Churro Cupcakes have all the cinnamon and sugar flavor of the fried treat, made into cupcake form! They are topped with a fluffy buttercream frosting and a mini churro for a delightful dessert!
Why Churro Cupcakes are Best
Whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo, or just looking for a delicious treat, our cupcakes are the answer!
Cinnamon and sugar go so well together, and they are the front and center flavor in these moist, spiced cupcakes.
- All the fun of churros but NO frying needed!
- The from scratch cupcakes and frosting are easy to put together and taste SO fresh!
- There’s plenty of cinnamon in the cupcake batter AND in the frosting for big flavor.
- Perfect for any celebration, whether it’s a birthday party, BBQ or just a gathering with friends and family. Everyone will love these cupcakes!
Today’s cupcake recipe is the perfect dessert after a dinner of carne asada or a batch of crockpot fajitas. Whip up some sopapilla cheesecake and you’ve got a well rounded dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour – These cupcakes use regular all-purpose flour and have a great texture. See our tips on how to measure the flour correctly by spooning and leveling it!
- Milk – Whole milk is perfect for this recipe. Or swap it out for tangy buttermilk (or use our buttermilk substitute).
- Vegetable Oil – This helps keep the cupcakes extra moist – for days! Make sure to use a vegetable oil blend or canola oil with a mild flavor.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter in my baking. You can substitute salted butter for the frosting, but omit the kosher salt. Also, be sure to let it soften slightly first. Use our tips and tricks on how to soften butter quickly.
Easy Instructions
STEP 1. Make the cupcake batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil and sugars until fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients then stir in the milk.
STEP 2. Fill the cupcake tins. Fill a cupcake tin lined with paper liners about 1/2 full.
STEP 3. Bake and cool. Bake at 350 degrees for about 16-18 minutes. Let cool completely.
STEP 4. Make the frosting. Cream the butter then add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, salt and milk and blend until thick and smooth.
STEP 5. Frost and top the cupcakes. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and/or top with a mini churro.
Tips and Tricks
- Let the butter and eggs sit out at room temperature for a few minutes before beginning the recipe.
- Use a cookie scoop to easily fill the cupcake liners with less mess.
- Don’t overfill the cupcakes! I fill each well about half full. This creates cupcakes with flat tops, perfect for topping with frosting.
- Use a piping bag to pipe the frosting evenly onto the cupcakes. But wait until the cupcakes are completely cool to frost them or the frosting will turn into a runny mess.
- Topping ideas: Our homemade churros would be perfect on each cupcake. You can also buy churros in the freezer section at the store or at a Mexican restaurant. Or sprinkle the cupcakes with cinnamon sugar. Or drizzle with caramel sauce. They’d also be great with our cinnamon tortilla chips.
Recipe FAQs
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Please note that the buttercream may get melty in warm temperatures. Or, place the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Enjoy chilled or bring to room temperature.
Yes, you can freeze the cupcakes without the frosting. Place the cupcakes in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature, add the buttercream, and serve.
Sure! These cupcakes would also be delicious with chocolate frosting or vanilla frosting, which you could top with cinnamon. You could also substitute cream cheese frosting.
More Easy Desserts
- Monkey Bread Recipe
- Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Banana Pudding
- Yellow Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cheesecake
- Twix Cookies
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section below!
Churro Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
For the Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Optional Toppings
- 12 mini Churros or churro pieces see notes
- Cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners, and set aside.
- For the cupcake batter, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the oil, sugar, and light brown sugar. Whisk until fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking until the eggs are just mixed into the batter.
- Using a wooden spoon, fold in the dry ingredients, then stir in the milk. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon the batter into each cupcake liner about half full, then bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the center cupcakes comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes to room temperature.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Use an electric mixer, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, to cream the butter. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, salt, and milk and blend until the buttercream is thick and smooth. If the buttercream is too thick, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a large star tip, and pipe it onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Top each frosted cupcake with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and/or a mini churro.
Notes
- Churros- our homemade churros would be perfect on each cupcake. If you don’t want to make them yourself, you can pick up a batch in the freezer section of your grocery store, or from a local Mexican restaurant. Or skip them completely and use one of our cinnamon tortilla chips instead!
- Milk- whole milk is perfect for today’s recipe. Or swap it out for tangy buttermilk (or use our buttermilk substitute).
- Storage: To store at room temperature, place the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Please note that the buttercream may get melty in warm temperatures. Or, place the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Enjoy chilled or bring to room temperature.
- Freezer: It’s best to freeze the cupcakes before adding the buttercream frosting. Place the cupcakes in an airtight container, and you can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature, add the buttercream, and serve.
- Use a cookie scoop to easily fill the cupcake liners with less mess.
- Another topping suggestion: caramel drizzle. Caramel is complementary to cinnamon and brown sugar.
These look amazing! It would be so great if the recipe cards would print with a smaller font so that a printed version (I hate using my phone when baking because it gets floury/sticky!) doesn’t use so much paper. And adding an option for the photo of the item to print on the recipe card would be lovely as well! Thanks!
I’m currently working on a fix for the smaller font! Thanks for the feedback.