Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes Recipe

Course: cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 18

Total Time: 33

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 550kcal

Author: Becky Hardin - Easy Dessert Recipes

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.

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Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
Cupcake Tin
Stand Mixer
Piping Tip Set

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

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.

Video

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.

Storage: Store cinnamon swirl cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition