I get so caught up with trying to create new cupcake flavor combinations that I often forget that sweet simplicity is still insanely delicious. So after countless requests from readers, I am finally sharing a basic vanilla cupcake recipe.
I tried a few different recipe adaptions in search of vanilla bliss and after a couple of test batches, I think this recipe may just be one of my favorite combinations to date. It starts with a vanilla bean infused white cake that has an incredible crumb. It’s light, fluffy and is the perfect foundation for a huge dollop of vanilla bean buttercream.
Although this combination may certainly be a little traditional, it’s anything but boring. In fact, Brian, a die hard chocolate fan fell in love with this cupcake immediately and said it was one of his new favorites.
Jazzing these babies up with bright liners* and a sprinkling of pearlized jimmies*, makes them sassy enough to serve for any occasion. And there you have it, my absolute favorite vanilla on vanilla cupcake recipe.
Vanilla Cupcakes
Yield: 18-20 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups cake flour (I used Swan’s Down brand)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
seeds scraped from one vanilla bean
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extractFor the Buttercream
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
seeds scraped from one vanilla bean
2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract (this helps maintain the bright white color)
1 ½ pounds (24 ounces) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milkDirections:
For the Cupcakes
1. Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla bean seeds at medium speed for 3 minutes, or until the butter and sugar are very light. Add in the vanilla extract and one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until well incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter fully incorporated and smooth, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
5. Once ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Using a large scoop (about 3 tablespoons), distribute the batter between 18 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 18-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool on wire rack.
For the Buttercream
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and seeds from vanilla bean until fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until well blended.
2. Add in vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened.
3. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Notes:
- Cupcakes were frosting using the large round tip from Bake It Pretty
- *Cupcake liners from Bake It Pretty
- *Pearlized Jimmies were purchased from Bakers Nook
- Cake recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party CakeCopyright © My Baking Addiction
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{ 165 comments… read them below or add one }
Simply perfection. Absolutely stunning.
I love regular ol’ vanilla cupcakes. Those liners and sprinkles are so cute!
Everyone needs a good ol’ vanilla cake recipe! This one sounds wonderful. Beautiful pics.
This is just what I was looking for… bought vanilla bean a few weeks ago and still had no idea what to do with it or how to use it. Thank you!!!
Val
http://www.twelve30designs.blogspot.com
Feel lke picking one
These are absolutely stunning! Vanilla cupcakes are a canvas for creativity – and pretty awesome by themselves!
Absolute gorgeous perfection!!
And you know, I usually prefer vanilla over chocolate.
You can never go wrong with the classics. These cupcakes look fabulous!
I seriously need to make some cupcakes soon!
Your cupcakes look gorgeous! I love bringing it back to basic flavors sometimes.
Marvelous pictures! I can almost taste them through the screen.
Pinned em. Stumbled em. Called my grandma in Fosston, MN about them. (ok, I may be laying about the last one) I LOVE these Jamie!!! You are so dang talented!
I was looking for a recipe to make for the hubby to take to work on Friday… I think I’ve found the one! I’ve been on a hunt for the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe and I’m excited to give this one a try.
One question–does the frosting recipe make enough frosting to generously frost all 18 cupcakes (with as generous amount of frosting as your cupcakes in the photos)? I’m a big mound of frosting kind of girl and I usually double frosting recipes to ensure there is a enough to suit my taste, but this recipe seems like it might be the perfect amount as is, but I wanted to double check. Thanks!
Amy-
Thanks for stopping by! I frosted all 18 cupcakes as seen in the photos with the recipe above. I hope you enjoy them!
-Jamie
Thanks so much, Jamie! Your cupcakes are always absolutely divine! Your cupcake recipes are always my favorite and I’m beyond excited to try these out tomorrow. I’ve been awaiting the recipe post since you shared a preview pic a few days ago on Facebook! Thanks again!
YUM! I’m always looking for amazing vanilla cupcake recipes! Like the addition of the vanilla bean, I sometimes use vanilla bean paste in mine! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I am a die hard vanilla fan so I love that you posted a vanilla. I think vanilla is one of the hardest things to do right. Can’t wait to try these.
Vanilla/Vanilla is such a classic and one of my very favorites! Those pearlized jimmies are so cute.
Is it wrong that I’m in love with these simply because of the purple wrapper?
Wow, those are the prettiest white vanilla cupcakes I’ve seen. And yes, it’s tragic that people forget the simple flavors of desserts because of all the tweeking and adding people do to up the flavor profiles of things. (Not that those flavors are bad either
)
Sometimes the simple classic combinations are the best treat. Pictures are great.
Simply beautiful!! =)
Looks so pretty and I love the sprinkles! Can’t wait to give these a try.
Simply gorgeous!
Yum! I love vanilla and will be making these soon. And I’ll be hunting to pearlized jimmies. Who knew that they came blinged out?!
Simplicity in food is best ; it’s the way to best enjoy the particularity of a flavor. Beyond a 3 flavor combination, I’m no longer interested. Tasty and gorgeous cupcakes for sure!
Just put this on Pinterest. So pretty!
These are sooo pretty!!
Just beautiful, Jamie!
Yumm!! They look soo good & pretty. I can’t seem to find the web site you said the jimmies are on.
What great colors, Jamie. My philosophy with cupcakes: the girlier the better.
Thanks for a yummy sounding vanilla. I make a mean chocolate, but alas my 4 yr old son in his words “can’t like chocolate”. I don’t know what little kid doesn’t like chocolate but mine does…. such a shame, so now I have to come up with non-chocolate desserts. So thanks, I’m gonna make these soon! And I need those beautiful liners…. so stinkin’ cute!
well these are just simply lovely. I adore the vanilla bean flavor. No doubt mine will never come out as beautifully as yours! I will drool over these today
Ooh, these cupcakes look just PERFECT Jamie! Sometimes simple is best.
Simply wonderful
Vanilla is my favorite everything. Nice touch with bright liners. I pinned on pinterest.
Absolutely divine.
May I ask what size tip do you use for frosting?
Shannon-
Thanks for stopping by, the tip is the large round tip from Bake It Pretty.
-Jamie
I actually don’t fall in the chocolate camp, so these look right up my alley. They sound great!
If you already answered this, I apologize. I didn’t have time to read all the previous comments. My question is WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR VANILLA BEANS?
I have looked many places and the cheapest I have found is aroun $12.00 for 2 skinnnnnnny whimpy looking beans! I have so many recipes that would really benefit from real beans. Advice?
Mel-
I typically order them from Beanilla. I also see them at Costco from time to time. I would just recommend staying clear of the ones at the grocery store unless you know for sure they are fresh. I have never had good luck purchasing them from a regular supermarket. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
Hi Jamie and Mel,
Just discovered your blog Jamie, and I can’t wait to explore some more!
Mel, I have found vanilla beans at Whole Foods – 2 for like $6 or $7. Way less expensive than the 1 for $12 or $13 at my Safeway! Hope this helps too!
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Correction: Whole Foods has vanilla beans 2 for $12. I was mixed up on the price, so they come out to be $6 for each bean.
Costco has10 vanilla beans for $12 from Kirkland Signature! (:
I just purchased mine at Williams-Sonoma. I received 4 for $10–I thought they’d be really expensive, but they were MUCH less expensive than anywhere else!
Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
I went to the supermarket today to purchase some vanilla bean so that I can make these beautiful cupcakes tonight, boy boy was I in for a surprise $14 for one ugly looking bean. LOL So I order from Beanilla now I will have to wait to make them.
That happens to me too! I get so caught up trying new things I forget how good just plain ole vanilla tastes sometimes
Gorgeous cupcakes!
These look yummy! The basics sometimes are definitely the best and vanilla is as basic as it gets…Delightful!! Can’t wait to try them!
I was preparing for an open house event and had planned on making two different types of cupcakes (Pumpkin & Chocolate.) The morning of the event, I was checking my E-mail and opened a link to this blog. A quick scan of the ingredients and my pantry to ensure I had everything on hand was all the convincing I needed to add vanilla cupcakes to my list. While I’m not a fan of vanilla cake, these were absolutely delightful. They are moist, well-textured and more flavorful than any vanilla cupcake I’ve ever tried. In the future, this will definitely be my “go-to” vanilla cupcake. Thank you for a WONDERFUL recipe!
Marie-
I am so glad you enjoyed these! Thanks for reporting back!
-Jamie
my favorite cupcake at the best cupcake shop in town is vanilla cake with vanilla icing. it doesn’t get better than that..classic and delicious
what frosting tip is this!?
I can’t wait to try this recipe(:
Morgan-
The tip is the Giant Round Tip from Bake It Pretty.
-Jamie
simple cupcakes are the best. I love vanilla cupcakes without the frosting at tea time. The buttercream frosting is something my daughter would lick off before passing only the cupcake to me
Beautiful. Simple.
Okay, so I am making these this very second, and I just tasted the frosting, and I literally SWOONED! A-MAZ-ING!!!!!!!!
Cheryl-
So glad you enjoyed the frosting!
-Jamie
Can’t go wrong with a classic! The colorful sprinkles are a nice touch!
I made these yesterday and just wanted to let you know they were so delicious. They are light and fluffy and a perfect white cake. I made one set with your vanilla frosting and another set with a red raspberry frosting….oh my!! Thanks for the recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed these. Raspberry frosting would be perfection on these!
-Jamie
These look perfect!
Question though. I need a really good vanilla cake and this sounds perfect. Any idea how long I would bake this for in a 6 inch pan and in an 8 inch pan?
Heather-
I have never baked this in 6 inch pans. I have baked it in 2 9-inch pans for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
How adorable! I LOVE CUPCAKES!
http://www.cancerinthecity.com
Simply stunning. I love the sprinkles, they’re so fun. Can I have one for breakfast?
These sound Ah-mazing! Are they best made the day of or can they be made the day before? Since the frosting has milk ingredients that would probably be best the day of, but wondering if the cake keeps for a day.
Devin-
Thanks for stopping by. You can get away with making these the night before. Refrigerate them overnight and allow them to come to room temperature for about an hour before serving.
-Jamie
These look delish! I love your pictures!
For those of us that love and follow you but live in Australia… How many grams is a “stick” of butter? I work mostly in weights when baking.
Hi-
It looks like a stick of butter is 113.4 grams. Thanks for stopping by.
Jamie
I just made these cupcakes today and they turned really good! My mom and dad loved it! Thank you so much for inspiring me to bake more often! Keep it coming!
You can’t go wrong with classic vanilla!
Ohhhh YUM! I tried the recipe this afternoon, but used it to make cake layers instead. I really only needed one layer for another cake I was making, so I planned on maybe freezing the other one for later. Instead I just ate the entire thing by myself! Oops! So light and tender, and all those beautiful little vanilla flecks! Didn’t even need frosting!
Perfect!
Kimmie-
So glad you enjoyed these! Thanks so much for reporting back!
-Jamie
I’m making these this weekend! Question though.. how would you substitute for the vanilla beans? I got the beans to make the first batch, but they’re so expensive, it’d probably be a special-occaission-only thing. How could I substitute so these could be a more often thing? Thanks!
I just made these and of course tried one. My taste buds are singing and dancing right now. Wow!!!!!! My husband is going to love these. He is a vanilla lover and I am the chocolate lover. After tasting these though, I could just about convert. Thank you so much for a great recipe. I will be making these many times and actually I will be making them again later this week to overnight them to my son whom is a Marine at Camp Pendleton. He was drooling on the phone when I was explaining them to him.
Rhonda-
I am so happy that you enjoyed these! Thanks so much for reporting back on the recipe!
-Jamie
Hi, beautiful work. I just tried this recipe the other day. I followed it to a T. The flavor and texture was wonderful. I found mine to be a touch dense. Any suggestions? Also I checked out the original recipe and noticed you can use whole milk OR buttermilk. Have you ever tried it with buttermilk before? Any differences or any predictions on how it could be different?
Thanks!
Lulu-
I use the buttermilk when I make a lemon version. Texturally there isn’t much difference though. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
If I wanted to cut out the vanilla bean, would I need to increase extract? Here they are $5 a pop! Thanks!
Kristi-
Yes, you could simple up the vanilla extract. That will work just fine. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Kristi, you should try looking for a professional kitchen/chef supply store in your area. I found a great one called Gourmet Warehouse (Vancouver BC mind you) and I got a pack of vanilla beans for $12.99 – there are about 20 in it! They sell a larger pack – double for I believe $20.99. I was so relieved since the other stores I found them at are 2 for $7.99. The brand is Tahitian Gold. Maybe you can order them online!
Wow! Thanks for the tip, I will look into that!
I made these to bring to work today. Fabulous morsels! I used vanilla bean crush instead of regular vanilla bean. Much more economical!! Also made the frosting but tinted it yellow, used a star tip and put orange sugar pearl in the center to look like a flower. Just adorable. Thanks for introducing me to Bake it Pretty. I think I may go broke.
These are sooooo good. I have also been on a quest for the perfect vanilla cupcake thats not too dense, dry, or flavorless and I’ve found it!! Once again you have made my life a liitle bit eaiser with another great recipe! I was actually able to get 24 cupcakes from this batter and I baked them for 18 minutes. There’s one word for these cupcakes….AMAZING!! Thanks again.
You inspired me to try my hand at piping! I’m really pleased with them for a first attempt. One thing that confused me though was what size the cupcakes should be? It seems to use the mixture for 18 cakes they would need to be muffin sized. Is that right?
Yes, all cupcakes are standard size unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
I made these over the weekend and they came out fabulously! the texture was perfect and tasted so yummy, lots of compliments from friends and co-workers. I used a White chocolate buttercream and everyone raved about them! Thanks for the recipe! I am trying the Peanut Butter and jelly ones next, i have been searching for a recipe and yours looks great!
Hey Jamie!
The first time I saw these I instantly put these on the top of my list of goodies to make. The icing turned out DELICIOUS but somehow I messed up on the cupcake cake part. When I was finished with the batter it was extremely thin and runny. After baking, the cupcakes have a spongy texture and won’t come out of the wrapper easily. I was just wondering if you could describe the consistency the batter should be? I used the same brand flour recommended and followed the recipe pretty close. I am thinking I should have added more flour.
Thanks!
Kelly
Kelly-
Sorry for the late response, this ended up in spam for some reason. This batter is definitely not runny, so I am unsure how to help you problem solve this one. The texture is certainly light, but I would not characterize it as “spongy”. Sorry I am not more of a help on this one.
Jamie
Hi Jamie!
No problem on timing – thanks for the response! You actually answered my question perfect on this one. Knowing that the batter should not be runny is just what I needed to know – I think I should have added more batter. I will definitely have to try again, esp. how yummy the icing is! =)
I just made the batter and got the same results. Super runny!! I followed the recipe exactly also. They’re in the oven right now…hopefully they turn out.
Silly question…but on frosting aprox how long am I beating until “light and fluffy”? I can never seem to get a stiff frosting that looks good piping with round tip.
Hi!
I typically bet the heck out of it for about 5 minutes in my stand mixer. Hope this helps!
-Jamie
hey jamie! i just wanted to thank you for this amazing recipe! i have never kept a recipe exactly as written & this will be the first… it’s too perfect!!! seriously, it is the best vanilla cupcake! my hubby is a chocolate guy too & he literally went weak in the knees after one bite
anyways, i blogged about this cupcake & linked it back to you. thanks again!!!!
http://sweetpeonyblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/vanilla-bean-cupcakes.html
I have the Nielson Massey pure vanilla bean paste. How much would you recommend Instead of the vanilla bean? Thank you!!
Somer
Somer-
I’d probably use 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons. There may be a conversion on the bottle or on their website. Hope this helps.
Jamie
These cupcakes are so very delicious! Everyone loved the =D Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Hi Jamie! These cupcakes looked awesome but I was a bit confused on the recipe. When you say 1 1/2 cups sugarseeds scraped from one vanilla bean, aren’t vanilla beans really small? How would you get 1 1/2 cups from one bean? Also, they are quite expensive, so do you have a recommendation for a substitution for this ingredient? Hope you can help!
Megan-
That error must have occurred when we switched the print function over to the new one. It should read:
1 1/2 cups sugar
seeds from one vanilla bean
So you are only using one bean in this recipe. Sorry for the confusion, I have made the change in the recipe. Thanks for letting me know.
-Jamie
Oh thank god! I was so sad i would never be able to make this recipe! How do you get the seeds to spread evenly throughout the batter? A lot of times when I use vanilla bean seeds, they just clump up in one spot. Btw thank you for replying so fast. It’s awesome when people maintain their blogs as well as you do!
Hi Jamie,
I got an order in for vanilla bean cupcakes and I chose your recipe because of how wonderful they looked as well as the rave reviews! I just took them out of the oven, and unfortunately, they formed somewhat of a air dome on top, it has a sort of rubber texture at the bottom and they turned golden at the edges. They still came out very fluffy and moist and delicious though
Can you tell me what I may have done wrong?
Michelle-
Sorry these didn’t work out for you. I have made this cake recipe more times than I can count. The original version is a Dorie Greenspan recipe from her book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. Judging from the browning and air dome, this leads me to believe it may have been a temperature issue. These have never stuck to the liners for me; however, I only use greaseproof liners. I am sorry I am not more a help on this issue – I’m kinda stumped.
Happy Baking!
Jamie
I guess it may have just been my oven then…and the customer asked for foil wrappers which I hardly ever use so that may have been it. But they said nothing but good things about the cupcakes after they picked them up! So thank you
What do you do if you don’t have any vanilla bean to mix in the cupcakes and the frosting? Do you just make it as is without it? Or do you add my vanilla extract in it? And if so how much more?
Brittany-
I would probably add in about more teaspoons of vanilla extract. The cupcakes will not have the same flavor as the version with the vanilla beans, but they should still be quite tasty.
Jamie
i made these tonight and they were very yummy! so moist and fluffy! almost like a sponge cake! the only problem i had was that it made way more than 18. i put it into 24 cups and they still were too full after baking!
This is the best vanilla cupcake I have ever had. They came out perfect and can’t wait to share them with co-workers tomorrow.
This recipe is really nice. The cupcakes came out very light and fluffy and with a very wonderful vanilla flavor. It isn’t overly sweet which is a plus (for me anyway). The recipe said it yielded 18-20 cupcakes using 3 tbsp of batter per vessel but even after following the exact measurements I ended up with 30 regular sized baked cupcakes.
Just made them and they are awesome! One of the best cupcakes I have ever had. Perfect balance of sweet and creamy! Thank you for the amazing recipe! It was the perfect end to the day!
Hey Jamie,
I <3 all of your recipes but this one is one of my favorites, including. Some other ones. How do think and know when the batter or frosting is too sweet, beacause I an seem to do that. You have a great talent Jamie!
Thanks for all of your help,
Grace Colley
Grace-
If you are worried about the frosting being too sweet, just make sure to taste as you go. You can certainly adjust the amount of confectioners’ sugar if you feel this frosting will be too sweet. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
I was wondering if you could use any other kind of milk? like non-fat or 2%? I absolutley love your cupcakes! I have tried so many of your recipes.
I made this the other day along with your butter cream frosting recipe. The cupcakes were good but didn’t have enough vanilla flavor to my liking once baked so I will be adding more vanilla next time I make them. Also they had the texture and density of a muffin, not a cupcake. Any way to fix that? Thanks for a good recipe. I will make it again with a touch more vanilla next time!
The cupcakes look so yummy and lovely! Got tempted to try out the recipe, but my batter turned out a little runny – is it because I reduced the amount of sugar? If so, how can I fix it?
Jocelyn-
The batter definitely shouldn’t be runny, so I’m thinking the sugar may be your issue. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
I just made these cupcakes today!!!! seriously the BEST vanilla cupcake i have ever had. they were super easy to make. Thanks for posting this great recipe.
HI, Jamie! I actually have a batch of these in the oven right now. I was just wondering if you had ever tried using this recipe to make a cake? I haven’t yet, but was curious, as I know some recipes cannot be doubled, and at times, even when they are not, they still do not come out the same consistency as the cupcakes. If not, do you have a go-to vanilla cake recipe?
Hi Jamie!
This is by far my favourite vanilla cupcake/cake recipe, and i was wondering if it could be modified for a marble cake? If so, any tips on how i could do this? Many marble cake recipes that i have tried have been quite bland or dry, and i would love to use this delicious recipe as a base if possible!
thanks
Thank you for this recipe, Jamie. I am going to bake this cupcakes for my son’s birthday party… from the sound of this reviews, the kids and teachers will definitely enjoy it.
Hi, Love you blog!
Just wondering if you could please specify a few things for me. As im in Australia, our measurements are different. What do you mean when you say “stick of butter” can I please have the gram value? Shortening has also confused me
Thank you.
Confused baker,
Dani
Daniella-
Thanks so much for stopping by. Here is a great tool for you: http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking_butter.htm Hope this helps.
-Jamie
I just made these cupcakes, after trying so many other vanilla cupcake recipes. I LOVE this one! Not only did they taste amazing, they baked up perfectly, with a nice little dome. So many of the others fall when I take them out of the oven and don’t look very appealing. I didn’t have enough cake flour so I did 1 1/4 cup cake flour and 1 cup multi-purpose flour. They turned out perfectly, with a nice soft, fluffy texture. Thank you!!!
Christie-
I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed these cupcakes. Thanks for coming back and commenting – Happy Baking!
-Jamie
I have been searching for the perfect vanilla cupcake, and this is it! The vanilla bean flavor comes through so nicely, and the buttercream is divine. I baked these for my daughter’s 2nd birthday, and everyone loved these cupcakes! I’ve linked back to you here: http://evabakes.blogspot.com/2012/04/vanilla-bean-cupcakes-with-vanilla-bean.html
My search for the perfect vanilla cupcake is over!!!! I’m so excited! I love how light and fluffy and flavorful they are. Mine made 24. I baked them at 335 and they were perfect not browned or dry at all. After so many failures I cannot believe I’ve found the perfect recipe!
I am super excited to try this recipe this weekend. I would like to make mini cupcakes. How long should I bake them for? Also, I’m bringing it to a bbq, will the frosting hold for a long time? Thanks!
I also tried your dark chocolate with peanut butter frosting recipe last week and they were a hit! The cupcake sunk in the middle but I think I need to leave them in the oven a little longer.
V -
If you’re making mini cupcakes, adjust the baking time by half. So only bake them for 9-12 minutes and check them with a toothpick or fingertouch for springy cake.
If you live somewhere warm, I would suggest asking the host of the barbecue for a little fridge space to keep the cupcakes cool until it’s time to serve. Nobody wants a cupcake with melted buttercream.
If your cupcakes are sinking in the middle, that usually does indicate the need for a longer baking time. Also make sure you’re not filling the wells too full. Only fill them about 2/3 of the way full.
This is the best cupcake ever! It never fails–the texture and flavor are perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Thanks for sharing the recipe! I have tried it out twice!
I made this and it was DELICIOUS!!! Perfectly vanilla and perfectly light. A beautiful cake that’s perfect all on its own.
Could you use vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean? And if yes, how much?
Samantha-
I think you’ll be just fine using pure vanilla extract, I’d use about 2 teaspoons. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
I’ve never seen cake flour at my local grocery store. Can you give me ideas as to where I can purchase some? Thanks.
Nevermind…found some at Target!
Eva-
Hi! Look for a red box with a swan on it. The most common cake flour in my area is Swans Down. Here is a link so you can see what the box looks like: http://www.amazon.com/Swans-Down-Regular-Flour-32-Ounce/dp/B002ZOIHDG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342480043&sr=8-1&keywords=swan%27s+down
-Jamie
I made these the other day… absolutely amazing. I don’t think I will pay for cupcakes again.
Melanie-
Thanks so much for reporting back, we are happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Have a great day!
-Jamie
I want to make these but I don’t have whole milk…can I substitute heavy whipping cream??
Thank you.
I finally was able to make these! I was missing the vanilla beans. My local Costco didn’t have any so I checked at Beanilla and of course found them. Just before I placed my order I checked Amazon. Thank goodness I checked! I was able to order 16 premium Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla Beans for $10.75 with free shipping! Plus my order was fulfilled by Beanilla so I knew I was getting the real thing and a great quality product. I LOVE getting a good deal! Now back to these cupcakes…..OH SO GOOD! Will be making these and the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake several times in the next month! I have plenty of family members willing to help me eat them. Thanks for a great recipe.
Hey! i loved your recipe, i was wondering if something happen if i didn’t put the seeds scraped from one vanilla bean, cause i don’t have any
Maria-
If you do not have vanilla beans, I would add in a little more vanilla extract. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
I have oogled this recipe (no, didn’t mean to type google), I am now ADDICTED to bakeitpretty.com, thank you for pointing me in that direction. So, I am finally going to bake these. My husband loves vanilla on vanilla, although his favorite icing is a Swiss Meringue buttercream that I use mostly vanilla with a touch of almond extract in there, it’s heavenly. (:
Anyway, I am certain these cupcakes will be epic!
