Light & Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe – Naturally Sweetened

Why Your Kids Will Love These Vanilla Cupcakes

There are two great things about these moist light & fluffy vanilla cupcakes:

1. They are free from refined sugar.

2. Kids love their taste and texture.

There is nothing better than a sweet treat for your child that you can feel good about. With all of the processed sugar and additives in store-bought cake mixes, homemade cake is always a healthier choice. But even homemade cakes contain a lot of refined sugar when you use a traditional recipe.

That’s why I use maple syrup for this vanilla cupcakes recipe. Using maple syrup as the sweetener in these perfect vanilla cupcakes makes them a less processed, lower glycemic, more vitamin-dense cake option (read Dr. Axe’s article reviewing maple syrup for a more in-depth look at how maple syrup compares to regular white table sugar).

I know, I know. Your kids really don’t care about the glycemic index or getting vitamins from their birthday cake. But as a parent or caregiver, you care about reducing the health-damaging foods they consume, even during celebrations.

That being said, nobody wants to take away their kids’ fun during a birthday celebration or other fun event by offering a sad alternative to the real-deal light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes. The good news is, these are the best vanilla cupcakes with amazing flavor, so kids don’t have to compromise as a result of having a healthier, natural sweetener in their treat!

In addition to taste, let’s just briefly discuss how light and fluffy the texture of these cupcakes is:

These cupcakes are so light and fluffy!

There, we’ve discussed it 😀 (because, really, what more do I need to say to express that they are light and fluffy?).

The texture of these cupcakes is exactly why maple syrup is my primary natural sweetener of choice when it comes to things like cupcakes and cakes (you can read more about what natural sweeteners to use in which treats here). Maple syrup is very sweet and also results in a lighter cake than other natural sweeteners such as honey, which tends to weight the cake down.

Which is exactly why your kids will love these vanilla cupcakes from scratch – because they won’t even know they are made healthier. And, even more importantly, they will love that they get to eat them with your full approval.

What to Do With This Vanilla Cake Recipe

Let’s talk about what you can do with this easy, guilt-free cupcake recipe.

First of all, this is not only the best vanilla cupcakes recipe, it is also the best vanilla cake recipe. One batch of this recipe makes one 9-inch round cake layer. If you want to make your child’s celebration a little extra special, all you have to do is make a triple batch of the recipe for making a triple-layer cake.

Simply go to the print page on the recipe card and triple the servings to get adjusted ingredient measurements to triple the batch. The baking instructions for making cake layers are also in the recipe card.

You could also make a double batch of this simple vanilla cake recipe, and then make a double batch of my rich chocolate cake recipe and do a four-layer cake with alternating vanilla and chocolate layers. That is exactly what I did for my kids’ last birthday party and it was a huge hit!

Secondly, if you want to stick with making easy vanilla cupcakes, you have plenty of options for frosting them for a variety of occasions. You can keep it traditional with a healthy version of honey-sweetened buttercream frosting. Or you could do a strawberry-flavored buttercream frosting. You can get both of those recipes for buttercream frosting right here.

To make these cupcakes coordinate with a particular holiday or birthday party theme, you can use colored frosting. I recommend all-natural, plant-based, dye-free, sugar-free food coloring by India Tree.

But if you don’t need fun colors and you want a flavor to contrast your vanilla cupcakes, go with a chocolate tahini buttercream frosting, or even a simple chocolate frosting with a date paste base for a frosting that will remain soft when cold.

Thirdly, you can make these vanilla cupcakes from scratch even more mouth-watering by scooping out the centers once they are baked and filling them with homemade strawberry jam before adding the frosting on top. Kids love jams and fillings, so jam as a cupcake filling is the perfect way to add a special surprise for them to bite into.

Ingredients

• Butter: Butter – lots of it – is an essential part of making these perfect vanilla cupcakes delectably fluffy. I usually use organic or Irish grass-fed butter.

• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is a healthier alternative to white, processed table sugar and still yields light and fluffy cupcakes that kids can’t resist.

• Egg: Eggs are essential for binding all of the ingredients together. Any eggs will work, but I prefer to use farm-fresh eggs when available. Otherwise, I use organic and/or cage-free eggs.

• Milk: Milk serves as flavorful liquid to achieve the right consistency in the cake. I use organic whole milk.

• Vanilla Extract: A healthy dose of pure vanilla extract is necessary to create a full-flavored effect in these healthy cupcakes. Make sure you have pure vanilla extract and not a fake version that only contains vanilla extract.

• Flour: I use organic, unbleached flour, but any all-purpose flour will work.

• Baking Powder: Just the right amount of baking powder helps these cupcakes to rise appropriately. Aluminum-free is preferable for health purposes.

• Salt: Salt helps to ensure all the beautiful flavors in these delicious cupcakes come through.

