Cinnamon-sugar swirled vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy cinnamon and vanilla frosting.
Pure, simple, and loaded with cinnamon-sugar, snickerdoodle cookies will always be a family favorite. I’m pretty sure cinnamon-sugar runs through all our veins!
So how about a cupcake recipe including all of that wonderful flavor? It’s doable. And delicious. Ladies and gents, welcome to my snickerdoodle cupcakes with cinnamon swirl frosting!
I wasn’t shy about loading cinny-swirls inside these snickerdoodles cupcakes. Cinnamon peeking through the edges, cinnamon-sugar dusted on top, a mountain of cinnamon-swirl frosting, and a mini snickerdoodle cookie to finish it all off. Go grab a tall glass of milk because you’ll need it to get through this post!
Today’s recipe is a fine example that show-stopping desserts don’t have to be difficult or challenging! You can impress everyone with a simple recipe and a little creativity. Seriously… how can you resist THESE?
Making today’s cupcakes is so easy, you’ll feel like you did something wrong.
There are 3 parts to these snickerdoodle cupcakes:
- Cinnamon-Swirled Vanilla Cupcakes
- Cinnamon & Vanilla Swirled Frosting
- Mini Snickerdoodles for decor
1) First, the cupcake batter. Very easy. It’s mixed together in minutes! You don’t even need an electric mixer. Simply melt butter, whisk it with some sugar, 1 egg, vanilla extract, yogurt, and milk. Yep, I used protein-packed Greek yogurt in these cupcakes. Not a lot, only a little to make them extra moist. You can use sour cream instead if it’s easier.
The assembly: Spoon 2 Tablespoons of cupcake batter into 12 cupcake liners. Then, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar. Top with more cupcake batter and 1 more teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar. Some of the cinnamon-sugar layer from the center may peek out on the top. Here is what my cupcakes looked like before baking:
By the way, we similarly layer cinnamon and brown sugar goodness in these banana chocolate chip streusel muffins. Another must-try for my fellow cinnamon-sugar lovers!
Now it’s time to bake the snickerdoodle cupcakes. And then smell the cinnamon goodness wafting through your entire kitchen. The smell of these cupcakes is pure bliss!
2) The frosting. These snickerdoodle cupcakes are so gosh darn amazing, that you don’t even need frosting. But let’s be serious. I had the opportunity to make cinnamon frosting, so clearly cinnamon frosting is what I did…!
You can’t really tell from the photos, but the frosting I used to top these cupcakes is two-toned. First, I made vanilla frosting. Then I transferred half of the frosting to a separate bowl and beat 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon into it. Cinnamon + vanilla in one. I could eat this swirly frosting all day and be set for life.
Here is exactly how I swirled the two frostings together. I simply filled my piping bag with half of the cinnamon frosting and half of the vanilla frosting. I used a Wilton 1M tip to frost, but any piping tip would work. If you do not have a frosting piping bag + tip, no worries! You can frost the two frostings however you’d like on top of the snickerdoodle cupcakes. Or just use all vanilla frosting or all cinnamon frosting.
3) And last but not least, a little decor for your Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. Mini snickerdoodle cookies. Whip up a batch of my soft and thick snickerdoodles (a 20 minute recipe) and make them into mini cookies, which is about 2 teaspoons of cookie dough per cookie. Bake them for 7 minutes. This is optional!
So there ya go. A mini snickerdoodle cookie for your easy snickerdoodle cupcakes. 🙂 You could also decorate the cupcakes with a cinnamon stick, white chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, sliced almonds, a drizzle of caramel sauce, a banana slice, apple slice, etc. Anything that goes with cinnamon. (Which is everything.)
Enjoy your new favorite cupcakes!
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Cinnamon Swirl Frosting
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Cinnamon-sugar swirled vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy cinnamon and vanilla frosting.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cinnamon-Swirl Frosting
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3–4 cups (360-480g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream or half-and-half*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 12 snickerdoodles, mini size (read above for how to make them mini-sized)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in 1 cup of sugar. The mixture will be gritty. Let it rest for a couple minutes to slightly cool down. Stir in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together. Set aside. Spoon 2 scant Tablespoons of cupcake batter into each cupcake liner. Top with 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with 1 heaping Tablespoon of cupcake batter, until the cupcake liners are about 3/4 full. Some of the cinnamon-sugar filling from the center layer may peek through the top layer of batter. Top each cupcake with 1 more teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar.
- Bake the cupcakes for 19-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add confectioners’ sugar, cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if the frosting is too thick. Taste the frosting and add salt if frosting is too sweet (I like to add 1/4 teaspoon). Remove half of the frosting from the mixing bowl and transfer to a smaller mixing bowl. Beat 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon into half of the frosting.
- To swirl the frosting, spoon half cinnamon frosting into the piping bag and half vanilla frosting into the piping bag. See above for a visual. Pipe onto cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M swirl tip. If you do not have a piping bag and tip, simply frost the cupcakes with both the vanilla and cinnamon frostings. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-cup Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
- Cream: For the cream in the frosting, you can use milk instead. However, the consistency of the frosting will not be as creamy.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
Keywords: snickerdoodle cupcakes
The taste of these was amazing! The layering of the cinnamon was fun and the sweetness was perfect too! My whole family loved them, great job!
★★★★★
Hi! I love all of your recipes 🙂 I’d like to make this is an 8” square pan. Should I do 1.5x the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Andrea, 1.5x the recipe should be just about right. If you have any leftover batter, feel free to make a few cupcakes on the side. Enjoy!
What would the bake time be for mini cupcakes?
Hi Shannon! You can bake them for 11-13 minutes at the same temperature. Enjoy!
Made these today for my brother and sister-in-law’s baby shower and they are delicious! Will definitely be making these again soon! Perfect!
★★★★★
Hi Sally! Looking forward to giving this recipe a try. I used to use box mixes for cakes but I wanted to start making them from scratch. What brand of Greek Yogurt do you usually use? I know some are much more tangy than others and I would imagine that can make a pretty big difference in the taste. I’ve read up and know to stick with full fat ones (and to make sure the flavor is plain), just curious if there is a particular brand you prefer to use or if you have any recommendations!
Hi Abbey! We don’t have a particular brand we stick with – use whichever you prefer!
i absolutely love this recipe! i have one question though. so after i made these my friend REALLY loved them and was wanting me to make a cake of this flavor for his birthday, so would this recipe work for a layer cake? if not are there any adjustments i can make to the recipe to make it work for a cake? thank you 🙂
★★★★★
Hi Addy! This cupcake recipe would work perfectly as a 3 layer 6 inch cake. Otherwise you may love our full sized Snickerdoodle Cake instead. Hope it’s a hit!
I’m sorry for not reading the reviews regarding the use of buttermilk. I have your answer, use 1 cup of buttermilk and omit the yogurt or sour cream.
Without running to the store, can I use buttermilk instead of milk? I’m wondering if the cupcakes will not come out as tall as they should be.
Hello. If I wanted to make a 6 in cake out of this recipe how would i change the length of time in the oven ? Thanks. Btw..my family loves these cupcakes
Hi Loni, for a 6 inch cake, follow the baking time and temperature from our 6 inch cakes post while using the batter from this recipe. Enjoy!
I thought i replied but thank you so much for your quick response!
I think the cinnamon needs to be cut way down. Cupcakes didn’t bake well…ended up dumping much of the cinnamon off the top into the sink. Cupcakes are very crumbly and fall apart.
★★
Can I use cake flour in place of all purpose flour? Would it have the same measurement as all purpose flour?
Hi Heather! Yes, you can use the same amount of cake flour. Let us know how they go!
I made these for my principal’s birthday and he said they were the best cupcakes he had ever had. A couple of my coworkers raved about them as well! I think I will put less cinnamon sugar on top of the cupcakes though. I think I had on too much and they rose into odd shapes. They still tasted amazing though!
★★★★★
Is it ok to make a double batch of the frosting by doubling the ingredients? I wasn’t sure if the consistency would still turn out the same.
Hi Caitlin! You can double this frosting recipe without any issues. Hope you enjoy it!
This is my GO TO and never disappoints, I’m so thankful I found your recipe, thank you!!!
If I need to make 36 cupcakes is it better to just convert the whole recipe Or make the batter three different times ?
Hi Isabella! For 36 cupcakes, we would use the batter from our Snickerdoodle Cake instead – it yields about 3 dozen cupcakes. See recipe notes for baking directions. Enjoy!
Would I be able to use buttermilk instead of milk for this? Would I need to change any of the measurements? Thank you!
