I am looking for a good vanilla cupcake recipe, the one I have been using is ok, but the batter overflows and its hard to get the cupcakes out of the pain without breaking them.. any suggestions? Am I over filling the cupcake pans? Thanks

Are you using cupcake liners in your pan? Yes, you are likely over filling. Fill only about 2/3.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes 24

2/3 cup butter ( if using unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon salt to recipe)

1 3/4 cup white granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups whole fat milk

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Or

To make only 1 dozen

1/3 cup butter ( if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to recipe.

3/4 +1/8 cup of white granulated sugar

1 large egg

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 +1/8 cup whole fat milk

1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

METHOD:

Preheat oven to either 350 f or 375 f.  At 350 f the cupcakes take about 18-23 minutes. At 375 f they take about 15- 18 minutes.

Using paddle attachment, soften butter.  Add sugar and cream on medium -( about 6 on a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer) for 8-10 minutes.  Add eggs separately, mixing on medium for 30 seconds after each egg is added.  In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt if needed. Measure milk and add vanilla to milk. Alternate adding flour in three parts, milk in to - to creamed butter/sugar mixture. Mix on medium speed only until well combined. Do not over mix.  Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full. You may find that you actually get 13 out of a half recipe, and 26 out of the full recipe but baking pans vary a bit in size.

Thank you for the recipe!  I do use cupcake liners, I am probably filling them up too much, Again thanks.. I have an order for cupcakes next week.  Again thanks!

You are very welcome.

I just made these cupcakes and they came out perfect!! Thanks again!

Wonderful, glad it worked out for you.

SquirrellyCakes: this may be a dumb question, but does this recipe also do well when baking a cake instead of cupcakes? I know some recipes do awesome for one, but not the other. My current vanilla cake recipe does amazing for cake, but my cupcakes shrink almost every time. The cake also shrinks some, but not a lot. I then read somewhere that because cupcakes are so much smaller, some cake recipes don't transfer well into cupcakes and vice versa. 

There are no dumb questions but sometimes there are dumb answers.

I have read that too about cake recipes not working for cupcakes but in all honesty - other than an angel food cake recipe, I haven't found it to be true.

I think maybe the issue might be that different batters rise differently. So I guess the issue is going to be that if you follow the typical recommendation for cupcakes - of filling the cups 2/3 full - not all cakes will rise the same. For some - you may only need to fill the cups half full and they may only take 18 minutes to bake. Others need to be filled 2/3 full and take 22 minutes. Some will bake  with slightly rounded edges but mostly flat tops. Others will have huge rounded tops. So I think maybe the way the tops turn out is the issue.

One exception though, may be cakes with fruit or vegetables in the ingredients. For example - some carrot, zucchini, fresh apples or peaches etc cakes. Because cupcakes cook for such a short time, there isn't enough time for the fruit to cook.

Cakes that tend to shrink or flatten as they cool are often cakes with very rich batters. I have a carrot cake recipe that sinks a tad in the middle and have made a few chocolate cakes that had rounded tops that sunk a bit when cooled. It seems to be related to how high a fat content these cakes had. I don't worry about it because I love the cake results regardless. Some might say that the structure isn't sound and that is why these results happen. But if you are happy with the results, why look for something else.

I haven't used this recipe to bake a cake. I actually got this recipe from a Wilton site member  and tested it for her as she was having trouble getting it to work.  I tried it and so liked the results, it became one of my two favourite recipes for vanilla cupcakes. I haven't measured it out so I am not sure how much batter it will produce. But if you measure it, try filling a two inch deep pan 2/3 full. My best guess would be that you could get two eight inch round cakes out of the one recipe but I don't think they would be the full two inches deep. I would grease and flour the pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. I would bake at 325-350F for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs, no wet batter. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes before removing. If you find that the tops are too rounded, the next time try leaving the batter filled pans on the counter for 25 minutes before baking.

Thank you very much for the helpful and in depth reply! I think I will try this out today. :) I appreciate you taking the time to write me back. :) 

You are very welcome.

Saw this isn't and wanted to ask if there's a difference in using regular granulated sugar and superfine sugar in baking cakes and cupcakes. Is the sweetness level affected or the texture? Any advantages to one over the other?

Funny you should ask because there was a good quality brand name special fine sugar for sale here around Christmas and I stocked up on it. I noted that all of my Christmas cookies turned out extra good. The chewy ones were chewier, the cookies browned nicer. I also found my cakes more moist.

Usually the only thing I use superfine sugar for is my angel food cakes and actually I normally run regular sugar through my food processor. I am not sure if the special fine is quite as fine as superfine but it is finer than regular good brand name sugar.

Superfine sugar should mean that the particles are smaller so there will be less space around the particles and therefore you would actually be using more sugar if you measure by the cup and not by weight. So if you measure by displacement which is measuring by the cup then yes, things will be a bit more sweet.

One thing I have noticed is that if I buy some of the really cheap brands of regular granulated sugar - the particles are quite a bit bigger. So I have stopped doing so.

You really should use the kind of sugar that is called for in a recipe unless you are experimenting But the size of the particles does have an effect in the creaming process and the leavening process also.

Squirrelly cakes:

i treid this recipe with cupcakes, but I must be doing something wrong. Took them out of the oven at 18 mins, they passed toothpick test, but upon further inspection they were glossy looking on top, as if they weren't done. I touched one, and my finger indent stayed there. I put them back in the over two more mins, same thing. I put them back in three more, same thing. Do they just look this way, or did I do something wrong? They have been in over 25 minutes now at 350. 

They are a bit shiny looking  - almost sticky on top - but I don't think you should get a big indent issue with them.  I don't actually test them with the "springs right back" indent method.

How many did you make with the recipe? Did you bake in the centre of the oven? My oven is quick but they should be done in 23 minutes  in most ovens.

Did you use whole or 2% milk?

I was just signing on here to mention the exact same thing! None of the different cupcake recipes I've tried looked done, but the toothpick came out clean after 16-17 min.  They taste a bit underdone, but don't look it. I had a slight indent on the top when I touched them with my finger also, but not anything big. Mine were also glossy and sticky to touch this morning. All 3 recipes I tried were from scratch - 2 almost identical. The last one was Williams-Sonoma Vanilla Cupcake and the first batch was the same. Not done looking, but tested clean on the pick after 16-17 min.  Made one more batch of that one and did everything exactly the same, but had to leave the batter out for no longer than 4-5 minutes getting side tracked. When I came back it was very airy looking. I scooped it into the liners and cooked 20 minutes to see if it would be dry or not and not have that doughy taste. Well, they sunk in the middle terribly!

I think cakes are easier to bake than cupcakes! Finicky little things.... LOL 

I baked on the middle rack. My oven has 5 rack positions. I use position no. 3 which actually looks low, not in the middle. I use to cook on the one above it, but saw on GSA video to bake on the lower one. I think I like the upper one better!

If you leave a batter to sit before putting it in the pan, it can start to separate and even rise in the bowl if your kitchen is warm. But 5 minutes isn't a long time. If you have to let it sit before putting in the pan, give it a quick stir before putting it in the pan. I have never seen the batter get bubbly. That is odd. It would if it sits a long time though. You are better off putting the batter in the pan and letting it sit, even up to 25 minutes in the pan. But not in the bowl. The reason is that the gasses that create the air bubbles that create the rise - are already at work and if you leave it too long, then when you spoon it into the pan, you are breaking down the air bubbles. But 5 minutes in the bowl should have been ok unless your kitchen is extremely hot.

Do not overmix. That is really important.

Are you baking on convection? If you are, you may have to bake on a different rack. Normally I bake cupcakes in the centre of the oven.

