French Toast Cupcakes (Cinnamon Cake, Crunch Topping, Maple Frosting)

French toast is one of those breakfasts that’s better in theory than in practice most mornings — by the time the griddle’s hot and the bread’s soaked and flipped, breakfast has turned into a production. This recipe keeps everything that makes French toast worth the effort and skips the parts that make it a hassle on a weekday.

It works because each piece of the cupcake is standing in for a piece of the actual breakfast. The cake itself is cinnamon-forward and a little rich, the way the bread should taste once it’s soaked through. The crumble baked right on top — brown sugar, cinnamon, crushed cereal cut into cold butter — gives you the crisp, slightly caramelized edge that a piece of pan-fried French toast gets where it hits the griddle. And the maple buttercream on top is doing the job syrup usually does, except it stays put instead of running everywhere.

None of it requires a griddle, a skillet, or babysitting anything in a pan. Mix the batter, top it with crumble, bake, frost once it’s cooled. Fourteen cupcakes, all the flavor of a full plate of French toast, in about the time it takes to make one batch of actual French toast for a family of four.

If you are a fan of French Toast you are absolutely going to love these warm spiced cupcakes!

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar, 5 tbsp canola oil: Oil-based rather than butter-based batter gives a more consistently moist, tender crumb that holds up well over a few days — a common choice for spice cakes specifically because oil stays liquid at room temperature while butter solidifies, keeping the cake softer once cooled.

2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp maple extract, 2 tbsp sour cream: The sour cream adds moisture and a slight tang that balances the sweetness. Maple extract in the batter itself (in addition to the frosting) reinforces the French toast flavor throughout rather than only at the top.

1¾ cup flour, 1½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon: Standard spice cake dry ingredients. 2 teaspoons of cinnamon is a meaningfully assertive amount — this is meant to taste clearly of cinnamon, not just hint at it.

⅓ cup boiling water, ⅓ cup whole milk: See the boiling water technique section above. Whole milk (not low-fat) contributes to the overall richness and moisture.

Crumble topping — ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, 6 tbsp chilled butter, ½ cup crushed cereal: Golden Grahams brings a graham-cracker sweetness; Cinnamon Toast Crunch leans more directly into the cinnamon flavor and would intensify the spice profile further. Either works — it’s a matter of preference rather than a meaningful technical difference.

Frosting — 2¾ cup powdered sugar, ¾ cup room-temperature butter, 1 tsp maple extract: A simple American buttercream. Real maple syrup could replace the extract for a more authentic flavor, but would need a reduction in liquid elsewhere in the frosting (or an increase in powdered sugar) to maintain pipeable consistency, since syrup adds liquid volume that extract doesn’t.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a microwave safe measuring cup, bring water to almost boiling and set aside to cool slightly.In a large bowl, whisk the oil and sugar together.

Add in the eggs, one at a time until well mixed. Add the extracts and the sour cream and stir. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Stir the milk and water together. Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to the sugar and stir. Add in half the milk/water and stir.

Continue alternating, making sure to end with the flour until all ingredients are combined.

Place paper liners in a cupcake pan and divide the batter evenly among 14 cupcakes. They should be about halfway filled to allow room for the topping.In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar and cinnamon.

Add in the butter and using a pastry cutter, mash the butter into the mixture until you have coarse crumbs. Crush the cereal and add it to the mixture.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the topping on each cupcake.Place in the oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. 

Let cool completely before frosting.In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and maple extract and blend until creamy.

Place into a piping bag and create swirls on top of each cupcake. Dust top with a tiny amount of cinnamon.

Whether you’re hosting a brunch with friends or just want to treat yourself to something special, these cupcakes are sure to impress. Plus, they’re a fun twist on a beloved breakfast favorite that everyone will love!

FAQs

How to Store Leftovers

Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.

Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated to keep the buttercream firm — bring to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving, since cold buttercream is noticeably stiffer and less flavorful straight from the fridge.

Here are some more delicious cupcake recipes to try: