These soft & fluffy mini vanilla cupcakes are just as moist and delicious as my regular-sized vanilla cupcakes, but are WAY cuter. Even better, they bake and cool in half the time!
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"Mini-cupcakes? As in the mini version of regular cupcakes? Which is already a mini version of cake? Honestly, where does it end with you people?"
Funny quote but also so wrong. Mini cupcakes are SO MUCH BETTER than regular cupcakes. Smaller = cuter. And they bake and cool faster which means you can shove these in your mouth in half the time. Plus, they're bite-sized, so they're much easier to eat and less messy.
But if you're a mini cupcake hater, my full-sized perfect vanilla cupcakes, or my amazing chocolate peanut butter cupcakes and dark chocolate raspberry cupcakes. My small batch vanilla cupcakes are also great if you wanna reduce leftovers- you can bake those in the mini size too!
Ingredients
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is all that's needed for the cupcake batter.
- Cake flour: Use bleached cake flour, not all-purpose flour, unbleached cake flour, or cake flour substitutes, for the best soft & fluffy texture.
- Baking powder & baking soda: For lift.
- Butter & oil: Butter provides flavor while oil provides moisture.
- Buttermilk: In a pinch, sour cream or full-fat plain Greek yogurt can be used instead, but buttermilk is ideal.
- Egg & an egg white: One full egg provides moisture and tenderness from the yolk, while adding an extra egg white keeps the cupcakes fluffy and prevents the batter from being weighed down by the extra egg yolk. It's a bit annoying to use an extra egg white, but it really makes a difference!
- Vanilla & salt: For flavor.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Mix the dry ingredients. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a paddle attachment for about 30 seconds.
STEP 2: Beat in the butter. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture forms very small and fine crumbs, almost resembling sand. This method of beating the butter into the dry ingredients is called reverse creaming, and produces more soft, tender cupcakes than the traditional creaming method!
STEP 3: Whisk the wet ingredients. In a liquid measuring cup with a spout or a bowl, whisk buttermilk, the egg and egg white, oil, and vanilla until combined.
STEP 4: Stream the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With the mixer running on low speed, very slowly stream the wet ingredients into the butter and flour mixture. Every 30 seconds or so, stop and let the liquid incorporate before adding more- let the mixer "catch up." Stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The finished batter should have very few lumps and be slightly thin.
STEP 5: Scoop batter into tins. Scoop ⅔ of the way full (around 15 g of batter per tin), using a small cookie scoop, a spoon, or a piping bag.
STEP 6: Bake. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for around 9-12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist (not wet) crumbs. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before making the frosting.
STEP 8: Decorate. Use an 18-inch piping bag and a Wilton 1M piping tip to decorate the cupcakes as pictured, or simply spread the frosting on using a knife. Top with sprinkles too as desired!
FAQ
Just like full-sized cupcakes, filling around ⅔-3/4 of the way to the top is ideal! For this recipe, that will result in around 38-40 cupcakes.
Full-sized cupcakes typically take 17-21 minutes to bake, while mini cupcakes take around half as long- about 11-13 minutes- because they're smaller. Don't rely just on the timer- the cupcakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, regardless of how many minutes it's been.
I love using whipped cream, cream cheese frosting, or Swiss meringue buttercream. All of these frostings are not too sweet compared to American buttercream (the typical butter and powdered sugar frosting).
Expert Baking Tips
- Weigh the batter for each cupcake tin: Because mini cupcakes are so small, seemingly tiny differences in the amount of batter in each tin can make a large difference in the size of the cupcakes. This can lead to some cupcakes baking much faster than others, and thus some will be short and dry and over baked, and others too tall and gooey. To prevent this, weigh the amount of batter (15 grams) for each cupcake so they all are the same size and bake evenly.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure your butter, buttermilk, and eggs are all at room temperature before starting. Room temperature ingredients combine and emulsify much better than cold ones, helping the batter come together smoothly and preventing overmixing.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
More Cake & Cupcake Recipes You'll Love...
Leave a STAR REVIEW below if you try this recipe! Tag me on Instagram @treatsbytalija and for more ideas, check out the other desserts on my blog!
PrintSoft & Fluffy Mini Vanilla Cupcakes
These soft & fluffy mini vanilla cupcakes are so moist and delicious, and WAY cuter than full-sized cupcakes!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 40 mini cupcakes 1x
- Category: cakes & cupcakes
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 175 g granulated sugar
- 140 g bleached cake flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 30 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 160 g buttermilk, at room temperature
- 90 g vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large egg and 1 egg white, at room temperature
- ½ tbsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 mini cupcake pans with 40 mini paper liners. Set aside.
- Sift the sugar, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed with a paddle attachment for 30 seconds.
- Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed until the butter breaks down into fine crumbs.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, oil, egg, egg white, and vanilla until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, very slowly pour the wet mixture into the butter and flour mixture. If at any point the batter is looking curdled or lumpy, stop adding the wet ingredients and allow the mixture to beat for 15-20 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically. The finished batter should be thin and smooth.
- Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling about ⅔ of the way to the top. I highly recommend weighing out the batter in each tin- 15g in each tin will produce cupcakes with the perfect height. If you eyeball, since mini cupcakes are so small, little differences in the amount of batter between each tin will make a large difference in how tall the cupcakes rise and thus how fast they bake. In total, you should fill about 38-40 tins.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set over a wire rack. After about 5 minutes, remove the cupcakes from the pan and set over a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost and decorate as desired. Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days in the fridge- bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Quickly bring ingredients to room temp: Cut butter into thin slices and microwave in 5-second increments. Place eggs in a bowl with warm water for 10 minutes. Microwave buttermilk for 10-15 seconds.
- In a pinch, sour cream or full-fat plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of buttermilk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cupcake
- Calories: 60
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 30.1 mg
- Fat: 3.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.3 g
- Protein: 0.7 g
- Cholesterol: 6.7 mg
Keywords: mini vanilla cupcakes, soft mini cupcakes, fluffy mini cupcakes, mini cupcakes recipe, quick, easy
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