This easy recipe yields super creamy, fluffy cinnamon buttercream frosting that’s silky and light. It pairs beautifully with cakes and cupcakes such as pumpkin, carrot, or spice cake.
🥕 About this cinnamon buttercream frosting recipe
This cinnamon buttercream is a quick, simple variation of a classic vanilla bakery buttercream. It includes a touch of cream cheese for an exceptionally smooth texture and nuanced flavor without tasting tangy — most people will notice how light, fluffy, and flavorful it is without realizing there’s cream cheese in it.
⭐ Storing and serving this frosting
- Store unused frosting in the refrigerator. Before using, bring it to room temperature and stir with a spatula, or rewhip from cold to restore its fluffy, creamy texture.
- Refrigerate cakes and cupcakes made with this frosting and remove them 2–3 hours before serving so they return to room temperature. This frosting tastes best at room temperature.
👩🏻🍳 Tools and equipment
A stand mixer makes the process easiest, and a sturdy, heat-resistant spatula helps with scraping the bowl and smoothing the frosting.
💭 Recipe FAQ
This frosting is stabilized by sugar, so many sources say it can be left out for up to 24 hours. For best results, refrigerate finished cakes and remove them 2–3 hours before serving so the frosting and cake come back to room temperature. Leftovers with this frosting can be left at room temperature for up to 24 hours, but refrigeration is recommended if storing longer.
To make the frosting thicker and more stable, add more powdered sugar or up to 1 tablespoon of a neutral thickener such as instant Clearjel. Whisk any powdered thickener with equal parts powdered sugar first to prevent clumping before folding it into the frosting.
I hope you enjoy this cinnamon frosting recipe! Comment below or tag @amycakesbakes on social media.
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📖 Recipe & Step-by-Step Instructions
Fluffy Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
This creamy cinnamon buttercream is light, smooth, and warmly spiced without being overly sweet. A 1x batch will generously frost and fill a 6″ three-layer cake or about 14 cupcakes. A 2x batch will frost and fill an 8″ three-layer cake or about 28 cupcakes.
For the most consistent results, weigh ingredients in grams using a kitchen scale.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Cream cheese
- 1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) Salted butter (at room temperature)
- 48 grams (¼ cup) Butter-flavored shortening
- 455 grams (3 ½ cups) Powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make Cinnamon Buttercream
- Using a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and broken up.
- Add the room-temperature salted butter and beat until no lumps remain, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the shortening and continue to beat and scrape until the mixture is smooth.
- With the mixer on low, slowly sprinkle in the powdered sugar and cinnamon. The mixture will thicken; continue to incorporate the sugar slowly until fully mixed.
- Add the pure vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat the buttercream on high for 2–3 minutes. This aerates the frosting and makes it light and fluffy.
- If not serving within 24 hours, refrigerate the frosting. Remove it a couple of hours before using so it returns to room temperature and regains a spreadable texture.
Calories are estimated using a nutrition calculator.
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