In honor of Valentine’s Day I’m resurfacing one of Foodie with Family’s most beloved posts: Snickerdoodle Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream. Make this sweet treat for someone you love.
This Snickerdoodle Cake is truly something special. A towering four-layer cake flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and butter is generously frosted with a rich Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting for a dessert that feels decadent and unforgettable. It’s indulgent—and worth every bite.
This is the cake that changed my expectations. It’s a Snickerdoodle Cake paired with a Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting.
Confession: I’ve never been a huge fan of ordinary cake or frosting. Still, the image of the giant layer cake from the classic film Pollyanna haunted my childhood—so perfectly layered and glorious that it felt unattainable. For most of my life I assumed no cake could live up to that vision. Then my friend Krysta sent me a single link, no fanfare, and introduced me to this recipe. She knows my soft spot for snickerdoodles, and she unknowingly gifted me my Pollyanna cake.
All of a sudden I was back at the fair with a massive slice of Snickerdoodle Cake and a grin to match. It was exactly as I’d imagined.
The cake itself is a cinnamon-vanilla butter cake—moist and warmly spiced. Layered and slathered with the one buttercream I truly crave—brown sugar cinnamon buttercream—it’s smooth but has a delightful crunch from sugar, with little pockets of brown sugar and cinnamon in every bite. Seriously: the buttercream is something else. For the complete frosting recipe, see the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting Recipe.
Who’s ready to bake?
Note: The buttercream recipe calls for a generous amount of butter. Yes, the quantity is intentional—this is a richly flavored frosting.
Cook’s Tips
Here are practical tips to help you bake and assemble a polished Snickerdoodle Cake.
- To grease two pans quickly, rub them with the butter wrappers from the butter you used for the cake. If using parchment, butter underneath and on top of the parchment for easy release.
- To flour pans evenly, put 1/4 cup of flour in one pan, swirl it around, tap the excess into the second pan, swirl there, and discard the remainder.
- Divide batter between pans with a kitchen scale for even layers. Without a scale, use a measuring cup to portion batter as evenly as possible.
- Smooth the batter in the pans and tap firmly on the counter several times before baking to settle it.
- Rotate pans front-to-back and side-to-side halfway through baking for even browning.
- Cool cakes completely before slicing into layers—rushing this step often results in broken layers.
- Before slicing layers, use a large serrated knife to remove any dome so layers are flat.
- When moving the cake to the serving plate for frosting, place four strips of parchment or waxed paper around the edges and center the cake on them. This keeps frosting off the plate; remove the strips after frosting.
- Make sure each layer of cake and frosting is level before stacking the next layer. It’s easier to correct as you go than to fix everything with frosting at the end.
- Once assembled, refrigerate the cake for at least an hour before slicing. Chilling helps the cake hold its shape when cut.
- If you forget any of these tips, it won’t ruin the cake—you’ll still have something delicious. Pour a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy.
Connect with Foodie with Family
facebook | pinterest | instagram
twitter | G+
Snickerdoodle Cake
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 sticks butter 8 ounces by weight, softened to room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups fine or superfine sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk warmed to room temperature
- 1 batch of Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Optional:
- Whole cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions
To Bake the Cake:
-
Preheat oven to 325°F.
-
Butter and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.
-
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
-
Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale.
-
Beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each and scraping down the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla.
-
Add about one-third of the milk and mix, then one-third of the flour mixture and mix. Repeat until all milk and flour are incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed.
-
Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake, rotating midway, for about 35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
-
Let the cakes cool in the pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks to finish cooling.
To Assemble and Frost the Cake:
-
Level each cooled cake and cut each into two even layers.
-
Place one layer on a cake plate, spread a layer of buttercream to the edges, and repeat with remaining layers.
-
Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream.
-
If you like, garnish the top with whole cinnamon sticks.
-
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.
-
Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the actual ingredients you use.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and use #foodiewithfamily so I can see your creations!
Originally published August 26, 2011.