Vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream frosting keep things classic yet elevated in the best possible way. Real vanilla bean specks show up in every bite, from the soft cupcake to the creamy buttercream frosting. They're easy to bake and always a hit for birthdays, parties or just because.
Some people think vanilla is plain, but that's not quite the whole story. Vanilla is one of the most popular dessert flavors in the world. It's the flavor that sets the standard that so many other flavors build upon. So not only is vanilla a great flavor by itself, but once you get it right, it opens the door to so many other flavors. And using vanilla bean paste or real vanilla beans takes the flavor of vanilla to a whole new level. If you love vanilla cupcakes and frosting, you're really going to love vanilla bean cupcakes with vanilla bean buttercream frosting.
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Ingredients for vanilla bean cupcakes
- Whole milk
- Vinegar
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- White sugar
- Salted butter
- Eggs
- Neutral oil
- Vanilla bean paste
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredients for vanilla bean buttercream
- Powdered sugar
- Salted butter
- Vanilla bean paste
- Whole milk or heavy whipping cream
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for the mixing the cupcake batter
Sometimes, you wonder what the batter is supposed to look like after each stage of mixing.
Stage 1: Mix the softened butter first, then add the sugar and mix for 2-3 minutes. The mixture will crumble and then come back together to look like this. It's not super fluffy as there is more fat to add at a later stage.
Stage 2: Add the neutral oil, egg, egg white, vanilla bean paste, whole milk and vinegar. Mix until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Stage 3: Add the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt mixture to the mixing bowl and mix just until combined, no more than 1 minute. Some small lumps are ok.
Stage 4: Add the cupcake batter to a muffin pan with a large cookie scoop.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cake flour - I recommend buying cake flour if possible. (I noticed recently that it was significantly cheaper at WinCo than my closest grocery store!) But to make a homemade version for this recipe, measure out 1 ½ cups of all purpose flour. Remove 3 tablespoons of the flour and replace it with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix well, or sift it together, before using it in the cupcakes.
- Vanilla bean paste - for every teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, you could substitute one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or one scraped vanilla bean.
- Vinegar - you can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. You can also use full fat buttermilk in place of the milk and vinegar. However, since the frosting calls for whole milk or cream, this version helps you avoid buying an extra ingredient.
Equipment
You will need a standard 12 cup muffin pan. A stand or hand mixer and a large ¼ cup cookie scoop are helpful for this recipe.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Next Level Tips
- Use a well known brand of cupcake liners. The best cupcake liners often use baking paper or greaseproof paper in the liners so that the baked goods don't stick. I find that most white or craft colored liners are ok. Cute colored patterns are hit or miss, so I'd avoid the cute patterns from a cheap, unknown brand. I also find that foil-lined cupcake liners heat differently and brown the cupcakes more, so if you're using foil-lined cupcake liners, it's always good to check on your cupcakes a minute early.
- For a party, this recipe can easily be doubled to make 24 cupcakes. Just click the 2X button near the ingredient list on the recipe card.
- Don't be afraid to mix and match cupcakes and frostings. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting from the zucchini cupcakes works great on these vanilla bean cupcakes. And this vanilla bean buttercream works just as well on the zucchini cupcakes!
FAQ
Absolutely! However, full fat buttermilk is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Since the vanilla bean frosting calls for whole milk, I wanted to save you from buying multiple products. But, you can absolutely use real, full fat buttermilk. And if you do have extra buttermilk at home, also try making homemade ranch dressing! It's so much better than the bottled version.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 Stand or hand mixer optional
- 1 12 cup muffin tin
- 1 Large ¼ cup cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 1-3 tablespoons whole milk or heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Making the vanilla bean cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Add cupcake liners to a standard 12 cup muffin pan.
- Add the vinegar to the whole milk and set it aside.
- Add the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Add the softened butter to a mixing bowl and mix by itself on medium to make sure the butter is soft and there are no lumps. Next, add the sugar and mix until it starts to crumble and then comes back together, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg, egg white, oil, vanilla bean paste and milk and vinegar mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on medium until fully combined and fluffy, about one minute.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl. Mix on medium only until the flour has been mixed in, no more than 1 minute. Do not over-mix once the flour has been added. Some small lumps are ok.
- Using a large cookie scoop (the ¼ cup size), add one scoop of batter to each of the cupcake liners. If you don't have a cookie scoop, then divide the batter evenly between the 12 cups. Move the muffin tin back and forth a bit to even out the batter in the cups.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes until the tops spring back and the edges are starting to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on a cooling rack to fully cool.
Making the vanilla bean frosting
- Wait a minimum of one hour until the cupcakes are fully cooled before frosting.
- Add the softened salted butter and vanilla bean paste to a mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until all the vanilla bean paste has been incorporated into the butter and the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides once or twice as needed.
- Add the powdered sugar and one tablespoon of whole milk (or heavy whipping cream) to the mixing bowl. Mix on medium until it starts to come together as frosting. Once the frosting starts to come together, scrape down the sides and then turn the mixer up to medium high. Mix for 2 minutes on medium high. Mixing on medium high allows air into the frosting making it lighter and fluffier. Check the consistency and if the frosting is too thick, add 1-2 additional tablespoon of whole milk (one at a time) and mix for 1 minute after the addition of each tablespoon of milk.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Or, use an offset spatula or knife to spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!
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