These French vanilla cupcakes are full of deep vanilla flavor. They are delicious on their own but make a great base for your own tweaks and changes.
We were going to a potluck at church and supposed to bring food. I don’t know why this always stresses me out but it does. I mean, what food? What will everyone want? What will work? What if I make something and it turns out disgusting?
It was especially difficult Saturday because I worked until 3 and then still had no idea what I was making. Time frame? We were leaving the house at 5. Uh oh. Ya know what? Food Network to the rescue. After numerous viewings of Cupcake Wars I realized that I could easily put together 24 cupcakes in 2 hours.
If I hurried.
These French Vanilla cupcakes are moist and very, very vanilla. Not boring, kiss-your-sister vanilla but seductive, exotic, fabulous vanilla. Deep, velvety, luscious vanilla.
I used Rose Chocolate Swiss Buttercream on half and Lavender Key Lime Swiss Buttercream on the other half. You can use any frosting you like but I am really hooked on Swiss Buttercream. It is very rich, not too sweet, and totally amazing flavor-wise. Try it at least once.
If these are still not what you are looking for you’re sure to find one on my 50 Best Cupcakes on the Internet post.
French Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
If you love vanilla these are packed full of deep, exotic vanilla flavor. They make a great basic recipe to use as a jumping off place for all kinds of twists and turns.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups of vanilla sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup of buttermilk, room temp
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1 1-inch piece of vanilla bean
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Heat the buttermilk until it just simmers.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla pod.
- Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beat thoroughly after each addition.
- Blend flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda, in a bowl.
- Cut open vanilla pod and scrape out seeds into the buttermilk. (You can dry the pod and use it to make vanilla sugar)
- Add vanilla to buttermilk
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until mixed.
- Add ½ the buttermilk.
- Continue to alternate the flour and buttermilk, ending with the flour.
- Scoop into cupcake papers about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Cool and frost with desired buttercream
Notes:
You can replace 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk with vanilla brandy for a deeper flavor.
image: marye audet
Vanilla
These cupcakes are an intense vanilla and that means that you are only going to get the most intense flavor by using really good vanilla… It does make a difference. I use this vanilla and I just love it. Click on the image for more details.
16 comments
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Karen
March 8, 2011 at 8:36 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Looks yummy….just copied down recipe… On the books for this week! Thanks
March 8, 2011 at 10:16 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
What kinda buttercream ya using?
Cori G.
March 8, 2011 at 11:38 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Hi Marye,
These look amazing and I loved your description of them ;-).
xoxo Cori
March 8, 2011 at 3:55 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Good to see you cori!
Erin Myers
March 8, 2011 at 1:49 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
You are going to make me some right? Since I didn’t get to taste them the first time? oooh yummy.
March 8, 2011 at 3:55 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
If you would come over here more….. yeah.. I will make some saturday.
Tina
May 23, 2012 at 12:54 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Hi, I was interested in making these and in the ingredients it has 2 tsp of vanilla extract listed, but it doesnt say where you added that?
May 23, 2012 at 1:02 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
You can add it in with the buttermilk or with the creamed butter. It really doesn’t matter with vanilla.
Tina
May 23, 2012 at 9:22 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thank you for your response! I made these today and they were a hit! It came out to be 30 cupcakes for me and I frosted them with a Vanilla Buttercream frosting; absolutely delicious and will def make again
May 26, 2012 at 9:45 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
YAY! There is nothing better than a really good vanilla cupcake! Ummm… unless maybe it is a really good chocolate one…. or pineapple… or…
Tasha
May 30, 2012 at 7:04 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Question while reading the recipe…it says vanilla sugar? can you get that anywhere
May 30, 2012 at 12:19 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
you can get it online or you can put a vanilla bean in sugar for a few weeks and make your own.
Meredith
August 9, 2012 at 10:21 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Is it going to make a big difference to not use vanilla sugar? Or can you find this somewhere in a store? I did read above where it says you can order it online or make your own but I don’t have time. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
August 9, 2012 at 10:32 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Double the vanilla and you should be good.
You may lose a little flavor…
Erica
November 20, 2012 at 11:31 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
My husband has requested a French vanilla cake for his birthday on Wednesday, and I am definitely going to be making these cupcakes instead of an actual cake! I also don’t have any time to order/buy vanilla sugar,but I saw above you posted that you can just double the vanilla. Would I double both the vanilla extract and vanilla bean? Thank you for posting this recipe btw! I can’t wait to make these!
November 21, 2012 at 10:56 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Either way is fine.
You can just double the vanilla or for more flavor double the vanilla bean.