Common Ingredients in cupcakes Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over twenty popular cupcakes recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredient in cupcakes dishes is sugar.

Butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, confectioners sugar, milk and baking soda are also common ingredients in cupcakes recipes. For herbs and spices, vanilla extract is popular. Variations include:

• sour cream in place of butter

Salt is in 65% of cupcakes recipes.

The average cupcakes recipe has about 14.6 ingredients, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 32.

In terms of directions, cupcakes recipes have about 5.3 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 11 instructions.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Cupcakes

For 2 stick butter (226 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single cupcakes recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with butter	Potential subsitutions
sugar	1.5 cup (300 g)	1.9 cup (384 g)	75%
salt	0.49 teaspoon (3 g)	0.7 teaspoon (4 g)	75%
vanilla extract	1.3 teaspoon (6 g)	1.7 teaspoon (7 g)	75%
flour	2.2 cup (281 g)	2.6 cup (324 g)	69%
eggs	2.4 (133 g)	3.4 (190 g)	69%
baking powder	1.7 teaspoon (8 g)	2 teaspoon (10 g)	56%
milk	0.38 cup (92 g)	0.47 cup (116 g)	38%	whole milk
baking soda	1 teaspoon (5 g)	1.5 teaspoon (7 g)	31%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Cupcakes

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in cupcakes recipes. This would be: 22% butter, 19% confectioners sugar, 19% flour, 11% eggs, 9% sugar, 9% milk, 6% cream cheese, 2% heavy cream, 2% oil and 1% cocoa powder.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

sugar

Sugar is the most popular ingredient in cupcakes dishes. In fact, over 85% of cupcakes recipes contain sugar.

Variations of sugar include:

• confectioners sugar: 48% of recipes
• brown sugar: 13% of recipes

For cupcakes recipes, sugar is frequently used with flour, salt, eggs, vanilla extract and baking powder.

confectioners sugar

Another popular ingredient in cupcakes is confectioners sugar. From the recipes we've sampled for cupcakes, over 45% have confectioners sugar.

Confectioners sugar is often included in cupcakes dishes in amounts of 2 cups, 3.5 cups or 1 cup.

In cupcakes recipes that contain confectioners sugar, it is on average, 19% by weight.

In recipes for cupcakes, confectioners sugar is often used with vanilla extract, eggs, salt, sugar and flour. On the other hand, confectioners sugar is almost never used with egg whites and cream tartar.

butter

Another popular ingredient in cupcakes is butter. From the recipes we've sampled for cupcakes, over 75% have butter.

Cupcakes dishes often call for butter to be melted and softened.

Butter is often included in cupcakes dishes in amounts of 2 sticks, 1 stick or 3 sticks.

In cupcakes recipes that contain butter, it is on average, 13% by weight.

In recipes for cupcakes, butter is often used with vanilla extract, sugar, salt, eggs and flour.

Potential substitutions for butter in cupcakes:

• sour cream

Also, butter is not often used with vanilla bean and vinegar.

eggs

Eggs is another common ingredient in cupcakes dishes. In fact, over 70% of cupcakes recipes contain eggs.

Variations of eggs include:

• egg whites: 13% of recipes

Flour, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and baking powder are commonly used together with eggs in cupcakes dishes.

salt

Another popular ingredient in cupcakes is salt. From the recipes we've sampled for cupcakes, over 65% have salt.

Salt is often included in cupcakes dishes in amounts of half a teaspoon, 1 teaspoon or a quarter teaspoon.

In cupcakes recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

For cupcakes recipes, salt is frequently used with sugar, flour, vanilla extract, eggs and baking powder.

flour

Flour is another common ingredient in cupcakes dishes. In fact, over 65% of cupcakes recipes contain flour.

Flour is often included in cupcakes dishes in amounts of 1.5 cups, 2 cups or 2.5 cups.

In cupcakes recipes that contain flour, it is on average, 13% by weight.

In recipes for cupcakes, flour is often used with sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla extract and baking powder.

vanilla extract

Another popular ingredient in cupcakes is vanilla extract. From the recipes we've sampled for cupcakes, over 65% have vanilla extract.

Common quantities for vanilla extract in cupcakes dishes include 1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons or three quarters of a teaspoon.

In cupcakes recipes that contain vanilla extract, it is on average, 0.4% by weight.

Salt, sugar, flour, eggs and baking powder are commonly used together with vanilla extract in cupcakes dishes.

baking powder

Baking powder is another common ingredient in cupcakes dishes. In fact, over 50% of cupcakes recipes contain baking powder.

Baking powder is often included in cupcakes dishes in amounts of 2 teaspoons, 1 teaspoon or 1.5 teaspoons.

In cupcakes recipes that contain baking powder, it is on average, 0.5% by weight.

For cupcakes recipes, baking powder is frequently used with sugar, flour, salt, eggs and vanilla extract. However, vinegar is almost never used together with baking powder in cupcakes dishes.

milk

Milk is another common ingredient in cupcakes dishes. In fact, over 45% of cupcakes recipes contain milk.

Variations of milk include:

• whole milk: 15% of recipes

Vanilla extract, salt, sugar, flour and eggs are commonly used together with milk in cupcakes dishes.

Potential substitutions for milk in cupcakes:

• whole milk

Also, milk is not often used with oil spray, vinegar and canola oil.

baking soda

Another popular ingredient in cupcakes is baking soda. From the recipes we've sampled for cupcakes, over 35% have baking soda.

Baking soda is often included in cupcakes dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon, half a teaspoon or a quarter teaspoon.

In cupcakes recipes that contain baking soda, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

For cupcakes recipes, baking soda is frequently used with sugar, salt, flour, vanilla extract and eggs.

oil

Oil is another common ingredient in cupcakes dishes. In fact, over 25% of cupcakes recipes contain oil.

Variations of oil include:

• vegetable oil: 8% of recipes
• oil spray: 8% of recipes
• canola oil: 5% of recipes

In recipes for cupcakes, oil is often used with cream cheese, flour, chocolate, eggs and cocoa powder.

chocolate

Another popular ingredient in cupcakes is chocolate. From the recipes we've sampled for cupcakes, over 25% have chocolate.

Variations of chocolate include:

• semisweet chocolate chips ghirardelli: 10% of recipes
• white chocolate: 10% of recipes

Eggs, salt, vanilla extract, cream cheese and flour are commonly used together with chocolate in cupcakes dishes.

cream cheese

Cream cheese is another common ingredient in cupcakes dishes. In fact, over 20% of cupcakes recipes contain cream cheese.

Softened is a frequent preparation for cream cheese in cupcakes dishes.

Cream cheese is often included in cupcakes dishes in amounts of 8 ounces.

In cupcakes recipes that contain cream cheese, it is on average, 13% by weight.

For cupcakes recipes, cream cheese is frequently used with eggs, confectioners sugar, flour, sugar and butter.

Potential substitutions for cream cheese in cupcakes:

• whole milk
• egg whites

Also, cream cheese is not often used with vegetable oil, caramel sauce and cream tartar.

cocoa powder

Another popular ingredient in cupcakes is cocoa powder. From the recipes we've sampled for cupcakes, over 15% have cocoa powder.

Cocoa powder is often included in cupcakes dishes in amounts of three quarters of a cup or half a cup.

In cupcakes recipes that contain cocoa powder, it is on average, 3% by weight.

In recipes for cupcakes, cocoa powder is often used with flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, eggs and vanilla extract. On the other hand, cocoa powder is almost never used with heavy cream, egg whites, cream tartar and canola oil.

heavy cream

Heavy cream is another common ingredient in cupcakes dishes. In fact, over 15% of cupcakes recipes contain heavy cream.

Common quantities for heavy cream in cupcakes dishes include 1 cup.

In cupcakes recipes that contain heavy cream, it is on average, 5% by weight.

Sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla extract and salt are commonly used together with heavy cream in cupcakes dishes.

Potential substitutions for heavy cream in cupcakes:

• whole milk

Also, heavy cream is not often used with cocoa powder, white chocolate, vegetable oil, vinegar and canola oil.

Other cupcakes Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in cupcakes recipes include:

• vanilla bean - 15%
• sour cream - 10%
• buttermilk - 10%
• vinegar - 5%
• caramel sauce - 5%
• cream tartar - 5%

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