Q&A for How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes

All citrus flavors would work well with vanilla cupcakes. You might like to try any of these: Grapefruit frosting, lemon frosting, orange frosting, mandarin frosting and lime frosting. All will work beautifully with vanilla cupcakes.

If you want to add spices to your vanilla cupcakes, good choices that match well include: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice and cardamom.

These cupcakes can be made up to 2 days in advance and should be stored in a cool, dry place at room temperature. They can be stored inside an airtight container or on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap until ready to be frosted.

Your best bet is to choose a recipe that makes it clear the end result produces moist cupcake. Often these recipes will favor oil over butter. If you know what you're doing in balancing ingredients properly, you can add more moisture by adding such ingredients as oil, apple sauce, brown sugar, mayonnaise or yogurt. If you're a beginner though, stick to recipes known to produce moist cupcakes.

If you want to spice up the vanilla cupcake flavor, there are several yummy ingredients you can add. For example, add a little jam/jelly in your favorite flavor or add some spice like cinnamon or ginger. Small pieces of fruit or berries can liven up a vanilla cupcake, while sprinkling through a few choc chips or a little crushed candy can be tasty. When adding additional ingredients, be careful about the amounts, to avoid unbalancing the recipe. Err on the side of a little flavor going a long way. Also, the icing or frosting can be a contrasting flavor, like banana, peppermint, chocolate or maple; this will add a lot of flavor without having to mess with the batter.

It's finely blended sugar that is not yet powdered, commonly used in tea and coffee.

Mix a few drops of liquid or gel food coloring into your frosting or icing. Keep adding the coloring until you get the shade you'd like.

You'll need to multiply this recipe by 3 to get 36 cupcakes. If you prefer to make exactly 30, multiply the recipe by 1.5.

No, the lemon zest is optional for an extra kick of flavor. If you remove it, think about replacing it with something else to keep balance and not be too sweet.

Multiply all the ingredients by two and you will get the right amount for 24 cupcakes.

Lemon zest is what you get when you finely grate (zest) the skin of the lemon.

Store in a high-sided container that has a lid which makes an airtight seal. This can be a metallic, plastic or glass container, just as long as the lid fits sufficiently. The icing means that the cupcakes will get soggy fast, so consume within a day or two after making and icing them. If the icing melts too soon, consider refrigerating but not for too long as they cakes can turn stale.

The recipe makes 1 dozen or 12 cupcakes. Depending on how many cupcakes each person wants to each, it could serve between 4 (3 cupcakes each), 6 (2 cupcakes each) or 12 (1 cupcake each) persons.

Choose suitable frosting, such as buttercream or plain frosting made with confectioners sugar. Either pipe it on or use a frosting/icing spatula to ensure it is placed smoothly and neatly. To improve the look, add sprinkles, speckles, food glitter, chocolate flakes, little candies, etc. that can dress up the cupcake.

You can if it doesn't contain rising agents. It will likely taste different, perhaps more rustic but it should turn out just fine.

To replace 1 cup of white sugar, you can substitute it for 3/4 cup honey, or 3/4 cups maple syrup or 2/3 cup agave or 1 teaspoon stevia.

No, you do not have to use lemon zest. The lemon zest is partly to meet flavor and decorative needs, it is not required.