Instructions

Step 1

Prepare your tools. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, line a muffin tin with cupcake wrappers and spray them with oil to prevent the wrappers from sticking mercilessly to the sides of the cupcakes once they are baked.

If you are making a layered cake, trace the bottom of your 9-inch round pan onto some parchment paper and cut out the circle. Lay it in the bottom of your cake pan and spray sides and bottom with oil.

Step 2

Use an electric stand or hand mixer to mix together your softened butter and maple syrup. Start on a low speed to avoid splashing the maple syrup out of your bowl. Mix until fully combined.

Step 3

Add eggs, vanilla extract and milk and mix to fully combine.

Step 4

Add all dry ingredients and mix again until fully combined.

Step 5

For cupcakes, spoon batter into each muffin cup, evenly distributing batter between all the muffin cups. Tap the muffin tin on the counter to even out the tops.

For a cake layer, pour the batter into the prepared round pan and gently shake to evenly spread batter around the pan. Alternatively, use a spatula to spread the batter around.

Step 6

Place cupcakes in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness.

For a cake, bake for 35-40 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick.

Step 7

Allow cupcakes or cake to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and allow to cool on cooling wrack for an additional 20-30 minutes before storing in an airtight container or sealable bag. Place in the fridge or freezer until ready to frost.

Substitutions & Tips

• If you want to try making these dairy-free, you could probably substitute the butter for margarine or coconut oil, but I have not tried this myself. Please leave a comment below if you do try making these with an alternative to butter to let the rest of us know how it turns out.

However, I have made these using almond milk in a pinch when I ran out of cow’s milk (still with regular butter) and they turned out great 🙂

• Do not overbake. These cupcakes will be moist if you remove them from the oven once the toothpick comes out clean, but do not allow them to become golden on top. Overbaking will result in a dryer cupcake (although arguably still delicious).

• Place cupcakes in an airtight container as soon as they have cooled from the oven to preserve their moisture.

• Refrigerate the cupcakes before frosting them. This will help to prevent the frosting from melting while you are decorating your cupcakes.

• If you are making this as a moist vanilla cake recipe instead of cupcakes, freeze the layers as soon as they have cooled. To do this, keep an eye on the temperature of the cake after it comes out of the oven and avoid leaving it to sit on the counter any longer than what is necessary for the heat to dissipate.

As a guide, let it rest in its pan for 10 minutes, then remove onto a cooling wrack. Allow to cool an additional 20-30 minutes, or just until cake is no longer very warm. Then wrap in layers of plastic wrap followed by foil. Finally, place each cake layer in its own sealable bag and store in the freezer until ready to assemble.

Light & Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes

A healthy vanilla cupcake recipe that won't make you cringe to give to your child, these are light-textured and full of that traditional vanilla flavor kids love in a cupcake. This is also a moist vanilla cake recipe that can be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled to create a multi-layered cake. There is no processed sugar in these perfect vanilla cupcakes, just delicious flavor enhanced with the natural sweetness of maple syrup.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 Servings

Calories: 219kcal

Equipment

• 1 Electric Mixer
• 1 Muffin Tin

Ingredients

• 113 g butter softened
• 250 g maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 125 g milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• For cupcakes, place cupcake liners in a muffin tin and spray them with oil.

  For layered cake, use an 9-inch round pan and trace the bottom onto parchment paper. Cut out the circle and lay it in the bottom of the round pan. Spray entire pan generously with oil.
• In a medium-size bowl, use an electric hand or stand mixer to combine softened butter and maple syrup.
• Add eggs, vanilla extract and milk and mix to combine.
• To the liquids, add all dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
• For cupcakes, evenly distribute batter among the 12 lined cups of your muffin tin. Tap on the counter to even out the tops.

  For a layered cake, pour batter into the oiled round pan and shake it a little to evenly distribute the batter. You can also use a spatula to spread it around if necessary.
• For cupcakes, place in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  For layered cake, place in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake. The toothpick should come out clean.
• Allow cupcakes or cake to cool on the counter for 10 minutes before attempting to remove. After allowing to cool slightly, remove from muffin tin or cake pan onto a cooling wrack. Allow to cool another half hour or until the cupcakes or cake are no longer very warm.
• For cupcakes, as soon as they have cooled, place in an airtight container until you are ready to frost to keep them from drying out.

  For layered cake, as soon as it is no longer very warm, wrap in plastic wrap and then foil before placing in a sealable plastic bag to store in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to frost.
• For cupcakes, it is best to frost them straight out of the fridge to help the frosting set once it is on the cupcake.

  For layered cake, it is best to have the cake as cold as possible before frosting. I highly recommend freezing it until you are ready to frost.

Notes

This recipe can either make 12 cupcakes or one 9-inch round cake layer. If you want to make a multi-layered cake, simply multiply the recipe by however many layers you want to make. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 292IU | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg

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