Moist and Tender White Cupcakes

Half of a frosted sour cream white cupcake on a white plate with a fork, surrounded by whole cupcakes in the background.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: white cupcakes

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 212kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

These moist white cupcakes are made from scratch with sour cream and a hint of almond with a moist, tender crumb, perfect for weddings, birthdays and showers.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour (or use 3 cups + 6 tablespoons cake flour for even whiter cupcakes)
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sour cream, room temperature (not low fat sour cream)
½ cup milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract (can use regular vanilla extract, but it will add a little color to the cupcakes)
¼ teaspoon almond extract or emulsion (optional however this is what will give these cupcakes a wedding cake flavor and it’s my secret ingredient-see notes section)
1 teaspoon butter extract or emulsion (optional, but can add a bit of butter flavoring)
6 large egg whites, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
⅔ cup vegetable shortening (this adds moisture and keeps the cupcakes white in color-see notes section.)
⅓ cup unsalted butter room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add cupcake liners to two (12 count) cupcake pans and spray them very lightly with non-stick baking spray.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt). Whisk well and set aside.
In a large measuring cup or a small bowl, add the sour cream, milk, extracts and egg whites. Whisk well and set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, add the sugar, vegetable shortening and room temperature butter and mix with an electric mixer on medium-high to high speed for approximately 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Alternately add in the dry mixture and the liquid mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, starting and ending with the dry mixture as follows:
Add ½ of the dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed just until combined (about 15-20 seconds or so). Add in all of the liquid mixture and mix on medium speed only until just combined (about 20 seconds or so). Add the last ½ of the dry mixture and mix on medium speed until well combined (about 15-20 seconds or so).
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again only for about 10 seconds or so.
(Be very careful only to mix until well combined. Mixing scratch cake batter too long and at too high of a speed can cause the cake to come out dense, rubbery or to fall in the middle. Mixing a minute or longer is too long. The batter does not need to be perfectly smooth when mixing scratch cake batter, it just needs to be well combined.)
Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔ of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 18-25 minutes. Ovens vary, so start checking at about 15 minutes to be safe. Cupcakes are finished baking when they are slightly golden around the edges, the tops are slightly firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into one of the middle cupcakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter. If the toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs, go ahead and pull the cupcakes out. You do not have to wait for the cupcake to come out completely clean as that can actually overbake cupcakes and cakes. Just make sure there is no raw batter on the toothpick.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and set the pans on wire racks to cool for about ten minutes, then take the cupcakes out of the pans and let them cool completely on wire racks before adding the frosting.
Pipe or spoon frosting onto cooled cupcakes. See the notes section for frosting options and ingredient information.

Notes

To get the whitest cupcakes possible: Make sure not to get any egg yolks into the batter, use clear vanilla extract and go for cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Personally, I like the texture of all-purpose flour more, but if you want a super white cupcake, go with the cake flour.

Frosting Options:

Wedding Cake Frosting

Whipped Vanilla American Buttercream Frosting

Best Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Bright White Heat Stable Buttercream

How to Store: These cupcakes will keep for a few days, covered at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container, so they don’t dry out.

Piping Tip I Used for Cupcakes: Wilton 2D

About the Butter Flavoring: The grocery store version of butter extract is not very good. Do yourself a favor and pay a little extra to get a good-tasting butter flavoring. I prefer LorAnn’s butter emulsion.

About the Almond Flavoring: Most people will automatically reject using almond flavoring right off without even tasting it. They assume they won’t like it, but as long as you’re not allergic, I really would urge you to try it. It’s only a small amount and does not make the cupcakes taste like almonds. Personally, I do not care for almonds at all, but a tiny bit of almond flavoring in white or vanilla cupcakes and frosting is amazing - and I do mean a tiny amount. I rarely go over ¼ teaspoon. Many people say there's just something about my vanilla cakes and buttercream—they can't stop eating them and can’t quite place that hint of flavor. That’s the secret.

Most almond flavoring is imitation and does not contain almonds, but you MUST read the label to make sure. I am personally allergic to almonds, but I have not ever had a reaction to the extract because I use imitation. Having said that, you MUST to do your own due diligence and the best option is to steer clear if allergic.

About the Vegetable Shortening: In the past, I have received many angry comments about using vegetable shortening in some of my recipes, so I hope this will help in answering questions about it. Yes, this recipe includes vegetable shortening. No, it is not the same as lard. Vegetable shortening is not made from animals. The reason that vegetable shortening is used in this recipe is to get a whiter cupcake and it helps give the cupcakes a soft texture. Now, if you want to use butter instead of shortening, you can absolutely do that. Just replace the shortening with butter. You will not get a white cupcake though and it may not turn out quite as moist and soft as it would have had you used the shortening.

If you are looking for a vanilla cupcake recipe though that uses all butter, you can find that recipe here: Vanilla Bean Cake

Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer any other questions you might have.

Nutritional values are an estimate.

Nutritional information is for the cupcakes only and does not include any frosting. This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition