In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and melted butter.
Whisk in the vanilla extract, egg whites, and whole egg.
Sprinkle the flour mixture into the egg mixture in 3 additions (folding in the flour until just combined)TIP - I like to use a soft silicone spatula to make sure the flour mixture is evenly folded into the egg mixture without the risk of over-stirring.
Place 24 cupcake liners into two 12-cup cupcake pans.
Using a large cookie scoop, fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full.
Place the cupcake pans in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes rotating the pans halfway through for even baking. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cupcake, it is ready if the toothpick comes out free of cake batter.
Place the cupcake pans on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Once cooled transfer the cupcakes onto the wire rack and pipe them with your favorite homemade or store-bought frosting.
Notes
*This recipe will yield anywhere from 22-24 cupcakes (it all depends on how generously you scoop the batter into your cupcake liners.
It is important to properly measure your dry ingredients. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, I would recommend using the stir, scoop, and sweep method for best results.
Make sure your baking powder and soda are not expired before beginning.
The most important ingredient to this best-tasting vanilla cupcake is the quality of the vanilla extract. If you can, try to use only pure vanilla extract as the artificial vanilla won’t give you that same depth of flavor.