This easy white cupcakes recipe uses egg whites and all-purpose flour for light and velvety homemade cupcakes made from scratch.

White Cupcakes with vanilla frosting and white sugar pearls on top.

White cupcakes are a favorite for birthdays or weddings. They’re classic, simple and easy to make at home. Go ahead and skip the boxed mix!

The Difference Between White Cupcakes and Vanilla Cupcakes

The main difference between white cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes is the use of egg whites vs. whole eggs. Using egg whites produces a whiter cupcake, whereas regular vanilla cupcakes will be slightly more yellow due to the egg yolks.

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Most white cupcake recipes also call for cake flour, which helps produce a really soft crumb that won’t weigh down the egg whites. But, if you don’t want to make a special trip to the store, you can create a “cake flour substitute” with some all-purpose flour and cornstarch.

EXTRA TIPS: Use clear vanilla and a light colored butter for the whitest cupcakes.

White cupcake cut in half showing the cake's texture.

Room Temperature Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need room temperature butter, egg whites, and milk.

Room temperature ingredients bond together very easily since they’re warmer, creating a seamless and evenly textured batter. A smooth batter with trapped air creates a uniformly textured baked good. Cold ingredients simply do not emulsify together.

If possible, set out your ingredients ahead of time, about an hour or two before you begin baking, or you can try these tips to speed things along.

Butter – Heat a glass cup with hot water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until boiling. Empty the water and cover the butter with the hot cup for 5-10 minutes. Alternately slice butter into pieces and separate them onto a plate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Eggs – Place eggs in a bowl and fill with warm water. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. (Be sure to use warm, not hot water here, so the eggs don’t cook.)
Milk – Nuke milk in microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until warm to the touch. Be careful not to overheat it.

Baked white cupcakes cooling on wire rack.

How to Make White Cupcakes

Once your cold ingredients have come to room temperature it’s time to bake!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 375˚F for high altitude) and line cupcake pan(s) with paper liners. Set aside.

Dry ingredients being sifted into a bowl.

First, sift the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt) together with a fine mesh sieve.

NOTE: This fluffs up the ingredients and makes them finer, which will create a smoother batter and velvety textured crumb. If you don’t have a fine mesh sieve, whisk these ingredients together well.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed for 2 minutes. (Set a timer.)
Add the clear vanilla and egg whites. Beat on medium speed until combined.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined.
Add 1/2 of the milk. Mix on low speed until just combined.

Finished white cake batter for cupcakes.

Repeat alternately mixing in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining milk, and ending with the final 1/3 of the flour mixture. Do not over-mix. The batter should be thick and smooth looking.

Scooping and Baking

Use a rounded #24 scoop to fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
Bake at 350˚F (or 375˚F for high altitude) for 16-18 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched in the center or a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs. NOTE: These cupcakes are better slightly less done. Do not over-bake!

White Cupcakes before and after baking in a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Frosting Options

White cupcakes can literally be topped with any frosting. They are a blank canvas that goes well with any flavor. Here are some ideas:

White Frostings

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (Use this trick with purple food coloring, to make the frosting even whiter. It works!)
Cream Cheese Frosting (My personal favorite, and my recipe uses only 1 cup of powdered sugar.)
Stabilized Whipped Cream (The lightest “frosting.”)
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (A good combination of frosting and whipped cream.)

Flavored Frostings

Pudding Buttercream Frosting (Uses instant pudding mix to create the flavor, without using Cool Whip or whipped cream.)
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Decorated white cupcakes on a cake stand.

How to Make White Cupcakes More Moist

One thing about white cupcakes, is it’s hard to make them super moist without adding something extra. These cupcakes are great the first day, and still taste fine with frosting the next day, but after that, the shelf life starts to decline rapidly.

To make this white cupcakes recipe more moist, I recommend ONE of these two options:

Add 1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, after adding the the vanilla and egg whites.
OR Add 2 Tbsp of a neutral tasting oil (canola/vegetable), after adding the vanilla and egg whites.

Of course using whole milk will help introduce more fat and moisture into the cake as well.

Decorated white cupcakes on a wire rack.

Tips for Success

I tested this recipe 5 times until I was happy with it. I am slightly pickier than most people when it comes to cake and a lot of my struggle was due to my high elevation (4600 ft.). Regardless, here are some tips for success:

Use room temperature ingredients. I already went over this, but it really does make a difference between a properly mixed batter and a curdled batter. The end result will be a lighter fine crumb rather than a dense grainy crumb.
Measure the flour properly. This is the most frustrating part about baking with U.S. cups. It can vary so much. For best results you should fluff up/stir the flour to incorporate air into it before you measure. It’s also best to spoon the flour into the cup and level it, instead of scooping straight from the container/bag.
Use fresh baking powder. If your baking powder has been open for more than 6 months, it’s time to replace it. Make sure you write the date on the container when you open it, so that you know when to switch it out.
Do not over-mix the ingredients. This was a struggle. Butter-based cakes need beating to incorporate air, but over-beating (combined with my tricky elevation) can lead to cupcakes that sink in the middle. The butter needs creamed the most, but after that most of the ingredients need mixed until just combined. Turn off the mixer between additions, especially when adding the flour and milk alternatively, to help prevent over-mixing.

Hope this helps! Enjoy!

If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!

4.37 from 11 votes (11 ratings without comment)

4 Comments

RRL says:

at

Is there a substitute for cornstarch?
How many tbsp or cups is 3 large egg yokes?
Can the cupcakes be frozen?
Thank you.

1. Amber Brady says:
  
  at
  
  If you don’t want to use cornstarch you would need to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour and use 1 1/2 cups plus 1 teaspoon (to combine the all purpose flour and cornstarch amounts).
  For the egg yolks, simply use 3 eggs and separate the egg yolk (the yellow part) from the egg white (the clear part). Discard or use the egg whites for something else.
  Yes, the cupcakes can be frozen in a freezer safe zip-top bag.
  
Andra says:

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Can these be made with a gluten free flour? Thank you.

1. Amber Brady says:
  
  at
  
  I have not tested them with gluten-free flour so I cannot say for sure.

White Cupcakes Recipe