These gluten-free cinnamon swirl cupcakes taste like a snickerdoodle and a cinnamon roll in one fluffy bite. With a coffee-cake-like swirl of cinnamon sugar inside and a topping of cinnamon cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes will make all your friends swoon.
When you add cinnamon sugar to a dessert, do your tastebuds conjure memories of snickerdoodles, cinnamon rolls, churros, or coffee cake? Perhaps it's all in one that makes cinnamon sugar desserts so downright delicious. These gluten-free cinnamon cupcakes are no exception.
This cupcake base is a cinnamon spin on my classic gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. They taste like fluffy cinnamon rolls with a cinnamon-hinted cake swirled with cinnamon sugar. And the classic cream cheese frosting on top brings the cinnamon roll parallel full circle.
Why you'll love these cupcakes
- Full of flavor: With cinnamon-hinted vanilla cake batter swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting with a dusting of cinnamon sugar, these cupcakes are bursting with sweet cinnamon sugar flavor that's sure to bring layers of nostalgia to your tastebuds.
- Tender, fluffy, and moist: These gluten-free cupcakes are lacking for nothing. The cake is tender and fluffy while still incredibly moist.
- Easy to halve into a small batch: I love cupcake recipes that have an even amount of eggs and can thus be easily halved. Sometimes you just need cupcakes and you don't need a whole dozen. I've got you. And you've got these cupcakes.
- Lickable cinnamon cream cheese frosting: I'm not sure if the cake or the frosting is the best part. It's a 50/50 split, which is part of what makes these cupcakes so irresistible.
Ingredients for gluten-free cinnamon cupcakes
Based on my gluten-free vanilla cupcakes, these cinnamon swirl cupcakes use a flour blend of sorghum, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, and millet flour, with a bit of xanthan gum to enhance the texture. This blend makes the best gluten-free cupcakes.
- Sorghum flour: Sorghum flour is a wholesome whole-grain flour. With slightly sweet notes, sorghum flour adds flavor depth. Sorghum also helps creates a very moist crumb.
- Sweet rice flour or mochiko: Sweet rice flour is distinctively different than white rice or brown rice flour. Sweet rice flour is the same flour used to make mochi, and as such, its stickiness helps to bind the cupcakes together, creating chewiness like a classic cupcake recipe. I prefer Koda Farms Mochiko for cupcakes and cake, but Bob's Red Mill Sweet Rice Flour also works.
- Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour: Tapioca flour adds chewiness and helps mimic the fluffiness of classic cupcakes. I recommend Bob's Red Mill brand as other brands are less finely ground, which I find adds a bit of grittiness.
- Millet flour: Millet flour is a neutral flour that balances the others out so the cupcakes aren't too moist or gummy
How to Make Gluten-Free Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
The trick to these swirly cupcakes is filling the tins halfway, then swirling in cinnamon sugar before filling the rest of the batter. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make the cake batter, fill the cupcake tins, and finish off the cupcakes!
Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F and lining two muffin tins with 13 liners. Then sift together all the dry ingredients.
Cream together the butter and sugar over medium speed until light and fluffy. You don't need a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer and a bowl will do!
Mix in the eggs one at a time...
...mixing and scraping down the sides after each one, followed by the vanilla extract.
Add the sour cream, mixing until combined.
Slowly mix in half of dry ingredients
Then mix in the milk
Then mix in the second half of the dry ingredients
Mix until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed.
Whisk together the cinnamon swirl ingredients.
Fill the cupcake liners just ⅓ full (35g of batter).
Sprinkle ¾ teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl over top.
Use a toothpick or chopstick to gently swirl the cinnamon into the batter.
Top with 30g more batter, until the cupcake liner is ⅔ full. Bake for 24-26 minutes.
Hint: Take care not to overbake the cupcakes or they'll turn out dense and dry. These cupcakes will seem light and airy in texture and the center should just barely feel set and spring back when gently touched with a finger. They'll continue cooking as they cool.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Top these cinnamon swirl cupcakes with a swirl of cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The tang of cream cheese gives the cupcakes cinnamon roll vibes and infuses even more flavor into each bite. Use a frosting tip for perfect swirls as shown below or just swirl it on with a knife!
If you prefer American buttercream, use the recipe from my classic gluten-free vanilla cupcakes, adding a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to buttercream!
To get those bakery-style swirls, use a ½-inch to ⅝-inch wide round frosting tip (Ateco 808 or Wilton 1A). Start in the center of the cupcake, swirl out, then back up to a point.
Use a spoon to press the frosting down, swirling the spoon before you lift.
Topping Variations
Call them snickerdoodle, cinnamon roll, or churro cupcakes. Either way, they're a fan favorite! Here are a few ideas for decorating the cupcakes:
- Cinnamon sugar dusting: as shown here, this simple topping gives snickerdoodle and churro vibes
- Mini gluten-free churros: use my gluten-free churro recipe, cutting each churro into 1-2 inch bites as you pipe it into the oil.
- Mini gluten-free snickerdoodles: use my gluten-free snickerdoodle recipe, making mini cookies by rolling 1-2 teaspoon size balls of dough and reducing the baking time to just 5-6 minutes.
- Toasted and/or candied nuts: Top with toasted walnuts or pecans, or make some quick candied pecans for garnish.
Recipe
Moist Gluten-Free Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 72 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) Bob's Red Mill sorghum flour
- 70 g (¼ cup + 3 tablespoons) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko, distinctly different than brown rice flour or white rice flour
- 56 g (½ cup) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- 46 g (¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) millet flour
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 220 g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream, room temperature
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150 g) whole milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1¾ cups (210 g) powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese (blocked), cut into 1-ounce pieces, room temperature
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with 13 cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, millet flour, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides after each one, followed by the vanilla extract.
- Add the sour cream, mixing until combined.
- Keeping the speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in two batches, adding the milk in between, mixing until just combined and scraping down the sides and bottom as needed.
- Whisk together the cinnamon swirl ingredients in a small bowl.
- Fill the cupcake liners to ⅓ full (35g of batter). I recommend using a trigger ice cream scoop and a measuring scale for even cupcakes. Sprinkle ¾ teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl over top and use a toothpick or chopstick to gently swirl the cinnamon into the batter. Top with 30g more batter, until the cupcake liner is ⅔ full.
- Bake for 24-26 minutes until the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed in the middle and a toothpick comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs. These cupcakes will seem light and airy in texture when gently pressed, so take care not to overbake them. Remove from oven. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Sift together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed. With the mixer on medium speed, add the cream cheese, one piece at a time, beating until completely smooth.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar, in thirds, mixing on low speed until just combined.
- Add the vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth, taking care not to overmix. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. To get the bakery-style swirls shown here, use a ½-inch to ⅝-inch wide round frosting tip (Ateco 808 or Wilton 1A). Start in the center of the cupcake, swirl out, then back up to a point. Use a spoon to press the frosting down, swirling the spoon before you lift.
Video
Notes
Gluten-Free Flour Substitutions
- Sorghum Flour: Substitute by weight with gluten-free oat flour or Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour.
- Sweet Rice Flour: I don't recommend substituting the sweet rice flour as I find it's essential to chewy cakes, but you may have success replacing it with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour.
- Tapioca Flour: Substitute by weight with arrowroot flour, potato starch, or Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour blend.
- Millet Flour: Substitute by weight with teff flour (though your cake will be noticeably darker), light chestnut flour, brown or white rice flour, or Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour.
Tip for Perfect Cupcakes
Want perfectly even cupcakes? Set the cupcake tin on a digital scale so you know exactly how much batter you're putting in each liner and for easy, clean scooping, use a trigger ice cream scoop for the batter!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review and rating to let me and others know how you liked it!
Jane Ekbatani -
You need to correct the xantham gum measurement in the recipe. Is it cup or tablespoon, etc.
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you! Updated:)