Cupcakes! Cupcakes! Cupcakes!
Pardon my enthusiasm, but when I find a really GREAT basic recipe for a high altitude treat, I can’t help but get excited. And these Easy High Altitude Vanilla Cupcakes are GREAT.
For most, cupcakes are not an everyday dessert; they’re often made for a birthday, holiday, or other special occasion. And when the occasion is special, we want gorgeous, fluffy, moist, high-domed beauties, right? That’s exactly what you’ll get with these.
Over the last couple of months, I’ve heard from a number of frustrated high-altitude bakers who have struggled in particular with cupcakes. I get it. I too have made many batches that have turned out dense and rubbery, fallen flat, or sunk in the middle (though some would say that’s just an excuse to use more frosting). This recipe fixes every one of those issues.
Our first important task is creaming the butter and sugar. It’s important to really whip these two ingredients together well in order to create nice little pockets of air that will help the cupcakes rise into delightfully fluffy, delicious domes.
Then, eggs. Lots of eggs – five, to be exact. They bring both moisture and loftiness to our cupcakes. As does buttermilk, our other best friend, which helpfully creates a tender, moist crumb and gives the baking powder and eggs a little boost. A good dose of vanilla amps up the creamy, buttery-sweet flavor.
After you add the eggs, the batter may have a somewhat chunky or curdled appearance. Don’t panic! Everything is fine. The flour mixture brings everything together and makes it nice and creamy.
I almost always use liners in my muffin tins to avoid sticking and to make the cupcakes easier to transport. If you prefer to make yours without paper, make sure you grease and flour your tins very well. Either way, fill the cups all the way to the top to achieve that beautifully domed appearance. If you use less batter, you’ll end up with flatter tops.
Cupcakes aren’t cupcakes without a rich, creamy frosting, right? This recipe is the best buttercream I’ve made; it’s the kind of frosting you consider eating with a spoon and then maybe just take a tiny dip to see if that’s a good idea (it really is). The secret is a bit of heavy cream, which keeps the frosting from being grainy while allowing the it to hold its shape.
You can use fancy piping techniques, or simply slather the frosting on in a charmingly unfussy manner. I guarantee your cupcakes will be devoured either way. I like to add colorful sprinkles to this neutral vanilla canvas, but you could do shaved chocolate, fresh fruit, edible flowers (like pansies, which you maybe even have in your flower pots right now), or even a simple sprinkle of flaked sea salt.
That’s a big platter of make-someone-happy right there.
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Easy High Altitude Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: about 18 standard-size cupcakes 1x
Description
Easy High Altitude Vanilla Cupcakes are as fluffy, moist, and high-domed as their sea-level counterparts, and come together in a flash.
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation)
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
BASIC BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1/2 lb (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners, or if you choose not to use liners, grease and flour each cup thoroughly (be sure to get into all the nooks and crannies to avoid sticking).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat until thoroughly combined and very fluffy, about three minutes. Add the five eggs and beat until incorporated, then the vanilla extract.
- With the mixer on its lowest speed, add half the flour, then half the buttermilk, followed by the remaining flour and buttermilk. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat the batter for a another minute, until the texture is uniform and fluffy.
- Using a quarter-cup measure or a large cookie/ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cup with batter. To ensure a nice domed top, be sure to fill each to the top; if you prefer flatter, level cupcakes, fill them slightly less.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack before frosting.
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat softened butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add 4 cups of the sifted powdered sugar, then the cream and vanilla extract. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar; if it’s too thick, add a bit more cream.
- For a decorative design, use a piping bag with the tip of your choice, or simply spread on with a knife.
- Add sprinkles, edible flowers, or other adornments, if desired.
Notes
… If you don’t have buttermilk on hand and don’t want to make a special run to the store, add one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to 1 1/2 cups of milk and allow to sit for 15 mins.
… If you’re not going to serve the cupcakes immediately, store lightly covered at room temperature and frost just before serving.
Perfect! Made them this morning for Oliver’s 1st birthday and they are delish, perfectly moist and airy!
