About This Snickerdoodle Cake
This soft and fluffy snickerdoodle cake is a cross between your favorite snickerdoodle cookie recipe and an easy snack cake recipe! The cake is made with a plush, pillowy butter cake filled with cinnamon sugar, and topped with even more cinnamon sugar.
@hummingbirdhigh delicious tbh #bakingrecipe #bakingszn #bakingtiktok #recipesoftiktok ♬ Christmas, holiday, orchestra track(781498) – Kirill Kharchenko
But wait, hold the phone. What do snickerdoodle cookies taste like? And why did I decide to turn their flavor into a cake?
Well, like snickerdoodle cookies, this cake is flavored with lots of cinnamon sugar. There’s a cinnamon sugar filling in the middle of the cake, as well as a cinnamon sugar topping that gives the cake a beautiful, flaky top.
And like My Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe, the cake is leavened with both cream of tartar and baking soda to give it a unique tangy flavor. Learn more about why cream of tartar is important in snickerdoodles.
Why You Should Make This Recipe
The recipe is adapted from the old fashioned coffee cake recipe that inspired snickerdoodle cookies.
When developing the recipes for My Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe and Snickerdoodle Recipe Without Cream Of Tartar, I discovered that snickerdoodles might have originated from an old fashioned coffee cake recipe.
Specifically: Stella Parks, former pastry chef at Serious Eats, writes in her cookbook that the cookies evolved from a popular cinnamon-scented cake recipe called the “snip doodle”. That sounded delicious to me, so I decided to hunt down the recipe for Hummingbird High—and I’m sharing it with you in this post!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make this quick and easy snickerdoodle cake, let’s talk about some key ingredients and potential substitutions:
Cream Of Tartar
You need ½ teaspoon cream of tartar to make this snickerdoodle cake.
Can I make this snickerdoodle cake without cream of tartar?
Okay, so you read my post about why cream of tartar is necessary in snickerdoodles and weren’t convinced. No worries!
You can substitute the ½ teaspoon cream of tartar and ¼ teaspoon baking soda with 1 teaspoon baking powder and still make this soft and fluffy snickerdoodle cake.
However, your snickerdoodle cake will taste slightly different. It won’t rise quite as much (though you’ll still get a decent crumb), and won’t taste as tangy.
Looking for a snickerdoodle cookie recipe without cream of tartar? I got you—this snickerdoodle without cream of tartar recipe is one of the most popular cookie recipes on Hummingbird High!
Can I make this soft and fluffy snickerdoodle cake in any other cake pans?
Yes! You can bake the recipe in a variety of different pans:
- Make the cake in a 9-inch square pan. Check for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier, at 40 to 45 minutes. The cake will be slightly shorter than if you’d made it in an 8-inch square pan.
- Make the cake in an 8-inch or 9-inch round pan. Bake Time will not change if you use an 8-inch round pan. However, if using a 9-inch round pan, check for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier (at 40 to 45 minutes into Bake Time).
- Make the cake in a 9 x 13-inch rectangular pan. Adjust Bake Time to 22 to 25 minutes. The cake will be much thinner than if you’d made if in an 8- or 9-inch pan.
How To Store The Snickerdoodle Cake
The cake slices can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze the snickerdoodle cake?
Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. Why? The snickerdoodle topping gets crunchy and flaky after it’s baked in the oven (similar to the sugar top of my favorite brownie recipes). If you freeze and thaw the cake, the topping will get soggy and lose its crisp!
Best Recipe Tips
Here are common substitutions for the ingredients in the snickerdoodle cake recipe:
- All-Purpose Flour. Substitute the all-purpose flour with your favorite 1-1 Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (I like the ones by Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur Baking Company) to make the cake gluten-free!
- Cream of Tartar. If you don’t have cream of tartar, you can replace the cream of tartar AND the baking soda in the recipe with 1 teaspoon baking powder.
- Unsalted Butter. You can substitute the unsalted butter with salted butter without any noticeable difference in taste. You can also use vegan butter sticks to make it dairy-free (though you’ll need to swap the milk out for a plant-based option too).
- Whole Milk. You can substitute the whole milk for 2% or skim milk (but your cake might be less flavorful). You can also use any plant-based milk to make the cake dairy free (though you’ll need to swap the butter out for a plant-based option too). Flavorful plant based milks (like coconut or oat) will make the cake taste like that flavor, too.
Get the Recipe:
Soft and Fluffy Snickerdoodle Cake Recipe
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 1 (8-inch) square cake
This snickerdoodle cake is a cross between your favorite snickerdoodle cookie recipe and an easy cinnamon coffee cake! The single layer simple cake is plush, pillowy, and topped with a flaky cinnamon sugar topping that resembles a snickerdoodle cookie.
Prevent your screen from going dark
For The Snickerdoodle Cake
For The Snickerdoodle Swirl
For The Snickerdoodle Topping
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Prep the oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously spray an 8 x 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Spray the parchment, too.
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Mix the dry ingredients for the snickerdoodle cake, swirl, and topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt for the cake.In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for the swirl.In another small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
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Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg and vanilla. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 3 to 4 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg and vanilla, and beat until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute.
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Add the dry ingredients and milk. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until the last of the dry ingredients are just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more and beat for 30 seconds.
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Assemble the cake. Pour half the batter (around 19.20 ounces or 544 grams) into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar for the swirl evenly over the batter.Scrape the remaining cake batter over the filling, and use the offset spatula to spread it evenly and smooth its top. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar for the topping over the batter.
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Bake the cake. Bake for 50 to 52 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan on a wire rack before slicing.
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Serve and store. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges of the pan and use the overhanging parchment as handles to lift the cake out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into 2-inch squares and serve.The snickerdoodle cake slices can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
