Easy Vanilla Cupcakes

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are perfect for any occasion! Sweet and tender, these will be a hit across the board.

This Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe bakes up like a dream and is ideal for a delicious simply flavored cupcake.

Why You Must Make

• Not everyone is a chocoholic! These Vanilla Cupcakes are a yummy alternative.
• This recipe is from Ina Garten and is not in any of her cookbooks!
• The sour cream in the cupcakes makes them moist and tender, plus they’re iced with cream cheese frosting,

Katie’s birthday was approaching so we both mulled over what dessert to serve, but we also kept in mind that her little brother was coming home for the weekend. She likes peanut butter desserts, cheesecake, and tres leches cake. He does not. He’s a dark chocolate fan. She is not.

Ingredients Notes:

• Kitchen Staples – Check your pantry for Sugar, All-purpose Flour, Baking Soda
• Butter – Have at room temperature for easier blending and incorporation
• Eggs – Have at room temperature. To speed things along, place them in a bowl of hot, not boiling water.
• Sour Cream -Have at room temperature for better incorporation
• Pure Vanilla Extract – Check the label as you never want imitation vanilla. Real vanilla is so much better.
• Cornstarch – The combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch makes a substitution for cake flour. Do not omit as this will make a more tender crumb.
• Kosher Salt – This is coarser than table salt. If you need to substitute table salt, use slightly less, about ¾ teaspoon
• Cream Cheese – Have at room temperature for a smoother frosting
• Powdered Sugar – Sift for a smoother frosting

Expert Tips

Ina’s sour cream vanilla flower cupcakes got raves all over the web when I first made these years ago. And who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting? Well, besides my youngest son. The sour cream makes for a moist, tender crumb and a cloud of sweet, creamy icing with a bit of tang was the complement to these homemade vanilla cupcakes. Katie was delighted with her vanilla cake plus she was thrilled to have both brothers home for the celebration. There was only a little griping about the icing from one of them!

• PRO-Tip: Looking at more recent reviews on the Food Network site, it is suggested to only fill your cupcake tins ¾ full so the batter does not overflow onto the tin.
• There were some complaints about dry cupcakes. Personally, I think 30 minutes may be too long for these simple cupcakes. PRO-Tip: Check the vanilla cupcakes at the 20-minute mark. If a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean, they’re ready to pull out of the oven.
• To play it extra safe, when you start smelling the sweet delicious aroma of this easy vanilla cupcakes recipe, it’s time to take a peek through the oven window. If the tops look mounded and lightly browned, it would be wise to check for doneness at this point in the baking process.
• Another way to test cakes and cupcakes is to tap your index finger onto the middle of one cupcake (or cake). If it springs right back, the cupcakes are fully baked. But if an indentation remains, they need more time in the oven. If you’re unsure, try a toothpick and if you see any batter on it, bake a little longer.
• If you pull a cake or cupcakes out of the oven too soon, you cannot return them to the oven to finish baking. But you also can’t fix an over-baked cupcake.
• You may want to invest in an oven thermometer to make sure your over is calibrated properly.
• This homemade vanilla cupcakes recipe was adapted from Ina Garten. If you’d like to double, use extra-large eggs or increase to 7 large eggs.

Frequently Asked Questions

You May Also Like:

If vanilla desserts, like these easy vanilla cupcakes, are your thing, check out all these tasty vanilla recipes.

• Triple Vanilla Pound Cake from The View from Great Island
• Instant Pot Vanilla Cheesecake
• Vanilla Spritz Cookies
• Ghirardelli Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
• Buttercream Topped Vanilla Cupcakes
• More Dessert Recipes
• More Cupcake Recipes

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The Recipe:

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Yield 12 cupcakes

A delicious, all-purpose cupcake flavored with vanilla and topped with cream cheese icing.

Ingredients

• 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons + 2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

• 1 ½ sticks butter, at room temperature
• 1 brick (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 ounces powdered sugar, sifted (approximately 1 ⅓ cups)
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
4. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined.
6. Fill the cupcake liners to the top with batter.
7. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
8. For the icing, mix the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, mixing just until smooth.
9. Spread or pipe the frosting generously on top of each cupcake.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten.

Instead of sifting the dry ingredients, place them in a bowl and whisk until they're mixed well.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
• 
  1M Piping Tip
• 
  Cupcake Tin

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 cupcake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 268mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 0gSugar: 39gProtein: 4g

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