Vanilla Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes
B Y : Nagi
P U B L I S H E D : 11 Sep '20U P D A T E D : 5 Sep '23
1,187 Comments
Using the batter from my much loved Vanilla Cake, these Vanilla Cupcakes have a
professional bakery-style crumb and stay perfectly moist for 4 whole days which is
unheard of for cupcakes!
No secret ingredients. Just a secret Japanese baking technique applied to classic butter
But if you want a vanilla cupcake that with a plush, tender crumb like you get at high-end
patisseries that will stay perfectly fresh for 4 days, this is the recipe for you. Same
ingredients. Just slightly different technique. I hope you fall in love with it as I have! ~ Nagi x
Vanilla Cupcakes
It’s notoriously hard to find a really good, classic cupcake recipe. Many promise game
changing techniques, but all too often they fall short.
So why should you believe me when I say this is the last Vanilla Cupcake recipe you’ll ever
use?
Because this is already a tried and proven recipe made using the batter from my Vanilla
Cake. But don’t believe me. Browse the reader feedback!
“…this is the sponge I’ve been looking for my whole life. It’s so perfect I almost wept with
sheer joy.”
(Also, the directions to make these cupcakes are hidden deep in the Vanilla Cake recipe
notes, and an astonishing number of readers have already made these cupcakes!)
The crumb of these cupcakes are plush and tender. Notice how it doesn’t have large
irregular size holes like basic cupcake recipes.
Sydneysiders may be interested to know that these Vanilla Cupcakes are just like the
cupcakes at My Little Cupcake in Neutral Bay, a hidden gem with a cult following which (10
years on) I still say trumps the famous Magnolia Bakery in New York. Ballsy! Call me on it –
Freshness evidence!
Here’s my attempt to show you how these cupcakes stay incredibly fresh. The cupcake
below is 4 days old. If it was dry and stale, the crumb would not bounce back like it does, it
would just tear and stay indented.
This recipe uses classic cupcake ingredients but with Japanese techniques applied for the
softest, plushest cupcakes you’ll ever make!
This post goes into detail on the steps to give bakers of all levels the confidence they need
to make this. If you’re an experienced baker, you may wish to skip ahead to the
1. Use a handheld beater instead of a stand mixer – for small batch batters like this, it
comes together better using a handheld beater you can move around the bowl rather than a
large stand mixer bowl. If using a stand mixer, you’ll need to scrape down the sides and
base well to ensure the batter comes together evenly. There is no excess batter in this
recipe!
2. Whip the eggs and sugar – Beat the eggs with sugar for a whole 7 minutes until thick
and glossy, it changes from yellow to white, and tripled in volume (just over double depth in
the bowl).
The aeration created during this step is key for a soft, fluffy crumb. This is a technique
borrowed from Japanese sponge cakes, world renowned for being the fluffiest in the world!
4. Gradually add the flour mixture into the egg mixture in 3 lots, mixing for just 5 seconds
on Speed 1 in between. This should make the flour just incorporated – don’t worry if there
are some streaks on the bowl not mixed in. Key here is minimum mixing!
7. Slowly pour milk mixture back into whipped eggs over 15 seconds while beating on
the lowest speed. Scrape down sides of bowl, then mix for 10 seconds – the batter should
now be smooth;
8. Fill cupcake liners with batter – I find the easiest way to do this is with an ice cream
scoop with a lever. The standard size is 1/4 cup which is actually the perfect quantity for
cupcakes!
sweet golden dome. Too full = unsightly overflow and sometimes, it can even sink
. It is better to UNDER fill rather than overfill.
Why can overfilling make cupcakes sink? Because the sponge gets support from the
liner – it climbs up the paper as it rises. Once it reaches the top, overflows or rises above
the cupcake liner, it no longer has the support and this can cause the middle to sink.
BAKE 22 MINUTES
11. Bake 22 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
12. Remove after 2 minutes – Rest for just 2 minutes to let them cool slightly, then get
them out of the muffin tin asap otherwise they will continue cooking and may overcook.
Cupcakes are small – they overcook easily!
This is what your cupcakes will look like – beautifully golden with a sweet little dome. Not
too rounded – flat enough for tall swirls of frosting to sit. But not too flat – so it looks pretty
even just dusted with icing sugar (powdered sugar) or drizzled with a glaze.
Best frosting for cupcakes
The best frosting for cupcakes comes down to personal taste and, more often than not,
storage, shelf life and transport logistics.
There’s a wide variety of frostings pictured throughout this post – I’ve noted the frosting
used in the caption under each photo. My frosting library is currently sadly lacking (I’m
working on it!) but here’s a few options for you:
Vanilla Buttercream – the classic and easiest of all whipped butter based frostings.
