Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake
With a snickerdoodle crust, snickerdoodle inspired sponge and cinnamon cream cheese icing, this cake is a cookie lovers dream.
This cake tastes exactly like a traditional snickerdoodle cookie. To get authentic flavor, I decided to incorporate actual snickerdoodle cookies within the cake itself. I did so by creating a cookie crust that sits underneath the snickerdoodle inspired sponge. The cookie crust not only adds flavor, but also adds a delicious texture to the cake, and an ever so slight crunch—it’s wonderful! The cake is decorated with a silky and delicious cinnamon cream cheese icing that ties the whole thing together.
What is a Snickerdoodle Cookie?
Snickerdoodle Cookies are simple in nature; they have a sugar cookie base with two signature ingredients: cream of tartar and cinnamon sugar. The cream of tartar is what gives them their famous and unique flavor. Without it, snickerdoodle’s would just be plain sugar cookies, but because of this special spice they have become their own unique, stand alone cookie.
Ingredients Needed to Make Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake
Despite this cake having a few steps, the ingredients themselves are basic, requiring mainly pantry staples.
Common ingredients include: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, cream cheese and powdered sugar.
Less common ingredients include: cream of tartar, cinnamon, molasses, and Lifeway Kefir. This is the kefir I recommend.
Tips to Make Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake
1.) Read through the ingredient list and instructions prior to getting started. Many baking missteps can be avoided by understanding the recipe and what ingredients are required. This includes mixing times; they are listed for a reason.
2.) When baking the Snickerdoodle Cookies for the crust, allow them to bake longer than if they were being enjoyed alone. I highly recommend using a food processor to transform the snickerdoodle cookies into fine crumbs. They should be processed until no large cookie pieces remain.
3.) Make sure to properly grease and flour the cake pans. There is nothing worse than a cake that sticks. More can be read about properly preparing cake pans in my blog post here.
4.) After the cake layers have cooled to room temperature, place them in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours to cool even further (I wrap mine in saran wrap before placing in the fridge). This will prevent the cake layers from slipping and sliding when decorating.
5.) Make sure the butter and cream cheese are room temperature before making the buttercream. Otherwise it will be lumpy.
Common Questions Answered:
How to store cake?
Since the buttercream has cream cheese, it should be stored in the fridge until two to three hours before enjoying. Avoid direct sunlight. Any leftover cake should be stored back in the fridge. The cake should be enjoyed within 3-5 days.
Can this cake me made into three 6” layers instead of two?
Yes, it can be made into a three layer 6”cake. You will need to distribute the crust and batter, into three pans. The baking times will need to be adjusted accordingly.
Can I make this cake ahead?
Yes, if making the cake ahead, freeze the cake layers. I recommend first wrapping in saran wrap and then in aluminum foil. I recommend leaving them in the freezer for no more than a week or two for top quality. Keep in mind, the cookie layer may not keep its crunch if the cake is frozen and then thawed.
Alternatives and Substitutions
Since this cake meant to be an authentic snickerdoodle dessert, I don’t recommend omitting the cream of tartar or cinnamon. Instead, try these other cakes for a delicious alternative: Whiskey Apple Cake, Pumpkin Spice Cake, Gingerbread Cake and Guinness Chocolate Cake. You can also, try my traditional Snickerdoodle Cookies.
Final Tip
To take this cake to the next level, brown the butter for the cream cheese icing. After browning the butter, make sure it fully solidifies before mixing with the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Otherwise, it will be too wet to handle.
Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp salted butter, softened + 1/2 cup melted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup for rolling the cookies
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon to taste
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, not packed
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup plain whole milk Lifeway Kefir
- 1/3 cup hottest tap water
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 stick salted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar, to taste
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper. Mix together the cinnamon and 1/4 cup granulated sugar into a small bowl. Set Aside. Grease two 9" cake pans with butter and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream 6 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda.
- Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients with mixer on low speed. Mix until incorporated, scraping the bowl to make sure dough on the bottom is mixed properly.
- Scoop or roll 1 tbsp size balls of dough, and before placing them on the baking sheet, roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 6 minutes and rotate pan. Bake for 5-6 minutes more. Cookies should be golden brown and a little crispier than if they were being enjoyed alone.
- Once the cookies have cooled, using a food processor, pulse the cookies until they are fine crumbs. Mix the cookie crumbs with 1/2 cup cooled melted butter. Divide the crumbs between the two cake pans, pressing the crumbs firmly and evenly into place. Set aside.
- Adjust the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed for 4 minutes. Drizzle the oil into the bowl on medium-low speed. Once incorporated, turn the mixer back to medium speed for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, briefly mixing batter on medium speed until smooth, scraping the bowl after each egg addition. Add in the vanilla and mix briefly.
- In a separate bowl, using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar and salt. Spoon and level the flours for an accurate measurement.
- Into a glass measuring cup, whisk together the kefir, water and molasses. Alternating between the dry ingredients and the kefir mixture, add a third of the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl on low speed. Immediately follow with half of the kefir mixture, followed by another third of the dry ingredients and the second half of the kefir mixture. Finish with the remaining dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated. Scrape bowl as needed and briefly mix one more time.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans with the snickerdoodle cookie crust. Bake. Start assessing your cakes at 20 minutes, but they could take up to 25 minutes or longer to bake, depending on the oven temperature. When a toothpick inserted comes out clean, the cake is done. Cool pans for 10 minutes, before running a knife around the edge of the pan and turning out the cake. Place cake on wire rack to finish cooling. Once cake is cooled, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This step is optional, but makes icing the cake easier.
- With an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until there are no lumps and the consistency is smooth.
- Add sifted powdered sugar and cinnamon to the bowl, 1 cup at a time, mixing first on low speed to prevent splashing, then turning the mixer to medium-low until it's incorporated. Repeat process with remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar. Give the mixing bowl a good scrape and briefly mix one more time to complete the icing.
- For a fluffier icing, the whisk attachment can be used instead of the paddle attachment.
- Place one layer of cake on a clean turn table or cake board with a small dollop of icing underneath. This works as a glue, helping prevent the cake layers from sliding around while icing. Place a large dollop of icing on top of the first cake layer, spreading evenly with a small offset spatula or knife. Place the second cake layer and repeat process. Any leftover icing can be used to decorate the cake with a beaded boarder, or another decoration of choice. Store cake in the refrigerator until 2 hours before serving.
Notes
To decorate the cake with tall buttercream swirls, an additional batch of American Buttercream will need to be made. Cream Cheese Icing isn't stable enough for that kind of decoration.
To decorate the cake with additional snickerdoodle cookies, the cookie recipe can be doubled. Just be sure to only use half of the cookies to make the crust.
You May Like These…
