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When I was asked recently to make baby shower cupcakes for a sweet friend's daughter (who's expecting a girl in October), I was not only honored, but let's just say I was tickled PINK, can you tell?
I knew, without even having to contemplate, that I'd be using this wonderful cupcake recipe. I've shared it once before on the blog with this Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream post. The recipe's from a delightful bakery in Savanna called "Back in the Days". It's an unusual recipe, not prepared like a traditional white or yellow cakec. The unique method was originated by Rose Levy Beranbaum in her classic baking book called "The Cake Bible".
Instead of creaming the butter with the sugar, then adding the dry and wet ingredients, as in most cupcake/cake recipes, the directions have a unique twist. All the dry ingredients are combined, then cold butter is added in chunks (almost like a pastry dough technique) and mixed until it looks like coarse sand. Then eggs are added, followed by milk and vanilla. After a quick mixing, you're done!
It's quite simple and you won't even believe the moist, delicious, amazingly tender results! The first time I tasted these cupcakes I said, right out loud, "Now this is what a good wedding cake should taste like!". I believe, after over 40 years of baking, always searching for the perfect yellow cake recipe, this is definitely the one!
The buttercream? It's a recipe I've developed over the years that everyone seems to love. It's got one little surprise ingredient you won't find in a classic buttercream - just a hint of cream cheese, two ounces to be exact. You almost can't tell it's there, but it adds a creaminess and a touch of delicious tang that's super amazing. If I want to take the icing right over the top, I'll scrape a vanilla bean, or add a scoop of (my treasured) vanilla bean paste, in lieu of vanilla extract, but it's not necessary.
For fun pink icing technique, I used a 2D Wilton tip. It's pretty simple (just a bunch of "squiggling") and the same is true about the beautiful ombre effect.
P.S. Ready for one more tip? This one's a little dangerous, so proceed with caution:
When mixing up a batch of these cupcakes and you've got all the ingredients pulled out, go ahead, measure a second time and load up a zippered bag with the dry ingredients. Store this "cake mix" in the pantry or freezer. Next time someone asks you to make your famously delicious cupcakes, just pull out the bag, add butter, eggs and milk, and in no time flat, your little kitchen will be wafting with delicious aroma reminiscent of that fine little bakery in Savannah. See what I mean; almost too easy; and that little bag in your pantry/freezer could be dangerously tempting, calling out your name when you least expect it.
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- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup cake flour
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cup sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter not softened but remove from refridg and allow to warm for about 15 minutes
- 4 large eggs
- Butter Cream recipe below
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Preheat oven to 350° Line cupcake pans with 32 cupcake liners. Combine milk and vanilla in a measuring cup and set aside. Break eggs into a small bowl and set aside.
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Place the cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of stand mixer and stir together for 30 seconds using paddle attachment.
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With mixer on low, drop in butter, a few cubes at a time continuing until all butter is in and mixer resembles coarse sand.
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Add eggs one at a time on low speed. With mixer still on low slowly pour in milk and vanilla. Turn mixer to medium and beat for 2 minutes until batter is smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
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Scoop batter into cupcake liners filling cups with about ¼ cup each. Cups will be just slightly over half full - don't be tempted to over-fill. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until centers are set and toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Adapted from Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook
- 8 ounces butter softened
- 2 ounces cream cheese regular or low fat, not fat-free
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½-3 tablespoons of cream or whole milk
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In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip the butter and cream cheese until soft and fluffy, about 1 minutes. I like to use the whisk attachment for my mixer.
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Reduce speed to low and slowly add 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is pretty well incorporated, increase speed to medium high and beat for 1 minute.
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Stop the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the other 3 cups of powdered sugar. Start out on slow speed again until sugar is mixed in the increase to medium high. Beat for another minute. Mixture will be very thick
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Add vanilla and 1 ½ tablespoons milk and beat until nice creamy consistency is reached. You made need to add more milk, add just a teaspoonful at a time until desired consistency is reach. You want a creamy but fairly thick consistency, if you're planning on piping the icing. If spreading with a knife, the icing can be a bit thinner. Beat for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl several times during mixing.
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Ice with a knife or pipe on icing with a decorating bag and tip. For the cupcakes pictured, I used a 2D Wilton tip, also known as a flower tip. For the pink ombre effect, I painted a few lines of food coloring inside my decorating bag before adding the icing.
Makes 32 average size cupcakes
Mary Elizaeth says
Can I use this recipe to make 2 - 9 inch layer cakes?Love all your recipes and I’m following all your travels thank you so much!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Mary Elizabeth. I haven't tried that but I think you would need to double the recipe to make two nice 9-inch layers.
Courtney says
Perfect! Moist and flavorful. I made these for my daughter’s birthday. I loved the neat butter technique used. These look beautiful and taste even better! I did make a different icing since I’m not a huge buttercream fan so I can’t speak to the icing. Will be making this recipe for many birthdays to come. Thanks Chris!
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome! So happy you enjoyed them, Courtney!
Kathy says
I made these yesterday and they are the best cupcakes ever especially the frosting!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, thanks so much for letting us know 🙂
juli says
Hi, question i only have one cupcake pan which holds 12 cupcakes, can i have the batter on the counter waiting while the others cupcakes are in the oven? I am afraid the batter may spoil. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Juli,
I haven't tried that with this batter. Some batters are more forgiving than others. I know that won't work with angel food cake but I would think you should be okay with this batter, though I can't say for sure.
Joyce Y. says
Just made these. I have tried at least a dozen vanilla recipes. This is the one I will use from now on. Fine delicate crumb, great flavor, and moist. Thanks.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for your feedback Joyce! So glad you enjoyed them!
Sasha says
Hi!
I've been looking EVERYWHERE for a cupcake recipe that fits to my serving option! LOVE LOVE LOVE this!
Chris Scheuer says
It's a real classic Shasha, so delicious!
Melissa says
Loved the buttercream recipe. I was wondering how far ahead can I make the buttercream frosting and how should it be stored?
Chris Scheuer says
You could make the buttercream a few days in advance and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Let it come to room temp and then beat or whisk again before using.
Sara lee says
Can u recommend some cake flour brands or can I use all purpose flour?
Chris Scheuer says
I use Swans Down cake flour. It will give better results than all purpose flour.
Karissa L. says
How unfortunate...
These past few weeks I have been on a hunt to find "the best vanilla cupcakes" as well as satisfy my sugar cravings. I was particularly trying to find a vanilla cupcake that was "soft" and "fluffy". In a way, I was looking for a light, angel food-like cupcake. So I searched and searched tirelessly, and I finally this recipe. It was one of the top links shown on Google and the comments from other people seemed decent; it was golden.
With such confidence, I tried the recipe.
I did exactly as it was directed, step by step, double-checking, tripe-checking everything. The batter looked superb. Smooth and heavenly. Just like I wanted. Then I popped it in the oven.
Note: This cupcake is a bit slow cooking within the 18 minutes, but right when it passes the 18 minutes, it gets cooked really fast So, I recommend taking it out 19-20 minutes ASAP or it'll get TOO brown. And my oven's heat was a bit less than 350 degrees.
You can tell when you're cooking a great dish in the oven when the smell seeps out of it into your house. Sadly, the smell was strange, meaning not normal-smelling for vanilla cupcakes.
When I took a bite into it, my anticipation dropped, exponentially. It tasted like corn and grainy, if that makes sense. The texture was all there. The fluffiness, the bounciness., and the softness. But the taste was peculiar. I was desiring for that homemade vanilla cupcake taste that you can't find anywhere else. I wanted to believe badly and commend Chris' recipe, but it just wasn't superb.
Great on texture, but iffy on taste.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for taking the time to leave your experience with these cupcakes. So sorry you did not enjoy them. I do hate wasting good ingredients, especially cake flour and butter, which are expensive.
I guess everyone does have different taste in cupcakes – we thought these were amazing and the culmination of a long search – I too had searched high and wide for a wonderful vanilla cupcake recipe. To me, these are like a really good wedding cake (which to be honest, I haven’t had many of). I’ve gotten comments and lots of email from others who have gone crazy over these cupcakes also. I do hope you find your perfect cupcake!
One thought - I'm wondering if any of your ingredients could have been "off" as I can't imagine a strange aroma coming from the oven when the cake is comprised of simply butter, sugar, flour, vanilla, eggs and whole milk, I'm not sure what to think about that??
Shirin Nayebi says
Amp up the vanilla. And a little tiny almond extract. Most vanilla cakes from our childhood were heavy on vanilla. Also you might be looking for more of a chiffon cake which you can make into cupcakes. I’ve baked from rose levy Beranbaum for 15 years. She’s the queen of cakes and this recipe is right up there near perfection
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Shirin!
Johanny says
Can I store these cupcakes for the next day? If so, do I refrigerate them?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Johanny, If I was going to store them for the next day, I would actually freeze them on a sheet pan. Once they're frozen, cover them with plastic wrap. Thaw for a few hours before serving.
Jessica says
Can I substitute Almond milk for the Whole Milk? Has anyone tried this?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jessica, I haven't tried almond milk, sorry. Perhaps one of the other readers will have.
henry says
I tested three other vanilla cupcake recipes and this was by far the BEST!! So light fluffy and moist. Also loved the frosting.
Im making a cake and these cupcakes for a party this weekend. I have to priortize my baking as I work long hours. Can I make the cupcakes on Wednesday if the party is Saturday , and still taste fresh? How far ahead can I make the frosting, and store it til ready for use?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Henry, yes you can make the cupcakes ahead and freeze them. You can even ice them ahead and just pull them out 4-6 hours to thaw.
Gayathri Babu says
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I made it for my daughter's birthday. It came out so good. The kids loved it so much. Thanks again.
Farienne Alexander says
Also...do you think I can substitute half of the butter in the buttercream recipe for shortening? It's too hot down here for an all butter buttercream. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Farienne! I think it would work fine. The flavor might not be quite as amazing but probably no one else will notice.
Farienne Alexander says
OMG!! All the way down here in Curaçao (Caribbean), we are quite impressed 🙂 These are indeed the best ever tasting vanilla cupcakes.