Moist, fluffy small batch vanilla bean cupcakes topped with a vanilla bean buttercream.
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small batch vanilla cupcakes
Hello hello and welcome to a classic recipe made small batch. These small batch cupcakes are for when you just want some vanilla cupcakes, but don’t need enough for a whole party. These vanilla cupcakes are seriously soooooo light, fluffy, moist, and perfect. We’ll make them using the reverse creaming method, which just means we’ll beat the butter into the dry ingredients before adding in the wet ingredients – kind of like when you make scones or biscuits. This process allows the fat from the butter to coat the flour, which leads to less gluten development and overall fluffier cupcakes.
We’ll top these off with a vanilla buttercream frosting which is so rich and creamy. But these cupcakes also serve as a great blank canvas so really feel free to go wild with any toppings, frostings, flavors, and fillings you want.
P.S. if you’re wondering what to do with that extra egg yolk you have left over, you now have the perfect excuse to make these 20 minute chocolate chip cookies. And if you’re looking for a chocolate cupcake, you can find my small batch chocolate cupcakes here. Happy baking! ☺︎
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cupcake batter:
It is super important to not over-mix the cupcake batter or you will end up with tough and chewy cupcakes. Using the reverse creaming method makes it more difficult to over-mix the batter, but it’s still good to be aware of how much you are mixing it. Only mix just until all of the ingredients are cohesive.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cupcakes while they bake:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. I’d recommend that you start checking on the cake around 15 minutes.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
small batch vanilla cupcakes recipe ingredients –
vanilla cupcakes:
- All purpose flour: gives the cupcakes their structure.
- Baking powder: for helping the cupcakes rise.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cupcakes and adding that nice buttery flavor to them. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cupcakes. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, you can use another neutral oil such as canola.
- Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.
- Egg: for binding the batter together and adding moisture.
- Vanilla bean paste: gives you those nice little specks of vanilla in the buttercream. This is the vanilla bean paste I use. You can also substitute in regular vanilla extract.
- Sour cream & whole milk: for tenderizing the cupcakes and making them moist. I recommend full-fat for both of these for the best texture in the cupcakes, but low-fat or non-dairy alternatives should work well here. This recipe was originally made with buttermilk but I know that can be annoying to purchase. If you’d like to use buttermilk, replace the sour cream and milk with 85g full-fat buttermilk.
vanilla buttercream:
- Unsalted butter: the base of the buttercream. Feel free to use salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt if using!
- Salt: helps balance and bring out the sweetness of the buttercream
- Powdered sugar: sweetens and thickens up the buttercream.
- Vanilla bean paste: gives you those nice little specks of vanilla in the buttercream. This is the vanilla bean paste I use. You can also substitute in regular vanilla extract.
- Heavy whipping cream: makes the frosting creamy and pipe-able. You could also use whole milk here.
how to make small batch vanilla cupcakes
Here are a few images of the process of making these cupcakes. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post.
- Beat together the dry ingredients and the butter until well combined.
- Then beat in all of the wet ingredients.
- Distribute the batter between 6 parchment liners, then bake.
- Beat together the buttercream ingredients. Once the cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, frost them and enjoy!
small batch vanilla cupcakes recipe q&a
can I make these into chocolate cupcakes?
If you’re looking for a small batch chocolate cupcake recipe, you’re in luck and can find my small batch chocolate cupcakes here.
can I double this recipe?
Definitely – just double all the ingredients and distribute the batter between 12 cupcake liners. Please be sure to use grams for the best results.
can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Definitely – I would recommend making the cupcakes no more than two days ahead of time. Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature. I’d recommend waiting to make the buttercream until you want to pipe it on to the cupcakes, to avoid needing to re-whip it.
how to store cupcakes
Like most baked goods, these vanilla cupcakes will definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked. They’ll keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but will still be good for about 5 days after baking.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ c.)
- 41 g unsalted butter cubed, room temperature (3 tbsp.)
- 32 g vegetable oil (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 1 egg white room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- 45 g sour cream room temperature (3 tbsp.)
- 55 g whole milk room temperature (¼ c.)
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- 125 g unsalted butter (9 tbsp.) room temperature
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 220 g powdered sugar (1 ¾ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp. heavy cream
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a muffin pan with 6 parchment liners.
- To a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cubed butter. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the mixture together until the butter has completely combined with the dry ingredients and no lumps remain.
- Add in the oil, egg white, vanilla bean paste, sour cream, and milk. Whisk the ingredients together just until a cohesive batter has formed.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the six liners. Bake for 15-18 min., or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the butter and salt. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the butter and salt together for 2 minutes, until the butter is pale and fluffy.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until all of it has been used.
- Add in the vanilla bean paste and heavy cream and beat the mixture for an additional minute.
- Once the cupcakes have completely cooled to room temperature, transfer the frosting to a piping bag and frost each cupcake. Top with sprinkles, rose petals, or enjoy them as is!
Notes
Beating the butter into the dry ingredients
I’ve found that this is always much easier and takes way less time when you do it in a a stand mixer. If you’re using a hand mixer, just note that this is going to take a couple of minutes, and the smaller you cube up your butter, the easier it will be.Use a kitchen scale:
I can’t stress enough the importance of a kitchen scale for accurate baking. While other things can go wrong during the baking process, using a kitchen scale helps your recipe come out closer to how mine did and can be more helpful for troubleshooting if something goes wrong. Here is a cheaper kitchen scale (affiliate link) that was trusty and helpful when I was starting with a scale. If you can’t use a scale – please make sure that you fluff up your flour with a fork, and spoon it into your measuring cup while measuring the flour.Substitutions:
This recipe used to use buttermilk. I know a lot of people don’t have a need for a whole jug of buttermilk, especially if you’re just making a small batch of vanilla cupcakes, so I switched it out for sour cream and milk. If you’d like, use 85g of buttermilk in place of the sour cream and milk – you’ll get a slightly more tangy (delicious) flavor.Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.