This website may contain affiliate links and advertising so that we can provide recipes to you. Read my disclosure policy.
Easy-to-make cinnamon roll cupcakes with a streusel and glaze!
Hey everyone! Chelsea from Chelsea’s Messy Apron with a delicious cupcake recipe for you all to try!
If you love cinnamon rolls you will go crazy for these amazing cupcakes!
How do you make cinnamon roll cupcakes?
The base is a yellow cake mix, doctored-up to taste great. The additions are simple – oil, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla pudding, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Adding a few extra ingredients to a cake mix really jazzes it up in a simple way. These cupcakes are super moist, chewy, and have a depth of flavor you can’t get from plain cake mix cupcakes.
Cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, and a tad bit of flour get mixed together to become the cinnamon-sugar swirl. That gets swirled in between the layers of cake mix and on top just for good measure.
I did one scoop of batter, a spoonful of the cinnamon-sugar mixture swirled in, one more scoop of batter, and one more spoonful of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. And then comes the streusel. My personal favorite. 🙂
This streusel will be pretty thick almost like a thick dough. I just put a few small spoonfuls of the streusel on the very top of the cupcakes and then put them in the oven. The streusel doesn’t need to cover the entire top (unless you want it to), but just put small bits of it throughout the top. Also, the streusel is totally optional. If you aren’t feeling it, definitely feel free to leave it out and nothing changes about how you bake these cupcakes.
Last, but never least, comes the cream cheese glaze. A very simple and traditional cinnamon roll glaze, and perfect for these cupcakes. You can drizzle the glaze over the cupcakes or cover the entire tops – both are great!
More Delicious Cupcake Recipes from Chelsea’s Messy Apron:
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla pudding mix
- 3 large lightly beaten eggs room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Streusel
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup unsalted softened butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 1 ounce softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk if needed
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix and 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla pudding mix.
- In a separate bowl, combine 3 large lightly beaten eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, ¾ cup sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
- Add the dry cake mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined.
Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl
- Combine ¼ cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir until combined.
- Spoon the cupcake mixture into the bottom of the cupcake liners about ¼ the way full. Spoon the cinnamon-sugar swirl on top and swirl together with a toothpick or fork.
- Fill the cupcake liners ¾ the way full with more cupcake batter. Spoon another layer of the cinnamon-sugar swirl on top and swirl together. The cupcake batter and filling should make 24 cupcakes.
Streusel
- Combine ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup unsalted softened butter, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon into a food processor or blender. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle even amounts on top of the cupcakes.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before frosting them.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine 1 ounce softened cream cheese and ¼ cup softened unsalted butter. Using a hand mixer beat until smooth.
- Add 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and pinch of salt and mix to combine. Add 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk and mix until you reach a desired consistency.
- Spread over the slightly cooled cupcakes or drizzling the glaze on with a spoon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could this be prepared in a bundt pan?
Hi Tonya, thank you for your question. I’m sure this would work in a Bundt pan, but I don’t think you would want to include the streusel unless you layered it inside. You will need to bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. Let me know how it turns out!
Can you use regular sour cream?
That will work too!
These look mouth watering! I do have a question about the pudding. Is it best to use dry instant pudding or the dry regular pudding mix that needs cooking…or doesn’t it matter? I want to make these sometime next week, so hoping I can get an answer before then. Thank you!
Yes, you will want the dry-not prepared though, pudding mix. Hope that clarifies it. Not instant. Thanks so much for following along with me! XOXO