These Vanilla Chiffon Cupcakes are soft, airy and gently fragrant, with a light crumb that pairs beautifully with whipped cream and fresh fruit. If you enjoy chiffon cake but prefer individual portions, these little cupcakes are a lovely way to serve it!

This recipe is adapted from my Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes, using regualr milk in place of the pandan juice and coconut milk. Vanilla takes centre stage here, making it a versatile base for the different fillings and toppings you’ve in mind.

The fruit adds sweetness and freshness without needing a heavy frosting. You can try strawberries, blueberries or even a little vanilla custard in the centre.

Why You’ll Love This

  • Soft, light and fluffy: an airy chiffon crumb that pairs beautifully with cream and fruit
  • Made with regular milk: No coconut milk or pandan juice needed, just a simple vanilla base
  • Gently sweet: With just 60g of sugar in the cupcake batter, there’s room for your favourite toppings
  • Easy to customise: Enjoy them plain, fill with vanilla custard, or finish with whipped cream and fresh mangoes or strawberries

Getting the Meringue Right

The key to a light chiffon cupcake is a well-whipped meringue. Look for a smooth, glossy mixture with firm peaks that stand upright, with at most a small bend at the tip.

While there is no need to turn the bowl upside down, the most important factor to check is that the texture is consistent throughout the bowl with no liquid pooling underneath. Stop before the meringue becomes dry or clumpy, as this makes it harder to fold into the batter.

Mixing the first third of the meringue into the yolk batter helps lighten it. You can then gently fold in the remainder, reaching the bottom of the bowl so that everything combines evenly.

Baking Your Cupcakes

Paper cup size and oven heat can make a considerable difference to baking time. Start checking from around 20 – 25 minutes instead of relying on the fixed timing (recommended one provided for ease of knowing roughly when to check).

If the tops are browning quite a bit before the centres are cooled, loosely cover them with aluminum foil and continue baking. The cupcakes are ready when the tops spring back gently and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few dry cumbs.

A little settling as they cool is normal for chiffon cupcakes. Let them cool completely before adding cream.

Without further ado, the recipe!

Video Coming Soon!

Vanilla Chiffon Cupcakes Recipe
by Javier Tan October-11-2026

Bake this buttery coffee marble cake with fragrant coffee swirls and an optional coffee glaze. An easy recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Ingredients (Vanilla Chiffon Cupcakes)

  • 4 Large eggs, approx 60g each weighed with shell, separated into yolks and whites
  • Approx 1/4 Cup + 1 Tbsp or 60g of White Sugar, divided into 20g and 40g
  • 5 Tbsps or 75ml milk, room temp
  • 2 Tsps or 10ml Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 Cup or 60g Flavourless Vegetable Oil, e.g. canola or sunflower
  • 3/4 Cup or 90g of Plain / All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 and 1/4 Tsp or 5g Baking Powder

Ingredients (Assembly)

  • 1/2 Cup or 120ml Whipping Cream, cold
  • 1/2 fresh fruits, chopped
  • Icing sugar, for dusting, optional

Instructions

  1. First, whisk egg yolks with 20g sugar until slightly pale (1 min).
  2. Then, whisk in the milk, vanilla and vegetable oil until well-combined.
  3. Sift in the flour and baking powder and whisk gently until smooth.
  4. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Then, add the remaining 40g of sugar in 2 additions (20g each time, once at foamy and once at soft peak stage). Continue beating until smooth, glossy and firm stiff peaks form.
  5. Mix one third of the meringue into the yolk batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining meringue in two additions, until no white streaks remain.
  6. Divide the batter between the cups, filling each approximately 3/4 full. Gently tap the trap to release large air bubbles.
  7. Bake 160C, pre-heated oven, 38 – 43 minutes. Check in at the 25 – 30 mins mark to ensure iet doesn’t brown too much at the top and if it does, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
  8. Cool completely once done.
  9. Whip the cold cream to medium peaks and pipe over the cupcakes. Finish with your favourite fruit and dust with icing sugar.
  10. Serve and enjoy!

Details

  • Prep time: 30 mins
  • Cook time: 1 hour
  • Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 x Vanilla Chiffon Cupcakes

Notes:

  1. If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing and for free, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
  2. Serve fresh at room temperature (up to 4 days, depending on toppings) or refrigerated up to 6 days. If refrigerated, do remove it 20 – 30 mins prior to serving.
  3. Please do not copy and paste the recipe without my permission, but feel free to link back here!

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan