Light, soft, and fluffy, my cinnamon cupcakes are not to be missed! I topped them 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.
If you adore the flavor of cinnamon as much as I do, you are going to fall head over heels for these tasty cinnamon cupcakes. Made easy with cake mix, a quick cinnamon and brown sugar filling, and a deliciously simple cinnamon cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes are so rich and flavorful! Plus, they only take about 30 minutes from start to finish!
What’s in This Cinnamon Cupcake Recipe?
- Vanilla Cake Mix: Makes these cupcakes super quick and easy!
- 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.
- Brown Sugar: Adds an earthy sweetness to the swirl.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds a warm and spicy flavor to the filling and the frosting.
- Butter: Unsalted 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 and gives it structure– feel free to add a bit more or a bit less to achieve your desired icing consistency.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the sweetness of the sugar and spice of the cinnamon.
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!
How to Store
Store leftover cinnamon swirl cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let come to room temperature before enjoying.
Tips for Success
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Pull them out of the refrigerator about 2 hours before you start baking.
- I recommend using greaseproof cupcake liners or spraying 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.
- Gently swirl the cinnamon mixture and cake batter together with a toothpick or skewer.
- 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.
Cinnamon Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 13.25 ounces vanilla cake mix (1 box)
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
For the Cinnamon Swirl
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (1 stick)
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (1 brick)
- 4½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Cupcake Tin
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Tip Set
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 cake mix, water, oil, and eggs.13.25 ounces vanilla cake mix, 1 cup water, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs
- 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
How to Make Cinnamon Cupcakes Step-by-Step
Mix the Batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together 13.25 ounces (1 box) of vanilla cake mix, 1 cup of water, ⅓ cup of vegetable oil, and 3 large eggs.
Swirl the Cupcakes: Combine ½ cup of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. 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 the Cupcakes: 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.
Beat the Dairy: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ½ cup of unsalted butter and 8 ounces (1 brick) of cream cheese on medium speed until they are well combined, about 2 minutes.
Thicken the Frosting: With the mixer on low speed, slowly add 4½ cups of powdered sugar about ¼ cup at a time. Once all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated, stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of 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.
Frost the Cupcakes: 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.
Kristin Fleming says
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.
Becky Hardin says
Thanks so much for sharing, Kristin!