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Warm, cozy, and filled with cinnamon – these spice cake cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting are perfect for fall. You’ll love the soft cupcake crumb and extra creamy buttercream.
Fall is officially here – which means that I’ve been craving everything cozy.
Warm sweaters, heavy blankets, and all kinds of fall treats. That’s exactly where the idea for these spice cake cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting came from. They have a delicious cinnamon spice flavor with warm brown sugar and a soft cupcake crumb.
Then they’re topped with the creamy, slightly tangy, completely amazing cinnamon cream cheese buttercream.
I know that normally when people think of fall flavors – they opt for apple, pumpkin, or even pecan. But after trying these spice cake cupcakes, you’ll definitely agree that they taste like fall. The combo of brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg creates this delicious warm and cozy flavor that’s not too sweet and so delicious.
Spice Cake Cupcake Recipe
Normally, spice cake is known for being dense and moist. I knew that I wanted these spice cake cupcakes to be super moist – but I didn’t want them to be too dense since cupcakes should have a more delicate crumb. To get the perfect texture we’re using:
- real butter so it never seems greasy
- 2 eggs for tenderness
- cake flour for a more delicate crumb
- sour cream & buttermilk for moisture
Don’t worry if you don’t have cake flour or buttermilk in your kitchen – I’ve included substitutions in the recipe notes 😉
Then the delicious spice cake flavor comes from using brown sugar, vanilla extract and our spice combo. We’re using cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg and cloves for this recipe. The spice cake flavor is delicious but it’s not too overpowering which was key for me!
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
As much as I LOVE the spice cake cupcakes – it’s the cinnamon cream cheese frosting that’s my favorite part. It’s creamy, slightly tangy, and filled with cinnamon sugar goodness. I love it because it isn’t as sweet as a lot of other frosting recipes thanks to the cream cheese, and it has such a delicious cinnamon flavor.
Can I Use Low Fat Cream Cheese in Frosting?
Make sure to use full-fat, brick style cream cheese so that your frosting is thick and creamy. Then you can either pipe the frosting onto each cupcake using a piping bag (I used a 1M tip or a round tip works perfectly too), or frost them with a knife.
These spice cake cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting are such a delicious fall treat. The combo of warm spices and cream cheese frosting makes them absolutely delicious and impossible to resist.
Spice Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Spice Cake Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 Cups Cake Flour, not self-rising*
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
- 3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup White Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 Cup Buttermilk**
- 1/3 Cup Sour Cream
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2/3 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
- 3 oz Brick-Style Cream Cheese, use full fat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3-4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons Cream, as needed
Instructions
Spice Cake Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a muffin pan with muffin papers (you may need to do 2 pans).
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & cloves.1 1/2 Cups Cake Flour, 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda, 1/4 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon Ginger Powder, 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- In a large bowl beat the butter and sugars until fluffy (about 2 minutes).1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, 3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar, 1/4 Cup White Sugar
- Mix in the eggs 1 at a time, followed by the vanilla.2 Large Eggs, 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream.1/3 Cup Buttermilk**, 1/3 Cup Sour Cream
- With the electric mixer on low speed, beat in about 1/3 of the flour mixture followed by about 1/3 of the buttermilk and sour cream mixture. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Repeat the process, alternating between additions of flour and buttermilk.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops feel slightly firm to the touch and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy (about 2 minutes).2/3 Cup Unsalted Butter
- Then mix in the cream cheese until just combined.3 oz Brick-Style Cream Cheese
- Add in the cinnamon and vanilla extract, then beat in 2 cups powdered sugar starting with the mixer on low speed.1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 3-4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time, going slowly until the desired sweetness is reached.
- If the frosting seems too thick, beat in 1-2 tablespoons of cream.1-2 Tablespoons Cream
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag, and frost. Or frost with a knife.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Spice Cake with Maple Frosting
Cinnamon filled spice cake with maple frosting is the perfect cozy cake recipe that smells delicious and tastes even better!
Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Moist apple cupcakes that are filled with cinnamon and brown sugar, then topped with fluffy, tangy cream cheese frosting!
The frosting was amazing! The cupcakes also have a wonderful flavor, but were a little on the dry side. Next time I make them, I plan to experiment on replacing the butter with oil (Ive found that recipes using oil and buttermilk are usually more moist than those that use butter and regular milk)
All in all, this is a wonderful cupcake though!
Thank you so much Becky! Substituting oil for the butter is the route I would take for more moisture! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
You can also make your own sour cream with buttermilk. I’m more likely to use extra heavy cream for scones or whipped cream, than I am a big tub of sour cream, so I just make a small portion the day before:
4 oz heavy cream + 1 oz buttermilk
Stir. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. (Refrigerate after 24h.)
It comes out perfect!
And if you’re going to buy buttermilk anyway… 😀
Thank you so much for the tips Erin!