Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Sweet without being cloying, these even taste good without frosting!
Texture: Ultra moist and fluffy.
Ease: Very easy!
Pros: Classic go-to cupcake recipe for so many occasions.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
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Recently I set out on what turned out to be a very tedious and often frustrating baking adventure.
I had made my Yellow Layer Cake recipe into cupcakes but didn’t love how they turned out. They were too fine-crumbed for how I prefer cupcakes. I want my cupcakes to be a bit looser and ultra-moist.
You see, cupcakes don’t need quite the structure a layer cake demands to hold steady. They just need enough to support a generous amount of frosting.
I thought it would be easy enough to tweak my layer cake recipe for cupcakes, but that was not the case.
It took over 8 experimental batches to get this cupcake recipe just right. I was SWIMMING in failed cupcakes. When. Finally. After weeks. I finally felt I had gotten the recipe right! I even sent it to another HTH team member, Emily, for her to test as well.
I wanted to create Yellow Cupcakes that were as moist and tender as the box mix cupcakes but without the cloying artificial flavor. The result? Yellow cupcakes that actually taste good on their own but are phenomenal with my Best Ever Chocolate American buttercream recipe.
How to Make Homemade Yellow Cupcakes
How to make MOIST cupcakes:
I always recommend weighing your flour when making cake or cupcakes. I use my digital kitchen scale to weigh flour, but if you don’t have one, use the “spoon and level” method to measure with measuring cups. This helps to prevent dry or crumbly cupcakes because it’s all too easy to accidentally compact too much flour into your volume measuring cups.
There are a few key ingredients in this recipe that help create a moist and tender cupcake. The eggs with an additional egg yolk add richness and moisture. The buttermilk also tenderizes as well as adding more flavor (more on that below).
Why is there butter and oil in this recipe?
The main key to ultra moist cupcakes is a little bit of oil! This recipe creams together sugar and butter like most cake recipes, which allows air to whip into the batter for a light texture, but also takes advantage of butter’s unparalleled rich flavor.
Why buttermilk is the secret ingredient to the best cupcakes:
The (real) buttermilk in this recipe makes a WORLD of difference. Buttermilk substitutions just don’t work as well. You can see my extensive testing on buttermilk substitutions in my Buttermilk 101 article here. For best results, I would advise using real buttermilk (which is sold as ‘low fat’ in the grocery store).
I’ve tested variations of this recipe with whole milk, as well as sour cream. The whole milk doesn’t provide as much flavor as something cultured. The sour cream provided tons of flavor but made for a tighter, finer crumb. The goal for this recipe was something super tender and moist, and buttermilk was the clear winner for both texture and taste!
What is the best pan for baking cupcakes?
I like the Wilton Right Muffin Pans for baking cupcakes. Avoid using anything with a dark or gold-colored lining as this can result in browning or burning the bottoms and edges of the cupcakes.
Note that every brand of muffin / cupcake pan will have cavities of slightly different diameters and volumes. Some pans have smaller cavities than others. Always fill yours with batter 2/3 to 3/4 full and not more.
How to stop cupcake liners from sticking:
Oftentimes this is due to the brand of liners either being cheap or overly decorative. This is my favorite brand that I order in bulk from Amazon. I’ve written an entire post on how to prevent cupcake liners from sticking here in case this is a common problem for you.
How to prevent cupcakes from sinking:
Overmixing, expired baking powder, opening the oven door too much, or underbaking can all cause cupcakes to sink in the center.
Overfilling your cupcake pan cavities can also cause sinking. Fill 2/3 to 3/4 full. You may end up with more than a dozen cupcakes since every brand and style of cupcake pan has a slightly different cavity volume.
If you’re 3,000 feet or more above sea level, you’ll most likely need to reduce the baking powder in this recipe to avoid the cupcakes sinking or collapsing in the center. Start by cutting the amount of baking powder to 1 teaspoon if at 3,000 feet, and 3/4 teaspoon if at 5,000 feet or higher. This may require some experimentation depending on your specific microclimate.
How to decorate cupcakes:
To match the cupcakes you see in these photos, place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large plain open tip and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with pastel rainbow sprinkles. You can also use an open star tip, like the Wilton 1M tip.
How to make Yellow Cupcakes ahead of time:
You can bake the cupcakes a day ahead of time. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Note that the tops of the cupcakes will become slightly sticky the longer they’re stored but the frosting mostly camouflages this.
The buttercream on its own can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 1 month. If frozen, let defrost in the fridge overnight. Let come to room temperature and re-whip in the stand mixer until light and fluffy again.
How to serve cupcakes outside:
If you plan on serving frosted cupcakes outside in a warm, humid, or sunny environment, store in the fridge just until you set up for the BBQ, party, or picnic. By the time everyone is ready for cupcakes, it should be the perfect temperature without running the risk of melting.
How to store cupcakes:
Frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Other buttercream recipes:
More Recipes to Try:
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
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Yellow Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (175 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, at cool room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at cool room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, at cool room temperature
- 1
Batch of Best Chocolate American Buttercream
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the oil and beat for another minute, or until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and the vanilla one at a time, beating very well between additions until combined.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk in three alternating additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Batter will be fairly thick.
- Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cavities, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Don't overfill, you may need to bake up to 15 cupcakes if using a pan with smaller cavities. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are springy to the touch. Let cool for 20 minutes in tin before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Frost the cupcakes:
- Use an offset spatula to frost each cupcake. Alternatively, place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
- Frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
This recipe looks delicious! Have you tested it in a mini cupcake pan? Thoughts on baking time? 10 minutes?
Hi Ashley! We haven’t tried that, but it should work just fine – mini cupcakes usually need about 9-12 minutes in the oven. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I am the now the hit of the men’s church groups taste buds and tummies! I baked these for my husbands event and when he came home his eyes were huge and he said they were better than any bakery cupcake and that every single man at the group was in love with them. I am now making these today (2 days later) for my sons 25th birthday! Thank you for such an awesome recipe. They were so delicious. I also used the Best Buttercream frosting recipe on top. Perfect icing!
I’ve made these cupcakes a few times now. I’ve always doubled the batch. They’ve been fine. A little dense; maybe a little too much buttermilk taste. But they were edible, and people said they liked them. (I was never all that impressed.) However, I just decided tonight to make them in a pinch for a Christmas party tomorrow. BUT, I measured in grams tonight, whereas I had never done that before. Pardon my language but holy sh*t – what a difference it makes! They are freaking delicious!! To anyone reading this: trust me, measure in grams for the ingredients that call for it. You will not be disappointed.
These cupcakes are so, so good! The texture is amazing – it is light and fluffy; the small amount of oil gives them the satisfying moisture of a box mix. This will be my go-to recipe from now on! Thank you Tessa!
So glad to hear it, Bonnie!!
Hi Tessa. Thank you for your lovely website. I’d love to make these cupcakes. Would it be possible to tell me how many grams correspond teaspons of baking and soda? Many thanks. Caroline
Hi Caroline! Tessa prefers not including gram measurements of teaspoon measurements because most home-use kitchen scales aren’t accurate enough at such a small level, so these ingredients need to be measured by the teaspoon/half teaspoon/quarter teaspoon. I hope that helps 🙂