Cinnamon Cupcakes Recipe with Cinnamon Frosting
Home » COOK » Recipes » Baking » Cupcakes »Cinnamon Cupcakes are the perfect treat to tickle your taste buds and satisfy your sweet tooth!
In the season of pumpkin-spiced everything, let’s not forget about the timeless, comforting, and endlessly customizable spice—cinnamon.
With a harmonious blend of flavors and a delightful cinnamon kick, these fluffy cupcakes will make your home smell like a heavenly blend of sugar, spice, and everything nice!
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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we recommend reading through the blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
Cinnamon Cupcakes
As the leaves start to change and the air turns crisp, we’re bringing you a treat that embodies the essence of fall—Cinnamon Cupcakes.
They taste like a warm hug and decked out with crumble topping, cinnamon frosting, and wait for it… a mini sugar doughnut with vanilla glaze to crown the whole masterpiece!
If cinnamon rolls and cupcakes had a baby, it would be these beauties right here!
Cinnamon doughnut cupcakes are a delicious treat perfect for coffee mornings with friends, afternoon tea, or a delightful fall dinner party dessert.
Or why not make a batch of these homemade cupcakes for a bake sale or Harvest Festival?
While we often share cupcake recipes that use a box of cake mix, our cinnamon spice cupcakes recipe is from scratch and uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Don’t panic if you think they look tricky to make—our detailed instructions will guide you every step of the way, ensuring moist cupcakes with the right amount of cinnamon spice.
We promise this is just another one of our easy dessert recipes for you to try.
With their decadent layers and the clever use of cinnamon, they’re a fall dessert that’ll leave your taste buds begging for more!
You’ll definitely want to put this cinnamon cupcake recipe on your ‘Must Bake’ list this autumn!
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
This recipe’s ingredients and tools are conveniently linked to online retailers like Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart.
Cinnamon Cupcakes & Frosting Ingredients
- Chilled & Dairy – Unsalted Butter, Large Eggs, Whole Milk, Heavy Cream (Double Cream)
- White Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Always buy good vanilla, which makes a flavor difference.
- All-Purpose Flour – Also known as Plain Flour.
- Baking Powder
- Ground Cinnamon – The key ingredient in this delicious recipe!
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as Icing Sugar and Confectioner’s Sugar.
- Mini Doughnuts – Plain sugared or cinnamon flavor.
- If you can’t find mini doughnuts in the grocery store, you could use mini cinnamon rolls instead.
- Making these homemade cinnamon cupcakes for kids? Why not pop in a couple of Cinnamon Teddy Grahams into the top of the frosting!
Cupcake Decorating Equipment
- Electric Stand Mixer – You can also use an electric hand mixer.
- Mixing Bowls
- Fine Mesh Sieve – Or Sifter to sift the flour.
- Cupcake Pan/Muffin Pan
- Cupcake Liners
- Wire Cooling Rack – Allowing the cupcakes to cool before decorating is important, and using a cooling rack allows air to circulate around them.
- Large Piping Bag – You can use disposable or reusable, your choice.
- Large Star Tip – for example, Wilton 1M
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
Cinnamon Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Cupcake Making Tips
- For the best results, use room temperature ingredients for a smoother batter, resulting in even mixing and better air-trapping, which gives your cake a softer, fluffier texture.
- Use your choice of cupcake liners – themed to the cupcakes, plain white or black, or a complementary color.
- TOP TIP! Use an ice cream scoop to divide the cupcake mixture equally between the liners. Fill them about three-quarters full.
- The cupcakes should be ready in about 20 minutes – test their doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cakes. It should come out clean when the cupcakes are cooked all the way through. Bake for an extra 2 minutes and check again.
- Cool the cupcakes in the cupcake/muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Cupcake Frosting Tips
- When making the frosting, you want the end result to be creamy, smooth, and hold a peak. You may have to slightly adjust the powdered sugar and cream amount to achieve your desired consistency.
- These cupcakes are double-frosted. Use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip to pipe a thick ring around the edge of the cupcake, which is covered with crumble topping. A smaller swirl of frosting is piped on top. Then a mini donut is added and drizzled with an icing glaze.
- If you feel like you will be making a lot of cookies, cakes, and cupcakes in the future, I think it is worth investing in a set of piping tips so that you know you always have the right ones on hand for a recipe.
- Do not overfill the piping bag with frosting, and make sure you squeeze the frosting down the bag to expel any air bubbles.
- If you are not confident with your piping skills, practice on some parchment paper first and scoop the frosting back into the bag to use on the cupcakes.
