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Vanilla Cupcakes

August 27, 2009 by Louise

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Wonderfully sweet and buttery, vanilla cupcakes are easy to make and particularly luscious with lemon icing on top. Follow this easy recipe to achieve perfect cupcakes every time, and freeze leftovers ready for those unexpected guests popping in for a cup of coffee.

 

 


 

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Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

Vanilla Cupcakes


  • Author: Louise
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 12-15 Cupcakes 1x
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Description

A classic vanilla cupcake recipe that is quick and easy to make.


Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions

  1. Sift dry ingredients together.
  2. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat well until smooth and creamy.
  3. Place paper cups into muffin tin and fill each cup 3/4 full.
  4. Bake for 15 minutes at 180° C.
Icing
  1. Cream together 125g margarine and 125g icing sugar
  2. Add two tablespoons of milk and mix well.
  3. Add cocoa or food colouring.

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Sweet Treats Tagged With: easy vanilla cupcakes recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. WAYNE

    September 24, 2009 at 11:18 pm

    Can you please submit the complete recipe for these cupcakes – There seems to be parts of the method left out. The cakes look great though.

    Regards

    Wayne

    • Louise

      September 25, 2009 at 7:36 am

      Hi Wayne, thanks for the note, you just need to add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Let us know what you thought of them!

      • Anastasija

        October 20, 2016 at 7:05 am

        Hello! Does this recipe requires 1 cup of oil or 1/2 cup? I saw one of the comments and you said it is 1 cup while on the recipe it says 1/2 🙂
        Thank you for your response!

  2. Lynette

    June 18, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    I absolutely did not like this recipe. The cake was heavy and unlike any previous recipes I have tried.

  3. Lindsay

    March 27, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    Stunning recipe, they came out perfectly – so incredibly easy to make and delicious!

  4. Meghan

    April 2, 2011 at 12:19 pm

    This recipe is fabulous, it has become my tried and trusted base for every cupcake batch I ever make!
    It’s really durable, and i switch up the flavours to change the cakes every time.
    My best yet is to add cocoa and coffee granules, shove a square of bar-one chocolate into the middle of the cupcake and bake as per instructions. Top with mocha icing and it’s delicious 🙂
    Tank you for my fool-proof, flop-proof favourite recipe!

  5. Candice

    April 2, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    first time i tried this recipe and it worked wonderfully tasted great and the whole family loved them….
    thanks

  6. Cheryl

    April 14, 2011 at 11:19 am

    Hi

    I absolutely love this recipe I use it all the time my kidz think i make the best cupcakes in the world Thanks for posting this recipe.

  7. Kat

    April 21, 2011 at 11:53 pm

    This is a lovely recipe. The cakes rise beautifully and bake to the perfect consistency. S/he who does not like the recipe may find that s/he has made a mistake in the baking process because these are lovely. This cupcake recipe is my favourite one so far.

  8. Natasha

    May 5, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    Absolutely delicious!!!

  9. Lizna

    May 13, 2011 at 9:46 am

    I made this recipe for the kids to give to the mom’s for mother’s day (I work at a nursery school) I mixed in pink food colouring, they came out great. One of the mom’s asked for the recipe. Thumbs up and thanks 🙂

  10. Pat

    July 14, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    very easy an nice cakes ..they come out perfectly… my daughter cant stop talking about it.. we all loved it

  11. Sarisha

    July 26, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    Simply beautiful! I am a huge critic when it comes to cupcakes and these beauties really are the epitome of perfection – light and decadent. For those with a slightly less sweet tooth, these cakes are delicious when eaten plain with a little spread of butter. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Sam

    August 10, 2011 at 4:27 pm

    Recipe was really nice but I found that I had to add more milk to get the proper consistency.

  13. Simone

    August 25, 2011 at 2:11 pm

    I live by this recipe! Made it once and family and friends loved it so much i now have to make it almost everyday!! Thanks!

  14. Hassina

    September 8, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    This is a good recipe. The taste of the cupcakes were good, however, mine were’nt as light, and was a bit dense..Any solution to that?

