When it comes to choosing a cupcake, are you team chocolate or vanilla? Honestly, it’s hard to decide, because they’re both so good in different ways. I recently shared my high altitude tested recipe for chocolate cupcakes, and these high altitude vanilla cupcakes were next on my list. And as much as I love chocolate, these vanilla cupcakes are pretty hard to resist. They’re impossibly soft, tender and moist, topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream. It’s pretty much the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe for all special occasions!
Looking for more cupcake recipes? You’ll love these key lime pie cupcakes, chocolate cherry cupcakes, and cookies and cream cupcakes.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy to Make. The vanilla cupcake batter comes together really fast, with just a bowl and whisk.
A Perfect Cupcake Recipe. These are a great base recipe for all kinds of other flavors. Fill them with strawberry jam and top them with fluffy strawberry buttercream. Add almond extract for a delicious almond cupcake. Fill them with chocolate ganache, and frost them with rich chocolate frosting. The possibilities are endless!
Perfected for High Altitude. I develop all of my recipes for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet, so that other mountain bakers can bake with confidence at high altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Unsalted Butter. I always use unsalted butter in cooking and baking, so that I can control the amount of salt in my recipe. You don’t have to splurge on an expensive European butter, but use one that you like to eat on your morning toast. You can also use vegetable oil instead of the butter, if you prefer.
Sugar. Plain granulated sugar adds moisture, and of course, sweetness, to your cupcakes.
Eggs. Gives the cupcake structure and strength.
Vanilla. Our star ingredient! Make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract. If you want your cupcakes to be really special, replace the vanilla extract with Vanilla Bean Paste or real Vanilla Bean.
Cake Flour + Baking Powder + Salt. Cake flour makes the best, lightest fluffiest white cakes and vanilla cakes. You can use all-purpose flour, if it’s all you have, but you really should try cake flour. I usually use either Swans Down Cake Flour or Softasilk Cake Flour. The baking powder leavens the batter and makes the cupcakes rise, and the salt balances the sweetness.
Whole Milk. These high altitude vanilla cupcakes are incredibly moist and tender, thanks to fat in the butter and whole milk.
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line your muffin pan/s with 15 paper liners.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, then whisk until everything is well distributed.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling them no more than 2/3 – 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes on the center oven rack for about 18 minutes, until the centers of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched, or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pans for several minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
TIP: Be careful not to overfill the pan. Too much batter will spill over, creating browned edges and muffin tops, which you don’t want on cupcakes.
If you struggle with your buttercream, I’d encourage you to read my post on Perfect American Buttercream. It’s a comprehensive guide to making buttercream, troubleshooting common problems, and many recipe and flavor variations.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer running on low, add the powdered sugar mixture by spoonfuls to the butter, mixing just until combined. The buttercream will be clumpy at this point.
- Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium. Whip the buttercream for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl several times, until very light and fluffy, adding the milk as needed for desired consistency.
- Spread or pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes.
Tips for Light and Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
- Be sure you’re using cake flour for this recipe, not all purpose flour.
- Never scoop the measuring cup into your canister or bag of flour, which will compact the flour, resulting in dry, dense baked goods. Begin by fluffing up the flour in its container. Then use a spoon to lightly spoon it into your measuring cup. Lastly, use a butter knife to sweep the excess flour off the top of the measuring cup to level it.
- If your altitude is higher from mine, or you live in a drier climate, you may need to add a little more oil for moisture. See my FAQs for more tips on high altitude adjustments.
- If you’re using melted butter, use vegetable oil instead, for a softer, more moist texture.
- Don’t over-bake! Cupcakes can very quickly dry out in the oven even when left in there for 30-60 seconds too long.
- If you’ve over-baked your cupcakes and they’re too dry, brush the baked cupcakes with a little milk to add some moisture back in.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store these cupcakes?
You should store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.
What piping tip did you use for the buttercream?
I used tip 2D.
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Easy High Altitude Vanilla Cupcakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Standard-Sized Muffin Pan
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp cake flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup melted butter or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tbsp meringue powder (optional)
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk or cream, only if needed
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line your muffin pan/s with 15 paper liners.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, then whisk until everything is well distributed.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling them no more than 2/3 – 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes on the center oven rack for about 18 minutes, until the centers of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched, or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pans for several minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer running on low, add the powdered sugar mixture by spoonfuls to the butter, mixing just until combined. The buttercream will be clumpy at this point.
- Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium. Whip the buttercream for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl several times, until very light and fluffy, adding the milk only as needed for desired consistency.
- Spread or pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes.
Notes
- Be sure you’re using cake flour for this recipe, not all purpose flour.
- Never scoop the measuring cup into your canister or bag of flour, which will compact the flour, resulting in dry, dense baked goods. Begin by fluffing up the flour in its container. Then use a spoon to lightly spoon it into your measuring cup. Lastly, use a butter knife to sweep the excess flour off the top of the measuring cup to level it.
- If your altitude is higher from mine, or you live in a drier climate, you may need to add a little more oil for moisture. See my FAQs for more tips on altitude adjustments.
