Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (2024)

Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (1)

Looking for an easy homemade vanilla cupcake recipe that tastes delicious. Look no further. These simple vanilla cupcakes are fluffy and moist (and can be made into healthy cupcakes with a few substitutions).

Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (2)

Super quick and simple vanilla cupcakes

There are a million and one vanilla cupcake recipes out there on the interwebs but here’s why you can stop searching for recipes:

  • They’re an all-in recipe. You throw it all in the bowl, mix and bake. Practically fool-proof.
  • They’re light and fluffy and delicious.
  • Vanilla cupcakes that still taste fresh two days later? Yep that’s these.
Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (3)

Ingredients needed to make simple vanilla cupcakes

These simple vanilla cupcakes are pretty standard in their ingredients but have one surprise.

Bare with me, the first time I saw it I doubted it but now many many batches in, I know it might be the key to their success.

  • ORANGE JUICE – Yep the secret ingredient. Don’t worry, you can’t taste the orange juice.
  • EGGS – help bind the ingredients and add richness
  • BUTTER – I’m not a fan of using margarine or vegetable oil in my baking. I prefer pure ingredients.
  • SUGAR – Caster sugar or if you want to make them a little healthier, use Rapadura sugar.
  • FLOUR – You can use regular flour or for a healthier version, wholemeal or spelt flour.
  • BAKING POWDER – don’t forget this one, it helps the cupcakes rise.
  • VANILLA EXTRACT – You can’t make vanilla cupcakes without vanilla. Go for extract (or scrape the inside of a vanilla bean) over vanilla essence.
Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (4)
Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (5)

Tips for PERFECT vanilla cupcakes

  • Room Temperature Ingredients– look I have to admit, I am often guilty of using ingredients straight from the fridge, but if you want them to be perfect, it helps if everything is at room temp – eggs, butter & OJ
  • Precise Measuring – it’s best to be precise when measuring the ingredients for perfect vanilla cupcakes.
  • Don’t Put Too Much Batter In– If you fill them more than 2/3 of the way they will overflow and make for messy tops (you can always cover it with icing though).
Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (6)
Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (7)

How to ice vanilla cupcakes

The best thing about these simple cupcakes is that they are incredibly flexible.

You can change up the icing for whatever you like.

Buttercream icing is my favourite for classic vanilla cupcakes. Don’t have icing sugar? You can make your own icing sugar with just 2 ingredients in 60 seconds.

There are some flavouring ideas below the recipe.

Chocolate fudge icing is perfect if you want to make them a little fancier.

Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (8)

What are the healthier ingredients?

Rapadura Sugaris the pure juice extracted from the sugar cane (using a press), which is then cooked to evaporateoff the water,whilst being stirred with paddles.

It is then seive ground to produce a grainy sugar. It has not been cooked at super high heats and spun to change it into crystals, and the molasses has not been separated from the sugar.

It is produced organically, and does not contain chemicals or anti-caking agents.

Spelt flour is flour made from spelt – a species of wheat,Triticum spelta,that is believed to have been cultivated for thousands of years, and is sometimes considered a subspecies of ordinary wheat rather than a separate species.

It has a nutty, slightly tangy flavor, but not so much that it changes the taste of things.

Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (9)

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Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (10)

Super quick wholefood vanilla cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup rapadura sugar (or use caster)
  • 225g wholemeal spelt flour (or wholemeal flour)
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan forced and line a 12-hole cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
  2. Throw all the ingredients a food processor or blender and blitz until combined and smooth.
  3. Scrape down the sides and then blitz again for a couple of seconds.
  4. Divide the batter between the cupcake cases.
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  7. Ice as desired.
Nutrition Information

Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 2237Total Fat 117gSaturated Fat 67gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 43gCholesterol 641mgSodium 1639mgCarbohydrates 271gFiber 24gSugar 123gProtein 47g

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Simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (with healthier option) (2024)

FAQs

Are cupcakes healthy? ›

Cupcakes are high in sugar and saturated fat, two nutrients that should be consumed in moderation. Women should stay under 24 grams of added sugar per day, and men should aim for less than 36 grams per day. Added sugar is any sugar that's not found naturally in foods (like the natural sugar in fruit or milk).

What is the secret to good cupcakes? ›

Top Tips for Baking Better Cupcakes
  • Read the Recipe. Read the recipe all the way through first. ...
  • Check Oven Temperature. ...
  • Check the Dates. ...
  • Substitute with Caution. ...
  • Use the Right Temperature. ...
  • Take Time to Sift. ...
  • Measure with Care. ...
  • Cream the Ingredients.

What's the most important ingredient in a cupcake? ›

Flour is the main ingredient of the batter and provides the base for the cupcake. Butter or oil provides flavor, tenderizes the batter and helps provide volume.

How many calories are in a simple vanilla cupcake? ›

Vanilla cupcakes contains 230 calories per 59 g serving. This serving contains 11 g of fat, 1 g of protein and 32 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 24 g sugar and 0.2 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate. Vanilla cupcakes contains 4 g of saturated fat and 10 mg of cholesterol per serving.

Which is healthier muffin or cupcake? ›

Cupcake recipes generally contain much higher levels of sugar and fat. This makes cupcakes sweeter, and juicier with finer crumbs. Muffins usually have fruit, nuts, and other ingredients mixed into the batter to compensate. Because of this, muffins are usually considered healthier than cupcakes.

Can you eat cake and be healthy? ›

Dessert can absolutely fit into a balanced diet. Zooming out and being mindful of your overall eating pattern is more important than hyperfocusing on one food. Allowing yourself to eat the dessert without guilt can help improve your relationship with food and keep you feeling satisfied.

Are cupcakes better with milk or water? ›

Use milk instead of water

Most box cake recipes will tell you to add water to the mix. Instead, try adding milk using the same proportions. This will make the cake richer and creamier because it ups the fat content. You can even use buttermilk here for a pleasant tang.

What is the secret to moist cupcakes? ›

"Baking fluffy, moist cupcakes is all about creating air bubbles in your batter that expand in the oven," she says. "If you overmix your batter, you collapse those bubbles and end up with a brick-like cake." Always mix at a low speed to avoid this, stopping just as all ingredients blend.

What not to do when making cupcakes? ›

Don't Over-mix, Don't Under-mix

Not too much, not too little. Make sure you're mixing the cupcake batter together *just until* the wet and dry are combined. Overmixing batter, whether that's for cakes, cupcakes, breads, muffins, etc, lends a tough-textured baked good. Don't turn on the mixer then leave the room.

What are the top 5 flavors of cupcakes? ›

What Are the Most Popular Cupcake Flavors?
  • Vanilla Party. The classic sweetness of vanilla makes it one of the more versatile cupcake options — and one of the most popular. ...
  • Red Velvet. When you think of decadent desserts, red velvet likely comes to mind. ...
  • Strawberry Champagne. ...
  • Peanut Butter Cup. ...
  • Lemon.

How much sugar is in a cupcake? ›

CUPCAKE
NameAmountUnit
Total lipid (fat)18.8g
Carbohydrate, by difference50.8g
Fiber, total dietary1.6g
Total Sugars32.8g
10 more rows

How much protein is in a vanilla cupcake? ›

Nutrition Facts per cupcake:

Fat: 4 g. Protein: 2 g. Carbs: 16.5 g.

How many calories are in a vanilla cupcake without frosting? ›

Calories in Vanilla Cupcake (no Frosting)
Calories171.5
Total Carbohydrate27.7 g
Dietary Fiber0.3 g
Sugars18.2 g
Protein2.7 g
8 more rows

Are cupcakes healthier than cake? ›

A heaven-made match for diet conscious people, cupcakes have an average calorie and fat count of 105 and 4 gms respectively, compared to the 245 calories and 14 gms of one cake serving. They are quite literally, the healthier option. Cupcakes are highly instrumental when it comes to surprises.

Is cupcake a junk food? ›

Cupcakes usually contain large amounts of calories and fat. If you ate three regular-sized chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, you likely consumed upwards of 1,500 calories and 50 grams of fat. Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting contain similar amounts of calories and fat.

Why you should eat cupcakes? ›

Carbohydrates are one of the major sources of energy in plenty of foods. And cakes & cupcakes are generally made by mixing flour and sugar together, which are excellent sources of carbohydrates. They can provide the entire body, including muscles, brain and nervous system, with a sufficient amount of energy.

How unhealthy is a muffin? ›

Dotted with fruit or sprinkled with nuts, they may appear to be a better breakfast than their donut neighbors, but with a range of other ingredients (often refined flours, high sodium, and plenty of added sugar) and large portion size, they're far from the optimal food choice to start your day.

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