How to Make Quick Easy Cupcakes

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 14, 2021 References Tested

You don't have to spend all day in the kitchen to make a delicious batch of cupcakes. Just mix up a few simple ingredients and bake the batter in cupcake tins. From start to finish, your delicious cupcakes should take about one to two hours to make. After they've cooled, you can frost them with your favorite homemade frosting. Try vanilla, chocolate or strawberry cupcakes next time you have a craving for a sugary snack. You can also take them to school or work and eat it as a snack. Be sure to take some extra for your friends and tell them you hand-made them!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooks: 15-19 minutes
Makes: 15 cupcakes

Ingredients

Vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 2 teaspoons sprinkles, or other mix-ins

Chocolate

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature

Strawberry

2/3 cup strawberry jelly (not jam)
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Vanilla Cupcakes

1
Measure out your ingredients. Having everything ready before you start mixing will keep you from forgetting an important ingredient.
2
Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit (190° Celsius).^{[1]
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3
Place 12 cupcake liners into a cupcake pan. If you don't have liners, just grease each cup with vegetable oil or butter to keep the cupcakes from sticking.
4
Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Use a sifter or a whisk to thoroughly incorporate the dry ingredients.^{[2]
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5
Add the sugar and butter. Stir just until the ingredients are combined.
6
Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix everything together to form a smooth batter.
7
Stir in optional mix-ins. If you want to add chocolate chips, sprinkles, or another mix-in, stir it in now.
8
Divide the cupcake mixture evenly into the cupcake tin. Fill each up about 2/3 full.^{[3]
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Research source} Leaving extra room at the top of each cup will prevent the cupcakes from rising too high in the cups and spilling over.
9
Bake the cupcakes. Place them in the oven to bake for 15 to 18 minutes.^{[4]
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Research source} The cupcakes are done with a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean.^{[5]
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10
Let the cupcakes cool before frosting. Place them on a cooling rack or the counter to let them cool completely.^{[6]
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11
Whip up the frosting of your choice to finish your cupcakes. Pair your vanilla cupcakes with any type of frosting you like best.^{[7]
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Research source} Here are a few easy recipes to try:
- Vanilla frosting
- Chocolate frosting
- Buttercream frosting

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Chocolate Cupcakes

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).^{[8]
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2
Place 12 cupcake liners into a cupcake pan. If you don't have liners, grease the cups using vegetable oil or butter to keep the cupcakes from sticking.^{[9]
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3
Pour all the ingredients into the same bowl. In this easy recipe, it doesn't matter in what order you pour them in. Choose a big bowl that will fit all the ingredients.
4
Beat the ingredients until the batter becomes creamy. Keep stirring until you no longer see dry bits of flour.
5
Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake cups. Fill each one 2/3 way full.^{[10]
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Research source} Leaving extra space will give the cupcakes room to rise without spilling over the rims.
6
Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes. Test to see whether the cupcakes are done by inserting a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean, they're ready. If it's still wet, bake the cupcakes for another five minutes.^{[11]
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7
Let the cupcakes cool before frosting. Place them on a wire rack or on the counter to cool completely. If you frost them too quickly, the icing will melt off.^{[12]
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8
Frost the cupcakes with your favorite frosting. Any flavor pairs great with these simple chocolate cupcakes. Choose your favorite frosting or make more than one, then spread it onto your cooled cupcakes. These recipes pair well with chocolate cupcakes:
- Cream cheese frosting
- Peanut butter frosting
- Chocolate chip frosting

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Strawberry Cupcakes

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).^{[13]
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2
Place 12 cupcake liners into a cupcake pan. If you don't have liners, grease the cups using vegetable oil or butter to keep the cupcakes from sticking.
3
Mix together the wet ingredients. Into a large bowl, add the strawberry jam, milk, vanilla, butter, eggs and sugar. Beat the mixture well to fully incorporate the ingredients.
4
Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5
Stir the flour mixture into the wet batter. Use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Be sure not to overmix, since mixing too much can cause these cupcakes to turn out dense.
6
Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake cups. Fill each one 2/3 way full.^{[14]
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Research source} Leaving extra space will give the cupcakes room to rise without spilling over the rims.
7
Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes. Test to see whether the cupcakes are done by inserting a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean, they're ready. If it's still wet, bake the cupcakes for another five minutes.^{[15]
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8
Let the cupcakes cool before frosting. Place them on a wire rack or on the counter to cool completely. If you frost them too quickly, the icing will melt off.
9
Frost the cupcakes with your favorite frosting. The sweet taste of the strawberries pairs well with cream cheese, a simple buttercream or a complementary strawberry frosting.^{[16]
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Research source} Try one of these recipes:
- Cream cheese frosting
- Buttercream
- Strawberry frosting
10
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

Can the vanilla extract be removed?

Community Answer

You can leave it out. It just gives your cupcakes a vanilla flavor, which you may not actually want.
Question

Do I need baking powder?

Qamar

Top Answerer

Yes, you do. Baking powder helps the cupcakes rise and become moist and fluffy.
Question

Can I bake fruit into the cupcakes?

Community Answer

Yes. Many people will do halved strawberries, but you may also put in blueberries, raspberries, or other fruits. Just keep in mind that fruit has high water content and will increase the moisture in your batter. You should closely follow a recipe the first few times you choose to do this, to avoid making soggy cupcakes.

Warnings

Always be careful when dealing with hot temperatures. Take the proper precautions to ensure you don't burn yourself.

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