Cupcakes
Soft vanilla cupcakes with a tall, even dome and a tender crumb that holds the swirl of buttercream without crumbling. The trick is room-temperature ingredients and the reverse-creaming method, which gives you a finer texture than the standard cream-the-butter approach.
Prep Time
19 min
Cook Time
20 min
Servings
6
Calories
387 cal
🛠 Interactive Recipe Tools — Use them right here on this page
Smart Servings Scaler
- Flour3 cups
- Eggs3
- Sugar¾ cup
- Butter½ cup
- Milk1 ½ cup
- Baking Powder1 ½ tsp
- Vanilla Extract1 ½ tsp
All quantities scaled automatically from 6 servings.
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings · Use the Servings Scaler above to adjust
- Flour3 cups
- Eggs3
- Sugar0.75 cup
- Butter0.5 cup
- Milk1.5 cup
- Baking Powder1.5 tsp
- Vanilla Extract1.5 tsp
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set them on the middle rack — the cupcakes brown unevenly if you bake on the bottom rack.
- 2
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and rub it into the dry mixture with your fingers until you have a sandy texture. This is the reverse-creaming method — coating the flour in fat first keeps the crumb fine.
- 3
In a jug, whisk the room-temperature eggs, milk, and vanilla together. Pour about half into the dry mixture and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl, add the rest, and beat 30 more seconds. Stop. The batter should be smooth, not over-beaten.
- 4
Use an ice cream scoop to portion the batter into the liners — about ¾ full each. Tap the tin firmly on the counter twice to release big air bubbles that would make domes lopsided.
- 5
Bake 18-22 minutes. They're done when a toothpick comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Don't open the door before the 15-minute mark or the centers can sink.
- 6
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then lift each cupcake onto a wire rack. Wait until completely cool — at least 45 minutes — before piping any frosting on top. Warm cupcakes melt buttercream into a mess.
Watch how to make Cupcakes
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💡 Expert Tips
- 1.Room-temperature ingredients matter more than people think. Cold eggs straight from the fridge will seize melted butter and give you a curdled batter. Pull eggs and milk out an hour before.
- 2.Don't overfill the liners. Past ¾ full and you'll get muffin tops that pour over and brown unevenly. Slightly under-filled gives a cleaner domed shape.
- 3.If the tops start browning before the 18-minute mark, your oven runs hot. Drop the temperature 25°F next time and check at 20 minutes.
- 4.For really tender cupcakes, use cake flour instead of all-purpose — substitute 1:1 by weight but use 2 tablespoons less per cup if measuring by volume.
🔬 Why It Works
Reverse creaming — rubbing the butter into the flour before adding liquid — coats each flour particle in fat. This limits gluten development and gives a velvety, almost-shortbread crumb instead of the spongier texture of standard creamed cupcakes. The baking powder provides almost all the lift since there's no extended creaming step to whip air into the butter. Tapping the tin on the counter knocks out the largest air bubbles so the rise is even and the tops dome rather than crater.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my cupcakes sink in the middle?▾
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Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 6 servings)
* Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are estimates.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 6 servings)
* Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are estimates.
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