. It’s even better than sour cream, flavor wise!

  639. Earthtokarmensays:

    I just made vanilla cupcakes yesterday and was thinking about how I wished you had already crowned one. Looks like I’ll need to try to make some more! They look delicious – and 50 bakers can’t be wrong :)

    • Caitlinsays:

      I use this recipe every time I make vanilla cupcakes! They are amazing!!

      • adrianasays:

        can you please help me! ive made these cupcakes 3 times and they’re still raw inside. i cooked a totally different recipie and they cooked completely normal! im convinced its the sour cream.. any thoughts?

        • Jessicasays:

          Same here. I just tried and did everything as i should to the T and most are raw inside. They jiggle as i move the tray hahaha. That can’t be right. I am in desperate need for a good vanilla cupcake that is flawless

        • Clairesays:

          Hi,
          Me to I’ve found them still very heavy and dense and almost oily.
          I’ve been told this is a good recipe and it dose taste amazing.

        • Sandrasays:

          the cook time is a guideline since everyone is affected by variables like altitude, and oven type. Before removing them from cooking test the middle cupcake with a toothpick and check to see if it’s still wet or cooked through.

        • Lucysays:

          4 stars
          OMG I Had the same problem!! Also found that they deflated after cooking. I found using self raising cake flower works so much better and cook them for slightly longer until a toothpick comes out clean.

    • Stephansays:

      I have used this recipe twice (minus the vanilla bean, I am going to do that step in the future too).

      One time I made cupcakes, and they were delicious. I topped some with vanilla buttercream and some with chocolate buttercream. I preferred the all vanilla. Yum. This recipe is great as it trades some butter for the sour cream and oil. This makes the cake lighter and more moist than your typical all butter cake.

      It feels like a slightly complicated recipe, but in truth, cake recipes are pretty easy, and this one all in all, isn’t too hard either.

      The second time, I made a 3 LAYER, 9 inch cake! I doubled the recipe as listed, and the batter was PERFECT! In my oven that always takes longer than most, the 3 cakes took about 30 minutes. I used fresh pineapple as filling, and then topped it with vanilla buttercream (simple classic recipe of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little half-half), and it was YUM!

      This will probably continue to be my “go back to” vanilla cake in the future. Of course, I always have to try new recipes, but this is absolutely one of the BEST!

      Oh, I do make one change as I do not use regular MILK in anything as I do not like the vitamins they add to it, they are gross to me like the vitamin D from sheep wool. Therefore, I use half and half and cut it down by doing half of it half and half and half of it water.

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