- If you’re using melted butter, use vegetable oil instead, for a softer, more moist texture.
- Don’t over-bake! Cupcakes can very quickly dry out in the oven even when left in there for 30-60 seconds too long.
- If you’ve over-baked your cupcakes and they’re too dry, brush the baked cupcakes with a little milk to add some moisture back in.
Your chocolate cupcake recipe came out perfectly! Would this vanilla cupcake recipe make a good funfetti cupcakes? Or do you recommend converting your confetti cake recipe into cupcakes?
I’m so glad to hear that! I’d suggest trying my funfetti cupcake recipe: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/funfetti-cupcakes-rainbow-swirl-frosting/
Hi,
I made these cupcakes. They generally came out nice though they weren’t evenly baked. Also I took 30 mins for my cupcakes to be ready rather than 20. Can we bake these at a lower temperature for a longer time period .. let’s say 325F instead of 350F. Additionally, can the granulated sugar in this recipe be substituted with caster sugar. Iv’e read that caster sugar
is preferable for creamed cakes as the smaller crystals will dissolve quickly as it is beaten with the butter whereas granulated sugar doesn’t always fully dissolve during the creaming stage (and not if using an all-in-one method) and you may get small crystals of sugar left which will affect the texture of the baked cake.
Thank you.
You could certainly try caster sugar if you like. I only use granulated sugar for my baking, and haven’t ever had issues with it not dissolving. As for baking at a lower temperature, you could certainly experiment with that. Your oven might have hot spots, though, which could have caused them to bake unevenly.
Hello! Will this recipe work fine in normal altitude? Thank you
Please see my FAQs: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/baking-faqs/
Can I use this recipe to make a birthday cake?
Please see this recipe: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/vanilla-cake-recipe/
Hi Heather, I baked these over the weekend and they tasted great! I did a mix of vanilla extract and bean paste. I also did half butter and half oil (creamed the butter and sugar first, then added the oil). I also left them in only for 15 min and they still burnt on the bottom a little bit. My rack is in the middle of the oven. Do you have any thoughts on this? I’m in Reno, NV which is at about 4500ft.
Do you have an oven thermometer to check that your oven is heating to the correct temperature? Sometimes they run hot or cold. I once had an oven that was about 65 degrees colder than what I set it to, and I always had to set it higher to compensate.
I also live in Reno! I’ve found that baking cakes/cupcakes at 25 degrees hotter helps a lot. They rise more aggressively and bake a bit more evenly 🙂
Could I make cake flour with all purpose ?
Some people make cake flour by sifting together all purpose flour and corn starch, but I don’t feel like it works quite as well as cake flour for the fluffiest, lightest texture.
Hi, has anyone been able to do this gluten free? Thanks
Susan, you might post this question in a high altitude baking group on Facebook, with a link to this recipe. There are many home bakers in those groups who try my recipes, and one of them might have made it with gluten free flour.
Do you think I could add sprinkles to this recipe? I have a friend that wants some mini funfetti cupcakes.
Yes, you can definitely add sprinkles to this recipe. Jimmies tend to work better than nonpareils since they don’t bleed into the batter quite as much.
Jimmies! That’s what I call them. Did you grow up in Jersey?
No one out here knows what I’m taking about when I say Jimmies, and I have been here 30 years!!
Btw, love your recipes.
Shari
What if you don’t live in a high altitude area, will these rise and be just as moist?
You should make some adjustments to the ingredients to get good results at a lower altitude, such as decreasing the flour and increasing the leavening. This article has good guidance on specific adjustments: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Hi …. I’m at 6,300 ft and was desperate to find a recipe that actually worked. The structure of these cupcakes was perfect as was the taste. I think since I am at 6.300 ft. that I am losing more moisture through evaporation at this altitude. Do you think substituting 1/4 of the butter with vegetable oil would help?
Thanks, Frank
I think that would probably work!
I am so excited to have found your website! I grew up in Denver – recently returned to Colorful Colorado after living in Scottsdale AZ for over 26 years. We now live near Roxborough State Park. I have experimented with other cupcake recipes since moving back to high altitude and every time the cupcakes are dry and the middle sinks. I made your High Altitude Vanilla Cupcakes for a July 4th celebration and they turned out perfect! They baked to a perfect dome – no sinking – Yay! I love your buttercream recipe – I have never thought to add the meringue powder to my buttercream. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Hello – Could I use just the egg whites instead of the whole egg to get a pure white color?
Thank you!
Stacie, I haven’t tested that with this particular recipe. You might like my White Velvet Cupcakes, though, which I make with egg whites: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/white-velvet-cupcakes-high-altitude/
Thank you!!
I live at 6400 feet above sea level and these cupcakes come out perfect every time. I use the oil (rather than butter), I substitute non dairy milk, and use Whole Earth’s Erythritol & Monk Fruit mix instead of granulated sugar – excellent results. Thank you for a vanilla cupcake I can finally bake at high altitude with success!
Hi! Why is your vanilla cupcake recipe so different from your cake recipe? Is it just because altitude messes with the structure? Thinking of making a cake and set of cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday party and it has me curious.
