Cinnamilk Cupcakes And A Good Book
You’ve just finished a bowl of cinnamon sugar flavored cereal and now all that’s left is the sweet cereal milk. Cinnamilk, as it were. We’re taking that flavor and creating a batch of cinnamilk cupcakes! They’re delicious, plus they pair perfectly with one of my favorite books.
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Stupid and Contagious
Nowadays, cereal flavored desserts are not novel or original, but these cinnamilk cupcakes were first inspired by a book I read nearly 20 years ago. Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane was a book that I picked up during a very hard time in my life.
This silly story involves two characters on a mission to pitch Cinnamilk to Starbucks. I fully realize that this is not exactly a gripping premise, but the characters are just so amusing that you won’t be able to put the book down.
So, grab a copy of one of my all time favorite books, whip up a batch of cinnamilk cupcakes and enjoy yourself one sweet afternoon.
What We’ve Got To Do
Once I started baking, the cinnamilk from Stupid and Contagious kept popping up in my head. I figured it would be a fun and delicious way to flavor a sweet treat like cupcakes. It’s a very simple recipe, and quite simply delicious.
We only need to make three elements. First thing’s first, you gotta make the cinnamilk. Then there’s the buttercream and cupcakes. Once everything is ready, throw it all together, bada bing bada boom, you’ve got yourself cinnamilk cupcakes.
Making Cinnamilk
Cinnamilk is the backbone of this entire dessert, so you’ll need to make this first. Simply soak Cinnamon Toast Crunch in some whole milk overnight. Then strain out the soggy cereal and you’ve got sweet, cinnamony cereal milk!
This step is not rocket science. I used 2 oz of cereal and 10 fl oz of whole milk. This gave me just enough cinnamilk for the recipe without a drop to spare. If you’d prefer more wiggle room, just add a bit more cereal and milk.
Cinnamilk Buttercream
American buttercream can be too sweet for some people, but it is a perfect choice when you’d like to add a good bit of liquid to frosting. I added about 3 tablespoons of the cereal milk to this batch of frosting. It was delicious!
Now, I did consider adding a dash of cinnamon to boost the flavor. Cinnamilk is a distinct flavor, but a mild one. Ultimately, I did not add the cinnamon because I didn’t want to end up with a purely cinnamon flavor. You are more than welcome to tweak the flavors to your own preference.
Related Reading: Fiery Cinnamon Toast Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Top Tips for American Buttercream
- Beat the butter alone on a medium speed for 8- 10 minutes to get it super pale and fluffy.
- Warm up your liquid (cream, milk, water, etc.) slightly to get a smooth buttercream. Cold liquid can curdle the frosting.
- Once you begin adding the powdered sugar, never go above a medium speed to avoid too many air bubbles.
- Add a pinch of salt to cut the sweetness.
Cinnamilk Cupcakes
For this recipe, I made a half batch of my vanilla cupcakes, with some modifications. Instead of buttermilk powder, I used cinnamilk (duh) and I added a bit of cinnamon. In the ingredient list, you’ll also see cake enhancer. It is a game changer. Check out my salted caramel cake post for more deets.
Okay, so I just made a stink about not adding cinnamon to the buttercream, but then I added it to the cupcake batter. In the frosting, the cinnamilk was able to mildly shine, but I worried it wouldn’t be able to cut through the batter as well. A boost of cinnamon brought the flavor together, while still tasting like cereal.
Top Tips for Cupcakes
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help everything blend nicely and give your cupcakes a nice texture.
- Scrape down your bowl often. Butter and sugar can hide out at the bottom of your bowl. Make sure everything gets blended!
- Do NOT over mix. Once you add the wet and dry ingredients, keep the speed on stir and only mix to combine.
- Place some dried rice (½ – 1 teaspoon) in the bottom of each cupcake cavity before adding your paper cases.
- Use a large cookie scoop to perfectly portion your cupcake batter.
- Use the Ateco 888 piping tip for the perfect swirl and frosting to cupcake ratio.
Thank You
I totally get the joke that food bloggers will go on and on about a picnic they went to with their grandmother’s niece’s college roommate’s best friend and it’s annoying. I try to mostly stick to the recipe details on Bakes & Blunders, but I really want to thank you for letting me share this with you.
Cinnamilk cupcakes are a fun recipe, but they are also quite personal. Stupid and Contagious is one of the few possessions I still have from high school. I lost almost everything. But that book made me laugh and smile during a time when I needed a pick-me-up. Even if you don’t make these cupcakes, you really should read that book.
Enjoy!
Cinnamilk cupcakes have that flavor of cinnamon, sugar, and a vague hint of cereal goodness that I can’t quite describe. It’s a perfect flavor when you want to do something a little different, but not go absolutely bonkers with some off the wall flavor combo.
If you dig pictures of food (read: dessert), you should totes be following @bakesandblunders on Instagram. Happy Baking!
Cinnamilk Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cinnamilk
- 2 oz Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
- 10 fl oz whole milk
Cinnamilk Cupcakes
- 4 oz all- purpose flour
- 1.5 oz cake flour
- 1 1/4 tsps baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 oz unsalted butter softened
- 7 oz white sugar
- 1 Tbsps cake enhancer optional
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 4 fl oz cinnamilk
- 2 Tbsps canola oil
Cinnamilk American Buttercream
- 12 oz unsalted butter softened
- 24 oz powdered sugar sifted
- 3 Tbsps cinnamilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of salt optional
- Toppings: cinnamon sugar and extra cereal
Instructions
Cinnamilk
- Combine the cereal and milk in a bowl. Cover and let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, strain out the cereal. Use the cinnamilk in the cupcake batter and buttercream.
Cinnamilk Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper cases and set aside.
- Sift the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Add the butter, sugar, and cake enhancer (if using) to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream on a medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bowl down once or twice during the process.
- Add the vanilla to the bowl and beat on medium until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl down.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add an egg and mix for about 15 seconds before bumping the speed up to the next lowest setting. Mix until combined, about 15 seconds more. Repeat the process with the remaining egg, scraping the bowl down occasionally.
- As the eggs finish incorporating, combine the cinnamilk and oil, then set aside.
- Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients. Begin with a third of the dry and mix on the lowest speed until just combined. Drizzle in half of the liquids and beat on low until nearly combined. Scrape the bowl down and repeat this process with another addition of dry, then wet ingredients. Scrape the bowl down and finish with the final bit of dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Use a cupcake scoop to divide the batter among the cupcake pans. Bake for 20- 22 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when tapped on top and a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes before transferring the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
Cinnamilk American Buttercream
- Beat the butter until pale and fluffy, about 8- 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. Bump the speed up to medium and beat for a minute, or until smooth. Scrape the bowl down.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. Bump the speed up to medium and beat for a minute, or until smooth. Scrape the bowl down.
- Add the room temperature cinnamilk one tablespoon at a time, then add the vanilla. Beat until smooth. Taste and add a pinch of salt if it is too sweet. Beat well.
Assembly
- Top each vanilla cupcake with a swirl of the cinnamilk buttercream. Garnish with a dusting of cinnamon sugar and extra cereal.
Notes
- Makes just enough cinnamilk for the recipe. You can always use a bit more cereal and milk to have more of a buffer.
My Favorite Products For This Recipe
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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