Recipe

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Use this recipe for Birthday Cupcakes made with simple pantry ingredients instead of the yellow boxed mix.

Are you looking for the perfect Birthday Cupcake recipe that yields moist, delicious, and easy to frost cupcakes? This.is.it!

Moist Birthday Cupcakes

With this Birthday Cupcake recipe, you'll never have to buy boxed yellow cake again. I modified it so it would come together in a single bowl, as opposed to a two-bowl wonder. The fewer dirty dishes in the sink, the better!

While cupcakes from the box may seem convenient, making them at home is easy, they have better ingredients, and you don’t have to run to the store -with any kids in tow, mind you.

I added Greek yogurt to the recipe because my kids really enjoyed the moist and airy texture it gives them -just like in my Greek yogurt banana bread. I mean, tasty, buttery, soft, moist, with a buttercream frosting on top… Yes, this is the perfect cupcake recipe for birthday breakfasts!

two birthday cupcakes made with greek yogurt next to a bowl with frosting

Ingredients

With classic baking staples you can make this amazing Birthday Cupcake recipe and forget about the box. The measurements are at the end of the post, but before you make any substitutions, check this list:

For the cupcakes:

All-purpose flour: regular or gluten-free.
Granulated sugar: for sweetness.
Baking powder: makes the batter rise and adds a soft texture.
Salt: just a little to enhance the flavors.
Unsalted butter: I prefer the rich, buttery taste in my cupcakes rather than oil.
Greek yogurt: makes these cupcakes light and airy.
Eggs: to bind the ingredients.
Vanilla extract: super delicious!

For the buttercream frosting:

Powdered sugar: a key ingredient for this frosting.
Butter: you want it at room temperature.
Vanilla extract: flavor!
Heavy cream: you can use half & half instead.
Sprinkles: your favorites!

What Does Greek Yogurt Do in Cupcakes

Greek yogurt adds moisture to the cupcakes, yielding a light and airy texture with soft crumbs. It also reduces the amount of fat in the recipe and provides protein.

How to Make Birthday Cupcakes at Home

If you can mix ingredients, you can make this Birthday Cupcake recipe at home! Just pay attention to my baking tips and these cupcakes will be a hit on every special occasion:

Prepare
Butter and eggs must be at room temperature, so remove them from the fridge 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking. Do not microwave the butter. Then, preheat the oven and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Sift and combine
If you don’t have a sifter, measure the flour with the spoon and scoop method. Then add the sugar, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. Beat butter, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla in the stand mixer. Add the flour mixture. The batter will be thick, that’s ok.
Scoop
Now, scoop the batter evenly among cups of the prepared pan. You want them about ⅔ full.
Bake
Bake for approximately 22 minutes, until the cupcake tops are pale gold, and when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool down
Let cupcakes cool down in a wire rack at room temperature before frosting.
Frost
Cream the sugar and butter in the stand mixer, then add the vanilla and the cream. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag or a gallon-sized zip bag, trim the end, and frost. Sprinkle the cupcakes with your favorite sprinkles.

In this video, I answered the most frequently asked questions about this Birthday Cupcake recipe and which flour to use when baking to yield fluffy and soft cakes and cupcakes.

How to Measure Flour for Homemade Cupcakes

The best way to measure flour for cupcakes is a sifter or the spoon and scoop method. If you don’t have a sifter, grab the flour with a spoon, level it with the back of a spoon or a knife, and then add it to your measuring scoop. If you pack flour, you’ll add more, and the cupcakes will turn out dense.

The Homemade Frosting

My kids love to frost anything, and since I'm a recipe purist at heart, I chose an easy homemade buttercream frosting for this Birthday Cupcake recipe.

It’s a breeze to make in the stand mixer, as you’ll see in the printable recipe card below. Of course, if you have a favorite frosting, you can always use that recipe or one from the store!

three birthday cupcakes on a white plate

Decorating Birthday Cupcakes

Choose your birthday boy or girl’s favorite flavor and colors and you can’t go wrong: from girly sprinkles and rainbow sprinkles (my kids’ favorite) to chocolate chips, mini cookies, M&M, or mini marshmallows! You choose!

Beginner-Friendly Birthday Cupcakes

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 22

Total Time: 32

Use this recipe for Birthday Cupcakes made with simple pantry ingredients instead of the yellow boxed mix.

5 from 292 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

Yellow cupcakes:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup Greek yogurt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Buttercream frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream, or half & half
Sprinkles

Instructions

Prep:

Remove the butter and eggs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour. Do not microwave the butter.
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a standard cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Make the batter:

In a medium bowl, sift the flour. If you don't have a sifter, make sure to measure the flour without packing it into the measuring cup. Then add the sugar, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add the butter, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Beat slowly at first then increase to medium speed until smooth, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add half of the flour mixture into the large bowl and mix on medium speed for 15 seconds to incorporate. Add the other half and once it's just combined, use the spatula to scrape any batter from the sides and combine. The batter is thick but trust it.
Scoop the batter evenly among cups (about ⅔ full) of the prepared pan.

Bake:

Bake for approximately 22 minutes, until the cupcake tops are pale gold, and when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool down for five minutes before removing them from the pan onto a wire rack to cool down completely. Let the cupcakes cool down completely before frosting.

Make the frosting:

In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter for 3 minutes. Start on low speed to combine and then increase the speed to medium-high. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 more minute.
Transfer the frosting into a piping bag or a gallon-sized zip bag. Trim the end when ready to frost. Sprinkle the cupcakes with your favorite colorful sprinkles.

Notes

Kitchen Note
The batter will be thick, so I found that the easiest way to scoop into liners is by using an ice cream scoop.
Make these gluten-free by using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. They come out wonderfully!

To Make Ahead:
Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe instructions and allow to cool. Place in an airtight bag or container. Keep in the fridge until ready to frost and serve.