Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

These Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes start with yellow cupcakes and add cinnamon-sugar swirls throughout and a sugary streusel on top.  They’re finished with a drizzle of a cream cheese glaze.

What transforms a simple yellow cake mix into a taste treat? 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, and chewy, with a depth of flavor you can’t get from plain cake-mix cupcakes.

Cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, and a bit of flour combine to become the cinnamon-sugar swirl. That gets blended in between the layers of cake mix and on top–just for good measure.

I recommend 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. 

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), so just put small bits of it throughout the top. Also, the streusel is optional. If you aren’t feeling it, simply 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, it’s perfect for these cupcakes. You can drizzle the glaze over the cupcakes or cover the entire tops – both are great!

Ingredients in Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Nothing very fancy in these Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes, but it’s what you do with the ingredients that creates the magic!

For the cupcakes:

• Cake mix: Choose a super-moist yellow cake mix. Since this is the base of the recipe, get a quality brand for the best results.
• Pudding mix: Instant vanilla pudding mix, the 3-ounce (small) size works for this recipe.
• Eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients together
• Sour Cream: Sour cream adds moisture and richness. Use full-fat sour cream for maximum effect.
• Oil: Vegetable oil adds smoothness.

For the swirl:

• Brown sugar and cinnamon: This simple blend will be layered with the batter.
• For the struesel:
• Brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and flour: Combine these into a crumbly mixture and sprinkle over the batter.

For the glaze:

• Cream Cheese: Definitely use full-fat cream cheese. The flavor and texture are vastly superior to the lower-fat versions!
• Butter: Creating a frosting mixes fat with sweetener, and butter is a crucial element.
• Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar gives the glaze its texture and bulk, in addition to sweetening the flavor.
• Vanilla: A flavor enhancer
• Salt: Salt is a background element to this recipe. It adds a subtle difference that you’ll only notice if it’s missing.
• Heavy cream: Cream smooths the mixture and turns it from a paste into a glaze.

More Delicious Dessert Recipes:

• Bundt Cake
• Pumpkin Cupcakes
• Mini Fruit Tart
• Cake Mix Cupcakes
• Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

SaveSaved Pin Print

4.60 from 5 votes

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

By Chelsea Lords

These Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes start with yellow cupcakes and add cinnamon-sugar swirls throughout and a sugary streusel on top.  They're finished with a drizzle of a cream cheese glaze.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

Cupcakes

• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup full fat sour cream
• ▢ ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 package (15.25 ounces) super-moist yellow cake mix
• ▢ 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix, dry, not prepared
• ▢ ½ cup water

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 butter, softened
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Glaze

• ▢ 1 ounce cream cheese softened
• ▢ ¼ cup butter, softened
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions 

Cupcakes

• PREP: This recipe makes 24 cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and line a cupcake pan with liners. Set aside
• BATTER: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork. Add in the sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until completely combined. Add in the cake mix and pudding mix, stirring a few times to moisten. Add in the water and mix until just combined.
• FILL MUFFIN TINS: Fill cupcake liners ¾ the way full. (The batter should yield a full 24 cupcakes, so divide evenly.)

Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl

• Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix until combined. Sprinkle this cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly between each cupcake. Use a toothpick to swirl the mixture in..

Streusel:

• Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Divide the streusel evenly among each cupcake.
• Bake only 1 tray at a time for 18-23 minutes or until a toothpick (or fork) when inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. When lightly touching the top of the cupcake, it should bounce back. Remove and let the cupcakes cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Combine the cream cheese and butter. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Mix. Add in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Mix until smooth. Transfer the frosting to a frosting bag and cut off the tip. Pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake, dividing the frosting evenly between the 24 cupcakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 227IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!