Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

All the deliciousness of a cinnamon roll in just 30 minutes! These cinnamon roll cupcakes are made with a delicious, soft vanilla cake with a cinnamon brown sugar swirl, and topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.

Cinnamon rolls are one of the most loved desserts in the world, and for a good reason. There is nothing quite as satisfying and cozy as digging into a soft, warm, cinnamon-y bun. But let’s face it, when that craving hits, we don’t want to spend 8 hours in the kitchen making cinnamon rolls.

So here’s how you can enjoy the same delicious flavor of cinnamon rolls in just 30 minutes.

These cinnamon roll cupcakes have all the goodness of a classic cinnamon roll that we love – a soft cake that resembles the soft bun, a cinnamon swirl that’s as good as the cinnamon roll filling, and a delicious cream cheese frosting that brings all the flavors together perfectly.

The best part? They take less than an hour to make.

Let’s get into the recipe.

Cinnamon Filling

The cinnamon filling is swirled into the cupcake batter to mimic the cinnamon roll filling, and it tastes absolutely delicious. You only need four ingredients and a spoon to make it. I recommend making this before the cupcake batter, as it’s best not to let the batter sit for too long after it’s ready.

Here are the steps for making the cinnamon filling.

• In a bowl, add room temperature butter. Make sure it’s not melted or too hard, as we want the final texture to be soft but pipeable.
• Add brown sugar, cinnamon powder, and a pinch of sea salt and mix with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula until everything is combined.
• Transfer the cinnamon filling into a piping or zip lock bag and set aside.

PS: Love cinnamon rolls? Try these recipes!

• Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
• Cinnamon Roll Cake
• Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Vanilla Cupcake

The base of these cupcakes is made with a simple vanilla cake batter that creates a soft and flavorful cake that pairs perfectly with the cinnamon and brown sugar swirl. It’s simple to make and uses basic pantry ingredients!

Here are the steps for making the vanilla cupcake batter.

• In a bowl, add room temperature butter and caster sugar and whip it on high speed with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until it’s pale and creamy. Make sure that the butter is not hard and cold, or it will not whip properly.
• Add the room temperature eggs and vanilla extract and whisk for 2-3 minutes until well combined and fluffy. Make sure there are no streaks of egg in the batter.
• Next, add the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, corn flour, and salt. The corn flour gives the cake a nice texture, but you can also substitute it for more flour. Mix gently, first with a wooden spoon or spatula, then whisk at low speed until the ingredients are combined. Do not overmix at this step, as there will be too much gluten formation and the cake will turn out tough.
• Place the batter in cupcake liners, filling each about halfway, then pipe a swirl of the cinnamon filling into each cupcake. I recommend pushing the piping bag inside the batter and piping it in so that the filling remains inside instead of on the surface.
• Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius and let them cool completely before piping.

Cream Cheese Frosting

No cinnamon roll is complete without cream cheese frosting, and this one is perfectly sweet and tangy to pair with the cupcakes. The recipe uses quite a bit of sugar for stability, but if you would like it to be less sweet, you can reduce the amount of sugar, but the frosting will be runnier.

Here are the steps for making the cream cheese frosting.

• In a bowl, add room temperature cream cheese and butter. Make sure both are at around the same softness. If one is harder than the other, it may cause the frosting to split.
• Whisk the cream cheese and butter on high speed with an electric whisk until combined and creamy. If the mixture looks slightly split, don’t worry.
• Add the icing sugar in 3 intervals, add the corn flour in the first addition, and mix well after each until combined. Add the vanilla and whisk again.
• If the frosting looks too runny, let it chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
• Once the cupcakes have cooled down, top with the frosting and add a sprinkle of cinnamon to finish.

If you love cinnamon rolls, you will absolutely love these easy cupcakes!

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

PS: I always measure ingredients in grams, never in cups. Using a measuring scale is the only way to bake accurately. Cups are unreliable and can give different measurements, so I suggest you buy a measuring scale before you start baking! If you can’t get your hands on one, you can use the online tools for converting grams into cups; however, I do not guarantee their accuracy.