Not sure what temperature you are using but for most ovens - if you baked at 350F - that is a short time.

What is GSA? Sorry, but I have no idea what that stands for.

I do not bake until a toothpick comes out clean ever. I make sure there is no wet batter on the toothpick but a couple of crumbs is a good thing.

How many cupcakes did you get out of the recipe? You should get a few more than the 24 out of the full recipe.

The funny thing is that I got this recipe from a fairly new baker on the Wilton site. She posted that she had no success with it and asked what was wrong with it. So I tested it for her at both temperatures but following my normal mixing method. And not only did it work out fine, but I use it more often than other recipes I was using. And nearly everyone I gave it to has had success with it.

These cupcakes do look shiny and the tops will be sticky to the touch but certainly not uncooked. Maybe you are expecting them to look like a cakemix cupcake? They will bake more flat if you leave the batter filled pans on the counter for about 25 minutes before baking. Also, if you want them to bake flatter follow the recommended number of cupcakes on the recipe.

What kind of baking powder are you using? You aren't using self-rising flour, right?

I am going to test out attaching a photo to a post. A couple of weeks ago I made 48 Minion cupcakes for our part of a potluck for my granddaughter's daycare. I used this recipe and it was a really big hit. I was so tired when I finished that I took the picture with them in the box.

Holy cupcakes, it worked! I have never been able to attach a picture to Cake Central no matter what version of the system was up  at any time. Yey, finally I don't feel so technically challenged. (Of course my success has nothing to do with me - it is all Jackie's hard work but even I can use it now.)

Ughh... Just lost my post to you Squirrelly so I'll try it again!

Your cupcakes are ADORABLE!!! :) GSA stands for Global Sugar Arts. I love their Youtube videos that I just discovered.

My oven is not convection and I baked the cupcakes at 350. I have two oven thermometers and both register 350 when I set it there. I baked 12 cupcakes at a time and they were done in 16 -17 min but I left the second batch in a bit longer. The centers sunk on those as they were cooling (that was the batch I left out for 5 min.) I believe my kitchen is about 75 degrees with the air conditioner on low. As for flour I used AP bleached flour - not self rising, and Rumford Baking Powder that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I did use the superfine sugar. The box said to use equal amounts of superfine as regular. I used Plugra European unsalted butter and added the salt. I sifted the flour, salt and baking powder together after measuring. Eggs butter and milk were at room temp.

I wonder if my cupcake pans are anodized and I need to lower the temp to 325 from 350. GSA in one of the videos on baking a cake stated that anodized pans hold more heat so the oven temp should be lowered. I wonder if mine are anodized and cooking faster therefore I have shorter cooking times. I use a Wilton Baker's Best that I borrowed from a friend. It holds 24 cupcakes. I use a Wilton older and heavier pan that holds 12 cupcakes for the batch I described above and baked 12 at a time. I also have 2 Home Essential pans that I really like. I doubt they are anodized. I am not sure about the other 2 I mentioned.

I got 12 cupcakes out of each batch I did. I baked a Vanilla Cupcake recipe today too from Williams-Sonoma and it was very, very good as well. Same results using the same pan - done in a shorter period of time. Can it be because I'm only cooking 12 at a time testing recipes?

I was wondering if I could double the Williams-Sonoma recipe to bake 24 at a time. Do I just double all the ingredients? The baking powder called for is 1-1/2 tsp so that would be a full tablespoon if I double the recipe. Sounds like a lot. The recipe took less flour than most for 12 cupcakes. It was 1-1/4 cups to 1-1/2 tsp baking powder.

 Can't wait to see more of  your pictures!  

Squirrelly cakes: Thank you for the reply! I think I figured out my problem. I used too much butter! I don't know what I was thinking,mbut I realized I used two sticks (1 cup) butter instead of 2/3 cup. I baked another batch, and they came out much better this time. i baked them 23 minutes on 350. They came out a little glossy, but a lot more bouncy to the touch. I love your minion cupcakes, too! Thanks a million! 

