White Cupcakes are a delicious treat with a moist, fine crumb and a dense texture, making them ideal for a special occasion! They are perfect for frosting and decorating to fit your celebration or event, but also good enough to enjoy the cupcake itself! If you are looking for more Cupcakes, I have you covered!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Flour: I used cake flour in this recipe. Cake flour is very low in protein (about 6-8 percent) when compared to all-purpose flour (10-12 percent). Used in these cupcakes, it results in delicate, fine-crumbed cupcakes. If you don’t have any on hand, make your own!
Butter: Use room-temperature unsalted butter. If using salted butter, you may want to lessen or omit the salt in the recipe.
Extracts: Both vanilla and almond extract are added to the muffin batter. If you have a nut allergy, you could substitute vanilla for almond extract. Or, you can also use Imitation Almond Extract which is typically not made with almonds. Be sure to check the ingredients. If you just don’t like the flavor, the cupcakes do not taste almondy. It simply adds a freshness, a refined elegance, to the overall flavor.
Eggs: You will need only egg whites in this recipe. This gives you a lighter and fluffier cupcake. Try to separate them from the yolks as best as you can. To separate the egg white from the yolk, simply crack the egg over a slotted spoon that is over a bowl. Let the egg whites fall through the slots in the spoon. Don’t throw away the yolks! Beat them and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days to use in other recipes like my Browned Butter Toffee Cookies.
Milk: Whole milk is my preferred milk to use. However, you could use lower-fat milk if that is all you have on hand.
How to Store Cupcakes
To store cupcakes, first, let them cool completely. Then, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. I do not recommend storing these cupcakes in the refrigerator; they will dry out faster.
Can I Freeze Cupcakes?
Yes! In fact, freezing cupcakes is a great way to preserve their freshness. To freeze cupcakes, let them cool completely. Then, store them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months. When ready to frost or enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Best Frosting for White Cupcakes
That is a loaded statement because it will absolutely vary based on your preferences!! These cupcakes are pictures with my American Buttercream, but here are a few more ideas!
- Strawberry Ermine Frosting
- Lemon Ermine
- Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Easy Coconut Frosting
Elegant White Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (275 g) cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 cup (225 g) milk, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare muffin tins with liners. (This recipe yields 23 cupcakes.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, carefully add in egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer still on low, add ⅓ of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, then half the milk, another third of the flour mixture, the remaining milk, and then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a ¼ cup ice cream scoop or a ¼ measuring cup, fill each lined muffin cup with the batter.
- Bake for 21-23 minutes, or just until the cupcakes start to brown at the edges and the center springs back when touched.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about five minutes. Then, invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
My son has a birthday coming up and you better believe I will be making these for him! These might just be the PERFECT white cupcakes!
Elizabeth
No frosting was needed for these soft and flavorful cupcakes! They were moist and delicate and would be the perfect treat to share at a party or celebration! These are versatile enough to add your favorite frosting.
Bella
This has such a lovely, sweet flavor! It was soft and moist, just how cupcakes should be. The cupcake still tastes great without frosting.
A soft, tender, flavorful cupcake! I meant to eat just half! Oops!! Would be delicious with your favorite chocolate, lemon, or even an orange frosting! Love!!!
Selena
These are the perfect white cupcake. The texture is soft and lovely. The hint of almond is just perfect. So delicious!
Has anyone tried buttermilk in place of the milk? I am a buttermilk fanatic😊
Chef Amanda
I’m getting ready to make these cupcakes and I’m doubling the recipe as well as using a large sz cupcake pan do you have any suggestions or hints for me?
Thank you very much
Amanda Thank you for this recipe! I had extra egg whites & needed a cupcake recipe this worked beautifully AND I doubled the recipe I my new white cake!! I’d add a pic of I could & I used my Russian decorator tips after watching your tutorial
Thank you very much
This has turned into my go-to white cupcake recipe! I will say that for me and my muffin tins, this recipe makes nearly 3 dozen cupcakes instead of 2 dozen. Otherwise, if I tried to do only 2 dozen, the batter would overflow as it baked. But it’s delicious and has the perfect texture for a cupcake!
Sabrina (dinner, then dessert) sent me your way. Can’t wait to try these cupcakes for my friends wedding! Thanks 💜
So good!! I am having ladies over for game day tomorror and wanted a white wdding cake like cupcake to serve. It us close to independence day so the white cupcakes will be accompanied with strawberries and blueberries.
These cupcakes are wonderful. The texture and flavor are excellent. I used regular grain sugar but put it in my food processor on grind to get a finer grain.
I just tried these cupcakes. I first thank Amanda for such a great page with yummy recipes. These cupcakes turned out super light and fluffy! spongy, soft, lovely texture. For my palate they were a bit too sweet, but that is just for my palate. They did come out dry though (I did not over bake them). I will try this recipe next time I will incorporate some sour cream to help with the moistness because this is a very good recipe. Thanks again!
I didn’t have have the same issues as the comments below with overflow, sticking etc…but I did find these cupcakes excessively sweet. I will definitely make them again (the fine crumb is amazing) but will cut the sugar down substantially
Will try this cupcake
So I made these and they all fell really bad! They tasted good, but fell and stuck to the pan. Could that have been due to high altitude? Or could I have done something wrong? I am an experienced baker.