I adore Dan Lepard. And I adore his vanilla cupcakes recipe. Dan’s one of those precise bakers and cookbook writers who, when he says “beat for 30 seconds,” means “beat for EXACTLY 30 seconds.” No more and no less. And you better listen, because he not only takes the guesswork out of baking, he always adds a little somethin’ somethin’ to make his recipes sublimely superlative. For example, with these vanilla cupcakes, he’s added a smidge more flour than is customary to give them a buttery, pound-cake-like texture. The vanilla frosting, which in the hands of someone else would have been a standard-issue confectioners’ sugar version that tends to set my teeth on edge, turns silken with the simple yet genius addition of sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream. Oh, hell, stop listening to me and just make the darn things, won’t you?!–David Leite
LC What He Said Note
We can’t think of a single thing to add to David’s little outpouring of emotion above. Nothing at all. Just, you know, what he said.
Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- For the cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2/3 cup superfine sugar (or just blitz granulated sugar in a blender until finely ground but not powdery)
- 9 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- For the frosting
- 5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Make the cupcakes
- 1. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl.
- 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the superfine sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla on the highest speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and beat for 30 seconds.
- 3. Spoon the batter into 10 paper liners placed in the cups of a muffin tin. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- 4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
- 5. Bake the cupcakes until golden and firm, 20 to 25 minutes. The interior of the cupcakes should be very light and fluffy. [Editor’s Note: Looks like you better designate at least 1 cupcake as your tester—just so you can be certain that the cupcakes are perfectly done, of course.] Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting
- 6. The butter should be as soft as possible without being melted. Place it in the clean bowl of the stand mixer, add the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and cream, and beat until smooth and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- 7. Swirl the frosting thickly over the top of each cupcake. If by some uncanny turn of circumstances you have any cupcakes left over, don’t worry; the frosting will keep its shape if left at cool room temperature.
No Stand Mixer Required Variation
Making cupcakes—or any butter-rich cake—by hand with a wooden spoon requires a slightly different, but still traditional, tactic than the one explained in the instructions below if you want to get the right results. Warm your mixing bowl with a splash of boiling water, then wipe it dry. Measure the sugar and butter into the bowl, making sure the butter is very soft. Beat them together with a wooden spoon until smooth and slightly fluffy. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add them, a little at a time, to the butter and sugar, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. (We know what you’re thinking. But whereas an electric mixer can produce great results beating the butter, sugar, and eggs all at once, this more gradual method works best when working by hand.) Combine the flour and baking powder with the butter mixture in batches, again adding about 1/4 flour mixture at a time. Stop beating as soon as the mixture is smooth. (And be sure to sift your dry ingredients together first to get the lightest result. The author tested this, it’s true.) Spoon the batter into the paper liners and let them sit for a while for a lighter result, or bake right away if you’re in a hurry . (Don’t stress over this. The difference is slight.)
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I am always looking for fabulous yet easy cupcake recipes – the kind of treat we all love to have on hand – and these sound great. I will be trying them. I normally make a chocolate frosting for vanilla cupcakes but you make Dan’s sound perfect for these babies.
Jamie, and when you do try them, let me now what you think! Send pictures. We love pictures.
This recipe sounds lovely. Just wish the flour measurement was given also by weight as the cup measurement varies so much from recipe to recipe. This can make or break any recipe.
Susan, I hear you. We’re trying to add weights as much as we can these days, as more people are actually buying scales. The howls of protest when we listed just weights years ago were so loud, we backed off. The flour weight is 188 grams.
Thanks David!
Just doing my job, ma’am.
Can anyone tell me how do I measure the butter without scales?
Should I melt it then freeze it?
Hi Sana, how is your butter packaged?
This recipe is so simple and quick to do. The consistency and the look of the butter for this cupcake recipes look very similar to a buttercream frosting. Initially I thought the cupcake might not be able to rise up but in the end it rises up and looks very smooth, even, and beautiful. For the butter, I simply wait for it to become super soft and I use a measuring spoon to scrape it out.
GL, magnificent to hear that you love this recipe as much as we do! Great tip on softening the butter, too, thank you!