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Churro Cupcakes are fluffy and light cinnamon sugar cupcakes that are easy to make and even easier to fall in love with! They are made with common baking ingredients that you may even have in your pantry right now.
If you love cinnamon sugar desserts some great ones to try are: Cinnamon Roll Cookies or Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake.
Churro Cupcakes:
So, my husband always complains about cupcakes. He prefers cakes instead. He says cupcakes are too dry and overcooked and the ratio of frosting to cake is off. I took that as a personal challenge to find a cupcake that is moist and fluffy like a cake with the perfect crumb to frosting balance. I knew as I was preparing this recipe that this would be the one to change his mind. And man was I right!
The thick, chewy, sweet and fried, covered in cinnamon churros we love at theme parks inspired the flavors of this cupcake. And let me tell you, those much loved, favorite flavors do not disappoint! When you take your first bite, you will be hit with the warm, nutty cinnamon flavor paired with the sweetness of the sugar and the creaminess of the frosting. Creaming the egg and sugar first and making sure I did not over-mix once I added in my flour kept the cake moist and soft. My husband was so impressed and loved these cupcakes! The leftovers even went great with my cup of coffee this morning!
Cupcake Ingredients:
Cake:
- Flour: All purpose flour or cake flour will work great! Cake flour will create a light and airy cupcake. All purpose will create a denser cupcake.
- Cinnamon:Â A woody taste with both sweet and savory notes.
- Baking powder:Â Leavening agent so be sure you mix it in well to avoid lumps or bitter taste.
- Salt:Â The salt will bring out all the other flavors.
- 1/21 stick cup butter: Room temperature
- Sugar:Â Â White sugar will add the perfect sweetness!
- Eggs:Â Â The eggs keep the cupcake together and add moistness.
- Vanilla:Â Â Use a high quality vanilla to ensure the
- Vegetable oil: The oil will make the cake moist and give a pleasant mouthfeel.
- Milk:Â The sugar in the milk adds to sweetness, and the protein in the milk builds a strong batter that is moist.
Frosting:
- Cream cheese: Room temperature cream cheese will combine much easier and give you a light fluffy frosting.
- Butter: Room temperature. Mix together thoroughly with cream cheese before you start adding in powdered sugar.
- Powdered sugar:Â The finer consistency of this sugar keeps the frosting so smooth and also so sweet!
- Vanilla:Â Â The vanilla will bring out the other flavors in the frosting, like the woody cinnamon and tangy cream cheese.
- Cinnamon:Â The cinnamon gives this cupcake that classic churro flavor.
How to Make Churro Cupcakes:
- Preheat and Prep: Set the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.
- In a medium bowl: Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl: Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined then stir in the vanilla and oil. Sprinkle ⅓ of the flour mixture over the butter mixture and gently stir in until barely combined. Add half of the milk, mixing until just combined. Repeat these steps with the remaining flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour. Do not over mix.
- Fill each cupcake tin: with 2 tablespoons of batter, or until the cupcake tin is filled half way. Bake the cupcakes for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with one or two crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir in the cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Then stir in the vanilla. Beat the mixture well, until light and fluffy. Pipe onto cupcakes and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Homemade Cupcake:
Tips for the Best Homemade Cupcake:- Don’t skimp on the creaming process! Take 2-3 minutes to cream the eggs and sugar before adding other ingredients.
- Measure the flour by spooning it into a measuring cup and leveling it off with the edge of a knife. Don’t scoop it!
- Once you add the flour mixture, mix the batter just until it’s combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full. Do not overfill.
- Add cinnamon to the cupcake batter for an extra boost of flavor
- Use room temperature butter and cream cheese for the frosting. Cold ingredients won’t mix properly, and warm ingredients won’t have the right consistency.
- For the best looking frosting results, use a piping bag and tip. In a pinch, you can use a heavy ziploc bag with the corner snipped.
Variations of the Churro Cupcake:
- Make chocolate cupcakes for a chocolate churro experience.
- Fill your cupcake: Scoop out the center of the cupcake and stuff it with more frosting or any fruit filling – apple would be out of this world amazing!
- Decorate your cupcakes with cinnamon sticks
- Skip the frosting altogether and top with melted butter and plenty of cinnamon & sugar
- Substitute buttercream frosting. Just add 1-2 tsp. of cinnamon to your favorite recipe and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
More Churro Inspired Recipes to try:
More Churro Inspired Recipes to try:
Churro Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup milk
Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.Â
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined then stir in the vanilla and oil.
- Sprinkle ⅓ of the flour mixture over the butter mixture and gently stir in until barely combined. Add half of the milk, mixing until just combined.
- Repeat these steps with the remaining flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour. Do not over mix.
- Fill each cupcake tin with 2 tablespoons of batter, or until the cupcake tin is filled half way.
- Bake the cupcakes for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with one or two crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
- For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Stir in the cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Then stir in the vanilla.
- Beat the mixture well, until light and fluffy. Pipe onto cupcakes and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Serves: 12
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Made these cupcakes and frosting for a friends bday and they were great except for one small thing. Sometimes a bite of the cupcake had little bits or clumps, I wasn’t sure what they were, but after reading the recipe and directions again, I see that it could’ve been the baking powder. It was really humid in my kitchen that day and I noticed that my dry ingredients looked a little off. I’ll definitely try making them again and will maybe run my dry ingredients through the sifter. Thank you for sharing this great and tasty recipe.
I would like to make these for my daughter’s birthday. Is it possible to make these into mini cupcakes rather than standard size? If so, how would I adjust the baking time?
I haven’t cooked mini cupcakes with this recipe before but you could try cooking them for 9-12 minutes instead! Let me know how they turn out!
Superb recipe
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup oil, but i’m not seeing in the directions where to incorporate that. Can you clarify? Thanks, I’m excited to try these out:)
It is in the fourth step. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined then stir in the vanilla and oil.
There is a typo on the ingredients list. What does 1/2 1 stick cup butter mean? Am I supposed to add a whole stick of butter or 1 1/2 sticks of butter or 1 cup of butter?
Thank you for letting me know. It should say 1/2 cup of butter or 1 stick. Hope that helps to clarify.