Yay! So glad these worked out for you. Happy Birthday, Oliver!
I made these for Joe’s birthday. Not only did they look gorgeous, but they tasted divine. A total rave by the group. I do not normally bake, so I loved the ease and deliciousness of the simple ingredients.
That is so great to hear, Erin! Happy birthday to Joe!
Love this recipe, but it makes around 30 cupcakes, not 18
So I just did this recipe and divided it into three parts so I could make mini camo cupcakes. I changed one section to camo green, I left one of them plain and change the last portion to chocolate with some cocoa powder and more buttermilk.
I am so pleased so far with the height and the dome of the cupcakes!
I’ve never been able to get the right recipe for high-altitude that worked for me. Thank you so much for this recipe I’m definitely saving it.
Love the camo idea, Melinda!
Can you elaborate on the recipe change you made for the chocolate cupcakes?
Thank you 🙂
Just made these and they are outstanding! I am in desperate need of a high altitude chocolate cupcake as well–can you please share what to add and in what quantities to produce the same amazing cupcake in chocolate?
Thank you so much!
I am working on a chocolate cupcake recipe! Stay tuned. 🙂
This recipe sounds great! I’m at almost 7,000 ft. Do you think I need to make any adjustments?
Also, can you recommend a way for cupcakes to be saved for 4-5 days to be served later? Ie. can the baked (but unfrosted) cupcakes be refrigerated or frozen? Or can the batter refrigerated for baking later?
Thanks for sharing this recipe and any help!
You shouldn’t need to adjust, and the cupcakes can be baked in advance and frozen (I wouldn’t recommend refrigerating that long). Just make sure they are fully cool and tightly wrapped to avoid freezer burn!
Both the cake batter and the frosting say 1/2 lb of butter, but batter says 2 sticks and frosting says 1. Which is correct? Thank you so much! Looking forward to making these! I’m at 6500.
Oof- thanks for the catch! It’s half a pound/2 sticks for both. I’ll update the recipe!
These cupcakes turned out so wonderful! My daughter loved them! Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting are her absolute favorite! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! It helped make her 17th birthday during quarantine so much more delightful! Very soft and spongy cake, with lots of airy bubbles and so yummy! I will be making these all the time now! 😊
Yay and happy birthday to your daughter! 🎉
If we don’t have a cupcake pan with ridges on it, will filling them all the way to the top just make the tops stick to the pan?
I’ve never had an issue with the tops sticking, but you can grease the top of the pan as well to make sure.
I am about to make this recipe. Can I use this recipe to make a cake instead of cupcakes?
Yes! It will work fine for a layer cake. You’ll need to increase the baking time – keep an eye on it until the tops spring back and a cake tester comes out clean.
These turned out great, I did sub Greek yogurt for the buttermilk since I was out. They are light and fluffy, the cooking time was a bit long for my altitude, I am at 5700 ft. They peaked perfectly!
Yogurt is a great sub, as is a little lemon juice in plain milk. So glad they worked well for you!
This recipe worked great at 7400+ feet. My husband and son love them! I’m thankful to have a cupcake recipe that really “works.” I warn against filling too full–when I filled the paper cupcake cups inside my “giant” muffin tin, they worked beautifully (there was room in each tin-cup above the paper cups). But when I filled the giant tin-cups without the papers, it was too much–overflowed, burned in the bottom of the oven, and made flat tops almost impossible to get out of the tin (spread on the flat parts above the cups).
Thanks, Karen, and great tip about the extra-large muffin cups.
I’d love a Chocolate version of these. They are the best looking (and tasting) cupcakes I’ve made to date! I made them into funfetti by adding confetti sprinkles at the very end of mixing. We Looove them!
These are interesting. They taste more like a muffin. Light and airy but you definitely taste the richness that 5 (!) Eggs and two whole sticks of butter add. I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s kinda like ordering pizza but getting a calzone. It’s similar but different enough to be a little strange. They are good, but I almost wish I had added blueberries lol. I will know more after I frost them. It’s the kinda thing that may grow on me. This definitely isn’t a bad review. The recipe came together so easily and nicely. It’s yummy just not quite a standard cupcake (compared to store bought out of a box).
