Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Delicious gluten-free snickerdoodle cupcake with a tight swirl of creamy cinnamon brown sugar buttercream frosting.

5 from 5 votes

These Snickerdoodle Cupcakes are a cinnamon lover's dream come true! They have a cinnamon cupcake base, a cinnamon sugar swirl and topped with cinnamon brown sugar buttercream! This batter is so simple to make, no mixer is needed! Best yet, these cupcakes are gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be dairy free (vegan)!

Prep Time15

Cook Time28

Total Time43

Course: Gluten Free

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: Cupcakes

Calories: 548kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Cupcakes

2 ¼ cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup light brown sugar , packed
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Brown Sugar Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar , packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water , room temperature

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Cinnamon Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a regular size cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ½ cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon for the swirl. Set aside.
n a large bowl whisk together the 2 ¼ cups multipurpose gluten free flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 ½ cups milk, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins about ½ of the way full.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar onto each cupcake.
Cover with the rest of the batter, filling each tin about ¾ of the way full.
Bake for 28 minutes or until the tops of cupcakes are golden brown and spring back at you when carefully touched.
Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack.

Make the Brown Sugar Buttercream

While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat together the 1 cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon until smooth and creamy. About 2-3 minutes.
With the mixer on very low speed, slowly add in the 6 cups confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; beat until combined.
Slowly beat in the 6 tablespoons water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. You may not need to use it all.

Decorate the Cupcakes

If you have piping bags, pipe the vanilla frosting on top of each cooled cupcake.
If you don’t have piping bags, put a thin layer of vanilla frosting on top of each cupcake.
If you frosted the cupcakes by hand, pop the cupcakes in the fridge for 15 minutes to let that thin layer harden.
This is your crumb layer so that when you frost the tops of the cupcakes, the crumbs don't get all over the frosting.
If you have a piping bag, you don’t need the crumb layer or this step.

Notes

Vegan: Use a dairy-free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks and non-dairy milk.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 2 ¼ cups packed AP flour (378 grams) and only 1 ¼ cups of milk.

Storing: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container or wrapped in foil in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for 30 days. Let come to room temperature prior to eating.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition