Spice Cupcakes
These spice cupcakes are made with fluffy brown sugar and warm spices, and bake up so moist and tender!
As if that wasn’t enough, they’re topped with a rich cream cheese buttercream and a dusting of cinnamon. It’s truly the perfect Fall cupcake recipe!
My Secret Ingredient(s): The Perfect Balance of Warm Spices
These cupcakes are made with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
The ratio of spices (heavy on the cinnamon, just a pinch of cloves) gives them such a warm, balanced flavor.
Two other important ingredients in this recipe are sour cream and butter.
These ingredients create a tender, moist cupcake and let the warm spices really shine through in every bite.
Picking the Right Frosting
When I think of a spice cupcake, the first frosting that comes to mind is cream cheese buttercream. It’s such a classic combination!!
My cream cheese buttercream has the delicious tang of cream cheese but is sturdy like my classic American buttercream. This means you can easily use it to pipe onto cupcakes.
I am obsessed with this frosting, but I think that my spiced cream cheese frosting or my hybrid buttercream would taste great on these, too. You can check out all my frosting recipes here.
Let’s Make These Spice Cupcakes Together!
Let’s walk through each step of this spice cupcake recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible!
Step 1: Make the Spice Cupcake Batter
Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F/175°C and lining a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
Make sure you properly cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
It should be mixed on high for a couple of minutes and become lighter in color as air is whipped into it.
Next, mix in the eggs one at a time. If the batter looks broken at this stage, don’t worry! It’ll come together once we add in the dry ingredients.
Then mix in the sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix on a medium speed until combined.
The last step is to sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
If you don’t have a sifter, whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add them in. The batter should be thick and fluffy! Don’t over-mix!!
Step 2: Bake the Spice Cupcakes
Divide the batter evenly between the liners and fill them about 2/3 way full. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
If you’re in a rush, place the entire pan in the freezer for 30 minutes to accelerate the cooling process.
Step 3: Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream
While the cupcakes bake and cool, make the cream cheese frosting.
If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
Once the frosting is made, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula to get the frosting SUPER smooth.
Then place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with your favorite frosting tip. I used an Ateco 869.
Step 4: Frost the Cupcakes
The final step is to pipe large swirls onto the fully cooled cupcakes. Dust with a bit of cinnamon and enjoy!
If you don’t have any frosting tips, you can also use a Freezer ziplock bag and trim the corner to have a 2 cm opening.
No matter how you decorate them, they’re going to be incredibly moist and delicious. I mean, just look at that crumb!!
Substitutions and Swaps – Spice Cupcakes
Now that we’ve covered how to make these cupcakes, let’s talk about the ingredients!!
This recipe uses quite a few ingredients, and I know you might not have them all on hand.
Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered. Below are some swaps and substitutions that you can make.
- All-purpose flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed.
- Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar, as it will change the texture of these cupcakes.
- Vegetable Oil – You can use any flavorless oil in this recipe. Canola or sunflower oil would work great!
- Large Eggs – If you have an egg allergy, try using 2 flaxseed eggs or a vegan egg replacer like this one made by Bob’s Red Mill.
Substitutions and Swaps – Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for.
- Cream Cheese – The frosting turns out best with full-fat cream cheese. I use the type that comes in a block.
- Heavy Cream – Whipping cream, coconut cream, or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat, coconut) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
Tips for Making the Best Spice Cupcakes
- Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
- Properly measure the flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
- Mix the cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated once you’ve added in the flour. This will ensure your cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
- Use a large cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners. It also makes sure your cupcakes end up being the same height and bake evenly.
- Seal off the top of the piping bag with a rubber band to prevent any frosting from coming out the top of the bag and make the piping bags easier to use.
Making This Spice Cupcake Recipe in Advance
You can make these cupcakes in advance! Frosted cupcakes can sit at room temperature for a few hours or be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
They can also last up to a month in the freezer. If you plan to freeze them, I suggest waiting to frost them until they’re thawed.
You can also make the cream cheese frosting ahead of time or save any leftovers. This buttercream frosting will last in the fridge for up to a month.
Be sure to give the frosting a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
You can also store buttercream in piping bags in the fridge. I find buttercream keeps its consistency well in piping bags and doesn’t require any mixing after it’s thawed.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you make this spice cupcake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating below.
Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media.
Spice Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Spice Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 150g
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50g
- 2 large eggs, room temperature 112g
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature 125g
- 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil 14g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 160g
- 1 tsp baking powder 4g
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
- 1/4 cup full fat cream cheese, room temperature 56g
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 6g
- 1/4 tsp fine salt 1g
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 312g
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream or milk, room temperature 15g
Instructions
Spice Cupcakes
- Begin by preheating oven to 350°F / 175°C and line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Use a hand mixer to beat 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. The mixture should become lighter in color as air is whipped into it.
- Mix in 2 large eggs, one at a time, on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. If the batter looks broken at this stage, don't worry! It'll come together once we add in the dry ingredients.
- Add in 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 Tbsp oil, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix on a medium speed until combined.
- Next, sift in 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp fine salt, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp ground cloves. If you don't have a sifter, whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add them.
- Mix on low until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. The batter should be thick and fluffy!
- Divide the batter evenly between the liners and fill them about 2/3 way full. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling. If you want to accelerate the cooling process, pop the pans into your freezer for about 30 minutes.
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Beat 1/2 cup of room-temperature butter and 1/4 cup of cream cheese on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a hand mixer or stand mixer and paddle attachment until smooth.
- Mix in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt on a low speed.
- Gradually mix in 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Halfway through add 1 Tbsp of heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
- Mix on low for a couple of minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tablespoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).
- Once the frosting is made, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula for a couple of minutes to make the frosting SUPER smooth. Place the frosting in a large piping bag fitted with your favorite frosting tip (I used an Ateco 869).
Decorating These Spice Cupcakes
- Pipe large swirls onto the fully cooled cupcakes. Dust with a bit of cinnamon and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Making This Spice Cupcake Recipe in Advance
Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature for a few hours. If you frost these cupcakes further in advance, I recommend storing them in the fridge in an airtight container. Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. If stored unfrosted in an airtight container, they can last for:- A day at room temperature
- Up to 5 days in the fridge
- Up to a month in the freezer
Nutrition
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yum yum yum in my tummy tum tum
@john smith, i agree
hahahahaha one of the best comments I’ve read!!
How many cupcakes does this make?
Hi Andrea,
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes. It’s kind of hidden, but the yield of my recipes is included in the top corner of my recipe cards. Hope that helps for the future, happy baking!
I made these cupcakes this weekend and I was so afraid that nobody would like them bc after I took the cupcakes out of the oven the dough kinda fell in in the middle of the cupcake. But I could cover it up with some buttercream and ended up with everybody telling me they’d love it. So a huge thank you!!! It was delicious???
That’s a bummer that the centers fell a bit, but so happy to hear they still tasted delicious!! It sounds like they might a minute or two more in the oven next time. Hope that helps for the future, happy baking! 🙂
Could you swap buttermilk for the sour cream? Thanks
Hi Samantha,
You can swap out the buttermilk for sour cream in this recipe. Hope that helps, happy baking!
hello! would it be okay to add food coloring to the batter and icing? i was hoping to turn them into little reindeer cupcakes!
Hi June,
Great question! You can totally add food coloring to the batter and icing 🙂 Little reindeer cupcakes sound so good, I love that idea! Happy baking!!
It’s a keeper! I added 1/2 cup raisins, and 1/3 cup walnuts. I also used a different cream cheese frosting. This will definitely become part of my Holiday baking. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Corinne,
So happy you loved it! 🙂 The raisins and walnuts sound like such a perfect holiday twist, and I bet it was amazing with your frosting too. I’m honored it’s made it into your holiday baking lineup!! Thank YOU for sharing!
These look amazing! I am going to try them with my gluten free flour for my fall baking. Would you mind sharing with me where you found that mini cupcake/cake stand in your pictures?
Hi Jamie,
Love that, I hope they turn out amazing!! I got that little cupcake stand at a store in NYC (Fish Eddys) years ago, and haven’t been able to find a similar one online. I’m so sorry!
These were enjoyed by all. I did add 1/2 cup raisins, and 1/3 cup walnuts.
Hi Corinne,
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear they were a hit 🙂 Adding raisins and walnuts is such a great idea with carrot cake, it gives that chewy + crunchy combo that makes every bite more interesting. Thanks for sharing!!
I made these cupcakes this morning, for my Great Grandson and his baby sister, I made a Biscoff cookie butter frosting using Mascapone and a bit of sour cream, they absolutely loved them. We ended up having to put them on top of the refrigerator when we noticed 4 went missing (2 more for him and 2 for him but at least he shared them with her) I assured him that I had made a dozen him to take home with them
Aw I love that so much Sandra!! They sound delicious, I’m so happy they were such a hit 🙂
DEEEEEEEELICIOUS!!!
I made these for our “Fall birthday celebration” at the private preschool where I am the Chef at and the kiddos & teachers LOVED them (all 200+ ppl)!!!!
Used both your cupcake recipe & cream cheese frosting recipe…..only with a few minor tweaks.
On your cupcake recipe I doubled all your listed spices and added in ground allspice, ground nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice & ground cardamom.
On your frosting recipe, I doubled the cream cheese amount so that I could have a firmer final product without having to add in so much additional powdered sugar.
Love that Cindy!!! And I totally get wanting a firmer/less sweet frosting for the kiddos 🙂 So happy to hear they were a hit, your school is so lucky to have you!!
Can this be made in a bundt pan? If so would I need to double the recipe?
Hi Crystal,
I haven’t tested it, but in theory it should work! If a cupcake recipe makes 12 standard cupcakes, it usually yields about 3 cups of batter. A standard 10–12 cup Bundt pan needs roughly 6–7 cups of batter and should be filled about two-thirds full to avoid overflow. For that reason, doubling a 12-cupcake recipe is typically the best approach when converting it to a Bundt cake. Bake at the same temperature as the cupcakes, but plan for a longer bake time. Usually around 40–55 minutes, and you can check for doneness with a skewer starting at the 40-minute mark.
Hope that helps, happy baking!