Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes Recipe

Course: cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 18

Total Time: 33

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 534kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

Light and fluffy brown sugar cinnamon swirl cupcakes made with cake mix, and topped with a cream cheese frosting for a sweet and spiced treat that everyone will love.

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

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.

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.
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.

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

Nutrition