These vanilla cupcakes are so easy to make, simply mix all of the ingredients together and bake. They’re perfect for birthdays, cake sales, tea with your friends and any other celebration you can think of.
I mentioned when I shared my recipe for caramel cupcakes a couple of weeks ago that I’m working on creating a mix-and-match cupcake index with all my sponges, buttercreams and fillings in one place so you can create your own cupcakes using any combination you can think of. However, when I made a start on it I realised that two of my go-to cupcakes recipes (vanilla and chocolate) didn’t exist on here in cupcake form (they’re only on here as larger birthday cake recipes). Whilst it’s really easy to convert these particular recipes from large cakes, to save you the trouble of working out what to adjust I decided that I’d publish them as cupcakes too.
Have you ever cooked someone else’s recipe for them to eat, or vice versa? How did it go?
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Easy Vanilla Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
- 165 g self-raising flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 3 medium eggs
- 165 g soft margarine
- 165 g caster sugar
- A few drops of vanilla extract
- 1½ tsp milk
Extras
- 12 cupcake cases
RECIPE VIDEO
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.
- Place your cupcake cases into a muffin tin.
- Sift the self-raising flour (165g) and baking powder (1½ tsp) into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (3 medium eggs, 165g soft margarine, 165g caster sugar, a few drops of vanilla extract and 1½ tsp milk) and mix until fully combined (either by hand or using an electric mixer on a low speed).
- Divide the mixture equally between the muffin cases (I use a cupcake scoop to help split it evenly).
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool in their tins for about 10 minutes and then move them to a wire rack to cool fully before decorating.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
- Lupin-Free
I’m sharing this recipe with the following blog challenge… #CookBlogShare with Easy Peasy Foodie.
Reena says
Great recipe! But I noticed that some of my cupcakes sink ever so slightly? I used stork instead of butter. Could that be why? (I normally use butter!)
Charlotte Oates says
They should be fine with Stork (that’s what I usually use). My suspicion would be that either they were slightly underbaked when you first checked them or that you added a little too much baking powder. The baking powder needs to be measured using measuring teaspoons (as regular ones can vary a lot in size) and the spoon needs to be level. Adding a little too much will results in the cupcakes rising a little too much and the dipping as they don’t have the structure to support the extra height.
Gav says
Hey, can I use butter instead of margarine?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, just make sure that it’s soft and at room temperature so it combines easily with the other ingredients.
Carol says
Just wondering how much vanilla would you put in these. I made them today but couldn’t get much of a vanilla flavour. You say a few drops but how much would you suggest? Tsp wise?
Charlotte Oates says
I only put in a small amount. If you want a stronger vanilla flavour then I’d add 1 tsp.
Sarah says
Can I use this recipe to make a vanilla cake? What changes will I need to make?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes. You can find this recipe as a cake here:
Birthday Cake (All-In-One Vanilla Sponge)
Bina says
Hi Charlotte,
I love this recipe. I just wanted to ask that I only have large eggs. So how many large eggs would I need for this recipe?
Thanks x
Charlotte Oates says
You can switch the medium eggs for large eggs. If you do you’ll get slightly firmer cakes, but the recipe will still work (have a read here to find out more). If you want the equivalent of 3 medium eggs then I’d recommend weighing out your eggs (white and yolk, not the shell). You’ll need 150g of egg which is somewhere between 2 and 3 large eggs. You can freeze any excess egg to use later so you have no waste.
Helen says
Love this recipe…light, fluffy & super easy.
I’ve made these twice now & both times, they end up with a slightly sticky/tacky top. They were fully cooled on wire, before storing in cake tin.
Any tips to stop this happening? Or is it a trade off for moist cakes?!
Charlotte Oates says
This is the trade off for moist cakes. They are cooked at a lower temperature than a lot of other cakes you see which gives them softer edges and helps to keep them moist. If you prefer a less soft edge you could try upping the temperature by 20℃ and reducing the cooking time by a few minutes.
Kelly says
Hiya. I’m going to have a go at baking cupcakes this weekend using your recipe. Can I ask what brand of margarine you normally use please? Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
I always use Stork.
Sana says
Hi Charlotte, how should i calculate the ingredients to bake only 6 cupcakes?
Should i just half the amount of each ingredient as you have listed for 12 cupcakes?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, just divide everything by 2.
Jenny says
Love this recipe; my 3yo enjoys making it with me. Just one question, the next day the cases seem to have come away from the cupcake, do you have any idea why? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
I usually find this is down to the cases I use. I always recommend either Tesco or Dr Oetker white muffin cases.
It can sometimes happen in warmer humid weather due to the extra moisture in the air.
Suzanne says
Absolutely love these cupcakes – so simple and easy to make, they always turn out perfect. Love the flavour – we have sometimes added honey to add to the flavour and it works very well. Received loads of compliments and would definitely recommend.
Gabby says
Absolutely brilliant recipe! Works every time and tastes amazing. My go-to cupcake recipe 🙂
Nicola says
Hi there , what is the best cupcake cases to use and how long do you recommend to put the mixture in the oven for ? Does it tend to be the 18 or more like the 20 mins ?
Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
I usually use these ones or similar Tesco own brand ones.
The cooking time can depend on your oven. They should be fine to check after 18 minutes, then if they’re not quite done, pop them back in for a bit longer.
Marcelly says
They are a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!
Would they be good if in the freezer?
Thanks
Jesszar says
These were absolutely delicious! I’ve been searching for the perfect cupcake recipe and I’ve found it – I just reduced the sugar to 100g as I don’t like really sweet cupcakes.
Emma Cann says
Thank you very much as I have tried many of your recipes and they have all been fantastic! Please could you advise me of how I can make them gluten free? I am aware you can get gluten free flour but I just wanted to see if you knew whether I would need the same quantity as normal flour? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
For all of the cakes you should be fine to switch the self-raising flour for a commercial gluten-free version.
Lauren says
Amazing amazing recipe! Would I be able to use this recipe for a two tiered cake?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes. The cupcakes are adapted from my vanilla birthday cake recipe which is fine to make as two tiers. If you take a look below the recipe you’ll find a link to my calculator which will tell you the quantities you need for different sizes of tins.
Kristy says
This has become my go-to recipe, so simple and pretty much idiot proof! Everyone I share them with loves them…
Lucy Corrin says
These are amazing. However I’m not a fan of marg, what butter could it use as a sub? Salted or not?
Also the dreaded dome…it’s like a mountain! Any pointers on what to try to get it level?
Thank you! Great website for a first time baker!
Charlotte Oates says
Butter is fine. I’d use unsalted. Make sure you allow it to soften at room temperature so it’s easy to mix into the other ingredients.
I’m surprised your getting doming as I tend to find mine are always pretty flat. Some things that I know can cause more of a dome are:
* Temperature too high in the oven.
* Too much flour added to the cake mixture.
* Using larger eggs than the recipe suggests.
Kerrie says
Great recipe. Have used several times and everyone always compliments my cupcakes. Will try out the chocolate recipe next! Thanks!
Gina says
I’d like to make these with dark chocolate chips. How many grams of chips would you suggest for one batch?
Charlotte Oates says
I would really recommend adding chocolate chips to this sponge as it’s quite light so you tend to find the sink to the bottom.