3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the butter and use electric hand beaters on medium-low speed to combine the mixture to sandy. There still may be a few small bits of butter, that’s ok!
Gradually pour in half of the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla and remaining milk together and pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated. Scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side or the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue mixing on high speed until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes.
Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins, dividing between the 12 cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and butter. Using electric hand beaters, on low, start to incorporate the two. Combine the milk and the vanilla extract and slowly stream it into the butter and sugar mixture. Once incorporated, turn the mixer to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes. If you find that your frosting is getting to warm in the summer months, stop beating and set in the fridge for a few minutes. Once chilled, hook the frosting back up the the mixer and beat once more until you reach the desired consistency.
Whip in desired food coloring.
Use an offset spatula or butterknife to spread frosting on each cupcake. Top generously with sprinkles and enjoy! Cupcakes will last covered at cool room temperature for 3 days.
Reviews
Bethany on 2021-09-06 (5 stars): Bianca, I just made these chocolate! I added 1/4c cocoa powder and subbed hot coffee for the whole milk in the cake. I left the frosting as is and they were delicious!
Hannah on 2022-09-07 (5 stars): Okay, to be fair, they are still in the oven, but so far the batter looks great. :-) I added lemon zest to the sugar before adding flour, and I’m planning to add a tad bit of lemon juice to the frosting.
For the record, since the quantity of batter is intended to be *just barely* enough, each cupcake worked out to 42 grams of batter by my calculation.
Faye on 2024-01-16 (5 stars): This is a delicious recipe for birthdays and other fun occasions.
Faye on 2024-01-16 (5 stars): Brilliant recipe! And it is easy to follow.
Samantha on 2024-03-22 (5 stars): The perfect recipe! Delicious! Easy! Made with butter which is a must and having these in a small batch is accessible and special. The fact that it is also ingredient I pretty much always have on hand is the frosting on top of the cupcake! ? my sister loved them so much she wants them for her birthday! 11 stars!
Melissa on 2024-04-11 (5 stars): Cupcakes turned out delicious, recipe was easy to follow. I took them to work and everyone enjoyed. I did not make the icing recipe as I have my own
Evan Robish on 2025-11-21 (5 stars): Thank you for more than a recipe!!! This is a Blessipe!! I bake so much, making goodies for heroes who volunteer at a place that really helps those in need in my county. This recipe is delicious and is saving me money!! It works for all kinds of special cupcakes such as pineapple upside down or coffee cake. Thank you!!!!!