Use the recipe in my Vanilla Cake (recipe will frost 12 cupcakes with tall swirls, or 24
frosted with a knife like the pastel coloured cupcakes at the top of this post);
My Secret Less-Sweet Fluffy Vanilla Frosting (below) – far less sweet and rich than
buttercream, pipes like a dream, and 100% smooth. It’s like a really fluffy buttercream /
dense whipped cream But unlike whipped cream which deflates in the fridge within
hours, this Fluffy Frosting holds its form for days!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream – many people consider this the superior version of
traditional buttercream. Made using cooked egg whites whipped into a meringue, this is
more technical to make than classic buttercream and yields a thick-yet-light silky
smooth frosting that’s suitable for piping as high as you want, and holds its form for
days. I haven’t shared a recipe yet but have used this recipe by a website called Sugar
Spun Run in the picture below.
My secret Less-Sweet Fluffy Vanilla Frosting
Vanilla Cupcakes frosted with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Airtight container, stat! Don’t leave cupcakes out on the cooling rack longer than
necessary. Once cool, get them in an airtight container as soon as possible;
Mild weather: Naked cupcakes are best stored on the counter rather than in the fridge
– at 25C/77F (highest temp), my cupcakes last for 4 days without loss of freshness. Use
a cake dome with heavy glass lid (to ensure no air gets in) or an airtight container;
Hot weather: Any hotter, store in the fridge in an airtight container BUT ensure you
bring to room temperature before serving (naked cupcakes will take 30 minutes to come
to room temp). The butter in the cupcakes firms up in the fridge, so cold cupcakes seem
dry. Also, cold cakes just aren’t very pleasant!
Freeze as follows: place sheet of baking/parchment paper on cupcakes, then wrap in
cling wrap or place in single layer in ziplock bags. With paper in between, you can
stack. Place in an airtight container (for extra security / avoid freezer smells) then
freeze. To use, thaw in the fridge overnight (still in container) then bring to room
temperature before serving;
Iced / frosted cupcakes need to be stored the way the frosting needs to be stored.
Most butter, cream cheese and cream based frostings need to be refrigerated. Follow
the storage directions on the recipe you use. Then take cupcakes out of the fridge
before serving;
No direct contact with cling wrap: Do not cover naked cupcakes with cling wrap – the
surface will get tacky on Day 2 and the cling wrap will stick so when you take it off, it rips
the surface off. You must cover the surface with baking paper/parchment paper
before using cling wrap; and
Do not stack naked cupcakes on top of each other – for same reason as above.
TIPS to nail the cupcakes – Every. Single. Time!
1. Read the recipe from start to finish before you start. You can shortcut reading for my
quick ‘n easy dinners, but for baking, read first then start!
2. Follow the recipe steps in the order listed – don’t get sassy and try to do things ahead
or leave things until later. For example, if you melt the butter and heat the milk way in
advance and it’s too cool by the time you use it, the cupcakes won’t rise as well;
3. Once you start, don’t stop until the cupcakes are in the oven – this is because the
batter in this recipe relies on the aeration of whipped eggs. If you leave the batter lying
around, the bubbles will deflate and your cupcakes won’t rise as much as they should (they
will still rise from the baking powder, just not as much). So if your chatty Aunt Marge calls
while you’re mixing the batter, let it go to voicemail!
4. Make sure your baking powder is still good – if you do everything right and the batter
looks like it does in my video, but your cupcakes don’t rise, the culprit is probably your
baking powder. Even if it’s not past the expiry date, if not stored in a cool dry place, or if
“someone” left the lid off for days, it can lose rising power. To check if your baking powder
is still good, place 1/2 teaspoon in a bowl and pour over boiling water. It should immediately
bubble energetically. If not, it’s dead – chuck it!
5. Handheld beater instead of stand mixer – While for Vanilla Cake, I recommend using
a stand mixer for ease, for these cupcakes, it’s the other way round. With this smaller batch
batter, it’s easier to make using a handheld beater because the ability to move the beater
around the bowl makes the batter come together easily with less bowl scraping.
However, you can use a stand mixer if you prefer. Just be sure to regularly stop and scrape
down the sides AND base of the bowl using a rubber spatula. There’s no spare batter when
only making 12 cupcakes!
6. Eggs at room temperature – these will fluff better and faster, leading to fluffier
cupcakes. It’s easy to warm up fridge cold eggs – just leave in warm water for 5
minutes. What’s a room temperature egg? Pick up the egg. Fridge cold? Too cold. Cool
but not cold? That’s ok. Very warm? Hopefully not – unless they just came out of a chicken!
