For my brother-in-laws recent birthday, I decided to make a new version of my vanilla cupcakes and ended up with these gorgeous fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with a super creamy, incredibly delicious oreo buttercream.

You’ll love these fun confetti cupcakes too.

4 cupcakes sitting on a white cake stand, with blue ribbon running around the edge

I’ve made countless batches of vanilla cupcakes over the past couple of weeks, and these were definitely the winners!

  • Easy to make
  • Loaded with flavour
  • Light, fluffy and moist

And ain’t nothing vanilla about vanilla people, these cupcakes are topped with an oreo frosting that you could literally eat off the spoon.

I love that these cupcakes are light and not ridiculously sweet like some can be. The buttercream is lightly salted to give a wonderful sweet and salty flavour too.

Ingredients you’ll need

You’ll find all the obvious suspects like flour, eggs, milk and sugar but there are a couple of very important ingredinets.

  • Cornflour: I use it a lot in my cakes and cupcakes and the reason behind this is that I don’t want to store cake flour in my pantry along with everything else. Cake flour is a combination of plain (all-purpose) flour and cornflour (cornstarch) so while it may look strange, it’s really not.
  • Vanilla: Please use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste or even real vanilla bean seeds but don’t use vanilla essence as it’s not a natural product.

How to make them

  1. Beat butter and sugar together until soft and light.
  2. Add eggs and vanilla and beat them in until well combined
  3. Alternate the flour and milk in 5 additions and stir it through with a spatula (flour, milk, flour, milk, flour)
  4. Fill the cupcake cases halfway and bake for 18-20 minutes.

See my tips and tricks for the best cupcakes below.

How to make Oreo Frosting

This creamy, soft oreo frosting is easy to make and only uses 6 ingredients.

You’ll beat together the butter and part of the sugar first until soft and lightened then add everything except the oreo crumbs. Beat it all together for a few minutes, then mix through the oreo crumbs and it’s done.

This Oreo Buttercream is absolutely dreamy stuff. I add 1/2 a teaspoon of salt to this to give it a lightly salted taste and it’s just divine. If you don’t like the salty-sweet combo, still use 1/4 teaspoon of salt as it intensifies the other flavours in the buttercream too.

A cupcake in a white wrapper with oreo buttercream and topped with oreo crumbs.

How To Store Unfrosted Cupcakes

Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days or in the fridge for 4-5, always in an airtight container. You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes as well, Wrap each one individually for best results, then into an airtight container.

How To Store Frosted Cupcakes

Frosted cupcakes should be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. I personally find them fine stored at room temp for a day but always put them in the fridge the next day – this choice is up to you as there are different trains of thought as far as food safety.

Often you can freeze frosted cupcakes too but not all frostings are created equal. This particular frosting freezes fine, so place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.

Always bring cupcakes to room temperature before eating.

Baking Tips For The Best Cupcakes

  • Measure the ingredients – cupcakes are so little and baking is a science so it’s important to make sure you’re using the exact right amounts. Always weight ingredients whenever a weight is given. If you can’t weigh, then make sure to fluff up flour, spoon it into the cup measure, then level it off with a knife.
  • Use room temperature ingredients. Cold butter will take forever to beat until soft and light and cold milk or eggs will sieze the butter causing it to start setting and making your batter lumpy.
  • Beat the butter and sugar until it’s really light and fluffy. Don’t skimp on this step. Let it beat for 3-5 minutes until it gets to the right texture as this sets up the texture for your cupcake.
  • Make sure your baking powder is fresh or it may not work.
  • Use a medium ice cream scoop to portion out the batter and I love these silicone muffin tins as the cupcakes bake up taller.

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A cupcake sitting on an opened out blue cupcake paper with a bite taken out of it

Tender, moist, delicate, delicious and super fluffy homemade cupcakes are an absolute delight. They’re a perfectly portioned dessert for one and have endless flavour combinations, and with that creamy oreo buttercream, they’re such a gorgeous treat perfect for spoiling you and your loved ones.

More recipes you’ll love

Closeup of a cupcake in a blue polka dot wrapper, topped with oreo buttercream
5 from 8 ratings
A recipe for Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes that are simple to make and turn out perfect every time. Topped with a creamy oreo frosting you could literally eat off a spoon, these truly are the best vanilla cupcakes.

Ingredients

FOR THE FLUFFY VANILLA CUPCAKES

  • 130 g plain (all-purp) flour (1 cup / 4.6oz)
  • 35 g corn flour (cornstarch) (¼ cup / 1.2oz) (notes)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 115 g unsalted butter, softened (½ cup / 1 stick)
  • 150 g white granulated sugar (¾ cup)
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla
  • ½ cup whole milk, room temp

FOR THE OREO BUTTERCREAM

  • 226 g unsalted butter, softened (1 cup / 2 sticks)
  • 2 ½ cups icing (powdered) sugar sifted
  • ¼ cup thickened (heavy) cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup Oreo crumbs (about 10 oreos)

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

FOR THE CUPCAKES

  • Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers.
  • Start by placing the flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk well to distribute everything evenly.
  • Using a handheld beater or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until lightened and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Don't skimp on this step and make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined (scrape down the bowl as needed). Add the vanilla and beat through.
  • Alternate 1/3 of the flour followed by half the milk, stirring in with a spatula and then repeat until everything is added. Don't overmix at this point.
  • Fill the cupcake cases to half full and bake for 18-20 minutes, turning the tray at the halfway mark, until a toothpick comes out with just a crumb or two attached.

FOR THE OREO BUTTERCREAM

  • Using a handheld beater or stand mixer with whisk attachment, whisk together the butter and 1 cup powdered sugar for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add the remaining sugar, cream, vanilla and salt and whisk for another 5 minutes until it looks pale and whipped.
  • Add the Oreo crumbs and mix through then pipe the buttercream onto your cooled cupcakes.

Notes

  1. All ovens vary – always test for doneness 3-5 minutes before the recipe suggests
  2. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
  3. I use corn starch a lot in my baking. Cake flour is a combination of all-purpose and cornstarch but in Australia is not so readily available. I use this combo in my recipes a lot instead of using cake flour.
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Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.

A cupcake in a white wrapper with oreo buttercream and topped with oreo crumbs.