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!
Taiwo
Please can I use oil instead of butter for the cupcakes
Allison
That should be ok. Just use a neutral oil so that the flavor doesn’t come through.
Azra
I tried it out . Didn’t turn out well . No idea what happened.
Mark H Kozaki
Great recipe. Perfect for my daughter. All ingredients in house, makes 5, just enough, uses few dishes, no burned edges, no sticking, aaaand tastes great. Well done. Perfect for kids to do themselves. Thank you!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Jaida
Turned out dense and a bit rubbery. Flavor wasn’t great either
Allison
These cupcakes are dense, but they shouldn’t be rubbery. Did you over-mix the batter? In terms of flavor, did you use pure vanilla extract? If you used imitation vanilla it might have impacted the flavor.
Lin
Same, it was rubbery and tasted like eggs.
Allison
Did you happen to use extra large or jumbo eggs? That would have made a difference.
Rosalee
I’m trying to make myself a birthday dessert.. I used this recipe and realized I lent my cupcake pan to someone so I used my 6” cake pan. Pulled it out of the oven at 15 minutes and it’s still gooey in the middle. How long should I bake since it’s a cake now and not cupcakes?
Allison
Bake it until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Aesha
Just wondering if the nutrition facts includes the icing and how much if so? Like how much sugar in how much icing?
Allison
The nutrition facts are for one cupcake with frosting. So, one-fifth of the recipe.
Ashley
These were delicious!! They did come out a bit spongey, which I don’t really mind. These made about 4 cupcakes for me and I was able to pipe frosting on all of them with just one batch of frosting.
Allison
Perfect! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Niomi
I don’t have vanilla extract, I have vanilla essence. Will that affect the flavour of the cupcake that much?
Allison
I believe that is artificially flavored vanilla? I would not recommend it. The vanilla flavor is quite strong in these cupcakes, so pure vanilla extract is best.
Tanushree Majumder
If we use essence then how much should we use
Allison
I would assume the same amount. BUT, I think essence is an artificially flavored product, so you might want a bit less. It will impact the flavor if the vanilla does not taste good.
Grace
Perfect!
Evelyn
So so delicious and moist ❤️
Perfect batch size and very simple to make.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
ToddlerMom
Super easy! The cupcakes came out delicious and just the size i needed! thank you!!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