Moist Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

This recipe makes soft, springy cupcakes with an incredible vanilla bean buttercream frosting. To begin, you will want your oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, in a large mixing bowl, add three to four cups of granulated sugar and one to four cups of firmly packed light brown sugar. The light brown sugar will help to bring out the vanilla flavour.

You will also be using butter or oil, but butter yields the most delicious, prettiest cupcakes. Add six tablespoons of softened unsalted butter, then using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until they are light, fluffy and creamy.

Creaming the butter and sugar is essential for helping the cupcakes get the proper texture and lift. Next, you will add one large egg and one and a half teaspoons of vanilla essence, stir them into the batter, and set them aside. In a separate bowl, measure one and two-thirds of all-purpose flour, half a teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of baking soda, and half a teaspoon of salt. Whisk that together until everything is nicely combined.

Bring back the butter mixture, and before you combine the mix, measure three-fourths cup of buttermilk. Add a third of your flour mixture and gently fold it into the batter until it is mostly combined. Then add a third of buttermilk and fold that until it’s just combined. Repeat that until you have added all the flour and buttermilk. This buttermilk makes even 12 cupcakes. If you want to double it, you can; it works great being doubled.

Do not overmix the batter; you want the batter to be uniform in appearance and well combined. Line the cupcake pan with liners, then evenly divide the batter into the cupcake tins. Bake in the 350F preheated oven for about 16 minutes. A good test that they are done is if you lightly touch the cupcake, it should spring back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then carefully remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely before you frost them.

You can use any frosting you like, but our vanilla bean frosting also goes well with these cupcakes. In a mixing bowl, add one cup of softened unsalted butter, then add a pinch of salt, and beat the butter until it’s creamy and smooth. Gradually add three cups of powdered sugar while beating the mixture at low speed until well mixed. Add one pod of vanilla bean or one tablespoon of vanilla bean paste.

Mix it in for about a minute, then add a tablespoon of heavy cream and beat it until just combined. Increase the speed to high and whip it for a couple of seconds. Put the cream in a piping bag and pipe it on your cupcakes, then enjoy.