Easy Cinnamon Cupcakes (Doctored Cake Mix Recipe)

Easy Cinnamon Cupcakes (Doctored Cake Mix Recipe)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cinnamon cupcakes

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 18

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 320kcal

Author: Kara @ Quick and Easy Baking

These easy cinnamon cupcakes are super moist and full of cinnamon flavor, then topped with creamy homemade cinnamon buttercream frosting.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 (15.24 ounce) box vanilla cake mix, dry (I used Betty Crocker's vanilla cake mix)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix, dry
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the buttercream:

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (4 sticks)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons milk (may add another if needed)

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add cupcake liners to two, 12-cup cupcake pans and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix all the cupcake ingredients with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed for about a minute or so. The batter will be thick.
Fill the cupcake liners with batter about 1/2 the way up.
Bake for approximately 18-25 minutes.
Cupcakes are finished baking when a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter. The tops of the cupcakes will also bounce back when touched lightly.
Remove the pans from the oven and set on a cooking rack. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans and set on cooling racks to cool completely before adding the frosting.

For the buttercream:

Mix the butter, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract well with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high until very smooth.
Add three cups of the confectioner’s sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk and mix on low until incorporated, then on medium until well mixed.
Add the last two cups of confectioner’s sugar plus 1 tablespoon of milk and mix on low until incorporated, then on medium until well mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
Check the consistency. If it’s too thick, add another tablespoon of milk. If it's too thin, add another 1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar and mix well.
Once the desired consistency is reached, mix on medium-high speed for about a minute, so that the buttercream becomes fluffy.
Add the buttercream to cooled cupcakes, or cake layers.

Notes

Storage: These cupcakes can be stored, covered at room temperature for about 3 days, then they can be stored, covered in the refrigerator for another 2-3 days to prolong freshness.

How to serve: These cupcakes are best served at room temperature. If the cupcakes are cold, set them out to come closer to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, mixing method and more.

Nutritional values are an estimate.
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Nutrition