17 Classic Cupcakes We Will Always Love

By Kelly Vaughan

Updated May 01, 2020

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Credit: Con Poulos

Batter up! Who wouldn't want to take a bite (or two) of these simple treats

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Credit: Con Poulos

Made with simple ingredients that you can find in your pantry, cupcakes are one of the easiest treats to bake, and they're sure to bring a smile to everyone's face. Whether you frost them with a rich buttercream, glaze with ganache, or pile toasted meringue high up to the sky, cupcakes are our go-to dessert for a crowd.

Perfect for birthday parties, bridal showers, and summer potluck parties, our cupcake recipes are sure to delight. Of course, you can make them anytime you're craving something sweet. No matter what cupcake recipe you're making, a couple of steps will help you achieve perfect treats. Always use room temperature milk, butter, and eggs, and sift all of your dry ingredients for both the batter and the frosting to ensure that everything is lump-free.

Start with two of our most basic recipes—Easy Chocolate Cupcakes and Yellow Cupcakes. You can decorate them however you please and we guarantee that all of the ingredients needed are already in your pantry.

Some of our recipes use cake flour, which has a lower protein count than all-purpose flour, thus creating a lighter, fluffier texture with a fine crumb. Try it out in our Parade Cupcakes, which are topped with a rich cream cheese frosting (yes, you can use this frosting beyond red velvet cupcakes!).

For more seasonal flavor, try baking a batch of our Pumpkin Cupcakes, which are made with pumpkin purée, spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and equal parts brown sugar and granulated white sugar. They're topped with cream cheese frosting and handmade marzipan pumpkins—an extra-sweet detail.

Whether you keep your batter simple, mix in fruit such as strawberries and blueberries, or go wild with frosting, everyone will love unwrapping these adorable and classic cupcakes.

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Easy Chocolate Cupcakes

Credit: Bryan Gardner

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From birthday parties to bake sales, these double chocolate treats are always a fan favorite. The key to keeping the batter super rich and moist is half a cup of sour cream, which is folded in right before baking.

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Yellow Cupcakes

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These classic cupcakes are simple, sweet, and so much better than the boxed mix. Swiss-Meringue Buttercream is our go-to frosting, but they can be decorated however you like, such as our favorite Cream Cheese Frosting or dipped in Chocolate Ganache Glaze.

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Neapolitan Cupcakes

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Can't choose between chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry cupcakes? Now you don't have to! Inspired by the nostalgic ice cream trio, this fluffy cupcake recipe, complete with strawberry buttercream, aims to please one and all.

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"Parade" Cupcakes

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A few ingredients make these simple cupcakes stand out—cake flour, which gives them a delicate crumb and super fluffy texture. Buttermilk makes the batter rich and moist, and a combination of vanilla and almond extract creates a lovely flavor. The fruit garnish is just the "berry" on top.

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Milk-Chocolate Pudding Cupcakes

Credit: Con Poulos

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These fudgy, triple-chocolate cupcakes are a decadent treat. Each cupcake is filled with milk chocolate pudding (you heard that right!) and topped with ganache and chocolate curls.

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Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

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Raise your hand if you're an Oreo lover? Us too. That's why we've baked these cupcakes inspired by the classic sandwich cookie. After you fill the cupcake liners with batter, press a cookie into each cup until it's fully submerged. Trust us—it's the sweetest kind of surprise.

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Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Credit: Mike Krautter

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Dairy-free and delicious, that's these vegan treats! Almond milk and coconut oil are used in place of the usual milk, butter, and eggs to keep the batter super moist. Plus, the batter includes the secret to all great chocolate cake—instant espresso powder.

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Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

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Turn this totally classic treat into the cutest filled cupcakes. Fresh strawberries are used for the jam filling and as a garnish on top, just like the real deal.

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Easy One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

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This recipe for moist chocolate cupcakes is exactly the one to make when you want dessert in a flash. The prep work and clean-up are minimal because the cupcakes are made in one bowl, which makes this one of our absolute favorite recipes.

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Blueberry Cupcakes

Credit: Jonathan Lovekin

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Enjoy a juicy version of everyone's favorite breakfast—blueberry muffins—for dessert! Before adding the blueberries to the cupcake batter, toss them in a tablespoon or two of flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom. The icing is the most beautiful swirl of cream cheese frosting and blueberry jam that you've ever seen.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

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Combine two MVP desserts into one sweet package with these irresistible treats. Inside each vanilla cupcake is a big blob of cookie dough. And if that's not enough, a miniature chocolate chip cookie is tucked into the swirl of vanilla frosting on top.

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Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Credit: Con Poulos

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For these very berry cupcakes, chopped strawberries are added to the batter, puréed strawberries are whipped into the buttercream, and whole berries are used to garnish each cake. A combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour give these cupcakes a light, fluffy texture.

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Pumpkin Cupcakes

Credit: Bryan Gardner

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These spiced cupcakes are a delicious taste of fall. Made with pumpkin purée, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg, they're an autumnal twist on everyone's favorite pie.

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Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Have you ever met a more perfect pairing? Tinted red and rich with chocolate flavor, red velvet cupcakes are an absolute classic (don't forget about the luscious cream cheese frosting!).

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Devil's Food Cupcakes

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Chocolate lovers, this one is for you! Fudgy chocolate cupcakes made with Dutch-processed cocoa powder are topped with chocolate ganache frosting and chocolate curls.

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Yellow Butter Cupcakes

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One of our favorite tricks to making light and fluffy cupcakes—cake flour—is featured here. Buttermilk and five eggs (plus three additional egg yolks) make these simple vanilla cupcakes extra rich and moist.

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Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

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Everyone's favorite cinnamon-sugar cookie is transformed into a spectacular cupcake. It's topped with a sweet, light frosting made with sugar, water, corn syrup, and egg whites.

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By Kelly Vaughan