Churro Cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream
These Churro Cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream are easy to make and super sweet! The cupcakes are light, tender, fluffy, and moist. The cupcakes have a buttery, vanilla cinnamon taste.
Everyone loves churros and cupcakes. But how would it taste if you combine your favorite sweets? These Churro Cupcakes taste as good as they sound. The cupcakes have a buttery, vanilla cinnamon taste. Just like the real churros. These cupcakes stay perfectly moist for 4 days
These churro cupcakes are made from scratch and are ready within an hour. You can make these cupcakes easily. Your friends and family would totally love these cupcakes. Made for real cinnamon lovers like me.
Not only is cinnamon used in the cupcakes, but also in the buttercream. The churro cupcakes are also topped with cinnamon sugar. They are garnished with a churro. You can make the churro yourself or bake one from the frozen section. Make them a real showstopper by decorating them with some caramel sauce on top.
Perfect dessert for Cinco de Mayo. Try also my recipe for red velvet cupcakes or Chocolate Cupcakes.
🧈 Ingredient Notes & substitutions
Unsalted butter – I love to regulate the amount of salt I use for baking, that is why I always use unsalted butter. Important to use the butter at room temperature.
Sugar – use caster or granulated sugar. Keeps the cupcakes moist and sweetens the cupcakes.
Flour – it adds structure to the cake. I used self-raising flour. To substitute self-raising flour you need 175 grams of all-purpose flour and 2 tsp of baking powder. Note use baking powder, not baking soda! Check my post to see the difference between baking powder and baking soda.
Eggs – are used to add structure to baked goods. Use large eggs at room temperature.
Vanilla extract – gives baked goods more taste. Choose a good quality vanilla extract, because that really makes a difference.
Cinnamon – the key ingredient for giving these cupcakes their churro taste.
Step-by-step instructions
You can find the full recipe on the recipe card.
Churros Cupcakes
Preheat the conventional oven to 175℃ / 350 °F. Position an oven rack in the center position. Prepare a muffin pan and place the muffin cups in it.
Beat the unsalted butter – at room temperature with an electric mixer at a low speed, until it becomes soft and creamy. Gradually at the granulated sugar and increase the speed (high speed) and continue beating until smooth and creamy. The butter needs to be paler (more white). TIP – If the butter is not at room temperature, you can also heat it for 30-60 seconds in the microwave, so that no lumps form in the mix (make sure that the butter doesn’t melt).
Add the vanilla extract. At a low speed add the eggs one by one into the creamed butter and mix them together briefly. Don’t overmix.
In another bowl sift together the dry ingredients (the cake flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon). Add the dry ingredients to the cupcake mixture and mix on the lowest setting for half a minute until combined. Add the milk and mix on the lowest setting until combined. Don’t overmix!
Divide the cupcake batter over cups with an ice cream scoop or two spoons. Make sure that the cupcake cups are 3/4 full with the cupcake batter. Don’t overfill. Bake at 175℃ / 350 °F for about 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Check the doneness of the cupcakes with a wooden toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcake is done.
Cool the cakes in their pan completely on a cooling rack before turning out of the pan and frosting.
Churros Buttercream
Measure out all of the ingredients. Take the butter out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before making the buttercream. This will ensure that the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute, until fluffy. Scrape side the sides and bottom of the bowl. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Add the powdered sugar into the mixing bowl and start mixing on low speed so you don’t end up throwing it all over the place. Wait until the sugar starts to combine with the butter. Then turn the mixer on medium-high speed and beat for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Mix in the salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until combined.
If you need to thin out the buttercream add a bit of milk or buttercream. Or add some extra powdered sugar if the mixture becomes too thin.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and top with a mini churro. You can find these in the frozen section. Tip – If you like caramel, you can also decorate the cupcakes with some caramel sauce or melted caramel chocolate as well.
🍴Equipment
- Cupcake lines
- Muffin baking pan for 12 muffins
- Electric mixer – hand mixer or stand mixer.
👩🏼🍳 Expert tips
- Bake in grams – Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients instead of using measurement cups. A kitchen scale is more accurate.
- Don’t overmix the batter – If you overmix the batter it will result in a gummy and unpleasantly chewy cupcake instead of a light and airy cupcake.
- Don’t overfill your cupcakes – Fill the cupcake lines for a maximum of 2/3. It is no problem to underfill your cupcakes.
- Don’t overbake the cupcakes – If you put the cupcakes in the oven for a longer time than needed. They will dry out.
- Don’t open the oven door while baking. You can only do that at the end of the baking time to check the doneness of the cupcakes.
