Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes. These vanilla cupcakes are a tried n' true recipe from my cake baking days. It's my go-to when I need to whip up a quick batch of vanilla birthday cupcakes. The buttermilk adds a subtle, pleasant tang and also keeps the cupcakes very moist.

Thin shreds of lemon or orange peel, candied lemon or orange peel, toasted coconut, candied ginger, and sugared rose petals are pretty flourishes. Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. You can cook Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes using 13 ingredients and 10 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

It's 1 cup of Unsalted butter, room temperature.
You need 1 cup of White sugar.
It's 2 of Eggs, room temperature.
It's 2 of Egg yolks, room temperature.
You need 1/4 cup of Oil.
It's 2 tsp of Vanilla extract.
Prepare 2 cup of Cake flour *see below*.
It's 1/2 tsp of Salt.
It's 3 tsp of Baking powder.
Prepare 1 tsp of Baking soda.
It's 1 cup of Buttermilk, room temperature (can also do half sour cream and half milk, milk curdled with a 1/4tsp lemon juice or vinegar, or I've used creamline milk that has soured).
It's 1 3/4 cup of All purpose flour **if not using cake flour.
You need 1/4 cup of Cornstarch **if not using cake flour.

In a smaller bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until. I did find the cupcake heavy and bland, it needs a lot more vanilla. Wondering if it was something I did wrong to make the cupcakes heavy, I did use margarine instead of butter ( forgot to leave butter out of fridge) other than that these vanilla cupcakes were easy to make.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes instructions

Preheat oven at 350F/180C. I've actually had better results baking in a 375F/190C oven, but this depends on your individual oven. Investing in an oven thermometer also helps make sure your oven temperature is where you want it..
Prepare two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners or grease the tins themselves. Metal muffin tins and silicone baking cups/pans do conduct heat differently so if you want to use silicone, play around with the temperatures and times (probably a lower temp for a bit longer).
Mix the butter with either a hand or stand mixer until soft. Add the sugar at once and cream for 5 minutes on a high speed or until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape the bowl. You want a fluffy texture to this mix, but you don't want the butter so soft that it breaks down. It should look similar to cookie dough..
Add eggs, egg yolks, and oil one at a time, combining well after each one. I like putting the eggs in a separate bowl since you can check for blood spots or bad eggs and eggs separate better cold. Also make sure to mix the eggs and oil in very well and scrape the bowl down frequently. At this point it will look more like cake batter..
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch if using, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Sift or use a whisk to combine very well..
At this time, I also add my extract with the milk mix. Add a third of the flour mix into the butter mix and gently combine just until the flour is incorporated. Add half the milk mix and gently combine again until the milk is incorporated. Scrape down the bowl very well. Repeat this with another third of the flour and the last half of the milk. Add in the last third of flour and mix just until you no longer see any flour. It's important once you add the flour that you don't overmix!!.
Fill up the cups 2/3 full. The easiest is to use an ice cream scoop since you want all the cupcakes filled evenly. You also don't want to leave the batter out for too long since the baking soda and baking powder will begin reacting once it's mixed with liquid (most baking powders will react twice: once with liquid and once with heat), but this will affect the texture and appearance..
Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. I'll bake at 375F/190C for 10 minutes and then drop the heat to 350F/180C for the last 5-8 minutes. Don't open the oven door for 15 minutes! Cupcakes will be done when a few moist crumbs attach to a toothpick inserted, they spring back lightly when touched, and they no longer look wet. If a toothpick comes out clean, I find the cupcake is overcooked and will taste dry..
Let cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy! I also tried to add as many baking tips as I could, but the biggest tip is learning how your own oven heats up and functions. Buy an oven thermometer!.
They store at room temp for a day or two, but you can freeze them unfrosted if you're planning on serving later. Just let them thaw for a few hours and they're ready to go..

Vanilla cupcakes are usually denser than vanilla cakes so they would hold their shape well. These soft and moist classic vanilla bean buttermilk cupcakes are perfect for any celebration! Thank you, Wilton, for sponsoring this recipe and providing the tools to create these buttermilk cupcakes for Valentine's Day. You can never have too many vanilla cupcake recipes. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine.