Light, fluffy cinnamon vanilla cupcakes topped with a boozy buttercream frosting. These Rumchata cupcakes make a unique treat for any gathering!
Have you had RumChata before? It’s a staple Christmas beverage in our household. I love it simply served over ice, but you can put other things in it too. 😉
I started baking with RumChata a few years ago and wow does it add a level of extra flavor to your dessert. You can use it in place of vanilla to add a cinnamon-y vanilla flavor.
All the alcohol cooks out of course when you put it in the oven, but I like to add some to the frosting of my desserts to make the RumChata the star of the show.
These RumChata cookies are one of my most popular recipes (probably because they are basically a grown-up snickerdoodle). So, I figured, why not try making a RumChata cupcake recipe?!
If you like boozy desserts, you should also check out these Amaretto Cupcakes and Bailey’s Cupcakes.
Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love These RumChata Cupcakes
- Cinnamon vanilla flavor. Not familiar with RumChata? It contains the perfect blend of rum with cinnamon, vanilla, and cream. It’s kind of like a boozy version of the milk after you’ve had cinnamon toast crunch cereal. The cinnamon flavor is prominent in both the cupcake and the frosting.
- Unique Dessert. Looking for something unique to bring to your holiday party or create an amazing dinner party? These will be a major crowd-pleaser and most likely won’t be a repeat dessert.
- Boozy cupcakes. I seriously love this RumChata frosting and it makes these extra delicious. (No worries, if you don’t want to taste the rum, you can remove it and they still taste great!)
Key Ingredients
RumChata: Obviously a key ingredient. RumChata can be found at any Liquor store (I tend to get mine from Costco or Total Wine).
Cinnamon: You’ll add some cinnamon to the cake batter as well as add a dusting to the top of the cupcakes.
Vanilla: Vanilla adds some extra flavoring to complement the cinnamon.
Vegetable Oil: Using vegetable oil instead of butter makes these cupcakes extra moist and will stay fluffy for days.
Buttermilk: Adds moisture and a slight tanginess to the batter.
Variations and Substitutions
Make these cupcakes non-alcoholic: You can simply replace the RumChata in the cupcake with vanilla extract and remove the alcohol from the frosting. You will then have a cinnamon, vanilla, and cream cupcake (think the classic Mexican drink, Horchata).
Cream cheese frosting: This recipe uses a simple American buttercream frosting recipe, however, if you’re a cream cheese frosting lover, you can also use that. Follow the instructions for this raspberry cream cheese frosting recipe and replace the raspberry flavor with RumChata.
How to Make Rum Chata Cupcakes
In a large bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil with an electric mixer, hand mixer, or whisk. Set aside.
Next, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together — about 2 minutes.
Finally, add the RumChata at the end and mix until combined.
Grab your cupcake pan / muffin tins and favorite cupcake liners. Fill each cupcake liner about two-thirds of the way full with the RumChata mixture. Bake at 325 for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
How to Make the RumChata Frosting
While the cupcakes are baking, it’s time to make the frosting. For this recipe, you’ll need the following frosting ingredients:
- Room temperature butter
- Powdered sugar
- A few tablespoons of RumChata
In a clean mixing bowl, beat the room temperature butter until it is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).
Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix until you see a light, fluffy, creamy texture.
Before adding your last section of powdered sugar, also add the RumChata. I put 2 tablespoons in and it was plenty boozy enough. But feel free to adjust the quantity.
I wouldn’t go more than a quarter cup RumChata so you don’t affect the thickness of the frosting. Too much liquid = runny frosting.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, grab a piping bag (or Ziploc bag) and any tip you’d like (I used the large closed star tip, but a round tip would look beautiful as well!) and pile on the frosting. Personally, I like a lot of frosting because it’s my favorite part. 🙂
Have leftover frosting? Don’t forget to check out these RumChata cookies!
FAQs
Store these cupcakes on the counter for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. I’ve got an entire post dedicated to how to store cupcakes if you have any additional questions.
RumChata Cupcakes with Cinnamon
Equipment
- 1 cupcake pan
- 12 cupcake liners
- 1 electric mixer or handheld mixer
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp RumChata
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the Frosting
- 1 stick butter
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp RumChata
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 °F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together (about 2 minutes). Add the RumChata in last and mix until combined.
- Line a cupcake pan and fill each liner about two-thirds of the way full with the cupcake mixture.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For the frosting
- Beat the room temperature butter until it is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).
- Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix together. Add the RumChata before the last section of powdered sugar. Mix until it becomes light, fluffy, and creamy texture.