7. De-chill icy cold mixing bowls – run them under warm tap water then dry before using.
Not hot tap water – just warm. Why? Eggs aerate faster and better when slightly warm. Cold
bowl will lower temperature of eggs. This is a general useful baking tip to apply on days
when it’s 17°C – eg softened butter creamed in an icy cold bowl will make it firm up; and
8. Don’t substitute ingredients unless I specifically say you can in the recipe notes.
Regular readers know that I’m very flexible with most of my savoury meals. But with baking,
I get stern – because I want your cupcakes to work!
Vanilla Cupcakes with my secret Less-Sweet Fluffy Vanilla Frosting
This recipe yields cupcakes with a professional bakery-style crumb that are more
tender, fluffy and moist than your usual recipes;
This is done by applying Japanese baking techniques to typical Western cupcake
ingredients;
The cupcakes stay fresh and moist for 4 days which is an exceptional shelf life for
cupcakes;
Check to ensure your baking powder is still good (see recipe Note 2);
Follow the recipe steps in the order listed, do not jump around;
Once you start making the batter, do not stop until the cupcakes are in the oven; and
Most importantly, figure out how you’re going to deliver a freshly made cupcake to me.
I’m done with cupcakes for a while. Someone make them for ME!
Especially for those who have been in pursuit of the perfect cupcakes all their lives, I hope
you try, love and treasure this recipe as much as I do. For me, the biggest upside is that
they’re still like freshly made on Day 4. Because every single other recipe I’ve tried were
always disappointingly stale the next day. – Nagi x
Cakes, Sweet
Western
4.97 from 314 votes
Servings12
Recipe video above. Your search for the perfect Vanilla Cupcakes is over! These have a professional
bakery-style crumb that's way more plush and velvety than typical recipes. And very importantly, these
stay perfectly fresh for 4 days – unheard of!
While for Vanilla Cake, I prefer using a standmixer, for these cupcakes, I find it's easier to use a handheld
beater – see notes for why.
Metric – click button above ingredients. Sweetness – Note 11. Cake flour – no need, better with plain
flour. See Notes for four key things to guarantee success.
Ingredients
CupsMetric
▢60g / 1/4 cup unsalted butter , cut into 1.5cm / 1/2” cubes
Instructions
PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 20 minutes before starting the batter (Note 8).
Place shelf in the middle of the oven.
2. Place cupcake liners in a standard muffin tin. (Note 9)
CUPCAKE BATTER:
1. Whisk Dry: Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat Milk-Butter: Place butter and milk in a heatproof jug and microwave 2 minutes on high to melt
butter. Do not let milk bubble and boil (foam ok). Cover and leave in microwave to keep very warm
(stove: cover with lid and leave on turned off stove). (Note 10)
3. Mix eggs: In a separate, preferably heavy based glass bowl, beat eggs for 30 seconds on speed 6
of a handheld beater.
4. Add sugar: With the beater still going, pour the sugar in over 30 seconds.
5. Beat until tripled: Beat eggs for 6 minutes on speed 8, or until tripled in volume and almost pure
white.
6. Add flour: When the egg is whipped, scatter 1/3 flour across surface, then beat on Speed 1 for 5
seconds. Stop beating, add half remaining flour, then mix on Speed 1 for 5 sec. Add remaining flour,
then mix on Speed 1 for 5 – 10 sec until the flour is just mixed in. Once you can’t see flour, stop
straight away.
7. Temper milk: Pour hot milk, vanilla and oil into the now empty flour bowl. Add about 3/4 cups of the
Egg Batter into the hot milk (don't need to be 100% accurate with amount). Use a whisk to mix until
smooth – you can be vigorous here. Will look foamy.
8. Slowly add milk: With the beater on Speed 1, pour the Milk mixture into the Egg Batter over 15
seconds, then turn beater off.
9. Scrape and final mix: Scrape down sides and base of bowl. Beat on Speed 1 for 10 seconds –
batter should now be smooth and pourable.
BAKE:
1. Fill muffin tin: Pour batter into muffin tin, filling 2/3 of the way up. Do not fill more (causes flat /
sunken surfaces). Easiest to use a standard ice cream scoop with lever.
2. Bake 22 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.
RECIPE NOTES
1. Cake flour works just fine with this recipe, but butter and vanilla flavour, and crumb is ever so slightly
better using plain / all purpose flour. Also, cake flour makes the cake surface more tacky the next day.
2. Baking powder – dead baking powder is a common problem with cake fails. To ensure yours is good,
even if not past expiry, place 1/2 tsp in a bowl and add 1/4 cup boiling water. If it bubbles, it’s good. If not,
it’s dead – chuck it!