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

All the deliciousness of a cinnamon roll in just 30 minutes! These cinnamon roll cupcakes are made with a delicious, soft vanilla cake with a cinnamon brown sugar swirl, and topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.

Servings 12 cupcakes

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

• Cupcake tray
• Cupcake liners
• Electric mixer with whisk attachment
• Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
• Piping bag or zip-lock bag

Ingredients

  

Cinnamon Roll Filling

• 113 grams butter room temperature
• 100 grams brown sugar
• 10 grams flour
• 12 grams cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Vanilla Cupcake

• 170 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 170 grams caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla paste/essence
• 3 eggs
• 150 grams all-purpose flour
• 20 grams corn flour can sub for more flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 200 grams cream cheese room temperature
• 100 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 250 grams icing sugar* see notes
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions

 

Cinnamon Roll Filling:

• Place room-temperature butter in a bowl. It should be soft enough to mix easily but not melted.
• Add brown sugar, cinnamon powder, and a small pinch of sea salt. Mix everything together using a spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
• Transfer the cinnamon filling into a piping bag or a zip-lock bag. Set aside for later.

Vanilla Cupcakes

• Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees celsius and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
• In a large bowl, add room-temperature butter and caster sugar. Whip on high speed with an electric mixer for 3–5 minutes until pale and fluffy. (Make sure the butter isn’t too cold, or it won’t cream properly.)
• Add room-temperature eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for another 2–3 minutes until smooth and fully combined. (No streaks of egg should remain.)
• Add in the flour, baking powder, cornflour (or extra flour if substituting), and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the batter with a spatula first, then mix briefly on low speed. (Avoid overmixing to keep the cupcakes tender.)
• Divide the batter into cupcake liners, filling each about halfway.
• Pipe a swirl of the cinnamon filling into the center of each cupcake, pushing the piping tip slightly into the batter so the filling stays inside while baking.
• Bake for 20–25 minutes and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a bowl, add room-temperature cream cheese and butter. Both should be similarly soft to prevent the frosting from splitting.
• Beat together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. (If the mixture looks slightly split, it will come together once the sugar is added.)
• Add icing sugar in three parts, mixing well after each addition. Include the cornflour with the first batch of sugar. Stir in vanilla extract and whisk again until fluffy.
• If the frosting feels too soft, refrigerate for 30–60 minutes until it firms up slightly.
• Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them generously and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top for a perfect finish.

Notes

Storage:

These cupcakes can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. I recommend bringing them to room temperature before eating for the best experience. 

Tips and Tricks:

• Use room-temperature ingredients:
  Make sure your butter, cream cheese, and eggs are all at room temperature. This helps everything mix together smoothly and gives a better cupcake texture.
• Don’t overmix the batter:
  Once you add the dry ingredients, mix only until combined. Overmixing can make your cupcakes tough instead of soft and fluffy.
• Proper consistency for cinnamon filling:
  The filling should be soft enough to pipe easily but not runny. If your butter is too melted, the filling might leak out during baking.
• How to swirl the filling:
  Insert the piping tip slightly into the cupcake batter before piping. This keeps the cinnamon filling inside the cupcake instead of pooling on top.
• Even cupcake baking:
  Fill each liner about halfway for the cupcakes to bake evenly without overflowing. Use an ice cream scoop or piping bag for more control.
• Fixing split cream cheese frosting:
  If your frosting looks slightly split after whipping, don’t worry. Keep adding the icing sugar and whipping — it will come back together.
• Chilling the frosting:
  If your frosting feels too soft to pipe nicely, pop it into the fridge for 30–60 minutes. It will firm up and hold its shape better when piped.
• Cooling cupcakes completely:
  Always wait until the cupcakes are fully cooled before frosting. If they’re even a little warm, the frosting can melt.

Course: Dessert

Keyword: cinnamon, cinnamon roll, cinnamon roll cupcake

If you give this recipe a try, don’t forget to let me know how you liked it in the comments. And of course, share it with me on Instagram!

Until next time!