All my life I’ve dreamed of a cake like this! With mile high layers of buttery Mexican cinnamon cake filled with luscious cream cheese buttercream frosting; you won’t be disappointed!
Last year I made my now famous CHURRO CUPCAKES and this year I wanted a recipe that would rival the original to the core. For starters, I switched up the cake base. This cake is 30 times better than the original cupcakes. I’ve added a few extracts to this batter that truly add a professional bakery taste you’ll love.
Plus, you’ll notice this recipe blends dry ingredients with solid fats from the start. The result is a tender and moist cake that can’t be beaten!
This recipe can be made in one day, however, it can also be stretched over a few days. Be sure to wrap your cake in plastic wrap until it’s ready to be cut as this will lock in the moisture. Also, I’d suggest only making the churros right before serving. If the churros sit out too long or get stored in a bag or refrigerator, they will no longer be crispy. No one likes fried food that’s turned chewy and stale and this cake doesn’t deserve that kind of shame!
Finally, on to the Mexican vanilla this recipe uses. A few months ago I visited Mexico and picked up a few big bottles of Mexican vanilla extract for an amazing price. After doing some research, I found it online but naturally, it’s more expensive. You guys, I will never go back to vanilla extract from the grocery store. I am sharing a safeguarded baking tip because I’d want others to tell me, too. Splurge and get this Mexican Vanilla extract here or here. While it may look expensive, this bottle has 3x the amount of extract compared to a big bottle from the grocery store. I am in love with Villa Vainilla Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract.
Lastly, when it comes to the churros, you can opt for a prepackaged mix from the ethnic aisle in the grocery store or make this homemade version. Homemade churros couldn’t be any easier to make. Plus, this dough uses super common pantry ingredients and it’s easy to mix up in a few minutes.
What’s your favorite way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Our family loves to celebrate a fun Mexican restaurant with margaritas, tacos, and churros!
LOOKING FOR MORE RECIPES TO CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO? TRY THESE CHURRO CUPCAKES OR CHURRO FUDGE.
THESE BEEF RANCH TACOS OR THESE FISH STREET TACOS ARE PERFECT WITH MEXICAN STREET CORN.
Churro Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or 2 3/4 cup cake flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk ( I used half & half)
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons butter extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
For the Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 18 tablespoons (that's 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups powdered confectioner's sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons butter extract
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 12 ounces cream cheese, soft
- 2/3 cup shortening
For the Homemade Churros (see notes for alternative)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 casserole dish with parchment paper across the center with overhangs to easily remove cake later. Lightly spray casserole dish with cooking spray both under and over parchment paper; set aside.2. To make the cake - In a bowl fit with a mixer, combine flour, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine mixture. Slowly beat in chunks of shortening and butter. Once mixture starts to blend more, turn up mixer and carefully beat until mixture is semi-crumbly; set aside.3. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk, egg whites, Mexican vanilla, butter extract, and almond extract.4. Slowly pour wet mixture into dry ingredients while beating on slow. Once mixture is semi-blended, turn up mixer and carefully beat just until combined; about 1-2 minutes. Careful not to over mix batter.5. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish. Bake for 65 minutes or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.6. Allow cake to cool then removed it from the dish. Run a knife flat along the top of cake to create a flat cake. Remove extra cake from surface as this surface should be level.7. Next, cut all edges of cake to be flat as well. At this point, the cake should be perfectly level and rectangular.8. Next, cut the cake in half horizontally. To do this, decide where the center of the cake is. Run a knife through it with a piece of parchment behind it as to carefully pick the top layer off without the cake cracking.9. Cover cakes with plastic wrap; set aside.10. To make the frosting - In a bowl fit with a mixer, beat butter, powdered confectioner's sugar, and cinnamon; about 3 minutes or until smooth. 11. Beat in salt, Mexican vanilla extract, and butter extract.12. Turn up mixer and beat in chunks of cream cheese and shortening. Mix frosting until smooth.13. Frost bottom cake top as this will serve as the filling. Place top cake on and frost with remaining frosting. I used a cake spatula to evenly spread frosting around.14. Chill cake overnight or at least a few hours. Only make churros right before serving cake as they will become stale and soft if covered or refrigerated.15. To make the churros - Heat 2 quarts vegetable oil in stockpot. Heat oil to 350 degrees F. I used a meat thermometer to check for the correct temperature.16. In a medium saucepan boil water, sugar, oil, and salt. Spoon wet mixture into a medium bowl with flour using a measuring cup. Mix until blended and dough has formed. Fill piping bag with dough and cut tip off the end; about the size of your pinky.17. Pipe dough into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Toss with cinnamon sugar.18. Cut churros into pieces that will fit onto the top of the cake.Slice cake and serve.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it's accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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Churro Cupcakes
15 Responses
can we still bake this into cupcake pan? the cupcake recipe was amazing!
Hi Jade, yes that should work! Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Amazing cake, I’m over here drooling at your cake, sounds so unique, moist and delicious!
Although this recipe looks like it takes a lot of time, the end result looks AMAZING! I am so excited to try this out!
This looks ah-mazing! What a cake! I can’t resist cream cheese icing!
This is amazing!! I love that you use Mexican vanilla extract what a show-stopping cake!! Gorgeous and I can already taste how perfect this cake is!
Well this is very original and you can’t argue with how delicious it looks! Nice job!
Ummm….I may have died of deliciousness after seeing this. All my favorite things in one cake! Looks so light and fluffy with that crunchy cinnamon sugar. Girl, you certain went next level with this cake!
Wow, I am obsessed with churros! This is my kind of cake!!! Can’t wait to try it!!
DECADENT! Wow, your Churro Cake hits all the sweet spots… pun intended 😉 I don’t eat sweets often, but I have to admit, this cake looks awfully tempting!
Wow, this cake looks SO GOOD!! I think the hardest part would be not devouring the Cinnabon frosting before getting it onto the cake. it’s desserts like these why I don’t bake…because I would weigh 500lbs!!!
This is brilliant. You have all of my favorite flavors in a cake…. churro… cinnamon… sugar….cream cheese. This looks OUTRAGEOUS! I can’t wait to try it.
Hello Can we use regular baking pans here? would it be ok for 2x8inch (or inch) cake pans?
Thanks
Yes, 2 8 inch round (2 inch deep) cake pans OR 3 6 inch round pans. Hope that helps!Baking time may vary. Try baking for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean!
Wow this is such a genius idea for a cake and I’m already dying to make it!