Best Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes – Soft, Fluffy & Better Than Store-Bought

If you’ve ever been disappointed by dry, overly sweet store-bought cupcakes, you’re going to love this recipe. These delicious vanilla cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and full of real buttery flavour – everything a good cupcake should be.

Made with simple pantry staples and a straightforward method, they come together easily and bake up beautifully every time. The texture is light and tender, with just the right amount of sweetness and a classic vanilla aroma that fills the kitchen as they bake.

Honestly, once you try these, it’s hard to go back to store-bought. They’re fresher, tastier, and made exactly the way you like them – perfect for afternoon tea, sharing with family, or enjoying with a well-earned cup of coffee.

Vanilla Cup Cakes. (Makes 10)

Ingredients
125g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾  cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½  cups self-raising flour, sifted
½ cup milk
10 patty pan paper cups (600×600 size)
1 Muffin baking pan, 12 hole/ 1/3 cup capacity.

Butter Cream Icing
70g butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp milk

Method

1.        Pre heat oven to 180c or 160c fan-forced. Place your patty pan cases in the muffin pan.
2.        In a large bowl, place the butter, vanilla and sugar and beat together with an electric beater until pale and fluffy in appearance.
3.        Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.
4.        Gently add the flour and milk alternatively to the butter mixture and stir to combine. If too thick add a tiny bit more milk – we want the consistency of thick pouring cream.
5.        Pour into the patty cake paper cases, smooth the top of the cakes.
6.        Pop in the oven for about 25 minutes. Test to make sure they are baked through by gently pressing a finger on the top. The cake should spring back. If it leaves a dimple its not fully baked – return to the oven for a few more minutes.
7.        Allow to sit in the muffin pan for 5 minutes to cool before popping on to a cooling rack. When they are cool, they are ready to ice.
8.        For the butter cream icing beat together the butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla essence. Should be a good consistency to pipe through a piping bag and hold its shape. If the butter icing is too runny just add more icing sugar or too stiff, add a tiny bit more milk.
9.        Spoon icing into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm fluted nozzle. Pipe small rosettes over the top of the cupcakes. You can also top with sprinkles, iced confetti, hearts etc.  Best enjoyed on the day of baking or day after.