These classic vanilla cupcakes are everything a cupcake should be: soft, fluffy, and perfumed with real vanilla. The simple batter comes together in minutes with pantry staples, then bakes into golden, tender domes — serve them plain with tea or dress them up with frosting. For more baking inspiration, try our Viennese Cherry Cake, Cherry Clafoutis, or Milk Chocolate Roll Cakes.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- A pinch of salt
- 8 g (2 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 70 g (1/3 cup) sugar
- 70 ml (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp) vegetable oil
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) milk
- 10 g (2 tsp) baking powder
- 150 g (1 1/4 cups) flour
Instructions
- Whisk the egg with the salt, sugar, and vanilla sugar until pale; stir in the oil and milk, then fold in the baking powder and flour until just combined.
- Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full with the batter.
- Bake in a preheated 180 C (350 F) oven for 25 minutes; check doneness with a toothpick.
Tips
- Fill the liners only two-thirds full — the batter needs room to dome without spilling over.
- Do not overmix once the flour goes in; stir just until combined for the fluffiest crumb. Serious Eats has excellent guidance on testing cakes for doneness.
- Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting so the topping does not melt — and browse Allrecipes for frosting ideas.
Nutrition: per 100 g: 208 kcal, protein 9.4 g, fat 4.9 g, carbs 27.2 g