Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
A fun dessert twist on the breakfast classic, these yeasted cupcakes feature a cinnamon swirl and a cream cheese frosting.
Servings 12 Cupcakes
Calories 346kcal
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¼ Cup Milk
- 1 ½ tsp Instant Yeast
- 1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter melted and cooled slightly
- ⅓ Cup Ricotta
- 2 Eggs
Cinnamon Swirl
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Cinnamon plus more for dusting
- 1-2 Tbsp Milk
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- 4 oz Butter
- 3 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center, and line a standard muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Warm the milk in the microwave or on the stove until it is 105-110°F and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside for about five minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and ricotta until combined. Then add the eggs and continue mixing until incorporated.
- Add the butter mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix on medium until combined. Stir the yeast into the milk and add it into the bowl. Continue mixing on medium until a smooth uniform batter forms.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar with a fork. Slowly, add in the milk, while stirring, until it forms into a paste with similar texture to the batter.
- Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to add the prepared cupcake liners with the batter, about ¾ of the way full. Add about 1-1½ tsp of the cinnamon paste, and use a butter knife to create a swirl in each cupcake.
- Bake 20-25 min, until a toothpick comes out clean of each cupcake. Let them cool in the pan until you can handle them. Then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting: Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixer bowl, and mix on low until smooth and combined. Add in the sugar 1 cup at a time, full incorporating each batch. If needed, add milk slowly to make the frosting smoother. When done, a dollop of frosting should hold it's shape fairly well, but the tip may curl over.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag with a large star tip. Frost each cooled cupcake, and then dust with cinnamon. Serve immediately for the best taste.
Notes
- Make ahead tip: you can store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge, frosted or unfrosted for 2-3 days. If storing the frosting, let it warm up to room temperature before piping onto the cupcakes.