  15. Lee

    September 9, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    Thanks, I love this recipe!

  16. Virosha

    September 11, 2011 at 4:45 pm

    Fabulous recipe. Perfect to decorate

  17. Nicole

    October 3, 2011 at 12:39 pm

    Great Recipe! Enjoyed by all! Thanks

  18. Marietjie

    October 19, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    Love this recipe. Easy and excellent!!!

  19. Sibongile

    December 11, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    Wow super easy recipe love it love it…

  20. Sam

    December 13, 2011 at 9:27 am

    Extremely easy, and rose beautifully. Found the cake a little on the dry side, like my cupcakes a bit moist. But if u are pressed for time, need to bake larger batches, or are baking for kids, this is recipe if handy to have.

  21. Lulu

    December 13, 2011 at 6:38 pm

    I loved these! They were a gorgeous colour, rose with perfectly round tops, and the cake was moist and fluffy. They’re good on their own, or with some icing. They also don’t go stale quickly, which is great, because it means I can keep them over a few days for snacks or desserts.
    Thank you so much for this great recipe!

  22. caketroll

    December 30, 2011 at 8:28 am

    Hi,
    This is the best cup cake recipe I have ever made, it is soooo simple.

    Thank you
    The Caketroll

  23. Deborah Byrne

    January 4, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    So easy and so moist and delicious! A huge hit and I made three double batches in a row in two days over new year. Many thanks!

  24. Maddy

    January 10, 2012 at 11:29 pm

    What sort of oil do you use

    • Louise

      July 3, 2012 at 12:08 pm

      sunflower or any vegetable oil…

  25. Michelle

    January 25, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    Wow and wonderful!! I am a bit of a baking rebel and tend to do exactly what I want, often with messy results but these were easy enough for my young daughters to do alone and a phenomenal success! Thanks for sharing….

  26. Mpumie

    February 28, 2012 at 10:15 am

    I’ve tried the recipe on Sunday and my cup cakes were delicious. Its easy and cheap. Thank you…….

  27. sarah

    March 17, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    easy as pie 😛 delicious!!

  28. Saxon de Kock

    March 20, 2012 at 4:20 pm

    Fantastic recipe. Easy, fast, reliable. Thank you so much for this, we are having lots of fun making batches of cup cakes and decorating them for the kids! This is certainly an idiot-proof cup cake recipe – as I am no skilled baker and they always turn out great!

  29. lisa mckenzie

    March 27, 2012 at 4:41 am

    well Lynette maybe its you and not the food ive used this recipe tuns of times i love it my family loves it and my friends did you ever think maybe bakeing is not your thing its not for everyone you no

  30. megan

    March 30, 2012 at 10:13 pm

    Felt like something sweet… which lead to finding this easy cupcake recipe – not too shabby. Light, fluffy and tasty. Many thanks.

  31. Kimmy

    April 7, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    The best! I tried it for the first time and it was perfect. Tasted great!
    Thanx so much for this awsome recipe!!!
    🙂

  32. Penny

    April 8, 2012 at 6:21 pm

    The cupcakes turned out great! However, the icing was awful!! I had to add a WHOLE lot more icing sugar to get a less ‘margariney’ taste and a better texture.

  33. Cecelia

    April 28, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    great recipe!

  34. Claudia Wheeler

    April 29, 2012 at 9:18 pm

    Made them like 100 times already 🙂
    Simply the best!

  35. Marisi

    May 9, 2012 at 5:53 am

    After an 8hr drive from a weekend away, on Sunday night had to go to Plan B to make cupcakes for daughters birthday ring. I needed something easy & quick, this was the perfect recipe. Was easy to follow, did not flop, tasted moist & great. I made mini ones so got some more. The icing was also too buttery for me, but that didn’t deter me from making grass green toppings! Thanks for the recipe.

