According to the recipie my cupcakes were supposed to look like this
And instead mine looked like this


I'm not sure what I did wrong, any advice? You can find the recipie here. Thank you
http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com/2011/07/perfect-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe.html

That is actually the recipe I use for all of my vanilla cupcakes and I've never had that happen to me. That's so odd what happened. The only thing I can think of is maybe you measured wrong on the baking soda or powder. Possibly used a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon? I've done that before

Was there anything you used that was slightly different, like using buttermilk powder instead of the real thing?

How did you scoop the batter? Did you use an ice scream scoop or measuring cup to make them uniform? Also could possibly be the temperature of your oven....low heat will result in more even tops.
I want to try this recipe now though! And I wanted to share that I love the Swans Down 1-2-3-4 vanilla cake recipe- I searched high and low myself for a good vanilla cake, and that one is pretty tasty and light.

I would say your oven was too hot

Honestly I don't know but I just had to comment on how hilarious they look! Hope your next batch turns out better! I love recipies from her blog!

I just wanted to post a quick photo of the cupcakes I made using this exact recipe just to show that the recipe does work. I know you're not doubting that, but if you have your measurements correct and nothing else is goofy then you should get some beautifully domed vanilla cupcakes.

There are standard size and a slightly larger size (not jumbo).

That looks like blower damage from a convection oven. If so, either cut it off or adjust your shelves down or up one and that may cure it. Mine looked like that when I got a new conv. oven and didn;t realize my shelves were off. My oven was meant for baking. Some are not and the fan is just too strong.

I'm starting to think maybe my oven was too hot then. I had it set on 350 but my oven is old and doesn't have an exact knob if that makes any sense. I'm sure I used the right measurements because there were no tablespoons called for in the recipe and I was paranoid since this was my first time baking from scratch. Maybe I didn't whisk the baking powder and baking soda in well enough with the cake flour? I guess I will have to try this recipe again Thank you all so much!

I've used that recipe several times. I find the crumb to be quite coarse. Do you?

I'd have to say it's your oven. Get one of those little oven thermometers that sits inside and it will tell you what the exact temp is.

I know you aren't asking for a new recipe, but I've tried many and this is my favorite:

http://www.oprah.com/food/Vanilla-Peppermint-Cupcakes

Omit the peppermint extract and add another tsp of vanilla (I've even added 2 tsp). You can even add vanilla bean. I've also added a few scoops of vanilla yogurt. I get a perfectly domed and moist cupcake every time.

The baking time says 22-25 minutes but mine are done by 18 minutes (I tend to bake slightly less than longer to get a really moist cupcake).

**This may just be ME**, but I find that cupcakes with oil rather than butter are more temperamental, so I only use butter recipes.

Yep, too hot oven and maybe overmixing.

I will have to conclude after eating them that they were a bit overcooked. Sorry to say I don't know anything about crumb since this was my first time ever eating a cupcake made from scratch.Thank you so much everyone, I'm on to the next batch!