Churro Cupcakes

5 from 1 vote

Churro Cupcakes combine light, fluffy cake with a sweet cinnamon-sugar topping, perfect for any occasion. These easy-to-make cupcakes will satisfy any dessert craving in just 30 minutes!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Course: Cupcakes, Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 254kcal

Author: Shauna

Ingredients

Cupcake

15.25 ounces vanilla cake mix
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Frosting

¼ cup cinnamon sugar
4 ounces cream cheese softened
½ cup unsalted butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or cream
caramel sauce for drizzling
18 churro 1-inch pieces

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and cinnamon. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined.
Scoop cake batter into prepared muffin tins, filling about ⅔ of the way full. Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to the cooling rack.
While the cupcakes are still warm, dip the tops into a shallow dish with the cinnamon sugar. Allow to cool the rest of the way.
While the cupcakes are cooling, beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and ground cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
Add the powdered sugar and begin beating it into the cream cheese mixture. The frosting will be very thick. Add a tablespoon of milk/cream at a time, beating the frosting until a thick pipeable consistency is achieved.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag and pipe swirls on top of the cooled cupcakes.
Drizzle with caramel sauce and top with a piece of a churro.

Notes

We substituted buttermilk for the water in the cake mix instructions to achieve a richer, moister cupcake.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cupcakes as the suggested baking time approaches.
Make sure you are using room-temperature cream cheese, so there aren’t any lumps in the creamy frosting.
The frosting recipe will produce a bit of a stiffer consistency than traditional cream cheese frosting, making it durable for piping and staying on top of the cupcakes.
Before adding the frosting (or instead of), you could also brush the tops of the cupcakes with melted butter and then dip them in the cinnamon sugar for a more pronounced cinnamon sugar crust.

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