Vanilla Cupcakes

Before you start

A frosting-friendly vanilla cupcake needs a fine, tender crumb and a top that bakes flat rather than peaked. Two choices in this recipe control the shape. Reverse creaming, which means mixing the butter into the flour before adding the liquids, coats the flour with fat and limits gluten, so the batter rises evenly instead of bursting up in the middle. A moderate oven lets the edges and center set at nearly the same rate.

Sour cream adds moisture and a little acidity that balances the sweetness, so the cupcakes still taste good a day later. Measure the batter into the liners rather than eyeballing it. Overfilled cups always dome and spill.

Ingredients

• 180 g (1½ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter — softened, cut into pieces
• 2 large eggs — room temperature
• 120 g (½ cup) sour cream — room temperature
• 60 ml (¼ cup) whole milk — room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) with a rack in the center. Line the muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the mixer bowl and mix for a few seconds on low.
3. Add the softened butter and mix on low for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture looks like fine, damp sand with no visible lumps of butter.
4. Whisk the eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla together. Pour in about half and beat on medium for 1 minute. Add the rest and mix on low just until smooth, scraping the bowl once. The batter will be thick and creamy.
5. Divide the batter among the liners, using about 65 g (a heaping ¼ cup) in each so they are two-thirds full.
6. Bake for 18 to 21 minutes, until the tops are pale golden and spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then lift the cupcakes onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.

Tips for success

• Room-temperature eggs, sour cream and milk blend smoothly into the butter-flour mixture. Cold dairy can make the batter seize into small lumps.
• Tap the pan firmly on the counter twice before baking to release large air bubbles and level the batter.
• For the flattest tops, check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer. A hot oven sets the edges first and pushes the center up.

Substitutions

Sour cream

Use the same weight of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt. The crumb is a touch tangier and very slightly denser.

All-purpose flour

Use 195 g cake flour for an even softer, finer crumb. The cupcakes are more delicate to frost.

Vanilla extract

Use 1 tsp vanilla bean paste for visible specks and a stronger flavor.

Variations

Funfetti cupcakes

Fold 60 g (⅓ cup) rainbow sprinkles into the finished batter. Use long jimmies, which bleed less color than nonpareils.

Almond cupcakes

Use 1 tsp vanilla and ½ tsp almond extract, and top with toasted sliced almonds.

Troubleshooting

Cupcakes domed and cracked

The cups were overfilled or the oven ran hot. Use 65 g of batter per cup and confirm the oven is at 175°C (350°F).

Liners peel away from the cupcakes

Steam got trapped as they cooled in the pan. Move them to a rack after 5 minutes and avoid storing them warm in a closed container.

Crumb is dense and heavy

The butter was too cold to coat the flour, or the batter was overmixed after the last addition. Use soft butter and stop mixing as soon as it is smooth.

Storage

Keep unfrosted cupcakes airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Frosted with buttercream, they keep at room temperature for 1 day; refrigerate if the frosting contains cream cheese or whipped cream.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw batter, which contains raw flour and egg. Contains wheat, egg and milk.