Churro Cupcakes

The churro flavor in this recipe paired with the rich buttercream frosting makes Churro Cupcakes irresistible. Enjoy everything you love about churros in this luscious cupcake recipe.

Whether it is Cinco de Mayo or just because, this recipe for Churro Cupcakes is delightful. This cupcake recipe starts with a cake mix so it’s very simple. The first bite will have everyone coming back for more.

While these cupcakes look and taste like bakery treats, the entire recipe is effortless. Most everything is pantry ingredients and couldn’t be any simpler.

If you love the delicious flavor of churros, try Churro Bites Recipe, Churro Cake and Churro Ice Cream. For more cinnamon flavor, try Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake. We also love Tres Leches Cake and Piñata Cupcakes.

Why We Love This
Ingredients
- Cupcakes
- Frosting
Additions and Substitutions
How to Make Churro Cupcakes
Storage
Pro Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Easy Cupcake Recipes

Why We Love This

The recipe does not taste like a box mix because we add lots of little extras. The homemade cinnamon cream cheese frosting has the perfect amount of cinnamon. It does not disappoint and makes this treat even more fabulous.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

White Cake Mix. You can use any brand you like.
Instant Vanilla Pudding. Make sure to use instant pudding and not the type you cook.
Cinnamon. Churros always have cinnamon, and it will give them an authentic taste.
Large Eggs. Room temperature eggs are best and will mix into the batter easier.
Sour Cream. This adds so much moisture from the fat content and flavor.

Frosting

Cream Cheese. Softened at room temperature so the frosting will be smooth.
Powdered Sugar. I suggest sifting the powdered sugar so there aren’t any lumps.
Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla for the best flavor in the frosting.
Baked Churros. You can use store bought but I love to make churros.

Additions and Substitutions

Cake Mix. Instead of white cake mix, feel free to substitute yellow cake mix. Chocolate Cake mix would also be delicious.
Caramel Sauce. Drizzle caramel on top of the cupcakes for an additional topping if desired.
Mini Cupcakes. If you prefer a smaller size, this recipe makes adorable mini cupcakes. Just make sure to adjust the baking time as the smaller size does not take as long to bake.
Topping. If you would like an alternative topping instead of churros, top each cupcake with cinnamon tortilla chips. ‘

How to Make Churro Cupcakes

Step 1. Preheat the oven and prepare the pans. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Mixing together cake mix, pudding mix, and ground cinnamon in a bowl

Step 2 – In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, pudding mix and teaspoons ground cinnamon.

Stirring in eggs, oil, and water into the dry ingredients

Step 3 – Then stir in the eggs, vegetable oil and water until well combined with the flour mixture.

Stir in sour cream to the cake mix mixture

Step 4 – Gently stir in the sour cream, being careful not to overman the batter.

Placing the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners

Step 5 – Pour the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them up approximately ¾ of the way full. Then bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes. Let cupcake cool before frosting.

Beating together cream cheese and butter into a bowl

Step 6 – Beat together the cream cheese and unsalted butter in a medium bowl with a handheld mixer. You can also use the bowl of a stand mixer and the paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.

Step 7 – Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until butter and sugar are well combined.

Stirring in vanilla extract and cinnamon in a bowl

Step 8 – Stir in 2 tsp Vanilla Extract and Cinnamon. Mix until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Piping the frosting onto the cool cupcakes

Step 9 – Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes with a piping bag with a star tip. Top with a freshly baked churro piece and sprinkle with cinnamon. You can also top with a a cinnamon sugar mixture if desired.

Storage

Place the cupcakes inside an airtight container. Refrigerate the leftovers up to 5 days.

You can also freeze unfrosted cupcakes in the freezer up to 3 months. Place inside an airtight container to ensure freshness.

Then allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Make the frosting and decorate as normal.

Pro Tips

Churros. You can make the churros from scratch. Another option is to find them in the freezer aisle at a local grocery store. Then bake them before adding them to the cupcakes.
Don’t overfill the cupcakes. Only fill the cupcakes ¾ of the way full with cupcake batter so they don’t spill over. You also want to have enough room for the frosting and topping.
Use an ice cream scoop. If you have a basic ice cream scoop, this is a great size to use to scoop the batter. Just make sure it is the average size.
Room temperature ingredients. Soften the butter and cream cheese at room temperature. This will make it easier to combine and result in the best texture. Just note that you want the butter softened but not melted butter.
Use a piping bag for frosting. Easily pipe the frosting using a piping bag for stunning cupcakes.
Allow cupcakes to cool. The cupcakes should be completely cool before frosting. Trying to frost cupcakes too soon will result in a messy appearance as it will slide off.
Adjust frosting consistency. Feel free to adjust the frosting as needed so that it is the correct texture to pipe. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add more milk. Add these ingredients gradually in small amounts. You do not want to add too much or too little at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you add pudding mix?

This combined with the sour cream is the secret to really moist and delicious cupcakes. They turn out so fluffy and absolutely delicious.

Don’t skip this step. It is so worth it and transforms a plain box mix into something fabulous.

Why did my cupcakes turn out dense instead of fluffy?

Overmixing the cupcake batter can result in dense cupcakes with a chewy texture. It is important to combine the batter until the ingredients are just combined and not to continue to stir.

Can you make the cupcakes in advance?

The cupcakes can be made several days in advance. However, we suggest waiting until the day you plan to serve to add the frosting and topping.

Make the frosting in advance and store in the fridge. Then pipe the frosting and decorate as normal. This is another great way to save time for parties and more.

What makes a successful cupcake?

The trick to the best cupcake is combining the ingredients perfectly. Do not overmix the ingredients or under mix the ingredients.

Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients until just combined. This will result in the perfect texture once baked.

Can I make a cake instead?

Yes, this recipe is easy to adapt to make a cake instead of cupcakes. You can make a 9×13 sheet cake or two 8″ round cakes.

Frost as normal and serve. You may need to double the frosting if making a layer cake so you have enough frosting.