Growing up in rural New Hampshire was a different experience than most. First, when I say rural it means the nearest anything is a 30 mile drive away. Want to go to the mall and hang with your friends? Better have a really cool Mom because the mall is 30+ miles away. We only went to the mall when we needed something, or usually enough things to warrant a trip. But when we did go, and if we were lucky, we’d go to the Mall of New Hampshire which is the best mall in the state. Why is it the best? Not because of the indoor carousel. Or the Forever 21. It is the best because it has a Cinnabon.
The smell of Cinnabon was enough to make us go crazy! Some teenage girls like to spend their money on makeup or jewelry. I, the ever geeky foodie, chose food.
These cupcakes remind me soooo much of Cinnabon. Not only because of the delicious aroma, but the gooey frosting too! Aww man, this is making me nostalgic! New York has a lot of great places to eat, but oddly enough I’ve never seen a Cinnabon!
If you like cupcakes, be sure to check out some of the other recipes on my blog like these:
Bananas Foster Brown Sugar Cupcakes
Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Cinnabon Cupcakes
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 1⅓ Cups Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Stick Softened Butter
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tsp Cinnamon
- ½ Cup Milk
- Frosting:
- 1/2 Stick Softened Butter
- 6 Oz Softened Cream Cheese
- 1 Tsp Vanilla
- 2 Cups Confectioner's sugar
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Cinnamon Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla extract, cinnamon and milk.
- Beat in flour mixture at a low speed in several small batches. Beat until just combined.
- Divide batter between a 12-cup muffin pan. Bake until tops spring back, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
- For frosting, combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar on a low speed until smooth. Continue mixing until thickened and fluffy.
- Spread or pip onto cupcakes. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Dust tops of cupcakes with cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!
Louis CK has such a funny bit about Cinnabon. For me, the smell of Mall is Auntie Anne’s pretzels. How do they get the smell to permeate the entire mall? Evil marketing geniuses. These look amazing. Better than anything one could get at a Mall.
Oh I’ll have to look up that Louis CK bit, love him! Glad you like them 🙂
These are so cute! What a great alternative to the heavy Cinnabon bun!
Yes! Soooo much lighter but still oh so good! 🙂