Storing Cupcakes
- Short-term Storage (Up to 2 Days): If you plan to eat them within a day or two, just cover them with a cake dome or invert a large bowl. You could also put them in an airtight container. Keep them on the counter unless it’s a really hot day or if the frosting is made of perishable ingredients like cream cheese or sour cream.
- Medium-term Storage (3-7 Days): For a slightly longer period, the fridge is your friend. Place the cupcakes in an airtight container to keep them from drying out. Let them come to room temperature before serving to bring out the best flavors.
- Long-term Storage (Up to 3 Months): If you’ve got more cupcakes than you can handle, freezing is an option. Place individual cupcakes on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours. When solid, wrap each cupcake carefully in plastic wrap and then put them in a zip-top bag or an airtight container. Thaw them on the counter (1-2 hours) or in the fridge overnight, and then let them come to room temperature before digging in.
How Do I Make Cinnamon Cupcakes?
Step 1 – Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4. Line the cupcake tin(s) with 14 cupcake paper liners and set aside.
Step 2 – Make Crumble Topping: To make the crumble topping, place the flour, sugar, and cinnamon into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the butter, and using a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients to make a crumble texture. Set aside.
Step 3 – Sift Cupcake Dry ingredients: To make the cupcakes, sift or whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl and set it aside.
Step 4 – Beat Cupcake Wet Ingredients: Using an electric mixer (handheld or standing), cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla extract until combined.
Step 5 – Combine Cupcake Ingredients: Alternating with the milk, beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture until combined and smooth.
Step 6 – Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon half a tablespoon of the crumble mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner.
Use an ice cream scoop to transfer the cupcake batter to each liner, filling them about ¾ full.
Step 7 – Bake Cupcakes: Bake the cupcakes in the oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Step 8 – Make Frosting: To make the cinnamon buttercream frosting, use an electric handheld or standing mixer to beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and heavy whipping cream until combined, smooth, and holds a peak.
TIP! Start your electric mixer on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated, and then increase to medium-high speed to reach the desired consistency.
Scoop the frosting into a large piping bag with a large star tip. Set it aside.
Step 9 – Make Glaze: To make the glaze, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Transfer into a disposable piping bag – do not cut off the tip yet.
Step 10 – Frost Cupcakes: Pipe a thick ring of frosting around the top of each cooked and cooled cupcake, and coat the frosting into the remaining crumble to cover completely.
Pipe a swirl of frosting into the center of the crumble layer. Place a mini doughnut on top.
Step 11 – Finish Cupcakes: Cut the tip off the disposable piping bag and drizzle glaze over the top of the cupcake. Serve and enjoy!
More Fall Cupcake Recipes
Looking for more fall cupcakes to make? Check these recipes out next:
Printable Cinnamon Cupcakes Recipe Card
The printable recipe card is below—please leave a star rating and quick review to share your experience with others!
Cinnamon Doughnut Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Crumble Topping
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour plain flour
For the Cupcake
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour plain flour
- ½ Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
For the Cinnamon Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar icing sugar
- 3 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 6 Tbsp heavy whipping cream double cream
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 14 mini sugar or cinnamon doughnuts
- 1 large piping bag with star tip
For the Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar icing sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4. Line cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners and set aside.
- To make the crumble topping, place the flour, sugar, and cinnamon into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter, and using a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients to make a crumble texture. Set aside.
- To make the cupcakes, sift or whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl and set it aside.
- Using an electric handheld or standing mixer, combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla extract until combined.
- Alternating with the milk, beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture until combined and smooth.
- Spoon half a tablespoon of the crumble mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Use an ice cream scoop to transfer the cupcake batter to each liner, filling them about ¾ way full.
- Bake the cupcakes in the oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- To make the cinnamon frosting, use an electric handheld or standing mixer to beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and heavy whipping cream until combined, smooth, and holds a peak. Scoop the frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Set it aside.
- To make the glaze, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Transfer into a disposable piping bag – do not cut off the tip yet.
- Pipe a thick ring of frosting around the top of each cooked and cooled cupcake, and coat the frosting into the remaining crumble to cover completely. Pipe a swirl of frosting into the center of the crumble layer. Place a mini doughnut on top.
- Cut the tip off the disposable piping bag and drizzle the glaze over the top of the cupcake. Serve and enjoy!
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party:
- Appetizer: Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Homemade Ranch Dip
- Soup: Harvest Soup with Butternut Squash & Apples
- Salad: Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese Dressing
- Main Dish: Grilled Balsamic Marinated Sirloin Steak
- Side Dish: Parmesan Truffle Potato Wedges
- Cocktail: Prosecco Cocktail with Blackberry, Elderflower & Basil