Recipes and Cooking Simple White Cupcakes with Creamy Frosting This quick and easy recipe for frosted vanilla cupcakes -- just what you need for bake sales, pot lucks or after school treats -- proves that that simple is best. If you use dairy buttermilk, shake the carton vigorously before measuring the buttermilk. By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on March 10, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Kate Mathis Prep Time: 30 mins Cool Time: 60 mins Bake Time: 18 mins Stand Time: 30 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 12 Yield: 12 cupcakes Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients ⅓ cup butter 2 eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ⅛ teaspoon salt ⅔ cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla ⅓ cup buttermilk or sour milk* 1 recipe Creamy Frosting Creamy Frosting 4 ounce cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoon butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 ½ cup powdered sugar Directions Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grease twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium to high speed about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about half full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups and cool completely on wire rack. Generously spread Creamy Frosting over cupcakes. Makes 12 cupcakes. Creamy Frosting In a large bowl beat together cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. *To make sour milk: Place 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar in a 1-cup glass measure. Add enough milk to equal 1/2 cup. Let stand for 5 minutes before using. ** To soften the cream cheese for the frosting, let it stand at room temperature about 30 minutes. Or, place it in a microwave-safe container and microwave, uncovered, on 100 percent power (high) about 10 seconds or until softened. Place frosted cupcakes in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, keep unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw frozen cupcakes at room temperature for 1 hour before frosting. Store frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 411 Calories 18g Fat 58g Carbs 3g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 12 Calories 411 % Daily Value * Total Fat 18g 23% Saturated Fat 12g 60% Cholesterol 71mg 24% Sodium 225mg 10% Total Carbohydrate 58g 21% Total Sugars 46g Protein 3g *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.