I’ve been holding out on you guys…actually I feel like I’ve been cheating you because I have a couple of recipes that I’ve never shared before and are my ultimate make-all-the-time go to recipes. They’ve been my favourites for a long time and in all honesty, I feel bad about not sharing them sooner. This is one of them.
The best, the softest, the tastiest, the fluffiest, the lightest most delicious butter kissed vanilla-y vanilla cupcakes and this is the only recipe I keep coming back to no matter what other one I find.
I stumbled upon this recipe about 4 years ago and I’ve personalized and tweaked it over the years to become my perfect vanilla cupcake. Sure I have others that I make, let’s not forget these little bites of heaven, and love but whenever I need a solid, failproof recipe to impress, I turn to these.
The recipe is quite simple with all basic ingredients. It uses creamed butter and sugar for ultimate fluffiness, whole eggs for richness and a combination of milk and sour cream for the perfect moist and fluffy crumb.
I’ve picked up a few tricks and tips that I’d like to mention just to make sure that you guys have everything you need to give you the best results.
First and foremost, start with the best quality ingredients you can manage. Since these are vanilla cupcakes, this really matters as whatever you use makes for the best flavour and texture.
Make sure to cream your butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy. You should be able to clearly see a difference from when you start compared to when it’s ready. Check out this post for visuals.
One thing that the original recipe taught me is to make sure there is enough vanilla added. I never used to add alot but when I did, I really noticed a boost in flavour which is wonderful. In these specific cupcakes, I use 2 teaspoons vanilla extract plus a vanilla pod. This may seem like alot but just trust me, it’s not.
The batter of these is slightly on the thick side which is perfect for a beautifully fluffy crumb. Make sure to just barely whisk in the dry ingredients. That last step is crucial to ensure the texture so as little mixing as possible please. I always do this by hand, just in case! 😉
And finally, bake these at 160C/325F for a more even cupcake and make sure not to over bake them. They should be slightly golden on top, perfectly domed and smelling incredible.
And I mean incredible…. 😉
I love these cupcakes. I have other recipes that I love but these… these babies are the ones you hide away to sneak into bed late at night.
I really can’t wait for you all to try these cupcakes. I sincerely hope you enjoy them!
Stay tuned for my next post on how I created these cupcakes and all my tips on how you can take any cupcake recipe and tweak it to make it your own favourite. Please check the notes below for my favourite ingredient substitutions.
And remember to tag me with your pics @dutchbakerblog on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
My favourite substitutions:
- Instead of all purpose flour use cake flour
- For an even lighter cake use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
- Vanilla essence is okay but don’t add more than 2 teaspoons
- If you can’t find sour cream then plain yoghurt is okay to use but the cake may be slightly more dense
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Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (220gms) all purpose flour Minus 3 tablespoons*
2 tablespoons cornstarch/cornflour
Scant (less than full) 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (100gms) softened butter
3/4 cup (150gms) + 2 tablespoons white sugar**
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean***
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125gms) sour cream
1/2 cup (125mls) milk
- For the frosting
1/2 cup/100gms salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups/180gms icing sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/ 4 – 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 160C/325F. Line a muffin tray with cupcake cups.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch/cornflour, salt and baking powder and soda. In a small bowl, add sugar and vanilla bean seeds and rub them together with your fingers to combine.
- In a separate bowl, cream together butter and vanilla sugar until paled, creamy and fluffy. Click here for references.
Add in the eggs one at a time whisking well in between each. Add in vanilla extract and whisk. - Add in a third of the flour mix and whisk until barely combined then add in the sour cream and whisk until just combined. Add in another third of the dry ingredients followed by the milk whisking each until just combined. Add in the last third of the dry mix and whisk until *just* combined and no more flour streaks remain. Batter will be slightly thick and fairly smooth but it’s okay if there are a few lumps, don’t try to whisk them out.
- Divide batter between cupcake cups filling each up to 3/4 way full depending on size of cups. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until cooked through and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean. Cool on a wire rack for about 15 – 20 minutes then store in an airtight container to cool completely.
- For the frosting
- Whisk the butter until very light and fluffy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add in icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time whisking for a minute in between each addition
- Add in cream as needed until desired consistency is reached. Whisk in vanilla to taste and beat again for another minute for extra fluffiness. Frost cooled cupcakes and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- *Instead of the all purpose flour and cornstarch, use 1 3/4 cup cake flour.
- **Super fine sugar like caster sugar is recommended for best results but any white sugar is okay.
- ***If you can’t get a vanilla pod then add in an extra 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract instead along with the 2 teaspoons stated in the recipe. You can use 1 tablespoon only if you have pure vanilla extract.
- Cupcake recipe adapted from A Pastry Affair.
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