Snickerdoodle Layer Cake

I guess I was on a Snickerdoodle kick last week. After my friend Jen brought in Snickerdoodle mini cupcakes, I ended up making vegan Snickerdoodle cookies (Friday) and a Snickerdoodle cake (Saturday). The cake was for my friend Gary and his boss Dave, both of whom returned to work from paternity leave on Monday.

This recipe is intended to be a larger than life six-layer cake (which is my specialty and what I’m known for). Instead I broke it down into two three-layer cakes. The reason I broke the cake down into two smaller cakes is that I had never made this recipe, and I wanted to make sure it was edible before sharing. One cake ended up more appealing (had more frosting between the layers). That’s the cake I made for Gary and his coworkers to share. The other cake I tested before hand, then sliced up and brought in for my coworkers.

I brought the pretty cake to Gary’s department before he arrived and my friend Kyna told me she would let me know when they cut the cake. I politely passed on attending the grand cake cutting. When she mentioned my declination to Gary, he didn’t hesitate to tell her I had probably made a test cake and already tried it. Ha! My friends know me well.

This recipe was found at the Foodie with Family site, which is really cute – check it out if you haven’t had the chance.

ingredients.

3 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. cake flour
2 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. ground cinnamon
1 lb or 4 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
3 1/2 c. sugar
8 large eggs, room temperature
1 1 1/2 T. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. whole milk, warmed to room temperature

directions.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans, line with wax paper or parchment paper on the bottom, grease again and flour.
Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Beat the eggs in one at a time, fully incorporating each egg and scraping down the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix until incorporated.
Add about 1/3 of the milk, beat to incorporate, then add 1/3 of the flour, beating to incorporate. Repeat, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until all of the milk and flour are added and mixed in evenly. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake, for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the cake tests done. Done, in my mind, is a preference. Some people want a clean toothpick or knife. I like to have a little bit of the cake sticking to my toothpick. In my mind, this will result in a moist cake. Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before turning out onto the racks to finish cooling.

frosting ingredients.

1 1/2 lbs (6 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 T. ground cinnamon
6 to 8 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
milk or cream, if needed

directions.

Beat together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until fluffy and pale in color. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat, starting on low and moving up to a higher speed, until it is fully incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the bowl. Add milk or cream if your frosting is too stiff. (Beat to incorporate.) Add salt to taste. This probably sounds counterintuitive but I add salt to almost any American-style buttercream frosting as I find that they tend to be super sweet. However, I will add salt to any frosting recipe I think needs to have the sweetness cut.

cake assembly.

Level out your cooled cakes (if necessary) and cut each into two even layers. My cakes didn’t have much of a dome so I didn’t feel the need to even them. If they’re relatively even as is, you can even them out with the frosting.
Place one layer on a cake plate then add a layer of buttercream, spreading to the edges and evening out as you go. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Cover and refrigerate before slicing. (I like to make my cakes at least a day ahead so that the frosting seeps into the cake a bit, especially when I have wetter type of frosting.)

I used the brown sugar cinnamon buttercream frosting recipe that accompanied the Foodie with Family cake recipe. My recipe is slightly adapted. However, if you think a different frosting recipe would pair with this cake, you should feel free to use it. I received lots of accolades after serving this cake. The best one of all? Why haven’t you opened up your own shop yet? (Thanks, Julian!)

Recipe rating: