This recipe for vanilla cupcakes is just as easy as a boxed mix but they taste twice as good!
I used to think that when you want to make a basic recipe such as a plain vanilla cupcake there was nothing easier than using a boxed mix. They don’t necessarily taste as good as homemade but they always seemed so much more convenient when you’re in a hurry.
I changed my mind however when I came across this vanilla cupcake recipe. Once you try this recipe you’ll say goodbye to the box mix and hello to fluffy, made from scratch, delicious vanilla cupcakes! They are so good!
I have modified the recipe just a little but it is still super easy. It’s quick too; it takes 20 minutes to whip them up and 20 minutes for them to cook. You can have a batch of these whipped up, cooled, and iced in around an hour!
For me less washing up is just as important as ease of preparation. For this reason I creamed my softened butter and sugar by hand. Mainly because I couldn’t be bothered getting the mixer out but also because I wanted to minimise the washing up. You can certainly use an electric mixer for this step if you prefer. But I love the fact that you can mix these vanilla cupcakes up in one bowl and all you have to wash is the bowl and the spoon! You also get a short arm workout if you cream the butter and sugar by hand! 😉
I used a muffin tin to bake the cupcakes and they came out at just the right size. Most of the cakes were either just under or level with the top of the cupcake liner.
These vanilla cupcakes take me back to when I was a kid. Mum used to make all the cakes, biscuits, and slices that we ate. I think that I will be making lots more of these vanilla cupcakes in the future now that I know how easy they are to make!
The icing that I made consisted of icing sugar, water, and a small amount of butter. However, you could use whatever frosting that you like.
I topped them with sprinkles but you could add some sparkle by topping them with homemade sugar glitter! And don’t forget, if you want to make these for a special occasion, you can make some of these customised cupcake/muffin liners!
- ⅔ cup (160g) softened butter
- ⅔ cup of sugar
- ¾ cup of self-raising flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 generous cup of icing sugar
- 5 g of butter
- 1 tablespoon of very hot water (I use water from a recently boiled kettle)
- sprinkles
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and line 12 medium muffin wells with paper cases.
- In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.*
- Add vanilla and stir to combine.
- Beat in eggs one at a time then mix in the flour.
- Spoon into prepared paper cases and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and a cake tester/toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- After removing from oven, leave cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place butter in a small heatproof bowl/mug and add water and stir to dissolve
- Add icing sugar and mix thoroughly (mixture should be a thick but spreadable consistency).
- If too thick add more water 1 -2 drops at a time, if too runny add more icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Spread cupcakes with prepared icing and top with sprinkles of your choice.
the icing need flavoring. Use l tsp of almond or maple extract or maple syrup, vanilla. it changes the taste and enhances the taste of the cake.
Yes I thought that readers might vary the icing recipe to suit their taste. I just included the basic recipe that I often use so that people would have a starting point. Thanks for your flavour suggestions Laura, I might try adding some almond extract when I make this icing next time!