Sparkledee: 

Yes, cupcakes are so finicky. :) Everyone who doesn't bake seems to think they are easier, but I can do a cake better with more consistent results every time! Good luck to you as well with this recipe. Mine definitely came out better the second time around.  Let us know if you try this one again and how they turn out. 

I hope you both have an awesome and blessed weekend! 

sparkledee3, superfine sugar is the wrong sugar to use in this recipe unless you are doing this recipe measurements by weight. You use superfine in angel food cake and meringues. If you use it in a cake recipe, you must first weigh the regular fine sugar that the recipe calls for and then use the same weight in the superfine sugar. Otherwise you are using more sugar than what the cake recipe calls for. This is likely why you are having a problem with this recipe.

Some sites may say they are interchangeable but that is not totally accurate. In a cake recipe they are only interchangeable if you replace it by weight.

Regular good brands of fine granulated sugar are larger particles so there is more air space around the particles. Therefore they take up more space and you use less sugar than you use with smaller particles of superfine sugar. If you buy the really cheap fine granulated sugar - where I live it is sold in what looks like milk cartons- the particles of sugar are larger still so you actually use less sugar if you measure by displacement or cup measurements.  And less sugar also ends up meaning your recipe won't turn out as well plus it won't cream as well.

This recipe is designed to use regular fine granulated sugar. If you are going to use superfine you need to weigh the 1 3/4 cups of regular fine granulated sugar and replace it by the same weight of your superfine sugar. You need to do the same thing with that other recipe you are trying.

Mybearsbaby, glad you figured out you were using too much butter. I usually recommend this recipe because for new bakers, it hasn't got a lot of ingredients or a difficult method and the results are usually very good. When it doesn't turn out, it is normally an ingredient mix up. I have screwed up ingredients once or twice or a zillion times myself over the years, haha. Have a great weekend too

sparkledee3, yes for that Williams Sonoma recipe you would double the baking powder to make the 24 cupcakes.

Squirrelly- I've been having so much trouble with my computer! I lost a long post to you last night and a photo I uploaded.  Frustrating! I don't like all this typing from my phone but I wanted to say your rose cake done with cream cheese is my favorite! So soft and pretty.

I'm working on a timeline as to when I'll make filling, frosting, cupcakes etc. Shower is next Saturday and I want as little stres or mishaps as possible. LOL  For icing made a few days ahead, do I bring it to room temp then mix it again? Or mix it cold from the fridge? For how long and what speed on the KA? I'll make the cupcakes Friday night. What's the best way to keep them fresh for Saturday? Any helpful tips for the timeline would be greatly appreciated! Trying to figure out how much BC I will need for 60 cupcakes plus a ruffle.

Squirrelly- I've been having so much trouble with my computer! I lost a long post to you last night and a photo I uploaded.  Frustrating! I don't like all this typing from my phone but I wanted to say your rose cake done with cream cheese is my favorite! So soft and pretty.

I'm working on a timeline as to when I'll make filling, frosting, cupcakes etc. Shower is next Saturday and I want as little stres or mishaps as possible. LOL  For icing made a few days ahead, do I bring it to room temp then mix it again? Or mix it cold from the fridge? For how long and what speed on the KA? I'll make the cupcakes Friday night. What's the best way to keep them fresh for Saturday? Any helpful tips for the timeline would be greatly appreciated! Trying to figure out how much BC I will need for 60 cupcakes plus a ruffle.

Squirrelly these are my practice photos at different stages. There's a tight ruffle and loose, the fondant flower I practiced, that was so much fun and easy! I'm having a hard time with the zig zag  looking nice (not shown). Took a while to figure out the hood so it's not rectangular! LOL 

I attached them and the were right side up but look upside down after uploading. Hmmmm...

I think I started practicing using canned icing but have moved o to testing homemade as you know. ;) I think I can do this!!