Cinnamon Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

A cinnamon cupcake with a bite taken out of it.

4.50 from 10 votes

Cinnamon Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

Delicious vanilla cupcakes with a cinnamon swirl running through it. They're topped with a cinnamon brown sugar frosting.

Prep Time28

Cook Time23

Total Time51

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 376kcal

Author: Ella Gilbert

Equipment

1 x cupcake tray

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
½ cup sour cream room temperature
½ cup buttermilk room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 cups confectioners' sugar
¼ cup heavy cream

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line a 12-cup pan with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 13-14 cupcakes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a small bowl, combine the ½ cup of sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar swirl.
½ cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. It should become light and fluffy.
½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar
Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then beat again on medium speed
2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Add in the sour cream, beating on medium-low speed until well combined
½ cup sour cream
With the mixer running on your lowest speed, add the dry ingredients
With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk. Stop the mixer.
½ cup buttermilk
Use an ice cream scooper to fill each cupcake liner with 1 tablespoon of batter. Sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar, then another tablespoon of batter. Take a toothpick and swirl the batter together then sprinkle over another teaspoon of cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 20-23 minutes. A toothpick inserted will come out clean with no crumbs. Let cool completely. Your cupcakes might have split at the top, almost like a muffin - this is ok!

Make Frosting

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on low speed until well combined.
2 sticks unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar
Slowly start adding the confectioners’s sugar on your lowest speed
3 cups confectioners' sugar
Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for a 2 minutes until it becomes very thick.
Stop the mixer and add the salt, vanilla, and cinnamon in to the bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for another 2 minutes.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Turn the mixer to your lowest speed and pour in the heavy cream. Beat until it becomes very creamy and spreadable.
¼ cup heavy cream

Notes

My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. I have provided a conversion to US cups but please note that I haven’t tested the recipe with this method. Just click on ‘US CUSTOMARY’ above the list of ingredients.

Ingredients: I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients before you start baking.

Butter: I use European style butter, like Kerry Gold, in my recipes. This will make your frosting much creamier and richer.

Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt. Note that I am using kosher salt like Diamond Crystal kosher salt and not Morton salt - Morton salt is far too coarse and salty for this recipe!

Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk you can substitute sour cream.

Storage: Store the cupcakes in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating.

Nutrition