I started by testing my vanilla cake, and then adjusted from there to make it work just right as cupcakes. Most cake recipes need some tweaks to work well as cupcakes.
My new go-to vanilla cupcakes recipe, right here. They’re perfect. Heather’s recipe delivers yet again!
Hello, I baked these along with your High altitude chocolate cupcakes for a super bowl party recently. The chocolate turned out perfectly but these were a little dry. I’d really like to get them perfected because I love a good basic vanilla cupcake. I’m also in Aurora, where you test your recipes, but slightly higher altitude, 6200’. Any suggestions to combat the dryness in my next batch? Thanks!
I would just say to be sure you’re measuring your flour correctly, using the spoon and sweep method, and then also be sure not to over bake them. Even 30 seconds too long can dry out a cupcake. Another trick is to brush the baked cupcakes with a little milk if they need more moisture.
Are you at the same altitude as me? If you’re not at 5280 feet, or live in a drier climate, you may simply need to add a little more oil for moisture.
Be sure you are using cake flour, not all purpose flour.
If you’re using melted butter, use vegetable oil instead, for a softer, more moist texture.
I’m getting ready to try this vanilla recipe, I made the almond cupcakes and they were delicious but they also came out a little dry. I baked them for the minimum time of 15 minutes. What do you think about adding a little sour cream to this recipe to help for the moisture.
Sour cream can add moisture, and will also make them slightly more dense.
Excited to make these for my baby shower this weekend! Just curious, why do you use melted butter instead of softened? I’ve seen other recipes call for softened butter – does melted butter work better for high altitude?
It’s not that one works better than the other at high altitude, it’s just about the method of mixing. With softened butter, you have to use a mixer to cream together butter and sugar. With melted butter, you can whisk everything together by hand. This is just the method I’ve found works well for this particular recipe.
These vanillas are the bomb!! So moist. Lucky me my oven decided to cooperate. This batch yield 12 cupcakes. One of the best recipes I’ve tried.
I just made these for a graduation party, and they were a hit. They were so easy which is a plus when you’re busy but still need to produce something that isn’t from a box.
Heather,
I have made many of your recipes and they have always come out perfect…… However, this one has given me trouble at least three times that I’ve tried it. Don’t know what it is! It ends up being more of a spongy consistency than a soft fluffy consistency. It’s not that they are inedible, they just aren’t spectacular like everything else I make from your website. So when people want me to make vanilla cupcakes, I almost always use your velvet white recipe instead. *P.S. I live in Pueblo West, CO And I make no adjustments to your recipes at my altitude of 5,090.
Thank you so much.
Not sure why this one isn’t working for you – I’ve made it myself dozens of times, and they’re always so fluffy!
Mine came out quite dry – any suggestions?
Make sure you’re measuring your flour correctly. Packing it into the cup will result in dry, dense baked goods. You should fluff it up in the canister first, lightly spoon it into the measuring cup, then sweep the excess off the top to level it. Also, if your eggs are on the small side, the batter won’t be moist enough. A large egg should be close to 1/4 cup in volume, so if yours are significantly smaller, you should use more.
Are you at the same altitude as me? If you’re not at 5280 feet, or live in a drier climate, you may simply need to add a little more oil for moisture.
Be sure you are using cake flour, not all purpose flour.
If you’re using melted butter, use vegetable oil instead, for a softer, more moist texture.
Love all your recipes Heather!! Quick question for an expert like yourself – I’m comparing your vanilla cupcake recipe to the chocolate chip cupcake recipe and they’re pretty different. I’m making “watermelon cupcakes” (just a vanilla cupcake colored green w/ mini chips for “seeds” and topped w/ vanilla buttercream colored pink) – debating on which of your recipes I should use. Vanilla and add mini chips to the batter? Or chocolate chip recipe? I want a moist cupcake more than a light/fluffy one, so maybe the chocolate chip? Just not sure on the difference between the 2 recipes. Any insight you can share I would treasure! Thank you!
I developed the chocolate chip cupcake recipe so that the batter was thicker, which will keep the chips suspended throughout the cupcakes. With the vanilla cupcakes, the chips may sink to the bottom. I hope that helps!
Exactly what I needed to know, thank you so much!
Good snowy day…I was wonder If this recipe can be doubled or tripled? Some can some for reasons unknown just dont..
I’ve never made a triple batch, but yes, doubling it doesn’t cause any issues at all.
So I live in the foothills of Albuquerque, NM at an altitude of 5604ft, which is super close to your altitude. I swear by ALL your recipes and they all come out amazing. However, whenever I make the vanilla cupcakes or vanilla cake recipes, they come out a little dry. We are pretty dry in Albuquerque! So do you think I should add some more oil, if so how much? Or try an extra egg instead? Thank you so much for taking the time to develop all these recipes – I was pretty lost when I first moved here! 🙂
It’s possible they’re just a little over-baked. Since cupcakes are so small, it’s very easy to over-bake them, and even 30 seconds too long can start to dry them out. Some bakers also like to brush baked cupcakes with milk to add moisture.