  36. jamila

    May 19, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    Wow…just tried this recipe!!!! Wonderful…the entire family loved them:)

  37. haseena

    June 4, 2012 at 11:36 am

    the cuppies came out great :).i always thought i didnt have the touch when it comes to making great cup cakes and this recipe just proved me wrong u can be novice to baking and im sure u can have great sucsess with this recepie thanx 🙂

  38. Rebecca

    June 19, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    Best cupcakes ever. My whole family enjoyed it. Thanks.

  39. Juliana

    June 22, 2012 at 8:35 pm

    Real goods for our teatime and we enjoy the tast of it.

  40. D

    June 29, 2012 at 1:55 pm

    Gosh !!! these are the most delish vanilla cupcakes ever’!!!!

    They come out sooooo moist and crispy on the outside.
    For the icing I used castor sugar and it came out better than icing sugar. I also used a sandwich bag and cut a small piece off a corner and filled it with the buttercream, worked beautifully!
    Thanks for the great recipe!
    D 😀

  41. michelle

    July 5, 2012 at 7:04 am

    easy as thanks great recipe 🙂

  42. Claire

    July 7, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    Fantastic recipe! Easy and very tasty!

  43. Lucy

    July 15, 2012 at 11:11 am

    What kind of oil? :S and what size cups do you use? :S Im sure there lovely, but this isnt very accurate? 🙂

    • Louise

      July 16, 2012 at 12:19 pm

      Any vegetable oil – sunflower, canola, etc and 1 cup = 250ml

  44. Heather

    July 21, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    Hi, i’ve been looking for an easy recipe and this one looks great. It’s very clean and simple. Initially the first negative comment put me off a bit… but the subsequent positive comments have truly inspired me to give it a go! If they flop ten to one it will be my fault anyway! 🙂

  45. Heather

    July 21, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    Ok people we have a verdict! I’ve tried this recipe – the most perfect cupcakes in less than 30 min… wow. I was worried as I needed to hand beat but, the end product great. Light and fluffy giant cup cakes (overfilled silicone cups by mistake!)

    Thanx soooo much Louise!

    H

  46. Vimbayi

    July 25, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    Great recipe! My son and enjoyed making them! I added halved Morello cherries and cherry kirsch…..yummy! The frosting is very buttery though!

  47. lucy

    August 11, 2012 at 5:46 am

    best cupcakes ever

  48. linda

    August 11, 2012 at 5:49 am

    good cupcakes but it needs to be more accurate thanks anyways:)

  49. Hungry Helpers

    August 11, 2012 at 9:59 am

    A quick and easy recipe that tastes great! Not too sweet, just right. Fun to make with the kids as well.. Perfect with a cup of coffee 🙂

  50. Luna

    August 30, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    Love these – so quick and easy and they come out great every time. I have made them often since I discovered the recipe in July. Only thing: I have a 12 cupcake pan, and this recipe JUST makes enough for 12. Nowhere near 16.

  51. Jenn

    September 4, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    The cupcakes are just what I was looking for. They came out moist and delicious. I used goats milk to make a dairy free version for my son (also used olive oil)
    I used Olivani for the icing and found it to be quite buttery and sweet so will be searching for a different icing recipe for my next lot. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  52. Linda ngubane

    October 22, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    Cup cakes came out perfectly, but they were too sweet for my likings. I had to add a little extra milk and oil as the mixture was a bit too thick. I did not use this icing, I made a butter cream icing. Besides the sweetness and extra oil and milk, they were perfect.

  53. Shamie

    November 23, 2012 at 1:52 pm

    The best cupcakes ever!! Quick and easy and always a winner! My kids loved it and I’m so selfish to share this recipe with anyone!

  54. Candice

    November 26, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    Thank you for this delicious cupcake recipe,I baked for the first time and it was perfect.My son loved it.unfortunately my icing flopped.The cupcakes were great tho.Thanks again

  55. Dinah

    January 8, 2013 at 12:48 pm

    Can I make them in a cupcake maker?