Hi Cassandra, The best way to use buttermilk is to replace both the whole milk AND the sour cream (so you would use 1 cup of buttermilk). Enjoy!
I would like to turn this recipe into a cake but I only have two 8” pans instead of 9”. Would you still double the batch or will this better be enough? Should I adjust the baking time at all?
Thank You!
★★★★★
Hi Ashley, You can double the recipe and bake in two separate 8-inch cake pans. This recipe makes between 3-4 cups of batter and the 8 inch pans will take about 3 cups of batter to fill halfway. Fill the pans only 1/2 way full and if you have any extra batter you can it to make some extra cupcakes!
My husband LOVED these cupcakes so much he has requested for me to make him a birthday cake from this recipe.
Approximately what would the baking time be if the recipe is doubled and baked in two 8-inch rounds?
Hi Jennifer! We’re thrilled these cupcakes were such a hit. We’re unsure of the baking time for 8 inch pans, so keep an eye on them in the oven and use a toothpick to test for doneness (I would start checking around 20 minutes). With that said, you may also love our recipe for a full sized snickerdoodle cake. Let us know what you try!
How much batter would I need to fill three 9-inch round cake pans? Should I double this recipie? Triple it?
★★★★★
Hi Heidi, You can follow this recipe for a three layer Snickerdoodle Cake. Happy baking!
Hi Sally! I have an order for 2 dozen of these, because everyone LOVES them so much! Do you think that I can double the recipe? Thanks!
Hi Vivian, For best results, we recommend making two separate batches.
I made these cupcakes for my family and they were a huge hit! So light and fluffy and super delicious. I was wondering if I could take this recipe and make it into a 3 layer 6″cake? Would anything need to be adjusted?
Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Jordan, I’m so happy these were a hit! Yes, you can absolutely turn this recipe into a 3 layer 6-inch cake. Follow the instructions in this 6 inch cake recipes post. Enjoy!
These are great! I’ve made these several times, also made a cake with cinnamon swirls with this same batter. I’ve actually been using it without the cinnamon sugar for a vanilla base too and it works pretty well. Only issue I’m having is the yogurt or sour cream leaves these little chunks (I even whisk it well before adding it to the batter). Then after baking there are these little white chunks that are left whole. Any ideas? I’m leaving the ingredients to come to room temp 2-3 hours. Thanks!
★★★★★
Omg these are sooo good-not too sweet but perfectly snickerdoodle-ee the cake is fluffy and those cinnamon sugar spots in the cupcake are sooo yummy. I actually did one salted and one unsalted organic Vermont creamery butter for the frosting and it was just the right amount of sweet with 3cups powdered sugar-thanks I shared them with my sister and her family and I WILL be making them again-thanks
★★★★★
Do you think these would work with just the cinnamon icing, or does the vanilla icing balance it out?
Hi Crystal, If you love cinnamon then you can use all cinnamon icing 🙂
This recipe is super solid! Thanks so much for sharing it. I didn’t get around to baking the cookies, but the cake itself is super yummy and i love the gooey cinnamon sugar as layers. I’ve loved your recipes for years, so glad to still be baking through them 🙂
★★★★★
There are the best things I have ever made in my kitchen, no lie.
★★★★★
Made these for my daughter’s boyfriend. He requested Snickerdoodle Cookies for his Birthday. But, I just couldn’t make cookies for a Birthday. So, I tried your cupcakes for his 26th Birthday…. EASY & DELICIOUS. I was so hesitant, never made a cupcake like this. I also used Sour Cream & I substituted the milk for Half & Half. They are so moist and the cinnamon sugar in the middle & top is such a surprise. Thank you.
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
These are cooled and waiting to be decorated. How long in advance can you put the mini snickerdoodles on to the frosting without them going soft(er)? Many thanks!
Yay! I usually put the cookie on just before serving. I hope you love them!
Wow! Amazingly delicious!! I brought these to my dentist’s office and they were gone in no time with rave reviews! Thanks for the recipe. Next up I’m trying the funfetti cupcakes!
★★★★★
These cupcakes had one of the moistest (is that a word?) cakes ever! It could do with a but less sugar, though, so as to cut down on excessive sweetness. Once a Sally fan, always a Sally fan! Thanks for the great recipes, every time.
★★★★
Hi sally my cinnamon swirl cupcakes came out gorgeous!they came out just exactly like your picture!cant wait to serve them!ill stick with this recipe
★★★★★