Spiced Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

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Sunday is a holy day to some and a relaxing day to most. To me, Sunday is not only holy and relaxing, but also the best day to bake! Yesterday, I sat pondering what yummy goodness I would make that day. I’ve really been tempted to make cinnamon buns, but figured those could wait for a morning that I didn’t wake up at noon. I then found a recipe for a chocolate cake with peanut butter moose and chocolate drizzle. While this sounds heavenly and I will most likely make it in the near future, I voted against it when I found the recipe for spiced vanilla cupcakes. Spiced vanilla cake? Sounded too interesting to pass up. So, ladies and gentlepeople, this is what I have for you today: spiced vanilla cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

To be completely honest, I’m not a fan of cupcakes, and I’m surely not particularly a fan of vanilla cupcakes. I nearly loathe buttercream frosting (even though these aren’t buttercream), but will make it, strictly to have fun piping it. I guess the good news in me not liking cupcakes is that there are more to give away, because, between me and you, I would have housed that chocolate and peanut butter cake I mentioned before. Then I would have gotten nasty looks from my roommates for not sharing. (Love yous!)
I used my lovely decorating tips I got for Christmas and finally got to use the pretty neon cupcake cups I got the other day. The cake part of these cupcakes, as you can read, are spiced with cinnamon, giving them just a little kick you wouldn’t expect. The cream cheese frosting is not too sweet, but goes nicely with the cinnamon vanilla cake.

Spiced Vanilla Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcake Rehab

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Cream the butter in a stand mixer until smooth and light. Add sugar and continue to mix until fully incorporated and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.

Combine milk and vanilla. Add portions of the flour mixture and milk mixture to the electric mixer, alternating, starting and ending with flour. Pour evenly into cupcake pans lined with paper liners, about ½ – ¾ full. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Cupcake Project

  • 8 ozs cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 C sifted powdered sugar (You can decrease this amount if you don’t care about it being as stiff for piping)
  • 1/2 C cocoa powder

Directions:
Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix in cocoa powder.