Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

If you find yourself stuck between vanilla and chocolate, make these Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting and you won't be disappointed. This recipe is for a classic vanilla cupcake topped with delicious chocolate buttercream.

Vanilla Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting shown up close do you can see the swirl of the frosting and all the colourful sprinkles on top of the cupcake.

These have to be the best cupcakes to satisfy a love for both yellow cake and chocolate! So make these at your next birthday party or office event when you're looking to please a crowd!

If you love fluffy cupcakes as much as I do, then try out this recipe for Classic Vanilla Cupcakes, this recipe for Pecan Pie Cupcakes, or this recipe for Mango Cupcakes.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Instructions
instructions for cupcakes
instructions for chocolate frosting
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tips
FAQ
Related
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

To make these delicious yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting you will need the simple ingredients listed below, remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.

Sunflower oil
Extra-large whole eggs
Granulated white sugar
Self-raising flour
Salt
Whole milk
Pure vanilla extract
Unsalted butter
Powdered sugar
Cocoa powder
Sprinkles

Extra-large eggs - out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren't sure if you have the same eggs - weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.

Sunflower oil - This cupcake recipe uses oil instead of butter for extra moistness! Use neutral-tasting vegetable oil for this recipe like sunflower or canola oil.

Self-raising flour - If you can't find self-raising flour, you can use cake flour or all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder. Check the recommendations on the packaging of your baking powder to decide how much should be added.

Vanilla extract - for a great vanilla flavor you will need a good quality vanilla extract for this recipe, if you can't find any then vanilla essence will also work.

Unsalted butter - use unsalted butter rather than salted butter for this recipe. It is also essential that you use room-temperature butter.

Cocoa powder - choose a quality rich-tasting natural cocoa powder for the best results.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

To make these fluffy cupcakes follow the simple instructions below. First, you will be making the cupcakes and then the chocolate buttercream frosting.

instructions for cupcakes

STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 170C (340F) and line 24 cupcake liners into two 12-hole cupcake pans.

STEP 2: Beat eggs, sugar, and oil. Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

STEP 3: Add dry ingredients. Sift together the salt and flour then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.

STEP 4: Add wet ingredients. Mix the milk and vanilla extract in a jug, and slowly pour this into the cupcake batter with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.

How to make Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

STEP 6: Bake. Pour the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a jug or ice cream scoop, filling each case two-thirds of the way up. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then to cool completely on a cooling rack.

instructions for chocolate frosting

STEP 1: Beat butter, cocoa, salt, and icing sugar. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, softened butter, and salt to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

STEP 2: Add milk and vanilla. Add the milk and vanilla to a small jug and stir to combine, slowly add this to the frosting mixture with the mixer running at medium speed.

STEP 3: Beat. Once all of the milk mixture has been added increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat for about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula often.

STEP 4: Decorate. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle and pipe swirls of frosting onto each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, serve, and enjoy!

Hint: for the perfect fluffy buttercream frosting, make sure the butter is at room temperature.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting shown on a white kitchen counter, the cupcake in the front has a bite missing so that you can see the fluffy texture of the cupcake.

Variations

You can choose to decorate these moist cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles, or you can decorate them with blocks of your favorite chocolate, raspberries, strawberries, or even a fresh cherry.

If you would like to try other frostings on these vanilla cupcakes, then have a look at these

Equipment

For these vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, you will need x2 12-hole cupcake tins, 24x paper cupcake cases, a wire rack for cooling, one disposable piping bag, a piping tip, and an electric mixer.

I always use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make the buttercream as they help ensure a fluffy frosting. I also always use an accurate kitchen scale when baking.

Storage

Cupcakes cool quickly and dry out just as quickly so try to frost them the same day that they are baked. If you don't have time to decorate the cupcakes the same day as baking them, store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container or cover the cupcake trays in plastic wrap until the next day.

For any leftover frosted cupcakes, store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature out of direct sunlight.

To freeze these cupcakes, place any leftover cupcakes in a freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze them for up to three months. Defrost properly before consuming them.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting shown on a kitchen counter, the cupcake in the front has the liner removed so that you can see the fluffy texture of the cupcake.

Top tips

Follow my top baking tips below to ensure that your cupcakes come out perfectly.

Use an oven thermometer to check the true temperature of your oven.
Don't overfill the cupcake cases as this can lead to mishappen cupcakes.
Make sure the butter is at room temperature before you make the frosting.
Ensure the cupcakes have cooled properly before frosting them.

FAQ

I don't have extra-large eggs, what should I do?

The eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren't sure if you have the same eggs - weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.

Why did my cupcakes sink in the middle?

Check the temperature of your oven and make sure you haven't overfilled the cupcake cases. Overfilling the cases can result in misshapen cupcakes.

What should I do if my butter isn't at room temperature?

Wait - having room-temperature butter is the most important step in a successful frosting. Choose to wait until the butter has reached room temperature before making this recipe, or cube the butter and heat it gently in the microwave, being careful not to melt it.

Should I use grams or cup measurements?

I always recommend using a kitchen scale rather than cups when baking, this way you can ensure you've measured properly and that your baked goodies come out perfectly.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting shown decorated with sprinkles on a kitchen counter.

This rich and creamy chocolate frosting is the perfect topping for these soft fluffy moist vanilla cupcakes! And, the best part about this recipe is that it is so simple to make.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, then please leave a comment and star review below - I love hearing from all of you!

Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter and follow along @with_love_kitty to make sure you never miss a recipe!

Happy Baking

With Love,

Kitty