These moist vanilla cupcakes with oil stay soft and fluffy for days because they're made with oil instead of butter. They're delicious with any kind of frosting and are super easy to make, coming together in minutes with pantry staple ingredients.
There's nothing better than a soft, fluffy cupcake. While flavors like coffee cupcakes, almond cupcakes, and lemon lavender cupcakes are more fun and satisfying to make, I believe every baker needs a vanilla cupcake recipe in their back pocket! That's where these vanilla cupcakes with oil come in.
Vanilla is a great base flavor for cupcakes, and you can customize them by using any type of frosting you want. I've included a basic vanilla American buttercream in the recipe card, but you can go with something warm and cozy like chai buttercream or dulce de leche buttercream, decadent Nutella frosting, or a classic fluffy cream cheese frosting or honey buttercream!
These vanilla cupcakes are similar to my small batch vanilla cupcakes, but they're made with oil instead of butter! Using oil in cupcake batter instead of butter creates softer, fluffier cupcakes that stay moist for up to a week.
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Key Ingredients
Here are notes about some of the ingredients used. For the full ingredient list, quantities, and instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Cake flour- This finely milled flour gives the cupcakes their structure and light, airy texture. Do not substitute all purpose flour because the cupcakes won't be as light and fluffy.
- Granulated sugar- Sugar helps sweeten the cupcake batter and retain moisture. Don't reduce the amount or the cupcakes will be dry.
- Oil- This keeps the cupcakes moist for days! Use a neutral, flavorless oil like vegetable, grapeseed, sunflower, avocado, or canola oil.
- Sour cream- Sour cream makes the batter rich and creamy and adds a slightly tangy flavor. Make sure it's room temperature so it's easy to mix. Take out of the refrigerator an hour or so before baking.
- Eggs- 2 large eggs add richness and bind the other ingredients together. Make sure they're room temperature too. Pull them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you start baking.
Substitutions and Variations
- Sour cream substitution- Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream. Buttermilk works too!
- Flavor extracts- Use a different extract to change the flavor like maple, banana, coconut, or lemon extract.
- Add filling- You can cut out the middle of these cupcakes after they're baked and add a filling! I recommend strawberry filling, cherry filling, Nutella, fudge, or salted caramel sauce.
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF line a 12-well cupcake pan with paper liners.
Step 1: In a largeย mixing bowl, whisk the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
Step 2: Next, add oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla to a separate bowl. Whisk together until smooth, then add the water.
Step 3: Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a rubber spatula or whisk.
Step 4: Pour the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners, making sure the batter is evenly distributed and the liners are โ full.
Step 5: Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the hot pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Once the vanilla cupcakes are completely cool, pipe with the frosting of your choice.
How to Decorate
My favorite way to decorate cupcakes is by using a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. I love the Wilton 1M for making pretty ruffles and the Ateco 849 for making rosettes. You can add sprinkles or edible glitter to make them super pretty and fun.
If you don't have any piping bags, you can dollop the frosting on top of your cupcakes and smooth it out with a butter knife for the back of a spoon
You can also add the frosting to a Ziplock bag and snip off one of the corners with scissors to make a homemade piping bag!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Cold ingredients don't combine evenly and can mess up this texture, so it's important to make sure they're room temperature for a smooth batter.
- Measure the flour correctly. Flour is notoriously easy to over-measure, so I recommend measuring it in grams with a kitchen scale for the best results. If you don't have a scale, fluff the flour up in the bag and gently scoop it into your measuring cup without packing it in. Once overflowing, swipe off the excess. This is called the spoon and level method.
- Don't overmix. If you mix the batter too much, the cupcakes will get gummy and chewy.
- Let the cupcakes cool before frosting. If your cupcakes are still warm, the frosting will melt and slide off.
Frosting Suggestions
Because these vanilla cupcakes are so simple, they're perfect with any kind of frosting! Some different flavors for you to try out are:
- Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting
- Almond Buttercream Frosting
- Faux Swiss Meringue Frosting
- Lavender Buttercream
- Banana Buttercream
- Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Coconut Frosting
Storage Instructions
Unfrosted vanilla cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days. I recommend moving them to the refrigerator for an additional 3 days after that to extend their shelf life.
If your cupcakes are frosted, I recommend storing them covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can use non-dairy Greek yogurt or sour cream to make them dairy free.
If your cupcakes are sinking, they may not be done yet. Make sure to use the toothpick test to check for doneness. They also might sink because you used too much baking powder.
You may have over-baked them! Make sure to check them a couple minutes before the bake time. Over-measuring the flour can also make them dry.
Yes! Freeze the cupcakes on a baking tray for 2 hours or until frozen solid. Transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Cupcake Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Moist Vanilla Cupcakes with Oil
Equipment
- 1 Electric hand mixer or stand mixer for the frosting
Need Metric or US Customary Measurements?
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Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 180 grams cake flour
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- 60 grams oil vegetable or canola
- 60 grams sour cream room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 158 ml water
Frosting
- 170 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 360 grams powdered sugar
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยผ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF/180ยฐC, line aย 12-well cupcake panย with cupcakeย liners, and set it aside.
- Whisk the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl until evenly combined.180 grams cake flour, 200 grams granulated sugar, 1 ยฝ teaspoon baking powder, ยผ teaspoon salt
- Add oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla to a separate bowl. Whisk together until smooth and then whisk in water.60 grams oil, 60 grams sour cream, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 158 ml water
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Evenly distribute the cupcake batter between 12 cupcake liners, filling each โ full. Do not overfill.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before adding frosting.
Frosting
- Beat softened butter in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium high speed until smooth and creamy.170 grams unsalted butter
- Gradually add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on low until fully combined. Then mix in the vanilla and salt, beating until light and fluffy.360 grams powdered sugar, 1 ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract, ยผ teaspoon salt
- Fit a piping bag with a large tip and fill it with buttercream. Pipe a swirl on each cupcake, decorate with sprinkles if desired, and enjoy!
Jeanette Pagabangan
I added 158ml water but in the video thereโs no water added to the mixture
Megan Weimer
Hi Jeanette! I just didn't show myself adding the water in the video, but I did use it in the recipe.
smorecookies
Hi can i add chopped strawbery in the cupcake batter? Will it affect anything the cupcakes?
Megan Weimer
I think it would be ok!
Linda
Why use water, can buttermilk be used or more sour cream be substituted?
Megan Weimer
I tested the recipe with more buttermilk/sour cream and it made the cupcakes too sour! I'd try using low-fat or 2% milk if you don't want to use water.