These vanilla Mini Cupcakes are just as moist, light, and fluffy as a regular cupcake, but they are bite-sized and fun and easy to serve to a crowd!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE cupcakes. I have an entire section dedicated to them because of my deep passion for them. Some of my favorites are these Triple Chocolate Cupcakes for the ultimate chocolate lover, these Maraschino Cherry Cupcakes for a fun and super sweet treat, and these Red Velvet Cupcakes for a super simple take on the classic flavor.
Into vanilla? I'm a big fan of these Vanilla Muffins for the most gorgeous bakery-style muffins!
Why You'll LOVE This Recipe
- moist and tender texture
- ready to eat in just 30 minutes
- super simple ingredients
- easily customizable with different colors, flavored frostings, and decorations
Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar: White granulated sugar adds to moisture, sweetness, and structure.
- Egg: You'll need one large egg at room temperature. If you forget to leave it out ahead of time, place it in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes before using.
- Vegetable Oil: These cupcakes are made with oil for a super moist cupcake that stays moist. You can use any unflavored oil.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is the star of this recipe and ensures that these cupcakes are light and tender! You can make homemade buttermilk. Read "Expert Tips" below for more information.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract enhances flavor.
- All Purpose Flour: Regular, plain all purpose flour that is measured properly creates light and fluffy cupcakes.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Both of these leavening agents work together to create the gorgeous dome shape and airy texture.
- Salt: Salt enhances sweetness!
Step by Step Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a mini muffin tray with liners.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, granulated sugar, a room temperature egg, vegetable oil, room temperature buttermilk, and vanilla extract together until smooth.
STEP 3: Next, add properly-measured all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter. Do not mix past when you see the ingredients combine to avoid dense cupcakes.
STEP 4: Then, divide the batter between the liners, adding about 1 ½ tablespoons of batter to each liner.
STEP 5: Bake the cupcakes for 9-11 minutes or until the tops are light pale in color, shiny, and spring back when poked with your pointer finger. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with some moist crumbs.
American Buttercream Frosting
STEP 1: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and powdered sugar together until smooth.
STEP 2: Then, pour milk into the bowl and mix on high speed for at least 3 minutes to create a light, velvety frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can easily double this recipe. Doing so will create about 72 minis!
You can make this into 2 6-inch layers, an 8x8 inch cake pan, or 12 standard cupcakes.
After the cupcakes have been frosted, store them tightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in a freezer bag for up to 4 months, and place frosted cupcakes in the freezer for 30 minutes before covering and storing for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips
- Homemade Buttermilk: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup before filling it to reach the 1 ¼ cup (300g) mark. Mix the two together, then let it sit for 5 minutes before using as buttermilk.
- Measuring Flour: Measure flour correctly by using a kitchen scale to measure 210g exactly. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cups before using a knife to level off the top. Overmeasuring flour will lead to dry cupcakes.
- Bake Time: Bake these cupcakes until they are pale in color, domed, slightly shiny, the tops spring back when poked, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with some moist crumbs.
Related Recipes
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Mini Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 36 mini cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcakes, Mini Cupcakes, Vanilla
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Mini Cupcakes are just as moist, light, and fluffy as a regular cupcake, but they are bite-sized and fun and easy to serve to a crowd!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- ¾ cup (158g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66g) vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ cup (300g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Buttercream
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (300g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30g) milk
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a mini muffin tray with liners.
- In a large bowl, granulated sugar, a room temperature egg, vegetable oil, room temperature buttermilk, and vanilla extract together until smooth.
- Next, add properly-measured all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter. Do not mix past when you see the ingredients combine to avoid dense cupcakes.
- Then, divide the batter between the liners, adding about 1 ½ tablespoons of batter to each liner.
- Bake the cupcakes for 9-11 minutes or until the tops are light pale in color, shiny, and spring back when poked with your pointer finger. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with some moist crumbs.
For the Buttercream
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. This should be about 2 minutes of mixing.
- Add milk to the frosting and beat on high speed for about 3-5 minutes. This will create air in the frosting, resulting in a smooth, bright, white, and fluffy frosting. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off for greater control if desired.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired and top with desired decorations.
- Store the cupcakes tightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
Measuring Flour: Measure flour correctly by using a kitchen scale to measure 210g exactly. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cups before using a knife to level off the top.
Homemade Buttermilk: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup before filling it to reach the 1 ¼ cup (300g) mark. Mix the two together, then let it sit for 5 minutes before using as buttermilk.
Buttercream: After mixing the powdered sugar and butter together, mix the milk in on high speed for 3-5 minutes until the frosting is bright white and velvety.
Keywords: Mini Vanilla Cupcakes, Mini Cupcakes, Vanilla Cupcakes
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