Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

A moist and tender basic vanilla cupcake made extra flavorful with vanilla bean infused cream. Topped off with vanilla bean buttercream, these cupcakes are vanilla heaven!

Pure, unadulterated vanilla flavor, with a creamy vanilla bean buttercream to match… It’s just heavenly, and you’re going to love every little crumb of these cupcakes!

This recipe comes to you (originally in 2015!) from a day I completely immersed myself in writing my cookbook.

On Good Friday, I had the day off of work, but I was up at 4:30am making all kinds of puppy chows, preparing to photograph all of them in the later afternoon sunshine.

At 8am, Matt emerged from the bedroom and couldn’t believe his eyes (or his nose) when I had the kitchen completely torn apart, cereal and powdered sugar everywhere, chocolate on every pan and spatula I own…

It was a mess.

He convinced me to take a break and go to the gym with him.

I’m so glad I did, because it gave me some time to devise a plan of attack for my photoshoots and also figure out how I was going to clean up my puppy chow-ed kitchen and whip up some cupcakes for a birthday celebration later that night.

My BIL’s girlfriend (now wife!) turned 21 on that Good Friday, and she invited us out to dinner with her family, so I offered to make some cupcakes. When I asked her what flavor she would like, she requested vanilla bean.

Her exact words: “I’m so vanilla for loving vanilla.” No, no, you are not. Not one bit!

Since that original publish in 2015, these cupcakes have graced many a kitchen, with mostly positive reviews.

The negative ones, however, truly warranted revisiting this beloved vanilla cupcake recipe, just as my beloved funfetti cupcakes did a few months ago.

The amazing thing about having been blogging for over six years is that I have grown immensely as a baker.

I know better now what works best for specific flavors and textures, and revisiting lots of tried-and-true recipes that I’ve published and then baked again for my own enjoyment is something on my never-ending “to do” list.

The original vanilla bean cupcake recipe from many years ago still stands true, but with updated and more specific instructions, and of course, a little glow-up with fresh photos.

Not only that, but since 2015, vanilla crops have taken a giant hit due to tropical storms and other natural disasters.

For the vanilla bean buttercream, you will need:
• butter
• powdered sugar
• milk or cream
• whole vanilla bean or vanilla paste or vanilla extract
• salt

There is something so amazing about straight up vanilla. You can only get so much vanilla flavor from extract (even homemade), and using fresh vanilla beans (or vanilla paste) is so worth the effort to get those beans out of the pod.

If you go the pod route, you’ll need two beans for each batch of this recipe: one for the cupcakes and one for the frosting.

If you’re using paste: one teaspoon in each the cupcake batter and the vanilla bean frosting give the same rich vanilla flavor and the iconic black specs of the seeds.

You can buy vanilla beans and vanilla paste at most grocery stores (in the baking aisle with the spices). If you think you’ll use a lot of beans, the best bang for your buck is in bulk!

You are now ready to decorate your cupcakes.

Use a piping bag without a tip, fitted with a 1M tip, or simply a large zip top bag with the end snipped off to make a very vanilla buttercream swirl right on top of your decadent cupcake.

You’re going to love these moist and tender cupcakes that are absolutely jam-packed with vanilla flavor.

The creamy vanilla bean buttercream cloud that sits on top is the perfect counterpart, and I’m sure you’re going to agree… There’s nothing “vanilla” about these vanilla bean cupcakes!

5 from 22 votes

Pin Recipe Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

Moist Vanilla Cupcakes

A moist and tender basic vanilla cupcake made extra flavorful with vanilla bean infused cream. Topped off with vanilla bean buttercream, these cupcakes are vanilla heaven!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Bake Time16 minutes mins

Total Time31 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 14 cupcakes

Ingredients

CUPCAKES

• ▢ ¾ cup (180mL) whole¹ milk or cream
• ▢ 1 whole vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• ▢ 1 and ⅔ cups (200g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool
• ▢ 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg room temperature²
• ▢ ¼ cup (61g) full fat¹ yogurt or sour cream room temperature²
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FROSTING

• ▢ 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• ▢ 4 to 5 cups (480-600g) powdered sugar
• ▢ ¼ to ⅓ cup (60-80mL) milk or cream
• ▢ 1 whole vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

CUPCAKES

• Pour the cream into a small saucepan. If using a vanilla bean: using a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in half, scrape out the seeds, and put everything into the saucepan with your cream. If using vanilla paste, simply pour into the cream and stir to combine.
  ¾ cup (180mL) whole1 milk or cream, 1 whole vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• Heat the cream over low heat until it just starts to steam. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, remove the pods with a fork or tongs. Cream is now ready to use. If you used vanilla paste, it is ready to use after the 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line the wells of a 12-count cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  1 and ⅔ cups (200g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
• In a large bowl with a handheld mixer³ or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the melted butter, sugar, egg, yogurt, infused cream, and vanilla extract on medium to high speed until completely smooth.
  ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, ¼ cup (61g) full fat1 yogurt or sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Reduce the mixer speed to low, then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined. Then, fold gently by hand with a large spatula and press out any large lumps of flour that remain by scraping them against the side of the bowl. Small lumps are ok.
• Fill the cupcake liners ⅔ to ¾ of the way full with batter. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before decorating.

FROSTING

• In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
  1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
• With the mixer on low, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla (either the seeds scraped from the pod, paste, or extract), and milk or cream. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. If frosting is too stiff, add more milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. Add salt to taste.
  4 to 5 cups (480-600g) powdered sugar, ¼ to ⅓ cup (60-80mL) milk or cream, 1 whole vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt
• For more buttercream troubleshooting tips, see my book, The Home Baker's Guide to Basic Buttercream.
• Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag or a large zip top bag with the corner snipped off. Cupcakes will stay fresh covered at room temperature up to 3 days. Store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Cupcakes freeze well, frosted or unfrosted, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Notes

1. Full fat dairy: it is imperative to use full fat dairy in this recipe for moisture, since we’re using melted butter, therefore removing some natural moisture.
2. Room temperature ingredients: these are always a good idea when using room temperature butter as it makes for easier incorporation into the batter. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
3. Mixer: I’ve had repeated success making these cupcakes in a bowl without a mixer, which is my preferred method for this cupcake batter.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 845IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg