These Copycat Sprinkles Triple Cinnamon Cupcakes have a moist, dense buttermilk cake topped with creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting. All rolled in cinnamon sugar!
It’s the weekend! And that calls for cupcakes! Copycat Sprinkles Triple Cinnamon Cupcakes to be precise. These beauties have a lightly spiced, moist buttermilk cake with a cinnamon cream cheese icing that you will want to eat straight out of the bowl with a spoon!
I love Sprinkles Cupcakes. I’m not going to bore you again with my Sprinkles Cupcake Obsession, but the infatuation continues. My Husband and I always get three different flavors and then split them, because that way it’s like we each only ate 1.5 cupcakes. Which doesn’t sound so bad, right? It’s practically like we’re on a diet.
The two flavors that we get every single time, without fail, are Vanilla and Triple Cinnamon. They are non-negotiable. The third is a toss up.
This copycat madness all started with my Copycat Sprinkles Vanilla Cupcake, which was, arguably, better than the original. Then I just couldn’t help myself from trying to replicate the Triple Cinnamon Cupcakes, and they are a show stopper! I can promise you that the only thing better than a Sprinkles Cupcake is a homemade cupcake that tastes like a Sprinkles Cupcake.
For two reasons:
- You made it.
- Each one didn’t cost $5. No joke. It’s outrageous.
Like the vanilla ones, these Triple Cinnamon Cupcakes have a tender, moist cake with a large crumb. They are so soft they practically melt in your mouth. Buttermilk has a way of doing this.
And this cream cheese cinnamon frosting…ohmigawd…it’s so rich and creamy, but not too sweet. The perfect amount of cinnamon in the frosting compliments the cinnamon in the cake without competing with it. {Sigh}
And then you roll the whole thing in cinnamon sugar. I don’t know what it is about cinnamon sugar but it makes everything better. These cupcakes are no exception.
Because cinnamon is the main flavor in these cupcakes you will want to use the highest quality Vietnamese cinnamon that you can find. It will make all the difference. If you use standard cinnamon, you should use more than I do below. You will have to add to taste. Regular cinnamon is actually a different variety and lacks the power and complexity of Saigon cinnamon. #funfact
You will love these subtly cinnamon cupcakes! No need to pay $5 for a cupcake every again! 🙂
I got a lot of questions on my last post about how I frosted them, so, if you are interested, I explain at the bottom of the recipe how I recreated the Sprinkles' frosted top.
Sprinkles Triple Cinnamon Cupcakes {Copycat}
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces cold cream cheese (no whipped, no low-fat, high-quality preferred)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (cold but still firm)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- heavy cream if needed
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
- ⅛ teaspoon Saigon Cinnamon
- ¼ cup superfine sugar
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven 350°. Line standard muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until thick. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla with the last egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
- Alternately add flour and buttermilk in three additions on low speed beginning and ending with flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. You want to stop mixing as soon as the last flour has disappeared.
- Scoop or pour the batter into the liners ¾ full. I use a large cookie scoop for this task and it works beautifully. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. I always start checking at 12 because I’m not a fan of dry baked goods. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick, inserted into the center, comes out with a few clinging crumbs but no wet smears!
- Remove from tins immediately and let cool on a wire rack. They must be completely cool before frosting.
Make the Frosting:
- Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, salt and cinnamon on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until incorporated. Add the vanilla after the last addition and mix until incorporated.
- Be careful not to over beat this frosting, because you want it to be thick and creamy like ice cream.
- Add heavy cream in 1 teaspoon increments until it is a spreadable consistency.
To Frost Your Cupcakes like Sprinkles:
- Place a large dollop in the center of the cupcake and then used a small offset spatula to flatten it out on top while pushing the frosting to the edges. Add more as you spread if the frosting doesn’t reach the edges.
- Scrape all the excess frosting off the spatula onto the edge of the bowl before starting on the sides.
- I hold the cupcake by the base in my left hand, but you could also set it on the counter or other flat surface. Place the offset spatula on a slight angle (towards the cupcake center) on the edge of the frosting. Hold the spatula steady with your right hand while slowly rotating the cupcake with your left hand until you have gone all the way around. The key is a light touch because otherwise too much frosting will come off and you will be left with a bare cake!
- Scrape off any excess frosting from the spatula onto the rim of the frosting bowl again and repeat to adjust any imperfections. You can add more frosting if you take off too much as to spin, but it is not advisable to adjust the top after you start the sides. I obsessively scrape off my spatula on the side of the bowl as I work, because it creates a smoother finish.
- Using more frosting on each cupcake makes it easier but my husband doesn’t like a lot! Fortunately this type of frosting technique is very forgiving, so you can add more or take off excess as you go!
- Gently roll each cupcake in the cinnamon sugar mixture, dipping the top and the rolling the sides. It’s all about finesse.
- You can either frost it this way or use a standard piping bag with your favorite tip. Honestly, you could also just slap a generous portion on top, because it will taste amazing no matter what!
Just made these cupcakes and my [Sprinkle's loving] family LOVE LOVE LOVE your copycat version!!! My waist will not appreciate my love for these delicious, light, and super flavorful cupcakes, but totally worth the betrayal. 🙂
I am so happy you enjoyed them as much as I did, Kim! Happy baking!
I tried the recipe. They are delicious, but dense. OMG are they dense. I am used to light fluffy cupcakes so these aren’t for me. I made sure not to overmix. They were very moist and soft. I will probably go back to my go to cinnamon cake. Maybe I did something wrong?
Hi Jenn, I am sure you did nothing wrong. These are definitely a dense cupcake just like the originals that they copycat. It is not everyones cup of tea! happy baking!
These were not good. I followed the directions exactly. All my ingredients were fresh. The cupcakes never rose and had holes on the top. The bottoms were dense and greasy. Also the taste was not great. This isn't my first time baking and I've made probably hundreds of cupcakes, and these were at the bottom of any I've made. I never did make the icing because once they cooled, I just threw them in the garbage. Sorry for the rough review, but that's my story.
Well Lauren, I'm sorry that happened to you. As a professionally trained pastry chef, I can tell you something clearly happened out of the ordinary. Perhaps your oven? Perhaps your leavening?
I wonder if this recipe would translate to a cake recipe? Have you tried it?
Hi Kayla! I haven't but it might be a very heavy cake. 🙂 Happy baking!
I tried these and I was a bit shocked when it said 4 eggs, they did come out a bit dense. Do you think it might help to either add less eggs or maybe an egg and 3 egg whites or something? They are very good, but maybe this would help? Idk what do you think? Triple cinnamon are my all time faves at sprinkles.
HI Javana. It's not necessarily just about the number of eggs in a cake that make it dense. There are cakes that have a much higer ratio of eggs to other ingredients that are light and airy. Beyond comepletely changing the ration of eggs to sugar to flour to butter, you can add a 1/2 teaspoon more baking powder or 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, which is more powerful. You can make sure that you really cream your butter and sugar and then beat well after the addition of each egg. This process traps air in the batter which expands when you bake it. Also you can use room temperature butter rather than melted butter and this will trap even more air. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much! I'll post back after making them, assuming I don't eat myself into a sugar coma. 😉
Haha! They would be totally worth a sugar coma! I hope you enjoy!
Hi there! I, too, am obsessed with all things cupcakes AND Cupcake Wars. These look and sound amazing, and I can't wait to make them!
I do have a question, though -- is that the correct number of eggs? Four seems like a LOT for the amount of flour. I wouldn't question it, but your vanilla copycat recipe only calls for 3 eggs to 2 1/2 cups of flour. Plus, I'm not all that confident when it comes to my baking knowledge, so I just wanted to check before making them. 🙂
Hi Penny! Never hesitate to ask anything! 4 is the correct number of eggs and it is more than a traditional cupcake recipe calls for. It is part of what makes these cupcakes more dense with a larger crumb. I've adapted this recipe as a base for several other cupcakes and always use 4. 🙂 Happy baking!
I've read all the comments and while I agree, the photos are oustanding, I was hoping to see feedback from reviewers who have actually tried the recipe. With that said, I am here to deliver just that! I made these a couple of weeks ago and they are truly amazing! Vanilla cupcakes are one of the the most bland flavor ever, but I feel like this could be my go to cupcake for vanilla requesters....my thought? Just eliminate the cinnamon, or simply reduce it, as I believe the cinnamon adds a touch of flavor to an otherwise ordinary cupcake. I have never had the triple cinnamon at Sprinkles, but I have had her cinnamon sugar cupcakes and those are actually my favorite. This cupcake recipe falls in line well. Great job, and thanks for sharing!
Hi Wendy. It usually takes some time for people to try recipes and then only a small portion come back and review them. I love feedback! I made a Sprinkles Vanilla copycat cupcake too. You can see that here . I agree that you could substantially reduce (or eliminate the cinnamon) in this cupcake and add vanilla extract or even some vanilla bean seeds! That would make a heavenly vanilla cupcake.