Our 10 Best Cupcake Recipes
Everyone loves cupcakes, and these recipes are guaranteed to be a hit anytime you serve them. From classics like chocolate and vanilla to homemade versions of store-bought favorites and cupcake versions of favorite cocktails and everything in between, we have a cupcake for every occasion!
Cupcakes are the perfect party dessert; they’re portable and individually portioned. We’ve been making and loving them for decades!
The list below features the ten recipes that have been visited over and over again, garnering thousands of five-star reviews from readers, and are time-tested favorites. They include classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate, but also other creative and unique flavors that you are going to LOVE!
Before we get to the list, I’ve also rounded up all of my favorite equipment for cupcake baking so you can arm yourself with the best tools.
Favorite Cupcake Tools
Part of making fabulous cupcakes is having the right tools for the job! I’ve made hundreds upon hundreds of cupcakes and below are my recommendations for the best equipment for making delicious, beautiful cupcakes:
- Regular Cupcake Pan: USA 12-Well Muffin Pan
- Mini Cupcake Pan: USA 24-Well Mini Cupcake and Muffin Pan
- Liners: I usually stick to classic white paper liners unless I make a specifically themed cupcake.
- Piping Tips: This set of jumbo tips is perfect for big swirls on top of cupcakes.
- Piping Bags: I prefer the slightly larger 16-inch decorating bags for more piping control.
- Food Coloring: I HIGHLY recommend soft gel paste food coloring to give vibrant color without thinning the frosting.
- Cupcake Carrier: Cupcakes are meant for sharing! Transport them without fear of them tipping over with a sturdy carrier. This collapsible cupcake carrier can hold 24 cupcakes or up to a 10-inch round cake.
Now, let’s get on to this epic list! I’ve been sharing cupcake recipes since 2007, and these are the ten that have risen as the best of the best and most beloved among readers. Enjoy!
Our 10 Best Cupcake Recipes
10. Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes
These are the BEST chocolate cupcakes - a moist chocolate cupcake recipe made from scratch with a chocolate ganache center and dreamy chocolate frosting.
9. Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting
These apple cupcakes are subtly spiced, full of fresh, shredded apples, and topped with a cinnamon-cream cheese frosting.
These margarita cupcakes are simple vanilla cakes infused with lime and tequila, brushed with more tequila, and topped with a tequila lime buttercream frosting.
Fluffy, buttery vanilla cake batter is studded with rainbow sprinkles and baked into cupcakes. Topped with a classic vanilla buttercream frosting and more rainbow sprinkles.
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Moist, luscious chocolate cupcakes, filled with a fluffy marshmallow cream frosting, topped with chocolate ganache, and garnished with the nostalgic finishing touch: white curly-cued icing.
5. The Absolute Best Vanilla Cupcakes
These moist vanilla cupcakes are an absolute delight! These light-as-air cupcakes are topped with a sweet vanilla buttercream frosting, that is not only easy to make but also easy to enjoy. Perfect for birthdays and other celebrations, you will never need another vanilla cupcake recipe again!
4. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin cupcakes with clean pumpkin flavor shining through! Subtle spices round out the flavor and the cupcakes are topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
3. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These are the absolute BEST red velvet cupcakes! A gorgeous red color, moist and fluffy, and topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
2. Guinness, Whisky, and Irish Cream Cupcakes
The classic cocktail shot transformed into cupcakes - Guinness chocolate cake, Jameson whiskey ganache filling, and Baileys buttercream frosting.
1. Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting
These mocha cupcakes are coffee and espresso-infused, with a subtle chocolate flavor, and topped with an espresso-spiked buttercream frosting.
For even more cupcakes, check out our entire archive of cupcake recipes.
Do you have a favorite cupcake recipe that wasn’t mentioned here? Share below!
Do you want to request to see a special cupcake recipe featured on the site? Leave a comment below, letting me know what it is!
Love this list! I just made the red velvet last week and it was ahhmazing. I deviated from the cream cheese but the cupcake was bomb! Thanks for sharing.
I honestly think cupcakes taste better. These all look delicious! My favorite though is chocolate on chocolate. Always and forever!!
My fav is dark chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel frosting! YUM.
I like all of them but I think my favorites are the funfetti and then the last one – that chocolate frosting looks amazing!!
Wow. I am speechless at the amount of cupcake love that is happening in this post. I want them all. I think the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes seal the deal for me, but Funfetti and Chocolate are a close tie for second place.