Baking soda (bi-carb) won’t make the cake rise quite as well. If you have no choice, then use 3/4
teaspoons of baking soda.
3. Eggs – important to be at room temp as they fluff better when whipped which is key to the fluffy texture
of these cupcakes. Quick way to warm up fridge cold eggs – place in a large bowl, cover with warm tap
water (just warm, not hot), leave for 5 minutes. Wipe dry (to avoid residual water dripping into bowl), then
use per recipe.
Large eggs – 50 – 55g / 2 oz per egg this is the industry standard of egg sizes sold as “large eggs” in
Australia and the US. If your eggs are significantly larger or smaller in size, just weigh your eggs and use
100 – 110g / 4 oz in total (including shell) or 90 – 100 / 3.53 oz in total excluding shell (crack eggs,
whisk THEN pour into a bowl to measure out what you need).
4. Caster / superfine sugar are finer grains than regular / granulated sugar so it dissolves easier when
whipped with the eggs. Granulated / regular sugar sometimes doesn’t fully dissolve which doesn’t affect
the rise or texture but can leave some very fine brown sugar specks on the surface / sides. Not a big deal
– just visual if serving undecorated. (But who serves cupcakes naked??)
Do not reduce sugar – 3/4 cup is the minimum required for the eggs to whip into a stiff enough foam to
make cupcakes rise sufficiently.
5. Milk – if you sub with lower fat milk then the texture of the crumb becomes a little less tender. Do not
substitute with non-dairy milk, such as soy or almond milk.
6. Vanilla come in all sorts of qualities. I use Vanilla Extract. Better quality (more expensive) = better
flavour, but I think vanilla bean paste is wasted in cakes.
7. Oil – just 1 1/2 teaspoons makes a noticeable difference to the moistness on the day it’s made and
most especially 4 days later.
8. Oven preheating – 30 minutes preheat is recommended to ensure no loss of heat when the oven door
is opened. Never use the rapid heat function on your oven for baking, no matter how fancy your oven is!
9. Muffin tin and cupcake liners – use cupcake liners that sit about 4mm / 1/6″ above the rim of
standard muffin tin holes (1/3 cup holes). This is the perfect size to use 1/4 cup standard ice cream
scoops to fill with batter, and makes perfect size cupcakes.
Recipe will also work for larger and mini cupcakes but you’ll need to adjust the bake time.
10. Milk must be hot / very warm when mixed with batter. So heat it up just before starting the batter.
Don’t do this way ahead and let the milk cool (this affects rise).
11. Frostings – see full list of ideas in post and links to recipes! Pictured in post with the following:
– Vanilla Buttercream (in my Vanilla Cake recipe) – makes enough for 12 x tall swirls (pictured in post) or
24 knife-smeared (3rd photo in post)
Please do not reduce sugar – 3/4 cups is minimum required to make the eggs foamy enough to rise.
13. Different measures in different countries – tablespoon and cup sizes differ slightly from country to
country. In most recipes, the difference is not enough to affect the outcome of the recipe, but for baking
recipes, you do need to be careful.
These cupcakes have been specifically tested using both US and Australian cups (the two countries with
the greatest size variance) and they came out exactly the same. So you can have confidence that this
recipe can be used no matter which country you are in – only exception is Japan (cup sizes are
considerably smaller (200ml) so please use weights provided).
For absolutely certainty, opt to use the weights provided (click Metric toggle button above ingredients).
Professional kitchens only use weights.
14. Storage – because cupcakes are small, they will dry out faster than cakes if left out. So be sure to put
unfrosted cupcakes into an airtight container as soon as they are fully cool.
Best way to store – airtight container in pantry, not fridge. Will stay near perfectly fresh for 4 days;
If extremely hot where you are, they will need to be refrigerated. This does dry them out a touch, but
they are still excellent. Take out 30 minutes before serving to bring to room temperate before serving;
Frosted cupcakes must be stored according to the storage directions of the frosting – most will require
refrigeration above a certain temperature or if kept for a prolonged period of time;
Freezer – place parchment paper on surface, then wrap in cling wrap and put in an airtight container, or
place in ziplock bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in fridge, bring to room temperature before
serving.
15. Nutrition per cupcake. Cupcake only ie no frosting.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Calories:143cal (7%)Carbohydrates:21g (7%)Protein:2g (4%)Fat:5g (8%)Saturated
Fat:3g (19%)Cholesterol:38mg (13%)Sodium:40mg (2%)Potassium:79mg (2%)Fiber:1g (4%)Sugar:13g
(14%)Vitamin A:185IU (4%)Calcium:37mg (4%)Iron:1mg (6%)