Cereal is one of my favorite foods, never failing to bring me back to lazy Saturdays spent indulging in sugary foods and silly cartoons. Cinnamon Toast Crunch has long since been my favorite guilty pleasure, with its perfect blend of sugar and spice. These cupcakes perfectly encapsulate that with their cinnamon cupcake base and marshmallow-like meringue frosting.

Sparked by Christina Tosi, founder of Momofuku Milk Bar, cereal-themed desserts are all the rage right now. New, creative ways to incorporate cereal into desserts are created every day, and these cupcakes are right on par with the trend. They’re sure to be a hit with everyone, young and old. These are definitely worth a try, not only for lovers of Cinnamon Toast Crunch but also those who may not be the greatest fan of it.

This recipe is easy to follow, and simply two hours in the kitchen will result in beautiful cupcakes. Their cupcake base has swirls of cinnamon sugar and cereal going through the cake, and the frosting is a glossy white reminiscent of milk.

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ⅓ cup whole milk
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp cinnamon, mixed
• 1 ½ cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

For the Frosting:

• 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ tsp cream of tartar
• 9 egg whites
• ⅜ cup water
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

Directions:

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.       
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time. Then, add vanilla. Scrape down sides as needed.
4. Alternate adding in dry ingredients and milk, starting and ending with flour.
5. Fill cupcake liners ⅓ of the way. Sprinkle in 1 tsp of mixed cinnamon sugar and 3-4 pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Then, fill cupcakes with batter until about ¾ full.
6. Sprinkle top with more cinnamon sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Allow one hour to cool before frosting.

For the Frosting:

1. Set up a double boiler**
2. Bring the water in the pot to a simmer. Combine sugar, cream of tartar, water, and egg whites in the bowl over the pot.
3. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture is 160℉, which will take around 3-6 minutes. If a thermometer is not available, take the mixture off heat after 4 minutes. Make sure to whisk the entire time to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
4. Remove from heat and beat for 6-7 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and continue whisking. The frosting should be a glossy white and form stiff peaks.
5. To assemble, put frosting on cupcakes. The frosting can be a little sticky, so I chose to simply pipe a dollop. Then, top off with a little cinnamon sugar and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Recipe Notes:

1. Here’s some information about double boilers if you have never set one up.
2. I used a Wilton 1A tip to frost, which is available here.

Recipe adapted from Crepes of Wrath

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes PDF