Jamie,
I can’t wait to try these for my son’s birthday party. I have to make 60 cupcakes (sigh). I’m wondering if I can double the recipe so I only have to make two batches (same goes for the frosting recipe)? Also, do you think the frosting will hold up for a couple of hours at the park? There are so many cupcakes that I have to transport; I can’t keep them in a cooler. It’s not super hot here, only in the low 70s…
Thanks for the recipe and for your input!
-April
April-
I typically don’t recommend doubling recipes, I just find that I end up with a better product if I mix them separately – but that’s just personal preference. I think they’d be fine at the park for a couple of hours. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
Hey! I like those sprinkles! Are’nt they like a Jewel color or something I went in this store in McKinney and they had those!
Just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your fantastic recipe! I made these with oreo frosting for my son’s 2nd bday & they were a huge hit! The texture is so wonderful & they taste like heaven! My go-to vanilla cupcake recipe now
Melanie-
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the Vanilla Bean Cupcakes recipe. Thanks so much for coming back and telling us your thoughts! Have a great day.
-Jamie
Love the presentation!
I’m so excited about making these later! Being from the UK, we don’t really have cake flour over here, but a flour mill near me has started bringing out a flour called ‘cake and pastry flour’, so I’m going to use this recipe to test it against the standard plain flour + cornflour substitute. Fingers crossed it will go well, I’ve been looking for the perfect vanilla recipe for ages
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I made these for a baby shower and they were a hit. I wanted to make something that would be universal enough that they would be loved by all, but that would still have that special touch that makes it feel a bit more special than everyday cupcakes. These were perfect! I love how gorgeously flecked with vanilla beans they were and how the cake and frosting were lightly sweet but not aggressively so. I don’t like a ton of frosting so I halved that recipe and they were perfect. Love the texture on these too!
Kelly-
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe – thanks for stopping by and leaving your feedback! Have a great day.
-Jamie
I just made these and they are AMAZING!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
Pam-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the cupcakes! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback – have a lovely day.
-Jamie
I have been trying for MONTHS to find a wonderful white cupcake recipe that works and this is AWESOME!!! I am so glad I found this. I tomorrow I am making 80 cupcakes for a baby shower and then my daughters 3rd birthday saturday and I am using this. I did have to change a couple things because I did not have real vanilla bean or whole milk so I used 2 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract and buttermilk and they turned out WONDERFUL!!! I am so EXCITED!!!! Thank you so much I wish I would have found this earlier! I am now on to try your frosting for this and off to work this trial batch goes
Thank you again!!!!
Tanya-
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback. I hope your trial batch went over well – have a great day!
-Jamie
Everyone at work LOVED the trial batch!!! Thanks again! I will be looking throughout your website more since this one worked so well for me
Thanks again!
Could i use this recipe in a cupcake macker ?
Tammy-
I’ve never used a cupcake maker so I am not equipped to answer that question.
-Jamie
I just made 60 of these for a bridal shower, and they not only look beautiful, they taste divine! I followed the recipe exactly & then sprinkled iridescent white sugar on top. The vanilla bean is such an elegantly pure flavor. My new go-to recipe! Thank you for sharing!
–Vanessa
I made this and it’s WONDERFUL!!! My favorite vanilla cupcake ever!! You have such great recipes and this is clearly one of them!
http://oliepants.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/vanilla-bean-cake/
Susan-
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and providing your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie
I made these this morning for my daughters second birthday! They turned out great, we got so many compliments!! I tried one tonight and LOVED the icing, but I thought the cake was a little dry… I will cook a little less next time or lower the temp… Our oven tends to run hot!
Nicole-
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and providing your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie
Hi there! Saw these beautiful cupcakes on Pinterest. I intend to make these for my nephew’s 1st b-day! One question though, I can’t find CLEAR vanilla extract anywhere. Where do you get yours? Can I just use regular vanilla extract for the frosting if I can’t find the clear kind. Will it change the color of the frosting too drastically? THANKS!
Isabel-
I purchase my clear vanilla extract from Michael’s – it’s made by Wilton and perfect for keeping white frosting nice and white! I hope this helps.
-Jamie
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