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Cinnamon Cupcake Recipe

I absolutely love this cinnamon cupcake recipe! It makes cupcakes that are tender, moist, and packed with cinnamon flavor.

image of cinnamon cupcake recipe made with cinnamon buttercream frosting

What more could you want in a cinnamon cupcake, right?!

The Cinnamon Cupcake Batter

This cinnamon cupcake recipe is based on my classic vanilla cupcake recipe. I upped the ante to include 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon to really pack these cupcakes with cinnamon flavor.

This gives them a delicious cinnamon flavor without being too overpowering.

My biggest tip when making this cinnamon cupcake recipe is to be sure not to overmix the batter! Overmixed batter can lead to dense, chewy cupcakes.

By mixing the batter just until the ingredients are combined you are guaranteed tender, soft cupcakes.

The Cinnamon Buttercream

Now just making a cinnamon cupcake wasn’t enough. I wanted to make cinnamon buttercream too!

When you’re frosting a dozen cupcakes, you don’t need a ton of frosting. To make just the right amount, I modified my American buttercream to make a 1/4 batch.

Once I was happy with the volume of frosting this recipe makes, it was time to figure out the perfect amount of ground cinnamon.

With the dusting of cinnamon on top of the frosting, I find you don’t need more than 2 tsp of cinnamon in the frosting. However, you can add more or less to suit your palette.

image of cinnamon cupcake recipe made with cinnamon buttercream frosting

Substitutions and Swaps – Cinnamon Cupcakes

This cinnamon cupcake recipe use quite a few ingredients and I know you might not have them all on hand. Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered.

Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make:

  • All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten free flour blend if needed.
  • Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar as it will change the texture of these cupcakes.
  • Ground Cinnamon – There really isn’t a substitute for the cinnamon in this recipe! It’s the star of the show 🙂
  • Whole Milk – You can also use full fat yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.
  • Vegetable Oil – You can use any flavorless oil in this recipe. Canola or sunflower oil would work great!
  • Egg – If you have an egg allergy you can try using 1 flaxseed egg or 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce instead.

Substitutions and Swaps – Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

  • Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
  • Heavy Cream – Whole milk or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
image of cinnamon cupcakes made with cinnamon buttercream frosting

Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Cupcakes

  • Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Ingredients at room temp mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Mix your cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
  • One batch of batter can also be used to make one 9×13-inch cinnamon sheet cake. Bake it at 325 F for 33-38 minutes.
  • Make these cinnamon cupcakes vegan or dairy free! Use your favorite type of dairy free milk to replace the buttermilk and heavy cream and use vegan butter sticks in place of the butter.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make this cinnamon cupcake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media.

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Cinnamon Cupcake Recipe

image of cinnamon cupcakes made with cinnamon buttercream frosting

This cinnamon cupcake recipe makes the best cupcakes! They're tender, moist and absolutely packed with delicious cinnamon flavor.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 19 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 34 minutes

Ingredients

Cinnamon Cupcakes

  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (165g)
  • 1 cup sugar (200g)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (6g)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon (5g)
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
  • 1/2 cup milk (120g)
  • 1/2 cup water (120g)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (56g)
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (12g)
  • 1 large egg, room temp (56g)

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (4g)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon (5g)
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt (1g)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (185g)
  • 1 Tbsp heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, room temperature (15g)

Instructions

Cinnamon Cupcakes

  1. Begin by preheating oven to 350°F / 175°C, and place cupcake liners in baking pans.
  2. Add 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt into a large bowl and gently combine with a large spoon or whisk.
  3. Pour in 1/2 cup of milk and gently stir until just combined. The batter will be thick but that's how it should be!
  4. Next add 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, and 1 large egg. Whisk together just until the batter comes together.
  5. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. If you want to accelerate the cooling process, place the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

  1. Beat 1/2 cup of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a hand mixer until smooth.
  2. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt on a low speed.
  3. Slowly mix in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp of heavy cream on a low speed.
  4. Mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 
  5. If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
  6. Place the buttercream in a piping bag fit with your favorite frosting tip and pipe large swirls onto the fully cooled cupcakes.
  7. Garnish with a dusting of cinnamon and a little piece of cinnamon stick, then enjoy!

Notes

Making Mini Cinnamon Cupcakes

If you want to make mini cinnamon cupcakes, this recipe can be baked in mini muffin tins! It makes about 40 mini cupcakes, and they only need to bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 F / 175 C.

Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Cupcakes

  • Ingredients at room temp mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Properly measure the flour (spoon into the cup measure and then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Once you add the flour, mix the cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
  • Use a large cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners. It also makes sure your cupcakes end up being the same height.
  • Bang the cupcake pan on the counter before putting it in the oven. This brings any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter to the surface.
  • Seal off the top of your piping bag with a rubber band to prevent any frosting from seeping out the top of the bag and make the piping bags easier to use.

Cinnamon Cupcake Variations

To make gluten free cinnamon cupcakes, swap in your favorite gluten free flour blend for the AP flour this recipe calls for, and be sure to over-mix your batter and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.

Making These Cinnamon Cupcakes in Advance & Storage Tips

You can make these cupcakes in advance! Frosted cupcakes can sit at room temperature overnight or be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container. However, they taste best when they're freshly baked!

These cupcakes can also last up to a month in the freezer. If you plan to freeze them, I suggest waiting to frost them until they're thawed.

You can also make your buttercream ahead of time or save any leftovers. The buttercream frosting will last in the fridge for up to a month.

Be sure to give the frosting a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

You can also store buttercream in piping bags in the fridge. I find they keep their consistency well in piping bags and don't require any mixing after they've thawed.

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 304Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 41mgSodium 220mgCarbohydrates 42gFiber 1gSugar 31gProtein 2g

Mary Howicz

Thursday 7th of July 2022

These are SO delicious. I don’t like the texture of cinnamon on the frosting though. Is there a way to make something like a cinnamon extract and it will still work? Or will it mess up the recipe???

Chelsweets

Tuesday 12th of July 2022

Sadly I'm not sure how to make cinnamon frosting without ground cinnamon. But these would be delicious with a vanilla or cream cheese buttercream, and I think you'd still taste plenty of cinnamon from the cupcakes!!

Kaitlyn

Sunday 30th of January 2022

Made these the other day. May I say they turned out perfectly! For the sugar in the cupcakes, I done 1/2 white granulated sugar and 1/2 light brown sugar. I also used vanilla extract and cake batter extract.

They turned out light, fluffy, and moist. I will definitely be making these again!!

For the frosting, I made a White Chocolate Ganache and colored it to make Mardi Gras colors!

Apple Cake Filling: Easy, From-Scratch Recipe - Chelsweets

Sunday 9th of January 2022

[…] filling would be incredible with my vanilla cake recipe or even my cinnamon cupcake recipe. The sky’s the […]

Dorothy Terrill

Wednesday 27th of January 2021

I don't like the gritty feeling of the cinnamon in buttercream but I love the taste of cinnamon. I made my own cinnamon extract and added that to the buttercream instead of vanilla extract. Brings out the cinnamon in the frosting plus the cinnamon cupcake, so yummy.

Stephanie

Monday 18th of January 2021

THese are the best cupcakes I've ever made! The cake itself is the perfect texture and moisture level! I went light on the cinnamon in the buttercream and used Almond extract instead of vanilla. The key for me was using really good cinnamon! I use Organic Vietnamese Cinnamon from our local Frontier Coop and it makes a huge difference I now buy it buy the pound instead of a tiny jar! I swear once you smell and taste it you will never use regular cinnamon again!

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