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Enjoy these tasty vanilla mini cupcakes with this simple and delicious recipe. Their softness makes them a perfect match for any frosting, and they're great for all occasions!
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this recipe
- Ingredients Notes
- How to make Vanilla Mini Cupcakes
- Frosting ideas for cupcakes
- Tips for this recipe
- Storage
- More Cupcake Recipes
- Vanilla Mini Cupcakes
This vanilla mini cupcake recipe is a delightful twist on my classic vanilla bean cupcakes! These tiny cakes are incredibly moist, easy to make, and perfect for delightful sweet bites on any occasion.
Like classic cupcakes, they are prepared with simple ingredients, these mini cupcakes come together in no time, are easy to customize, and pair perfectly with various frosting recipes like vanilla buttercream or your favorite chocolate buttercream.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and Easy Recipe - These little treats are a breeze to make at home with my tips for success and best results.
- Moist and Fluffy - They have the perfect, soft, and light texture with a sweet vanilla flavor.
- Customizable - You can flavor them to suit your preferences and satisfy everyone's tastes.
- Pairs with Any Frosting - Whether it's buttercream, whipped ganache, or meringue, the options are endless for pairing.
- Perfect mini desserts - Whether as gourmet mini bites for a birthday parties, a wedding buffet or just to satisfy your sweet tooth.
More Vanilla recipes? Give these a try, Vanilla bean macarons, Vanilla whipped ganache, Vanilla birthday cake and Vanilla muffins.
Ingredients Notes
You need these ingredients to make these mini vanilla cupcakes:
- Butter - Unsalted and well-softened (not melted butter). For a vegetable oil based version, use this vanilla cupcake with oil.
- Sugar - Very fine granulated sugar or light brown sugar.
- Eggs - At room temperature.
- Milk - Buttermilk if possible or as a substitute, milk, sour cream or yogurt, refer to the recipe notes for substitutions.
- Flour - Preferably cake flour, or all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder - Be mindful of the quantities.
- Vanilla and Salt - Pure vanilla extract and table salt.
How to make Vanilla Mini Cupcakes
Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the main recipe card below!
Step 1: Place the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until creamy.
Step 2: Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again with an electric mixer for 2 minutes to incorporate well.
Step 3: Mix and sift together the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder and salt.
Step 4: Mix in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk alternately in batches, using a flexible spatula to blend until smooth.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C and prepare a mini muffin tin with small cupcake liners.
Step 6: Pour the cupcake batter into the mini cupcake liners, filling them halfway (no more than ¾ full) to prevent the batter from overflowing during baking.
Bake: Bake the mini cupcakes in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool slightly before removing from the mini cupcake pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.
Decorate: Decorate the chilled mini-cupcakes with a piping bag and your frosting and place in the fridge before serving.
Frosting ideas for cupcakes
- Buttercreams: American buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, Italian buttercream, Russian buttercream, French buttercream.
- Chocolate ganache: Chocolate ganache, Vanilla ganache, Milk chocolate ganache, Nutella ganache, Salted caramel ganache.
- Mascarpone frostings: Vanilla mascarpone frosting, chocolate mascarpone frosting, Strawberry frosting, Raspberry frosting, Blueberry frosting, Oreo frosting.
- Others: Cream Cheese frosting, sugar paste, marzipan,
Tips for this recipe
- Measure ingredients carefully: Use an electronic scale rather than measuring cup to weigh the ingredients. Adding too much flour or too much liquid can alter the texture of the cupcakes.
- Ingredients at room temperature: Take the butter and egg out of the fridge ahead of time to ensure a hom*ogenous cupcake batter.
- Gently fold in the dry ingredients: Use a rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients, to avoid over-mixing the batter.
- Bake time: Mini cupcakes are ready when they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a mini cupcake comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Allow to cool completely: Let the baked cupcakes cool completely before decorating with the topping, otherwise the frosting will melt and not hold on to the cupcakes.
Storage
Fridge/room temperature: Store these little cupcakes without frosting can be stored at room temperature under a plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 1 week. Frosted mini cupcakes should be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Freeze: You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a storage box or in a freezer bag.
Variations & Substitutions
- Chocolate Chip Vanilla Mini Cupcakes: Fold in mini dark chocolate chips into the vanilla cupcake batter for a delightful chocolatey twist.
- Mini chocolate cupcakes: Add unsweetened cocoa powder as in this chocolate cupcake recipe to make a version of dark chocolate mini cupcakes.
- Mini red velvet cupcakes: A light chocolate flavor and red color comm this recipe for mini red velvet cupcakes.
- Mini lemon cupcakes: Add lemon zest and a splash of lemon juice to the batter for a zesty and refreshing flavor.
- Berry Burst Vanilla Mini Cupcakes: Gently fold in fresh or frozen berries like blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries for a fruity surprise.
- Coconut Vanilla Mini Cupcakes: Mix in shredded coconut into the batter for a tropical and slightly nutty flavor.
- Caramel Vanilla Mini Cupcakes: Drizzle caramel sauce over the cooled cupcakes and add a pinch of sea salt for a sweet and salty treat.
- Nutella-Stuffed Vanilla Mini Cupcakes: Fill each cupcake liner halfway, add a small spoonful of Nutella or peanut butter, then top with more batter for a gooey Nutella surprise inside.
- Cookies and Cream Vanilla Mini Cupcakes: Crush Oreo cookies and fold them into the batter like in these Oreo cupcakes.
More Cupcake Recipes
- Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
- Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
- Blueberry Cupcakes
I hope you love these small vanilla cupcakes. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!
Vanilla Mini Cupcakes
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- Author: Fadela
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 24 mini cupcakes
Description
Recipe for super moist, vanilla-flavored mini cupcakes (for 24 mini cupcakes) for more cupcakes double the quantities.
Ingredients
- 50 g (¼ cup) Unsalted Butter - Softened
- 75 g (⅓ cup) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg - Room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 67 g (¼ cup) Buttermilk
- 75 g (½ cup) Cake flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- A pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare a mini cupcake tin with mini paper liners.
- In a bowl, mix and sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, place the softened butter and granulated sugar, and beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute until you have a creamy mixture.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and beat for another approximately 2 minutes.
- Finish by alternately adding the dry ingredient mixture and the buttermilk in several portions, and mix with a spatula until you have a hom*ogeneous batter.
- Pour the batter into the paper liners, filling them halfway (no more than ¾ full to avoid overflowing during baking).
- Bake the mini cupcakes in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until they are nicely golden and cooked in the center (check by inserting a toothpick into the center of a mini cupcake; it should come out clean).
- Let the mini cupcakes cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Decorate your mini cupcakes with frosting once they are completely cooled.
Notes
Storage: Up to 1 week at room temperature and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Substituting Buttermilk: You can replace buttermilk with an equal amount of milk with a little vinegar or lemon juice, or a combination of yogurt and milk, or a mixture of sour cream and milk.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: cupcakes, cakes
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cupcake
- Calories: 44
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 103.3 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.8 g
- Protein: 0.6 g
- Cholesterol: 12.5 mg
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