These delicious churro cupcakes are full of cinnamon flavor. Their cinnamon sugar tops add a crunchy texture to the soft, fluffy inside, just like classic churros!
Last week, I made these churro cupcakes for a Cinco de Mayo party. Yup, churros in cupcake form! I thought they were the perfect dessert for a Mexican theme party.
Really though, do we need a holiday to enjoy these amazing churro cupcakes? I think not.
Reasons to Love This Churro Cupcake Recipe
No Frying. The best part about them is that they have that awesome homemade churro flavor without having to fry anything!
I really really don't like to fry. Even my Mexican fried ice cream is not actually fried.
Built in churro dip. I also love dipping churros in chocolate sauce so I gave the top of the cupcakes a nice swirl of chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Cream cheese frosting with anything cinnamon pair so well together. I'm thinking brioche cinnamon rolls covered in cream cheese icing or spiced carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!
Mini sized. You don't have to make them mini if you don't want to but I find them better for snacking at a party and just like the way they look.
The same cupcake batter can be used to make regular sized cupcakes too.
Ingredients You Need for Churro Cupcakes:
Most of the ingredients needed for the batter are pantry basics: all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, unsalted butter, sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla extract.
The one oddball ingredient is probably sour cream. Sour cream in your cupcake batter will help keep it nice and fluffy inside as well as produce moist cupcakes.
As always, room temperature ingredients allow for better mixing of your cupcake batter so be sure to take out your sour cream, eggs, milk and butter ahead of time.
For the best flavor, be sure your ground cinnamon is fresh! Spices can get old and lose their flavor if they've been sitting in your pantry for too long. Check the packaging date!
The same goes for baking soda and baking powder. If they are too old, they lose their leavening powers.
If you choose to use my chocolate cream cheese frosting, you will need cream cheese (full fat), unsalted butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and milk.
How to Make Churro Cupcakes:
Prepare your cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set your oven to 350F with the rack in the middle.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon.
Next, combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the butter and sugar on a medium speed with a paddle attachment until it's light and fluffy.
On low speed, add the egg and sour cream, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated.
Add in the vanilla extract, then alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
Scrape down the sides and mix once more for 15 seconds. Do not over mix.
Fill the cupcake tin with batter by using a mini cookie scoop. Each cupcake liner should be about ⅔ full. Bake the cupcake for about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for the sugar topping. Dip the top of each cupcake into the cinnamon sugar mixture, while the cupcakes are still warm. If you wait too long, less will stick to the cupcake.
Finally, top your completely cooled cupcakes with your favorite frosting. (I like them unfrosted too!)
Tips and Variations for Churro Cupcakes:
You can frost these cupcakes with any frosting recipe you like. If you like extra cinnamon, a cinnamon flavored buttercream or cinnamon cream cheese frosting would be excellent.
Just add cinnamon to your taste to either my vanilla buttercream recipe or vanilla cream cheese frosting and you're good to go!
I don't currently have a recipe for dulce de leche frosting but that would pair well too!
For ultra decadence, drizzle caramel sauce over your cupcakes! This is also a nice way to decorate your cupcakes and take them to the next level.
Storage:
Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two days. Frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
When I think about churros, I'm usually picturing a summer street fair or a carnival.
Ok fine. I'm thinking about funnel cakes but they are very similar! So wouldn't these churro cupcakes be perfect for a summer backyard barbecue too?
I don't know about you but I am itching to get the patio furniture out and have some outdoor fun with good food and friends!
If you are way ahead of me and already planning, consider these churro cupcakes or check out this summer recipe roundup for more ideas.
If you are not quite ready to make these, don't search for the recipe later, save it now and PIN it!
More Recipes to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Mexican Chocolate Cake with Espresso Frosting
Churro Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
These churro cupcakes are full of cinnamon flavor. Their cinnamon sugar tops add a crunchy texture to the soft, fluffy inside, just like churros! If you like dipping your churros in chocolate, these cupcakes take care of that too with their rich chocolate cream cheese frosting. Makes 50 mini cupcakes or 12-15 regular cupcakes.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 and ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream, room temperature
- ¾ cup milk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Sugar Topping
- 4 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
For the Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Line the cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape it down with a spatula.
- On low speed, add the egg and sour cream, one at a time until fully incorporated. Mix well on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
- Add the vanilla extract to the milk. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Start and end with dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Scrape it down and mix well on medium speed for another 15 seconds.
- Using a mini scoop, place a scant scoop of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out dry.
Sugar Topping
- Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow plate or bowl.
- Dip each cupcake into the mixture while they are still slightly warm to coat the tops with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
For the Frosting
- Using an electric mixer and a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Scrape it down the sides.
- Mix in 2 cups of confectioners sugar on low speed at first and then increase it to high speed.
- Add the cocoa powder, salt, and milk on low speed and increase it to high speed to incorporate. Scrape down the sides.
- Add as much of the remaining powdered sugar as you like to suit the thickness of the desired frosting. Add it in the same way using low speed at first and increasing to high speed.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 50 Serving Size: 2 mini cupcakesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 103Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 57mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 1g
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