Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes

These small batch vanilla cupcakes are light and fluffy, topped with silky cream cheese frosting. This recipe makes 6 cupcakes, perfect for a small birthday party or other celebration.

Need to make vanilla and chocolate cupcakes? Make these small batch chocolate cupcakes next!

One thing about me is that if there's cream cheese frosting involved, I'm eating it. That's why I had to create recipes for chocolate cupcakes and these small batch vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. The frosting is what takes basic vanilla cupcakes from good to GREAT!

This recipe yields 6 cupcakes that are light, fluffy, tender- all those yummy things. Just like my strawberry vanilla cake and almond cupcakes, the sponge is extra soft thanks to cake flour and the reverse creaming method. Instead of creaming the butter and sugar separately, the butter and dry ingredients are mixed together at the same time. This limits gluten development, creating extra soft cupcakes!

A small batch of cupcakes is perfect to bring to a birthday party, housewarming party, or other small get-together. Or you can just make them for yourself! If you love small batch recipes, make my mini flourless chocolate cake, mini carrot cake, small batch banana muffins, small vanilla cake, small batch brownies, and small batch blueberry muffins.

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes
• Substitutions
• Helpful Equipment and Tools
• How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes
• How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
• Decorating
• Expert Baking Tips
• Variations
• Storage and Freezing
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Cupcake Recipes to Try
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes about the ingredients used. Quantities are included in the recipe card below.

• Cake flour- This light and fluffy flour has less protein and gluten than all purpose flour, giving the cupcakes the softest crumb!
• Granulated sugar- White sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness and lets the vanilla flavor shine. Cane sugar works as a substitute.
• Baking powder- This helps the cupcakes rise by adding air bubbles to the batter. Make sure your baking powder is less than 6 months old because it loses its power over time. Do not use baking soda since it's much stronger than baking powder!
• Sea salt- Use finely ground sea salt or table salt to activate the baking powder and contrast the sweetness.
• Unsalted butter- Make sure the butter is at room temperature so it mixes in easily. Room temperature butter will be cool to the touch and easy to indent applying gentle pressure with your finger. It should look smooth, not greasy.
• Oil- Vegetable oil adds more fat to the batter, making the cupcakes moist.
• Egg- One large egg binds the ingredients together and adds extra fat and moisture. Make sure the egg is at room temperature so it blends into the batter evenly. Pull it out of the refrigerator about an hour before baking.
• Vanilla extract- Use pure vanilla extract for the best vanilla flavor.
• Buttermilk- This adds additional tang and helps to tenderize the gluten, giving the cake a softer texture. Pull this out of the refrigerator the same time as the egg.

Substitutions

• Sea salt: Fine Kosher or pink Himalayan salt can be substituted. Add an additional ⅛ teaspoon if your salt isn't finely ground.
• Vegetable oil: Any mild, neutral-tasting oil can be used. Some examples are canola oil, avocado oil, and grapeseed oil.
• Buttermilk: Plain kefir, plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own! Combine ¼ cup whole milk with ¾ teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice. Mix, let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle, and you're good to go.

Helpful Equipment and Tools

• Stand mixer
• 12-well muffin tin. You can use a pan with 6 wells if you have one!
• Cupcake liners
• Large cookie scoop to evenly portion the batter.
• Piping bags or a Ziploc bag to frost the cupcakes.

How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes

Here are the steps to make the cupcakes! First, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and place 6 cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.

STEP 1: First, add the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Give the ingredients a quick mix on low, spinning about 5 times.

STEP 2: Add the softened butter to the mixing bowl and beat on low until no clumps of butter remain and the texture looks like wet sand. This will take about 5 minutes.

STEP 3: Turn the mixer off and add the oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until a batter begins to form.

STEP 4: With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth with no lumps or pools of liquid.

STEP 5: With a spoon or cookie scoop, portion the cupcake batter evenly between the 6 cupcake liners in your pan. Fill them ¾ of the way full so they don't overflow in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops bounce back when lightly touched.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Let them cool for 30-60 minutes, making sure they're at room temperature before frosting.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

This is super simple to make with softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla bean paste, and powdered sugar. For the full recipe with helpful tips and tricks, head to my small batch cream cheese frosting recipe.

STEP 1: Start by adding the softened butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix them together on medium speed until smooth and fluffy.

STEP 2: With the mixer running on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to the creamed butter and cream cheese until everything is blended together. This will take about 5 minutes.

STEP 3: Pour the vanilla bean paste into the frosting base and mix on medium-low speed until well combined and smooth.

Decorating

To decorate, first fill a piping bag prepared with a piping tip with frosting. I used the Ateco 866 tip, but you can use whatever tip you prefer. Pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake and garnish with coarse sugar, sprinkles, or freeze-dried berries.

Expert Baking Tips

• Use a kitchen scale. I always recommend using a food scale for accuracy. If you don't have one, always spoon-measure your flour. Fluff up the flour first before spooning it into your measuring cup- don't pack it in!
• Use room temperature ingredients. Using room temperature eggs, butter, and buttermilk creates a fully blended, smooth batter that will bake evenly and have a uniform texture.
• Don't overmix the batter. Over mixing cupcake batter will result in a dense crumb.
• Wait until they cool to frost. You have to wait for the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them or the frosting will melt and slide off the cake!

Variations

Feel free to use a different type of frosting, especially if you don't like cream cheese! Add a swirl of chocolate or vanilla buttercream frosting for a classic twist. Whipped chocolate frosting, lavender buttercream, faux Swiss meringue buttercream, and brown sugar buttercream would be super delicious.

Another thing you can do is cut out the centers of the cupcakes with a cupcake corer or piping tip before frosting and fill them with ganache, strawberry mousse, blueberry compote, strawberry filling, or lemon curd for a surprise in the center!

Storage and Freezing

Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Store them in the refrigerator for an additional 3 days after that.

If the cupcakes are frosted, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Let them thaw on the counter for about an hour before serving.

Leftover cream cheese frosting can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Let it come to room temperature before you use it.

Freezing

Freeze the cupcakes on a baking sheet for 2 hours or until frozen solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to enjoy, remove the cupcakes from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for two hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Cupcake Recipes to Try

📖 Recipe