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Cupcakes, Basic Recipes

Vanilla Cupcakes

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Golden vanilla cupcakes in paper liners

4.9 (38)out of 5, 38 ratings

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Prep
5 min
Bake
20 min
Total
25 min
Makes
13

I've been using this recipe as the base for my cupcakes for years. Back then, I also shared it with the participants in my cupcake classes.

I've now been using this recipe for more than 10 years and I'm still incredibly happy with how it turns out. It's also wonderful for mini muffins! So if you'd rather have the cupcake's little sister, you can fill the batter into the small liners and bake them for just a few minutes :)

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How you decorate these cupcakes is, of course, completely up to you! For me, it's usually an Italian buttercream or a sweetened condensed milk buttercream (UK: condensed milk).

Notes:

  • All ingredients should be at room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven in good time.
  • The batter can also take a few tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (not hot cocoa mix; in the UK, cocoa powder, not drinking chocolate).
  • The original recipe was meant for about 12 cupcakes, but I usually get around 14.

Ingredients

Makes 13

  • 1 cup plus 1 tbsp220 ggranulated sugar
  • 6 tbsp80 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • pinchsalta pinch
  • 4 tspvanilla sugar2 packets = 4 tsp (16 g). Sugar flavored with vanillin (artificial vanilla), sold in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet.
  • vanilla bean seedsseeds from one vanilla bean. The tiny seeds scraped from a vanilla bean. In the US use the seeds from a vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste; in the UK, the seeds from a vanilla pod, or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste.
  • 2large eggsat room temperature
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp220 mlmilkat room temperature
  • 2 cups240 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 1 ¾ tsp7 gbaking powderGerman baking powder is sold in 15 g packets, each meant for about 500 g (4 cups) of flour. In the US and the UK use baking powder.

Method

  1. Beat the sugar, butter, salt and vanilla sugar or vanilla bean seeds together.

  2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in thoroughly!

  3. Add half of the milk and half of the flour and baking powder to the mixture, mix briefly, then add the other half of each.

  4. Fill the liners 3/4 full with batter & bake at 350°F (170°C) convection (fan) for about 14 minutes or until golden.

  5. You can let the cupcakes cool in the pan, or turn them out so they cool faster.