This small batch cupcake recipe makes 5 delicious vanilla cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. 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 on hand.
Five cupcakes, made from scratch, ready in minutes. It doesn’t get much better!
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These cupcakes are
Quick and easy: Only about 15 minutes of hands on time. No special equipment or techniques needed.
Soft and moist: These cupcakes have a fantastic texture. They bake up soft, moist, and flavorful.
Packed with vanilla: A generous amount of vanilla extract in the cake batter as well as in the frosting gives these cupcakes a classic flavor.
Perfect for small gatherings: If you’re low on ingredients, or only need cupcakes for a handful of people, this is the perfect recipe.
Small batch cupcake recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Whisk egg and sugar until well combined.
Add melted butter and vanilla extract.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) with the milk.
Whisk until fully combined but be careful not to overmix. Transfer the batter into 5 lined muffin cups and bake.
Cool completely before topping with frosting.
Recipe tips
- Make sure your ingredients are measured properly. When making a small batch recipe this is especially important.
- Don’t overmix the cupcake batter, this can make the cupcakes heavy and dense.
- Try not to open the oven during bake time. For even baking and a nice rise, it’s best not to move the pan around too much.
- Prefer a different frosting? You can make a half batch of Strawberry Buttercream or you can add a tablespoon of cocoa powder and a of splash of milk to the vanilla frosting recipe to turn it into chocolate frosting.
Serving and storage
Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or at cool room temperature for up to 2 days. Serve at room temperature for the best flavor and texture.
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Recipe
Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- ½ cup (60g) all purpose flour, see note
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¼ cup milk, preferably whole or 2% milk
Vanilla frosting:
- 5 tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups (156g) powdered sugar, plus more if needed
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon milk, plus more if needed
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 5 liners in a muffin pan.
- In a small bowl, combine flour (see note), 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 ⅔ and ¾ full). Bake for 14-16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
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 a little milk, if it appears too thin add a little more powdered sugar.
- Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag and pastry tip; I use an open star tip. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)
These cupcakes look so fantastic! I am in love!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks, Jocelyn!
Kiesha P
I just tried your recipe tonight and it turned out perfect!! I used cake flour instead of all purpose flour. The cupcakes turned out wonderful nice and moist! Great recipe! I am not that great at baking but i am very proud of myself for first try! ?
Celebrating Sweets
Fantastic! I’m so glad that you liked them. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!
Lulu
These cupcakes are delicious
Celebrating Sweets
Glad you enjoyed them!
Meriem @ Culinary Couture
I love small batch recipes! These look so moist and fluffy! Bookmarking this stat!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks, Meriem!
lorraine williamson
love the cupcakes always looking to feed the hungry horde. I have teenagers who look and eat like nfl linebackers thanks for sharing visiting from weary chef and I have pinned your cupcakes happy 3 day weekend.
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks for stopping by, Lorraine!
Kk
Fantastic recipe!!! I substituted regular flour for Gluten Free perfect flour blend. Best cupcake recipe I’ve tried. Thank you!!!
Celebrating Sweets
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked them. And thanks for letting me know that they’re good with GF flour. 🙂
Shannon
Super bummed. Tried this recipe twice &it smelled, tasted like, &resembled glue both times. Bummed. Oh well.
Celebrating Sweets
Hi Shannon! I’m sorry to hear the cupcakes didn’t come out for you. I retested the recipe with success, the only change I made is the suggestion not to over-mix the batter. Overmixing will definitely lead to a dry, tough cake. Also, hopefully your ingredients were all fresh, that can make a difference too. Thanks for the feedback.
Shannon
Thank you so much for your response!! For some reason I couldn’t directly respond to my original comment, assuming it’s my cell phone. Over mixing could absolutely have been the problem considering my two year old son &four year old nephew helped mix. Thank you so much!! I shall try again when the kids are napping. ;]
Kimelle
Hello, I was wondering if I could use self rising flour instead of the all purpose flour and baking powder?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi Kimelle. I have never baked with self rising flour. I would guess that you should be able to substitute it, but I don’t know for sure. If you try it, please let me know how they turn out. Thanks! Good luck! 🙂
Kimelle
So I omitted the all purpose flour and baking powder and used self rising flour instead. Cupcakes baked up wonderful and tasted yummy. Thanks!
Celebrating Sweets
Great!! Thanks so much for letting me know. Enjoy! 🙂
Sydney Hand
I made them for a friend, they were amazing!! Thanks for the great recip!
Celebrating Sweets
So glad you liked them! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Adrienne
A little disappointed the didn’t work out. Had the same “glue” issue as another commenter and over mixing was definitely not the problem. They actually tasted a little bland. Not really sure what happened. I’ll have to try it again. Happy that it worked out for a lot of other people though.
Celebrating Sweets
Hi Adrienne. I’m sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you. If you try again, my suggestions would be to make sure you’re using fresh ingredients (especially the vanilla extract, since that’s adding most of the flavor). Also be sure not to over measure the flour (spoon the flour into your 1/2 cup dry measuring cup, then use a knife to level it off) Thanks for your feedback!
Courtney
I agree ! My cupcakes turned out bland and sticky even cooked for 20 minutes on 350 .
Mario
I made these for my boyfriend for Valentines day in a heart shaped tin. I substituted buttermilk for milk (because we were all out) and I shoved a square of Ghiradelli chocolate in the middle before baking. They came out PERFECT! Soft, fluffy, decadent, and with the right amount of sweetness. This is my new go to cupcake recipe. Thank you so much!
Celebrating Sweets
That sounds amazing! I love the addition of chocolate. I’m so glad you liked them. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Amanda
I did not like these cupcakes. I followed everything the recipe said to do very precisely, and the cupcakes ended up very spongy and did not taste right. It tasted like a “cake in a mug” which I have made before and the cake in a mug tastes exactly like these cupcakes. We ended up throwing them all away.
Celebrating Sweets
Sorry they didn’t work out for you, Amanda. Small batch recipes tend to have a different consistency than “regular” recipes since you’re working with such a small amount of ingredients (same with a mug cake). Thanks for your feedback.