  56. Ferdi

    January 26, 2013 at 6:49 pm

    Great recipe, quick easy fun. 30 min in total and my friend and I had cupcakes for a snack. Instead of the icing I melted chocolate and combined it with whipped fresh cream (delish!!). ?

  57. Nikita

    February 17, 2013 at 12:15 pm

    Thanx for sharing! 😀

  58. Naz

    August 25, 2013 at 6:25 pm

    Brilliant, simple, recipe!

  59. Kenny

    March 10, 2014 at 1:42 am

    Super good! I loved them both the
    cupcakes and the icing are great!☻

  60. Hope

    August 10, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    Nice and simple. I supervised my 13 year old daughter to make them and they came beautiful

    • Nour

      February 6, 2017 at 3:13 am

      Yum best cupcakes ever

  61. Marily

    September 21, 2015 at 10:47 am

    Very tasty 🙂

  62. Yummilicious!

    September 24, 2015 at 5:49 pm

    Followed the recipe to a T and they came out perfect! Moist, fluffy, buttery (surprisingly!) and the right sweetness for me. Was looking for oil instead of butter cupcakes and will be adding this recipe to my growing list of tried and tested recipes. Took no time at all especially if you have measuring cups and spoons. I just mixed all the wet ingredients together in a jug, quickly sifted the dry ingredients together and mixed the former into the latter and hey presto! Took 15 mins exactly- definitely perfect for a last minute treat if someone pops over or you just fancy it. Thank you!

  63. Refiloe B

    October 1, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    The yummiest and easiest cupcakes ever, definitely saving this recipe fo future use.

  64. Inge

    October 26, 2015 at 5:10 pm

    I call this my kitchen cupcakes as I have everything I need to make them at hand. Inexpensive and delicious.

  65. XXMAX

    December 21, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    Hats off to you Louise ! What an awesome recipe ! all my family were spell bound ! thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe !!! <3

    ★★★★★

  66. Spurstotty

    December 23, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    Please please what are the measurements In imperial or Metric….here in the uk we use kitchen scales, and weigh in ounces or grams. Either would be lovely

    • Mrs. R. Forrest

      January 5, 2017 at 8:53 pm

      Could you pleased give me the measurements in ozs, as u.k. is different with our measurements. Thank you, Mrs. Forrest

  67. fridah

    January 3, 2016 at 12:26 pm

    It is a great and wonderful recipe thanks

  68. FATHIMA BIBI Razack

    April 8, 2016 at 12:33 pm

    this recipe is amazing i use it as my basic cupcake recipe then add all the different extras each time i make it. absolutely love it !!!

    ★★★★★

  69. Nudrat

    April 13, 2016 at 2:07 pm

    I tried these cup cakes and the result was great.I just want one thing of anyone can answer.I used every ingredient in the mentioned quantity and beated well. Since my oven is not that much perfect there days so it took around 30 mins for me to get baked properly.But still I found that my cup cakes were not completely moist or like the better still needs to be baked .Can anyone guide me in this regard that what I should do to have completely soft and moiist cake without any feeling for some better needed to be baked more.

    ★★★★★

    • Myr

      December 7, 2016 at 12:05 am

      The oven temp is in Celsius. You should have put it to 350°F.

      ★★★★★

  70. Deidre

    November 4, 2016 at 8:23 pm

    Perfect, first time round! shape, texture, taste, moist. This is a keeper.

    ★★★★★

  71. Zhao

    November 8, 2016 at 10:05 am

    Perfect recipe and easy to make! Baked them this morning and had them for breakfast..they came out jst perfecto and they are so delish! My son loved them.

  72. Janey

    December 31, 2016 at 8:31 am

    Thank you for such a simple and perfectly moist cupcake! I’ve been using this recipe for over two years and keep the link saved on my phone. I’ve often used it for a cake too. I’ve made over a 1000 cupcakes with this!!!!! Yummy!!

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I'm Louise and I'm so glad you are here! My blog is all about no-fuss recipes, simplifying mealtimes, and still making it all taste ridiculously yummy. oh yes.Learn More →
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