Active Time
15 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes plus cooling
This vanilla cupcake recipe is excerpted from the 2006 cookbook I Like You by Amy Sedaris (yes, that Amy Sedaris). In the early aughts the comedian sold baked goods and other snacks to coffee shops in her New York City neighborhood. Once voted one of the city’s best vanilla cupcakes, it gets rich, buttery flavor and a tender crumb from a handful of pantry ingredients. While Sedaris prefers a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment), you can easily make this simple cake recipe with a hand mixer and a large bowl. To amplify the vanilla flavor, swap the extract for top-quality vanilla bean paste.
We like to use two 12-cup cupcake pans for ease and maneuverability, but if you have a 24-well tin, feel free to use it instead. If you’d rather not use liners, brush the wells with softened butter and dust with extra all-purpose flour, making sure to tap out the excess before you proceed. Use a toothpick or cake tester to check the cupcake in the centermost position for doneness—it should emerge carrying a few moist crumbs.
Adorn these vanilla cupcakes in whatever way you see fit: Add a swoop of powdered-sugar-based American-style buttercream and a shower of sprinkles for birthday parties, or go for cream cheese frosting, coconut, and a candied egg to turn them into an Easter dessert. Choose a meringue-based Swiss or Italian buttercream frosting recipe, piped on in a big kiss, to really wow a crowd, or a brown sugar frosting and heap of chocolate chips to mimic the flavor of your favorite cookies.
This recipe was adapted for style from ‘I Like You’ by Amy Sedaris. Buy the full book on Amazon.
Ingredients
Makes 24 cupcakes
Preparation
Step 1
Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat oven to 375°. Line two 12-cup standard muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Step 2
Beat ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened, in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until somewhat smooth. Add 1½ cups (300 g) sugar and beat well. Add 2 large eggs, room temperature. (I like to crack the eggs on the side of the bowl while it is moving, which can be really stupid. I like to take chances. Yes, I have had to throw away my batter because I lost eggshells in the mix. Yes, it was a waste of food, and yes, I know how expensive butter is, but what can I say? I'm a daredevil.) Mix well.
Step 3
Add 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract, 2½ tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. kosher salt, 2½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour, and 1¼ cups whole milk. Pulse to incorporate dry ingredients, then beat on medium-low speed until cupcake batter is smooth and no streaks of flour remain. Spoon batter into prepared baking cups until they are about ⅔ full. Bake cupcakes 18–20 minutes, rotating pans from front to back and top to bottom half way through, until golden brown. Should produce 24 cupcakes (I get 18 because I'm doing something wrong, although my cupcakes were voted second best in the city by New York Magazine).
Step 4
Transfer pans to wire cooling racks and let cupcakes cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Buttercream or Classic Cream Cheese Frosting (if using).
Do ahead: Unfrosted cupcakes can be baked up to 3 days ahead; store, tightly covered, at room temperature. Chill frosted cupcakes in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Editor’s note: This vanilla cupcake recipe first appeared on Epicurious in September 2009 as ‘Amy Sedaris's Vanilla Cupcakes.’ Head this way for more of our favorite cupcake recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (202)
Back to TopPerfect recipe for easy, crowd-pleasing cupcakes. Super fun knowing the recipe is from someone not traditionally associated with great cooking. Looking up her old cooking show now to see if it's available to stream!!
Kearney
Brooklyn
3/19/2024
Super easy and perfect for parties! 🎉
Anonymous
3/18/2024
A Valentine’s Tradition❣️ I make these every year and they are easy and FABULOUS. Ditto the buttercream frosting❣️ People adore them as gifts. They also freeze beautifully. What more could you ask for?? Well if I’m feeling lazy I pour all the batter into a hearts shaped single layer cake pan. Either way, I decorate: tint the frosting, sprinkle with red or pink sugar, put a conversation heart candy in the center. One of life’s perfect small pleasures, this cupcake.
AMY THE FIRST
Marin County, CA
2/2/2022
My go-to vanilla cupcake recipe. Tastes great, not too sweet. I wish they were a little less dense, but overall they are always a hit.
Anonymous
Chandler, Arizona
9/14/2021
These cupcakes turned out amazing and the recipe was a fun read. Loved the funny side bits. Four forks up.
sondergh
SD
4/21/2020
A definite winning cupcake recipe to make year after year for all types of occasions. The butter and vanilla gives it a smooth creamy delicate flavor. The cupcake liner paper peels right off without any crumbling of the cupcake. Thank you!
ERenaud01
Colorado Springs, CO
11/2/2019
Dear Amy, Thank you for being a beacon of humor and humility. Your cupcake recipe was exactly what I wanted and needed! Ozajacz
ozajacz
Philly
10/6/2019
I never leave reviews but I had to for this recipe. It. Is. So. DELICIOUS. I will never make another vanilla cupcake. The only thing I changed was alternate adding the flour mixture and milk because the baker in me can’t not do that. Who knows if it made any difference but holy holy they came out good. I used a batter scoop, evenly divided the batter, and got 24 perfect cupcakes. Thank goodness for the Sedaris family!
harrison.lindsey2709
Austin, TX
8/3/2019
I liked the subtle flavor of this cupcake, it would go great with a filling
michael.c
los angelas, CA
8/1/2019
Eh not crazy about the flavor. I put 2 fat table spoons in each cup and got 24. Nothing burned for me i put them in on the top rack. It just does not taste like a yummy vanilla flavor and i followed to a T. Knowing my kids are so picky like me we wont be making this one again
Blessedmommy3
Bayonne nj
6/3/2019
Excellent recipe! I have been trying recipes for weeks trying to find the perfect one, and I love this one. Very light and moist, I will definitely be using this recipe again.
Brbaugher
South Dakota
5/21/2019
Not a good recipe. Way too much sugar. Not needed sugar and calories. Tastes odd and makes your stomach sick. I made this with friends, it made about 16 cupcakes and not tasty. Do not recommend at all.
Mayavrtlss
Canada
5/20/2019
I made this and it was amazing. I little trick I do for egg shells is that when you see one in the batter, you take a spoon or your finger and get it wet. The egg shell should stick to what ever your using.
lstromsness
Bath NY
5/5/2019
THIS RECIPE WAS DELICIOUS I MADE IT WITH THE KIDS WITH FOOD DYE AND THEY ABUSULTELY LOVVVVED THE FLUFFY TEXTURE YUM YUM I RATE 100/69 ;) KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
soccermom6969
NY
4/28/2019
I have never made homemade cupcakes before, and holy cow, these were SO GOOD and SO EASY!!! Wow they're incredible.
Anonymous
Chicago, IL
11/2/2018
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