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!
Railyn
My 6 year old cousin and I made this recipe and we loved it! It was super easy to make and super easy for him to do as well. ???
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Joanna
We loved this cupcake recipe! Can I used the same recipe for a large birthday vanilla birthday cake?
Celebrating Sweets
I have never tried turning it into a full sized cake. You can try this recipe: https://celebratingsweets.com/vanilla-cake-recipe/
Enjoy!
Ava
These cupcakes were AMAZING! They were so good and my family loved them. ?
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Ivette
I made this recipe but the batter was too thick and at the end the flavor wasn’t the best 🙁 I don’t know exactly what I did wrong. So sad 🙁
Celebrating Sweets
Did you make any ingredient changes? Did you measure accurately? Small batch recipe need to be measured exactly, too much or too little of any ingredient can greatly affect the outcome.
Ivette
I think I did but I’ll try again. Thank you for your reply 🙂
Amy
Very good- but watch baking time. Followed directions exactly and but needed 24 minutes to bake completely .
Megan
This is what all pregnant women whose husbands are out of town and they’re alone at home with their toddler need. AKA EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO MAKE THESE NOW
Celebrating Sweets
Haha! Enjoy!
Amber
That’s hilariously what I just did! Hahah
Praisy
Hey, this recipe came out super easy and success.. I would like to know I have a requirement of making 50 cupcakes, so how do I increase each measurements? Could you help
Celebrating Sweets
Hi! I’m glad you enjoyed them. I would not recommend using this recipe for 50 cupcakes. You will need to find a high yield cupcake recipe. Simply multiplying the ingredients doesn’t always work when baking. I would hate to have you waste all of the ingredients if it doesn’t turn out. Best of luck!
Sara
Can this recipe be used to make 12 cupcakes instead? In a cupcake pan?
Celebrating Sweets
If you doubled it, you would have 10 cupcakes, possibly being able to stretch it to 11. I would not suggest tripling it, it can get tricky when you’re tweaking a recipe like this. Best of luck playing around with it!
Mandy
Hi, when you say 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, what kind of cup do you use? Is it alright for me to convert it to grams? I searched online and people say that 1/2 cup of flour = 60-64grams of flour.
Celebrating Sweets
I use standard American measuring cups. If you’d like to try converting I would guess that you could do so successfully. Enjoy!
Clarrisa
I added chocolate beans in it and it tasted delicious. Thank you!
Celebrating Sweets
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Sandy A
Great recipe! I just shared this on my FB feed, I’m sure you’ll see some more hits to your site!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Paul F
These are delicious! They are even good without the frosting. To double the recipe, I just made two single batches in a row and baked them in a larger cupcake tin.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