Community Pick
Kittencal's Easy One-Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes
"This recipe goes back over 20 years, I like the simplicity of this recipe and for a one bowl cupcake they are pretty darn good, 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract may be used in place of the vanilla, using butter in place of shortening will alter the texture it is best to only use shortening --- if you don't have paper liners grease the tins generously or see my recipe#78579"
photo by Ashley Cuoco
- Ready In:
- 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Yields:
-
18 cupcakes
ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄2 cups sugar (can use 1-1/4 cup for a less sweeter taste ,or can use 3/4 cup Splenda)
- 2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 cup shortening (very soft but not melted, Crisco is best)
- 3⁄4 cup milk (or half and half cream)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (or use 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract)
- 2 large eggs
directions
- Set oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour with sugar, baking powder and salt until combined.
- Add in the shortening cream or milk, vanilla and eggs; beat on medium speed of an electric mixer scraping the bowl constantly until just blended (the batter will be thick, if desired you may add in a few more tablespoons cream or milk).
- Pour into paper-lined regular size muffin tins filling under just three-quarters full.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the cupcakes test done (do not overbake as they will be dry).
- Immediately remove from pans.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- *Note* if desired 1-1/2 tsp almond extract may be used instead of vanilla, for a almond flavor.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
These were weird. I followed the recipe exactly. They had a very cornbread like texture. And to my surprise, even a bit of a cornbread taste! ....like a vanilla cornbread. They still tasted alright, just strange. If someone gave me one, I would probably eat it. However, I do not intend to make them again. -
I made this recipe yesterday and they were so horrible I threw them away. They were hollow, greasy, looked like bad yorkshire pudding. Made them again today because DH said I had to have done something wrong. Same results. I was sure it wasn't me because I am a mis en place kinda cook. I thought since it was Kitten they would be perfect. Save yourself the grief and try a different cupcake. DH is trying to take a photo so you can see todays disaster. I am so sorry. We were trying recipes for a wedding shower for 125 people and thank goodness I didn't give the recipe to the helpers. Sorry Kittencal.
-
Like the past two responders, my cupcakes too turned out strange. I followed everything to the tee, but my cupcakes tasted like cornbread too! =( oh well..On to look for a new vanilla cupcake recipe -
Before making this recipe, I sorted the reviews by rating and read and best and worst three pages. I figured the good reviews outweighed the bad and decided to try them anyway, and I'm sorry I did. As another reviewer said, these manage to be dry and oily all at once. The cake isn't fluffy but more mealy. I used extra vanilla and even scraped a vanilla bean into the batter based on some reviews saying these were bland, and although that helped a bit, these still didn't have much flavor. The only good thing about them is that they're an excuse to eat frosting. -
I was really disappointed by these, especially since they are the top-rated cupcake recipe. The taste was just ok, the etxture was weird. They didn't taste like cornbread to me, but the texture was similar. Also mine didn't really rise. I didn't have a mixer so I just mixed by hand, I wonder if that's why they didn't rise? Anyway, I won't be making these again.
see 200 more reviews
Tweaks
-
i made these and they taste a lot more like cornbread muffins instead of a vanilla cupcake. i wouldn't recommend this to anyone who wanted a cupcake. i would however definitely suggest this to someone who has a disorder where they can't eat nuts, seeds, or coarse grains, like cornmeal, as a substitute for cornbread. it tastes almost identical.
-
YUMMY!!! KittenCal said "one bowl" so I went even easier and threw EVERYTHING at the same time into a blender and hit the mix button! I used stick margarine in place of Crisco or Butter since there was a debate. They came out PERFEECT!!! A great vanilla base for your favorite icing to be the star!
-
The texture was amazing: airy and fluffy (almost like sponge cake) with a crisp muffin top. I substituted buttermilk for the milk and eggbeaters for the eggs. The problem is the taste. It tasted like nothing by itself. I guess that's the way a plain cupcake would be, but I was disappointed. I added nutella as frosting and of course, they were delicious. As is though, good texture, no taste. -
we made the first batch as written, but used butter instead of crisco (didn't have any crisco, and too lazy to go to the store!) and they were really good. the second batch i added a few handfuls of chocolate chips, a couple of tsps of peppermint extract and a few drops of green food colouring. they came out amazing, too! (if i do this variation again, i'll stick to 1 tsp of mint). thanks again kittencal! -
WOW!!! I am a busy mom of 3 one of which is allergic to dairy, egg, peanut, and tree nut. We have been forever searching for a recipe that we can all enjoy. I substituted the shortening for dairy free margarine (don't like cooking w/ shortening), replaced the milk with vanilla flavored soy milk and instead of the egg, 1/4 cup vanilla flavored soy yogurt. (using e-nergy egg replacer would work too). We did a taste test with the other batches of other cupcakes I made today (total of 4) and WOWIE!!! EVERYONE LOVED THESE CUPCAKES!!! Even my very picky husband! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
see 11 more tweaks
