Name: Cupcakes quick and easy recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 125g butter; 1 tsp vanilla essence; 187.50 ml Essentials Caster Sugar; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup milk; 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

by Bella Last updated on 10/31/2025

Cupcake recipes are a dime a dozen, but with so many fabulous five-star reviews, this one-bowl recipe gets the ABR community tick of approval. Quick and easy, and with a beautiful texture, these cupcakes are perfect for parties, school fundraisers, thank yous and… just ’cos!

How to make these cupcakes: key tips

Mixed in the one bowl, this cupcake recipe is just so easy. In step 3, just be sure to beat the mixture until it’s pale and creamy and slightly increased in volume. Creaming the ingredients (beating the fats and sugar together) is the most important step in this recipe, as it creates the air needed for leavening, helping to produce beautiful light and fluffy cupcakes.

When you fill the paper cases with batter, only fill to two-thirds full – this is around 3 tablespoons. If you fill the cases with too much batter, they won’t bake properly in the allocated time and might overflow as the batter rises.

What’s in this cupcake recipe?

This is a basic plain cupcake recipe using six ingredients: butter, vanilla, sugar, milk, eggs and flour. If you’d like to experiment with other flavours, here are our best cupcake recipes, from dark and fudgy chocolate versions to tangy citrus, caramel and more. Decorating your creations is the really fun part. Choose one of these best icing recipes for decorating cakes, and then glam up your cupcakes with edible glitter.

This recipe was originally submitted by Bella, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

- Australia's Best Recipes Team

Ingredients

125g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup Woolworths Essentials Caster Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

Method

Step 1

Line 2 x 12 hole cup cake pan trays with paper cases.
Step 2

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl of electric mixer, beat on low speed until all ingredients are combined.
Step 3

Then beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth and has changed in colour.
Step 4

Divide into paper cases and bake at 180C for approximately 20 minutes.
Step 5

Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Equipment

2 12-hole cupcake pan

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

Can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?

If you want to get ahead for a party, undecorated cupcakes can be placed in freezer bags and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. They can be defrosted at room temperature. Any buttercream can also be frozen. Store in a separate container and defrost in the fridge overnight ready to decorate your cupcakes.

How can I ice my cupcakes?

You can use whatever icing you wish on these cupcakes. I also like to turn my cakes into "butterfly cakes". To do so, make a chantilly cream (whipped cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla essence). Cut a hole in the top of each cupcake (reserving the cut-out piece), fill the hole with the cream and put the cut-out piece of cake back on top. Dust with icing sugar, to serve.

How do I store cupcakes?

If your cupcakes are un-iced, they can be kept in an airtight container in a cool place such as the pantry for a few days, although I like to keep mine in the fridge so they don’t become sticky and stick together, or start to get a bit mouldy if the weather is hot. If your cupcakes are iced with buttercream, they do need to be kept in the fridge. Transfer them to an airtight container and store for up to 3 days.