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This recipe for Sprinkles Copycat Vanilla Cupcakes with vanilla icing is even better than the original! Moist, dense cake that is packed with vanilla flavor.
On this Memorial Day (or anyday), let us take a moment to remember all those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our Country and our Freedom.
All things considered, I think a holiday celebrating the brave men and woman who protect our Freedom calls for cupcakes. While definitely not ideal for shipping overseas, I know these Sprinkles Copycat Vanilla Cupcakes will bring a smile to any serviceman’s face when delivered with a “Thank you”.
Sprinkles Cupcakes is the only place where I have ever loved the vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing more than chocolate. That’s right, more than even this triple death by chocolate cupcake! I also love their triple cinnamon cupcakes enough to make another copycat recipe.
Sprinkles Cupcakes opened up a store in Atlanta several months ago, and my Husband and I were obviously there the day opened. What of it?
Accordingly, hubs and I have had a healthy (or possibly unhealthy) obsession with Cupcake Wars for several years now. We have seen every single episode, ate macarons at the Paris bakery where Florian was executive pastry chef, and search for Cupcake Wars winners in every new city that we visit. There is an obsession between us with Sprinkles Cupcakes, but I think I already mentioned that one!
My husband and I were eagerly waiting for months for the new Atlanta shop to open and the night before he said, “I would probably break the law right now to have a Sprinkles cupcake.”
Certainly, he was 100% serious.
I have been scouring the Internet for Sprinkles Copycat Vanilla Cupcake recipes for months to try and replicate the dense, chewy texture and perfect vanilla flavor at home, and I think I have finally found it. For the vanilla cupcake recipe I adapted a recipe I found at Layers of Happiness and I modified the “official” Sprinkles vanilla frosting recipe that I found on Food.com. Quite frankly, I felt the one posted couldn’t possibly be right because it didn’t have any vanilla bean paste in it, so I changed it. In similar fashion I bumped up the vanilla extract.
You’ll never need another vanilla cupcake recipe again because these are the BEST! Additionally, I actually used the same cake recipe in these Salted Caramel Cupcakes. Swoon.
Want to laugh? My most compelling evidence of obsession: this is me at the Sprinkles Cupcakes’ ATM. That’s right I said cupcake ATM!
Sprinkles Copycat Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream room temperature
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3 ½ cups confectioner sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine after each addition.
- Add vanilla, sour cream and almond extract, beating until just combined.
- Reduced the mixer speed to low and stir in the flour in several additions. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir the last bit of flour in with a spatula until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Scoop batter into cupcake liners and bake in preheated oven for 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few clinging crumbs.
- Allow to cool completely before icing.
For the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and salt on medium-high speed until combined, then add cream, vanilla extract and vanilla paste and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
- You can either smooth the frosting on the cooled cupcakes with a small offset spatula à la Sprinkles, or you can just pipe it on. Personally I find piping easier!
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go!
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these look amazing! What if I don’t have vanilla bean paste? Can I use extract instead or just omit it?
Hi Jaimie! You can substitute vanilla extract but it will never have as pure a vanilla flavor as the vanilla bean paste. Try substituting 1:1, taste and then add more if you would like it. Happy baking!
Hello! I just came across this and am definitely making these this weekend! Just 1 question… what is the vanilla bean paste?
Hi Beverly! I hope you do make them – they are delicious! Vanilla bean paste is a paste made from the seeds of the vanilla bean, a little sugar and vanilla extract. It is sold in jars by the extracts or in the baking aisle. You can substitute the seeds of 1 vanilla bean for 1 tablespoon of paste but vanilla extract isn’t as good of a substitute.
Haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it looks delicious and looks just like Sprinkles! Do you have any other Sprinkles inspired recipes? I love their banana cupcakes but haven’t been able to find a copycat recipe yet, and shipping the pre-mixes from Sprinkles starts to add up! Lol!
Hi Nicole! Glad to have found another Sprinkles lover! I have made a Triple Cinnamon copycat but that is it! I love banana cupcakes so I’ll have to do a little research and tackle their banana next! I always go and get the same ones, so I’ve never even tried it!
I made them last night. I kept having technical issues (mixers kept breaking) but I finally was able to finish them and they are totally amazing! I think the cake part is dead on Sprinkles but the icing is better than Sprinkles. Amazing moist cupcakes. Thanks again for the recipe!
You have no idea how happy your comment makes me! I’ve been fighting with developing a triple chocolate chip cookie recipe all last night and this morning and I was feeling rather low, and your comment picks me right back up! I totally agree with you about the cake and the icing being better. Sprinkles can be almost too sweet and not “vanilla-y” enough since I made my own. Did you try the Sprinkles Triple Cinnamon? I did a copycat of those and I could (and maybe did) eat the icing with a spoon!
I just got back from vacation to Los Angeles where I tried (over and over again) Sprinkles Cupcakes and fell completely in love. There isn’t a Sprinkles anywhere close to me. I found your recipe and I can’t wait to try these cupcakes! Thank you!
I know how you feel Amber!!! Let me me know how you like them!
Hi! My frostjng seems to be very runny. What can I do to make it thicker?
Hi Angela! You can always add more powdered sugar or a little bit of cornstarch if your frosting is getting too sweet! You can also refrigerate it and then whip it up again.
Hello! This looks like the recipe I have been looking for! How full do you fill the liners as it doesn’t say in the recipe. Thank you!
Hi Michelle, I use a 2 1/2 inch ice cream scoop to scoop it in there about 3/4 full. As long as they all have the same amount, then they’ll bake evenly! Did that answer your question?
Yes, that was very helpful! Thank you so much!!!! They were incredible! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
You are most welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed them!! It is my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe!
Hi, I was wondering why you use cake flour instead of AP in this recipe. Also, have you tried this recipe with AP? Thank you!
Hi Erica – I have not tried it with all AP Flour. The technical reason is that cake flour has has less gluten than AP flour, so it will produce a lighter, softer cake. You do need to still handle it with care (not over mixing), which helps reduce the amount of gluten that forms. Cake flour is also ground finer than AP flour and has a little cornstarch in it (to keep it from clumping) and that produces a lighter cake with a smaller crumb. If you don’t have cake flour, you could certainly try AP flour or pastry flour would be an even better substitute if you have that. If you do use AP flour just be very careful not to over mix because this is already a very dense, pound cake like, cake and it could become tough. Hope that helps!