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Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, topped with a glazed mini cinnamon roll.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cinnamon, creamcheese, cupcakes
Prep Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings 12 cupcakes
Calories 600 kcal

Ingredients

Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes

  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 160 grams, 5.65 oz
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup canola oil 112 grams, 3.9 oz
  • 3/4 cup sugar 150 grams, 5.29 oz
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream 121 grams, 4.3 oz

Cinnamon Swirl

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar

Cinnamon Rolls

  • 1/2 cup warm water 90-100F 117 grams, 4 oz
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast 7 grams, 0.24 oz
  • 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 191 grams, 6.75 oz
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 grams, 1.7 oz
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar 25 grams, 0.8 oz
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted (56 grams, 2 oz)

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted (127 grams, 4.5 oz)
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
  3. Whisk eggs with a wire whisk for about 1 minute. They will become frothy and lightened in color. Add oil and whisk until combined.
  4. Add sugar and whisk for about 1 minute. You can use a mixer to do this, or simply a whisk. I usually go with just a whisk.
  5. Add vanilla extract.
  6. Add sour cream to the batter. Whisk until combined
  7. Now add the sifted dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk gently.
  8. Whisk batter until just combined.
  9. Don’t overmix it!
  10. Make the Cinnamon Swirl: mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of white sugar. Set aside.

  11. Now start by pouring about 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter on the bottom of each cupcake tin.

  12. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the Cinnamon Swirl mixture.
  13. Top with another heaping tablespoon of batter.
  14. Now, sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon Swirl mixture over batter.
  15. Top with another heaping tablespoon of batter.
  16. Using a toothpick, swirl the batter a few times to create a swirl effect.
  17. Top already swirled cupcakes with one final 1/2 teaspoon of the Cinnamon Swirl mixture.
  18. Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking in between to rotate pans.
  19. Remove from the oven once cupcakes are lightly golden brown and puffed.

Cinnamon Rolls

  1. Start by making the dough. First mix the warm water, with the yeast, and honey (or sugar).

  2. Add olive oil to the bowl.
  3. Add flour and salt to the bowl.
  4. Mix until combined.
  5. Knead dough for 4-6 minutes with the dough hook on low speed. Or by hand for about 8 minutes.
  6. Let dough rest in a lightly oiled bowl for about 1 hour.
  7. Once dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl. Divide the dough in half.
  8. Work with each half at a time.
  9. Make Cinnamon Filling: Mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter in a small bowl. Set aside.
  10. Roll each dough half into a 10x12” rectangle.
  11. Spread half of the cinnamon filling on top of each dough rectangle.
  12. Roll it tight from the widest end.
  13. Cut very small rolls, about 3/4” thick.
  14. Place them in a baking sheet to rise. You want to place them fairly close together so they won’t spread out too much as they bake. Place rolls about 1/2” away from each other.
  15. Let rolls rise for about 30 minutes.
  16. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Bake rolls in pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes. They must have just started to brown when you remove them, or they will be too tough to eat. Don’t overbake the cinnamon rolls!
  17. Set them aside to cool.

Glaze

  1. Mix powdered sugar and milk together.
  2. You might need more powdered sugar or milk to achieve the proper consistency. Please be aware that depending on the brand of sugar you are using, or if you measure your ingredients using a scale or a measuring cup, you might achieve different results. If your glaze is too thin and runny, add more sifted powdered sugar and test for consistency again. Same thing with the milk. If the glaze is too thick and not spreading, add a very very tiny amount of milk at a time, until you achieve the desired consistency.

To assemble

  1. Frost each cupcake with the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. Then place a cinnamon roll on top, glaze with a bit of the sugar glaze. Let the cupcakes sit in the fridge for a bit before serving, as you want the frosting and the glaze to set.

Storage

  1. Store these cupcakes in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days.