Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes with Oil

Enjoy these delightful and fluffy vanilla cupcakes recipe with oil. Follow our easy homemade recipe, add your preferred toppings like a vanilla whipped buttercream, and savor them on any occasion.

More Vanilla recipes? Give these a try: Vanilla birthday cake, Vanilla bean muffins, or these vanilla bean macarons.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients Notes
• How to make Vanilla Cupcake Recipe without butter
• Best Cupcakes frostings
• Tips for this recipe
• Storage instructions
• Variations & Substitutions
• Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe with Oil

These homemade vanilla cupcakes are equally as delicious as my beloved buttery vanilla cupcake recipe, but they offer a lighter texture thanks to the use of oil instead of butter.

Made with simple ingredients and are incredibly easy to prepare at home. The recipe has been adapted to achieve an incredible level of moistness by using vegetable oil instead of unsalted butter. While butter adds richness, it can sometimes make cupcakes heavier.

Without a doubt, these moist vanilla cupcakes have surpassed my basic recipe with their incredible lightness, even after refrigeration. They pair perfectly with a variety of toppings, from classic vanilla buttercream frosting to my homemade mascarpone whipped cream.

Ingredients Notes

You need these ingredients to make this vanilla oil cupcake recipe:

• Oil: Use neutral vegetable oil like sunflower oil, grape seed oil, or neutral coconut oil.
• Sugar: Use extra fine granulated sugar.
• Eggs: At room temperature (important).
• Milk: Preferably use buttermilk; see recipe notes for substitutions.
• Flour: Cake flour or all-purpose flour.
• Baking powder: Be mindful of the quantity and check its expiration date.
• Vanilla and salt: Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and fine table salt.

How to make Vanilla Cupcake Recipe without butter

Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full recipe instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Place the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Step 2: Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, cake flour, baking powder, salt and buttermilk alternately and in batches. Mix after each addition with a spatula until you have a homogeneous cupcake batter.

Step 3: Pour the vanilla cupcake batter into a cupcake pan filled with cupcake liners, filling them no more than ⅔ full to avoid overflowing during baking.

Bake cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C and bake the vanilla cupcakes for around 15 minutes until golden brown.
• Leave the baked cupcakes to cool slightly in their pans before moving them to a cooling rack until completely cooled.
• Top your vanilla cupcakes with your favorite Vanilla frosting or a vanilla buttercream frosting and enjoy!

Best Cupcakes frostings

Here's a list of frostings perfect for topping cupcakes:

• Buttercreams: Easy American buttercream, Swiss buttercream, Italian buttercream, Strawberry buttercream, White chocolate buttercream, Russian buttercream, French buttercream.
• Mascarpone frostings: Vanilla mascarpone Chantilly, Chocolate mascarpone Chantilly, Strawberry frosting, Oreo frosting, Raspberry frosting, Blueberry frosting.
• Chocolate ganache: Chocolate ganache, milk chocolate ganache, vanilla ganache, salted butter caramel ganache, Nutella ganache.
• Other frostings: Simple chocolate ganache, Philadelphia cream cheese glaze,

Storage instructions

At room temperature: Store vanilla cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Store frosted cupcakes can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

In the freezer: You can freeze them for up to 3 months, placing them in a storage box or in storage bags.

More Cupcake Recipes

I hope you love these Oil vanilla cupcakes. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!

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