- Use room temperature ingredients – if the butter is not at room temperature, you can also heat it for 30-60 seconds in the microwave so that no lumps form in the mix (make sure that the butter doesn’t melt).
- Use an ice scoop to divide the batter into cupcake tins. Make the ice scoop wet under cold water before using it. Or use two spoons.
🍰 Storage
Out of the refrigerator
Churro cupcakes without topping or decoration can be stored for 4-5 days in an airtight container outside the refrigerator. Don’t refrigerate them, because they dry out in the fridge. The best way to store them is to store the cupcakes in a cool place.
You can keep the churro cupcakes with the cinnamon buttercream for a maximum of 2 days, but it is best that you decorate them on the same day and eat them on the same day. Store the cupcakes in a cool place.
Freezer
Undecorated cupcakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then pack them airtight and possibly in small portions. Unfortunately, you cannot freeze the red velvet cupcakes with the cream cheese topping.
❓FAQ
Cupcakes become moist if you don’t make any mistakes like overmixing and overbaking. Adding vegetable oil, milk, buttermilk and vinegar as ingredients makes your cupcakes also very moist and tender.
Yes you can make them without the buttercream, but I recommend to make them with the cinnamon buttercream. Because the flavors of these two are amazing together. If eventuelly choose to make it without the buttercream, make sure that you add a layer of cinnamon sugar on top.
A churro is a type of fried dough from Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. Topped with cinnamon sugar.
⚖️ Baking in grams
The most accurate way to bake is by baking by weight. Measuring cups are very inaccurate and can lead to baking failures. Therefore all of my recipes are posted in grams. I always bake with a scale, so I have a recipe card that automatically converts metrics to US customary, but it can have errors. So I advise you to bake with a digital scale. You can find them on Amazon for a small price.
⭐️ Did you make this and did you love it as much as I do? Please leave a 5-star rating below or a review in the comments section.
📖 Recipe
Churros Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Cupcake Liners
- Muffin Baking Pan
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients Churros Cupcakes
- 175 gram self-raising flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg optional
Wet Ingredients Churros Cupcakes
- 175 gram unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 tbsp milk
- 175 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Churros buttercream
- 225 grams unsalted butter room temperature
- 300 grams powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- baked churros you can find these in the frozen section
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Optional toppings: churros, caramel sauce, and cinnamon sugar
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the conventional oven to 175℃ / 350 °F. Position an oven rack in the center position. Prepare a muffin pan and place the muffin cups in it.
- Beat the unsalted butter – at room temperature with an electric mixer at a low speed, until it becomes soft and creamy. Gradually at the granulated sugar and increase the speed (high speed) and continue beating until smooth and creamy. The butter needs to be paler (more white). TIP – If the butter is not at room temperature, you can also heat it for 30-60 seconds in the microwave, so that no lumps form in the mix (make sure that the butter doesn’t melt).175 grams granulated sugar, 175 gram unsalted butter
- Add the vanilla extract. At a low speed add the eggs one by one into the creamed butter and mix them together briefly. Don’t overmix.1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 large eggs
- In another bowl sift together the dry ingredients (the cake flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon). Add the dry ingredients to the cupcake mixture and mix on the lowest setting for half a minute until combined. Add the milk and mix on the lowest setting until combined. Don’t overmix!175 gram self-raising flour, Pinch of Salt, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, 175 gram unsalted butter, 3 tbsp milk, ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Divide the cupcake batter over cups with an ice cream scoop or two spoons. Make sure that the cupcake cups are 3/4 full with the cupcake batter. Don't overfill. Bake at 175℃ / 350 °F for about 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Check the doneness of the cupcakes with a wooden toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcake is done.
- Cool the cakes in their pan completely on a cooling rack before turning out of the pan and frosting.
Frosting
- Measure out all of the ingredients. Take the butter out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before making the buttercream. This will ensure that the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute, until fluffy. Scrape side the sides and bottom of the bowl. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.225 grams unsalted butter
- Add the powdered sugar into the mixing bowl and start mixing on low speed so you don’t end up throwing it all over the place. Wait until the sugar starts to combine with the butter. Then turn the mixer on medium-high speed and beat for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.300 grams powdered sugar
- Mix in the salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. If needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until combined.2 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- If you need to thin out the buttercream add a bit of milk or buttercream. If the mixture becomes too thin you can add some extra powdered sugar.2-3 tbsp milk
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and top with a mini churro. You can find these in the frozen section. Tip – If you like caramel, you can also decorate the cupcakes with some caramel sauce or melted caramel chocolate as wellbaked churros, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
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- Red Velvet Cupcakes
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- Easy no-bake Double Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake
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