*Also it makes 12 cupcakes and one 9×5 loaf cake! I didn’t want to make two batches and I had filled the cupcakes to the top not 3/4 like most recipes.
So excited to try this recipe for my son’s 4th birthday! If i wanted to add strawberry to the cake for color and flavor (but didn’t want to add chunky fruit bits or food coloring) what would you recommend? I’m worried about messing with the moisture content. I was thinking about straining some preserves to get the seeds out and then adding that or maybe going the freeze dried route and powdering them? Thanks in advance!!
Lauren, you are right to be wary of moisture by using something like strawberry puree. Honestly, most pink-colored strawberry cupcakes are colored with food coloring. There are natural options available, or you might try using freeze-dried strawberry powder such as this one.
These were amazing!!! Made these for my daughter’s half birthday…perfect! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for such perfection and yumminess!
Thankyouuuuu for saving my life !!! i tried every single recipe and none of them work
this one is just beautiful I LOVE THEM !!!
Wonderful!
Do you refrigerate these if I am making the night before
For my guest??
Judy, plain unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days. If you must frost them in advance, then yes, do refrigerate them.
Hi would this recipe work in Colorado Springs. I have a hard time finding cake recipes and altitude baking charts for 6,000ft.
Tasha, this recipe should work well at your altitude.
I’ve made these as cupcakes are they are incredible. I’m trying to adapt them to a layer cake. What size cake pan will this recipe fill? Any idea how long I’d need to bake it?
Thank you!
You can use two 6” or 8” rounds for a layer cake – anything larger will come out quite thin. Start checking the layers at about 35 mins and continue baking until a cake tester comes out clean (it may take a bit longer depending on the size of your layers).
How would you adjust the recipe proportions for only a dozen or even half the recipe?
Simply halve all the ingredients (and since eggs are difficult to split, use 3).
The eggs were throwing me off :). Thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe. This is the first vanilla cake recipe I’ve found that has worked and is so good. One thing I noticed is that the second batch I cooked domed much higher than the first. I had to wait because I only have one muffin pan, and I let the first batch cool for a bit. So 22 minutes in the oven and then maybe another 20 minutes cooling time- that left my batter sitting for about 45 minutes. And they rose so much higher. And I got exactly 18 huge cupcakes from this recipe. My BFF said they taste like they’re from a gourmet bakery. :). Thanks again!
So glad you loved them!
Glad they worked well for you!
This recipe SAVED me!!! I have been trying to find cake recipes that don’t sink and become rocks after baking and this is the first cupcake recipe that has created perfectly domed tops and fluffy insides. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Fantastic! I love to hear that.
These cupcakes are perfect! I am at about 5,300 feet and made the recipe as written. I ended up with 24. The taste was great and the texture was everything you want in a vanilla cupcake with perfect domed tops. I used the chocolate frosting from this site’s chocolate cupcake recipe (those are also fantastic). We will be making these again!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I had no idea how to bake in high altitude. I was asked to bake for my nephews wedding .He lives in Steamboat Springs. This was my first time baking at 7600 altitude. I made a few changes: added 2 tbs of lemon zest and 2 teaspoons of lemon emulsion. Lemon curd in the middle with a rosemary buttercream. Perfect cupcakes and such a big hit.
Thank you for this recipe! It was amazing and a total hit for Easter cupcakes. And trust the directions, if you fill them to the top they still come out perfectly! I couldn’t believe it!!
Finally!!!!
I found a cupcake recipe that works at my altitude! We live in Colorado Springs on Cheyenne Mountain (6670 ft) and I’ve been so frustrated with sinking cupcakes. I tried different variations of flour types and amounts along with sugar, butter, eggs and baking powder. None worked until now! Thank you for the recipe. I’m going to try some of your other recipes and expect I will have great success.
Keep the recipes coming!
Thanks Again
Mike Barber