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Snickerdoodle Cake
4.9 from 54 votes

Snickerdoodle Cake

The Snickerdoodle Cake features a cake flour-based batter enriched with butter, neutral oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, delivering a tender crumb with moist texture. A cinnamon sugar swirl adds a distinctive cinnamon aroma and speckled interior, while the cream cheese frosting flavored with cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla provides a rich, tangy sweetness. This cake offers the cinnamon-sugar flavor and softness reminiscent of snickerdoodle cookies, presented in a layered cake form for celebratory occasions.

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 719 kcal
Course: Dessert, Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 3 ⅓ cups cake flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter softened to room temperature and cut into Tablespoon sized pieces, unsalted
  • ½ cup neutral cooking oil avocado, vegetable, or canola oil
  • 1 ⅓ cup buttermilk room temperature preferred
  • 3 egg room temperature preferred, large
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Swirl
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup butter softened, unsalted
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Lightly grease and flour the sides and bottoms of three 8” round baking pans. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.
  3. Using an electric mixer on low speed, add butter one tablespoon at a time. Do not add the next tablespoon until the first has been fully incorporated. Mixture should resemble sandy, coarse crumbs.
  4. Add the oil and stir on low-speed until all of the dry ingredients have been moistened.
  5. In a separate bowl (I use a large measuring cup) whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.
  6. With mixer on low-speed, gradually pour milk mixture into flour mixture. Once combined, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl using a spatula. Stir once more until batter is uniform and smooth.
  7. Evenly divide cake batter into prepared pans and prepare cinnamon swirl.
Cinnamon Swirl
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon for cake swirl
  2. Sprinkle a heaping Tablespoon of cinnamon/sugar over each cake layer. Use a butter knife to swirl the mixture into the cake batter..
  3. Transfer cakes to center rack of 350F (175C) oven and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  4. Allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, and brown sugar and use an electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy.
  2. Add ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt, stir until combined.
  3. With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar until frosting is smooth and creamy.
Assembly
  1. If cakes are domed or unlevel, level cakes before assembly. I do thin layers of frosting between cake layers, a semi-naked frosting around the cake, and then decorative swirls on top using an Ateco 846 or 848 tip.

Notes

  • You may substitute 3 cups (375 grams) of all-purpose flour for cake flour, but texture will differ slightly.
  • For 9-inch cake pans, bake for about 22-23 minutes; two pans require less time than three.
  • Using a 13x9-inch pan takes approximately 30 minutes to bake.
  • Store the cake covered at room temperature up to 24 hours or refrigerate up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 719kcal (36%) Carbohydrates 99g (33%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 34g (52%) Saturated Fat 15g (75%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g (24%) Monounsaturated Fat 12g (60%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 104mg (35%) Sodium 357mg (15%) Potassium 126mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 72g (144%) Vitamin A 832IU (17%) Vitamin C 0.02mg (0%) Calcium 149mg (15%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 719

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 719kcal 36%
Carbohydrates 99g 33%
Protein 8g 16%
Fat 34g 52%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 104mg 35%
Sodium 357mg 15%
Potassium 126mg 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 72g 144%
Vitamin A 832IU 17%
Vitamin C 0.02mg 0%
Calcium 149mg 15%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.