Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

I made a ton of these vanilla bean cupcakes while testing different vanilla bean pastes, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of a cupcake recipe. It uses the reverse creaming method to create an even, moist crumb that bakes up pretty flat instead of domed. This results in a vanilla cake that’s perfectly light and spongy without being too sweet—and the ideal vessel for a swirl of sweet vanilla bean buttercream on top!

And while you will get the absolute best flavor with vanilla bean paste (or fresh vanilla beans!), this recipe still turns out great with vanilla extract. I like to use a vanilla bean paste with vanilla powder for larger vanilla speckles, but almost any vanilla bean paste will work nicely here. To keep things simple, I top these vanilla cupcakes with an easy vanilla American buttercream. If you want something a little more custardy (and intensive), you could substitute the birthday cake batter French buttercream I use with my confetti cupcakes.

Ingredients for Vanilla Bean Paste Cupcakes

The best vanilla cupcakes will be made with vanilla bean paste for the strongest vanilla flavor. Outside of the vanilla bean paste, everything else is pantry staples: Flour, butter, sugar, etc. I’ve included more information on what role each ingredient plays in the recipe and common substitutions where possible:

• Butter. I typically use salted butter in my cake recipes for a little extra flavor, then use unsalted butter in buttercream. You’re welcome to use unsalted butter in both, if you prefer!
• All purpose flour. The protein content in plain flour works great with the reverse creaming method for an even, structured sponge. A 1:1 gluten-free flour, like the one from Bob’s Red Mill, should work nicely, though I have not personally tried it.
• Granulated sugar. This contributes to the overall crumb and moisture in the cake, in addition to flavor and sweetness.
• Baking powder. This helps the batter rise into fluffy little cupcakes in the oven.
• Salt. A bit of salt helps enhance all of the flavors in baked goods.
• Milk. Milk adds a little richness to cupcakes. Most any kind of refrigerated dairy or plant-based milk will work for these cupcakes. (I usually use oat milk, myself!)
• Eggs. The protein and fats in eggs help hold the cake together beautifully.
• Vanilla bean paste. Vanilla bean paste is made with vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds, so it has a stronger vanilla flavor. And while vanilla extract will work in this recipe, vanilla bean paste is truly worth the splurge for unbaked and vanilla-forward baked goods. If you need a recommendation, here are my favorites!
• Powdered sugar. This thickens and sweetens American buttercream for easy piping.

Why the Reverse Creaming Method for Vanilla Cupcakes?

The reverse creaming method is my favorite for layer cakes—and some cupcakes. By creaming the butter with the sugar and flour (and salt and leavening agents), it coats each particle of flour in a little bit of fat. This layer of fat acts as protection when you add in the wet ingredients, that way you can beat the batter for a little longer without risking too much gluten development. You’re left with a beautifully moist cake with an even crumb and fairly flat top!

I love the reverse creaming method because it feels like the batter comes together more quickly with only a couple of steps, rather than adding everything in pieces via the traditional creaming method. And, flat-topped cupcakes are a little easier to eat, since they’re just a smidge shorter!

How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes

To make these vanilla bean cupcakes, add your flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer. Beat on medium low until there are no large pieces of butter and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

While you’re reverse creaming the dry ingredients, whisk together your milk, eggs, and vanilla bean paste in a measuring cup. Pro-tip: You’ll have fewer spills if you use a liquid measuring cup with a spout rather than a bowl!

With your hand mixer or stand mixer on medium, stream the milk mixture into the flour mixture. It will start off looking clumpy, but as the milk hydrates the flour, the batter will smooth out. Beat for another 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of your bowl with a spatula if necessary, until the vanilla cupcake batter is smooth and airy.

How to Bake Vanilla Cupcakes

Transfer the cupcake batter into liners in a muffin pan, but do not fill the liners more than two-thirds of the way full. This vanilla cupcake recipe makes 14 regular cupcakes or 16-18 shorter cupcakes. If you try to make only 12 cupcakes, you’ll end up with batter overflowing the edges in the oven—ask me how I know!

To prevent the cupcakes from overflowing in the oven, I use a 2-Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cupcakes evenly. I added a little extra batter in the cupcake liner on the top left, and you can see that it almost overflowed in the oven (but didn’t!), so don’t go much fuller than that.

Bake at 350°F/175°C for 18-20 minutes, until the edges of the cupcakes are beginning to turn golden brown and the centers of the cakes pop back when lightly poked. If the centers fall immediately out of the oven, replace the pan in the oven and bake for another 1-2 minutes before retesting.

How to Make Vanilla Bean Buttercream

To make the vanilla buttercream with vanilla bean paste, cream softened butter in a mixing bowl on medium for a minute or two by itself. Then, once the butter is creamy, add in the majority of your powdered sugar. Stir the powdered sugar and butter together on low until clumpy, then increase the speed to prevent puffing powdered sugar out of the bowl.

If the buttercream looks a little soft, add the rest of the powdered sugar, or chill the side of the mixing bowl with an ice pack. If the buttercream looks a little thick and tastes overly sweet, add another Tablespoon or two of butter. Beat well until combined, then stir on low for 2-3 minutes to get rid of any large air bubbles. Alternatively, you can smooth the buttercream against the side of the bowl with a spatula to remove air bubbles.

Transfer the vanilla bean buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your desired tip (I used 2D), and frost the cupcakes as you’d like!

FAQs about Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Other Recipes You May Enjoy

For more classic vanilla desserts made with vanilla bean paste, my French vanilla ice cream and vanilla macaron recipes are favorites around here. You can also make vanilla whipped cream to top fruit and berries for a lighter dessert.

If you’re on a cupcake kick, you might want to check out my cherry almond cupcakes, strawberry champagne cupcakes, and confetti cupcakes.

Dish Cleanup: Gonna Take a While

I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.

This vanilla bean cupcake recipe has a cleanup rating of a 4. There are two large mixing bowls, a piping bag, a handful of measuring cups and bowls, and the cupcake tin itself. This is pretty standard for a cupcake recipe, but it is on the more intensive side of cleanup as a whole.

Cupcakes Made with Vanilla Bean Paste Recipe

Thanks so much for stopping by!
If you make these vanilla bean cupcakes and love them, please don’t forget to leave a review to share how they turned out with others.

5 from 1 vote

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Author: Alyssa Adams of The Floral Apron

Made with vanilla bean paste for the absolute best flavor (and vanilla bean speckles in every bite), these moist vanilla cupcakes are paired with a fluffy and simple vanilla buttercream!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:1 hour hr

Cook Time:20 minutes mins

Cool Time:30 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course: Cupcakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 14 frosted cupcakes

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

For the Vanilla Cupcakes

• ▢ 6 Tablespoons (84 g) butter softened
• ▢ 1¼ cups (185 g) all purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup (120 ml) milk at room temperature
• ▢ 2 large eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

For the Vanilla Buttercream

• ▢ 16 Tablespoons (226 g) unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 3-3½ cups (about 400 g) powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Vanilla Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line two muffin pans with paper liners. This recipe will make 14 cupcakes with liners filled about two-thirds full or 16-18 cupcakes with liners filled half full. Don't try to make only 12 cupcakes, as the batter will spill over the edge of the liners in the oven.
2. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a beater attachment, add butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat on medium low for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is fully combined and no large chunks remain. The flour mixture should look sandy and similar to breadcrumbs.
   6 Tablespoons (84 g) butter, 1¼ cups (185 g) all purpose flour, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
3. In a 1-cup measuring cup with a spout, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla bean paste or extract. Stream in the milk mixture while the mixer is on low, then increase speed to medium. Beat the cake batter until it looks fluffy and aerated, about 3 minutes.
   ½ cup (120 ml) milk, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
4. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for 10-15 more seconds until fully combined, if needed.
5. For 14 tall, domed cupcakes, fill the liners to just under ⅔ full. For 16-18 smaller cupcakes, fill the cupcake liners only halfway full. The cakes will rise significantly in the oven, so don't overfill them. You can use a cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly into each liner.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the cupcakes are just barely golden on the outer edges. When fully baked, the cake should spring back if you gently tap it in the center. If the cake deflates a little, bake for another minute or two before retesting. Place the cupcake pan on a cooling rack and let cool entirely, about 30-45 minutes.

For the Vanilla Buttercream

1. Cream the butter in a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer until it's light and aerated, about two minutes.
   16 Tablespoons (226 g) unsalted butter
2. Add in the powdered sugar and stir together on low until clumpy, then add the vanilla bean paste and increase the speed to medium. Beat for another 2-3 minutes until fluffy and the buttercream is somewhat stiff. If the buttercream seems a little too soft to hold its shape but isn't warm, add another Tablespoon or two of powdered sugar at a time until it reaches your desired thickness for piping.
   3-3½ cups (about 400 g) powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
3. Transfer the vanilla buttercream to a piping bag fitted with the piping tip of your choice and pipe a swirl of buttercream onto each fully cooled cupcake. For a classic swirl, use a 2D tip. Pipe a large ring of frosting along the outer edge of the cupcake, then finish with a smaller ring of frosting in the center to fully cover the cupcake.

Video

Notes

Store these cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.

American buttercream is quick and simple to make with a strong vanilla flavor! But if you’d like to make a custardy vanilla buttercream, try my vanilla French buttercream.

Recommended Supplies

• DI ORO Spoonula Spatula
• Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Muffin Pan, 12 Cup
• Cookie Scoop Set
• Wilton No. 2D Large Drop Flower Piping Tip
• Ateco Superflex Decorating Bag, 15-Inch, Reusable White

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 464IU | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg

I’d love to see how your vanilla bean paste cupcakes turn out: Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @floralapronblog to share with me, or use the hashtag #floralapronbakes.