My cinnamon swirl cupcakes are soft, fluffy, and full of warm spiced flavor! Made with vanilla cake mix and swirled with a brown sugar cinnamon filling, these easy cupcakes are perfectly moist and sweet. I top them with a luscious cinnamon cream cheese frosting for a touch of tang that balances out their sweet flavor.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes Made with Cake Mix
If you love warm spiced desserts as much as I do, these cinnamon swirl cupcakes are sure to become a favorite. The combination of quick pantry ingredients, a swirled brown sugar cinnamon filling, and smooth cinnamon cream cheese frosting makes these cupcakes taste like they took hours, but they only take about 30 minutes start to finish! I make these cinnamon cupcakes with cake mix as the base to ensure they turn out consistently moist and tender every time.
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Chill the Cinnamon Swirl for Better Definition
For clean, beautiful cinnamon swirls that don’t blend into the batter, I chill the cinnamon-sugar mixture for 5-10 minutes before layering. This helps the sugar stay firm and dry, giving you striking layers of cinnamon flavor and texture in each cupcake. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference in presentation and taste.
Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Cupcake Tin
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Tip Set
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
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
- 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.
How to Make Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cupcakes Step-by-Step
Mix the Batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F, line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners, and 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 your cinnamon cupcakes in the preheated oven 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.
Make the Frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ½ cup of room-temperature unsalted butter and 8 ounces (1 brick) of room-temperature 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 cinnamon cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle over additional cinnamon-sugar while the frosting is still wet.
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.
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