What tip do you use to pipe such gorgeous looking icing?
Hi Jennifer, I typically use either a Wilton 1M or Ateco #827. I hope that helps!
They all look delicious to me! Some are really original too, so I saved them for later.
OMG! This is the best website ever! :) Thank you for sharing these recipes!
The other day I took my fiancé to our local and most favourite pastry place – Chocolate Brunette and I had the best cupcakes in the world.But they weren’t the classic chocolate cupcakes, they were whole chocolate without the paper thing surrounding the cake. My fiancé was like “When are you going to make something like this?” And I then I decided it’s time to try it. So, I found your website and I think I’m ready to make some now! I’ll try all 10 recipes! But I think I’ll start with the dark chocolate ones.
Lana
“Best vanilla cupcakes ever!” This is literally what my brother said when I made your vanilla cupcakes for him. I have also tried the red velvet and loved them! Thanks so much for sharing. I don’t consider myself much of a baker, but your instructions were so easy to follow. I can’t wait to try some of the others!
I NEED (!) the recipe for Baked & Wired’s Coconut cupcake!
Thanks a lot for these perfect recipes.All look delicious.
looks amazing
I would LOVE to try the Guinness, whiskey and Irish cream ones! Yummy. But I do love a great Hummingbird Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting :)
Definitely the Tiramisu.. I baked yummy vanilla cupcakes yesterday. It had been many moons since I last made them!
i really like the red velvet on the irsh bomb comes in a close second
I like the Lemon-Limoncello cupcakes, but I don’t think I will put the lemon on top. Jut have the lemon flavor in the icing and cake.
fhe irish one is the one that appealed To me the most but I also liked the red velvet
Your cupcakes are so tempting!
I am quite a novice in baking. I very much want to try this recipe. Could I use milk or curd instead of buttermilk in the banana cupcake recipe? Or how should I make buttermilk at home?
Also, I normally do not use baking soda. Is it mandatory?
Thank you so much.
You definitely need to use baking soda when it is called for, as it has specific leavening properties. I would not recommend substituting anything else for the buttermilk; if you need to make it yourself, there is a substitution listed on this page: https://apex-male.info/substitutions/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I made the limoncello, banana, and chocolate with peanut butter frosting and the pumpkin for my daughter’s graduation. They were ALL moist and fantastic!! I may try the Irish bomb cupcakes tonight for a party with friends. I love these cupcakes!!
I myself am only a fan of the banana cupcakes. There are lots of cupcake flavors I love, but off your top ten not so much. My absolute favorite was the ultimate chocolate cupcakes. In fact i’m baking a batch right now! Oops, thats the timer. I have cupcakes to eat!
I have tasted some fabulous homemade ones by the people I work with…namely a mud cake cupcake with chocolate ganache icing I had on Friday…to die for!
I loved three of your cupcakes. The Mocha with Espresso Frosting were excellent and had great flavor, as did the Vanilla with Vanilla Frosting (I used vanilla bean paste in the frosting instead of extract). I loved the Dark Chocolate Cupcakes; I’m not much of a peanut butter fan, so I have substituted almond butter and pecan butter in the frosting, both of which were excellent. I plan to try cashew butter, maybe even macadamia/cashew. All three of these cupcakes have frozen perfectly.
I don’t drink and I’m not going to buy a bottle of booze to make cupcakes, but eventually I might try alcohol substitutes, e.g. Torani’s Irish Cream.
Red velvet
I want to market the all kind of the above Cupe cake, and i sure this is very good products for business, I am more then 12years FMCG Experience (food& baverages) in Pakistan, please advcie how i will contact you even on email to discusses about that business, Thanks
Magnifique ! Ils sont tous beaux et surement bons !
i love cupcakes but i cant eat them because i am fasting.
i really love the dark chocolate cupcakes withpeanut butter frosting.
I can tell you from experience that the Margarita cupcakes are the best EVER!! My daughter made those as well as chocolate peanut butter cupcakes (filled with peanut butter egg filling) and the Margarita cupcakes went first. everyone absolutely loved them!! The cake is light, fluffy, and moist, and the frosting with the hint of salt perfectly complements the cake. Worth making!!!!
I love ur COCONUT VANILLA BEAN CUPCAKES … but also love
REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES….dark chocolate cupcake filled with
peanut butter mousse … topped with chocolate ganache and crumbled Reese’s pb cup…
Yum. :)
i love cupcakes,i love to made,its so much tasty