Small Batch Cupcake Recipe – An easy and delicious recipe for 5 vanilla cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. VIDEO below!
Sometimes you just need a cupcake. This is life, friends. Cake, topped with frosting and sprinkles is a necessity in my world, and it should be in yours too.
For those times that you’re craving a cupcake, you need a quick dessert, or you’re baking for just a few people – this is the recipe to have at the ready. Five cupcakes, made from scratch, ready in minutes. It doesn’t get much better.
I have to tell you that these are some of the best and easiest vanilla cupcakes I have ever made. They are soft, moist, and flavorful. I top the cupcakes with a quick vanilla buttercream which is the perfect addition. My family goes crazy for these.
And since we don’t really need a reason to make these, I whip these up more often than I’d like to admit.
Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
- This recipe is super simple
- It creates only a few dishes
- The cupcakes taste amazing – they’re loaded with vanilla
- No extra cupcakes sitting around to tempt you
For those times when you need a little sweet pick me up, look no further. This small batch vanilla cupcake recipe will have you diving in to a perfect vanilla cupcake in no time.
Prefer a small batch of chocolate cupcakes (here)! Want to top these with Strawberry Frosting, check out this recipe (cut it in half).
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: SMALL BATCH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour, see note
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup milk, preferably whole or 2% milk
Vanilla Frosting:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons milk, I used whole milk
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 5 muffin cups or place 5 liners in a muffin pan.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg and sugar for about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla extract and melted butter and whisk until well combined.
- Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Add the milk, and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until combined (being careful not to overmix).
- Divide the batter evenly between 5 muffin cups (each cup will be between 2/3 and 3/4 full). Bake for 14-16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- Beat powdered sugar and butter until smooth. Add vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of milk. Beat on medium speed for several minutes, until light and fluffy. If the frosting appears too thick, add an additional teaspoon of milk, if it appears too thin add a little more powdered sugar.
- Frost the cupcakes using a butter knife. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
Allison says
Loved these! Needed something simple and sweet with ingredients I already had on hand and those were just right! Will definitely make again!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Daphne says
Hi! Can I use buttermilk instead of regular milk? Thank you!
Allison says
I would not recommend it for this recipe, I think it might make the cupcakes too tangy.
Eryka says
My 3 year old asked to make cupcakes at 8 pm on Friday night so this recipe was perfect with all stuff I had on hand. I did find them SUPER buttery though, 4tbsp in cake and 3 tbsp in frosting, right?
Allison says
Yes, that’s correct. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Tamara Folsom says
I tried these with cake flour and they didn’t come out good. Uneven rise and they were dark on the bottom center but wet from oil on top. Very spongy.
Allison says
Hi, Tamara. Cake flour is lower in protein and gluten, so if you’re going to swap it for all purpose flour (which is what is used in this recipe) then you need to actually add a bit more cake flour. Having a little more flour would have likely solved the issue with the texture.