Light, soft and fluffy, these cinnamon swirl cupcakes are topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting for a sweet and spiced treat that everyone will love. Simple and quick to make, these bakery style cupcakes are sure to impress.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes
If you adore the flavor of cinnamon as much as us, you are going to fall head over heels for these tasty cupcakes.
These cinnamon swirl cupcakes have the most wonderfully complex sweet flavor, and the warming spice of the cinnamon shines through, but isn’t overpowering.
Delicious to enjoy any time of the year, but perfect for fall, this is one delicious cupcake recipe to curl up with!
Be sure to try my Cinnamon Sugar Donuts and Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls too!
Why You’ll Love this Cinnamon Cupcake Recipe:
- Quick and easy: This recipe comes together in a few minutes and they are quick to bake. They’re ready to enjoy in around 30 minutes.
- Simple ingredients: You only need a handful of ingredients to make this recipe. Even if you are only an occasional baker, you’ll likely have most things to hand already.
- Light and fluffy: The texture of these cupcakes is so perfect! Not only do they look good, but they taste amazing!
How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Mix in the sugar.
- Stir in the flour and baking powder.
- In another bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Fill cupcake liners with the batter and sprinkle over the brown sugar cinnamon mix.
- Bake and let cool.
- Make the frosting in a stand mixer and pipe on top of the cooled cupcakes.
Ingredient Notes
- Milk: Keeps the cupcakes moist so they don’t dry out. I’m using whole milk, but use whatever you have on hand.
- Vegetable Oil: Adds richness to the cupcakes. Any neutral cooking oil will work!
- Eggs: Hold the cake batter together so they aren’t too crumbly.
- Vanilla: Enhances the sweetness of the sugar and spice of the cinnamon.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cupcakes while the brown sugar adds an earthy sweetness in the swirl.
- Flour: Gives the cupcakes structure– make sure to spoon and level your measuring cup so you don’t add too much.
- Baking Powder: Helps the cupcakes rise so they stay light and fluffy.
- Cinnamon: Adds a bit of spice and warmth to the cupcakes.
- Butter: Gives the frosting structure– with only cream cheese, the frosting would be too soft. It also adds delicious butter flavor.
- Cream Cheese: Adds tanginess and pairs deliciously with cinnamon.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the frosting– feel free to add a bit more or a bit less to achieve your desired icing consistency.
Yes, you can use an equal amount of melted butter in place of the oil, but your cupcakes may end up a bit drier.
Fill each well with 2 tablespoons of batter. Then sprinkle over a teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl mixture. Top the cinnamon layer with another 2 tablespoons of cake batter. Gently swirl the cinnamon mixture and cake batter together with a toothpick or skewer.
If your cupcakes are a bit flat, that’s most likely because you didn’t add enough baking powder. Also, be sure to check the expiration date on your baking powder! If it’s expired, it just won’t do the trick.
Dry cupcakes can be caused by 2 things. You may have measured the ingredients incorrectly, or you might have overmixed the batter. It’s important to scoop and level your ingredients if you’re not using a scale, and it’s important to have a light hand when mixing the batter.
If your cream cheese frosting is too thin, add cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. If your cream cheese frosting is too thick, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
These cinnamon swirl cupcakes are a real treat! The frosting is wonderfully rich and sweet, and you get an amazing burst of flavor from the cinnamon and brown sugar mixed into the cupcakes.
There really is no bad time to enjoy these! They are perfect for celebrations, and the cinnamon flavor is wonderful to enjoy during fall and Thanksgiving.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover cinnamon swirl cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before enjoying.
Freezing Instructions
I recommend freezing the cupcakes and frosting separately. Freeze the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 months, and freeze the cream cheese frosting in a Ziplock bag for up to 1 month. Allow the cupcakes and frosting to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying. Re-whip the frosting if necessary before piping.
Decoration Ideas
These cupcakes look beautiful all by themselves, but you can take the decoration up a notch by sprinkling the cupcakes with ground cinnamon or nutmeg or placing a cinnamon stick on top of each cupcake.
Tips for the Best Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Pull them out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before you start baking.
- Use greaseproof cupcake liners or spray your liners with nonstick spray to keep them from sticking to your cupcakes.
- If you often end up with greasy cupcake bottoms, put a tablespoon of white rice in each of the wells of the cupcake tin before adding the liners. This will absorb any excess grease.
- I like to put all the cupcake liners in the pan, add the first 2 tablespoons of batter to each one, then add the first layer of cinnamon sugar, then repeat. It’s much easier to do each step all at once than to do one cupcake at a time.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them. If you try to frost warm cupcakes, the frosting will run off and make a mess.
These cinnamon swirl cupcakes are a must-make! Super quick and easy to make and bake, these sweet treats are hard to resist. You are sure to impress with these!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- ½ cup whole milk 114 grams, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil 100 grams
- 2 large eggs 100 grams, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 grams
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour 180 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 grams
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- ½ cup brown sugar 107 grams
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 6 grams
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- 8 ounces cream cheese 227 grams, room temperature (1 brick)
- 4½ cups powdered sugar 509 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.½ cup whole milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add the sugar and whisk to combine.¾ cup granulated sugar
- Sprinkle over the flour and baking powder and mix just until no large lumps remain– you don’t want to overmix. Set aside.1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Make the cinnamon swirl mixture. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.½ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Fill each cupcake tin with 2 tablespoons of batter. Then, sprinkle over a teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl mixture. Top the cinnamon layer with another 2 tablespoons of cake batter. Gently swirl the cinnamon mixture and cake batter together with a toothpick or skewer.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the pan and place them on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until they are well combined, about 2 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar about ¼ cup at a time.4½ cups powdered sugar
- Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Turn the mixer to medium high speed and beat the frosting until it becomes light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip and pipe the cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle over additional cinnamon-sugar while the frosting is still wet.
Notes
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Pull them out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before you start baking.
- Use greaseproof cupcake liners or spray your liners with nonstick spray to keep them from sticking to your cupcakes.
- If you often end up with greasy cupcake bottoms, put a tablespoon of white rice in each of the wells of the cupcake tin before adding the liners. This will absorb any excess grease.
- I like to put all the cupcake liners in the pan, add the first 2 tablespoons of batter to each one, then add the first layer of cinnamon sugar, then repeat. It’s much easier to do each step all at once than to do one cupcake at a time.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them. If you try to frost warm cupcakes, the frosting will run off and make a mess.
- These cupcakes look beautiful all by themselves, but you can take the decoration up a notch by sprinkling the cupcakes with ground cinnamon or nutmeg or placing a cinnamon stick on top of each cupcake.
It was good. If I make em again, I’ma put more of the brown sugar cinnamon mix in the cupcake, I had a bunch left over. Or I might make it into an actual cake. I had a ton of frosting left over too. The frosting kinda overwhelmed the cake.
But like I said, it was tasty.
Thanks so much for sharing, Kristin!