Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake
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A soft brown sugar cookie base swirled with cinnamon ribbons and topped with a creamy, spiced snickerdoodle buttercream. It’s one giant snickerdoodle you can slice and serve.
THIS COOKIE CAKE RECIPE HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME
Every year on my birthday, I post a cookie cake. It started in 2015 with a chocolate chip cookie cake when I turned 30, and it’s turned into a tradition I look forward to all year. I love that we’ve made so many cookie cakes that aren’t the norm: funfetti, peanut butter, triple chocolate, pumpkin, and now this snickerdoodle one.
Of all of them, this is my younger son’s favorite. When I retested it for this update, he took one bite and declared it’s what he wants for every birthday from now on. How can I say no to that? And I certainly don’t blame him– it’s downright delish.
Retesting was necessary because this is one of those recipes that sometimes gets comments about a middle that isn’t done, or a dough that’s too hard to work with. I took it back to my kitchen and tested every step until I figured out where things were going sideways. The recipe has been tested extensively, and the notes below reflect what I found.
THE LESSON: HOW TO TELL WHEN A COOKIE CAKE IS DONE
Believe it or not, I found folks’ most common hiccup in the baking of this recipe. Common complaints were that it was cooked on the edges and “raw” in the middle, and I knew that I’d baked it successfully numerous times AND the recipe had several positive reviews.
So I figured it was time for a short lesson. This lesson actually applies to all cookies, and since a cookie cake is just one giant cookie, it apples to those as well.
Please understand: when the edges are set and the center is no longer shiny, it’s done.
At 30 minutes, which is what you’re directed to bake this snickerdoodle cookie cake for, the middle will still look and feel quite underdone. That’s actually totally normal.
The cookie cake settles as it cools, which lends to a soft, chewy center and slightly crisp edges, just like a great cookie. The edges will look a little more “risen” than the center, and that’s supposed to happen. Don’t bake it longer, or you’ll lose that soft middle and your edges will get super hard and crunchy.
THE DOUGH SHOULD NEVER BE HARD
This is another complaint I’ve read, and my only guess is that folks confused ¾ cup of butter with ¾ of a stick. Those are wildly different amounts! The former is 12 Tablespoons and the latter is only 6.
If your dough feels stiff or hard, something went off along the way, so be sure to check your butter.
This recipe has a few components, so follow the steps in order, pay attention to the ingredients, and you’ll be golden.
THE RECIPE AT A GLANCE
Start by making the cinnamon ribbons: you’ll whisk melted butter and an egg white together, then whisk in both sugars and the cinnamon until the mixture is smooth. It will be runny, and that’s fine.
Make the cookie dough: whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl, then whisk the melted butter and sugars in another, then the egg, extra yolk, and vanilla. Combine the two teams then mix everything together until no flour clumps remain.
Create the cinnamon ribbons: pour the cinnamon mixture over the dough and stir roughly 5 to 7 times, stopping while it’s still streaky. The batter will be very wet, and that’s what we’re looking for. The swirls are what give you cinnamon ribbons in every slice, so don’t mix them in until they’re gone!
Bake the cookie cake: pour the dough into a 9″ springform pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake for 30 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is no longer shiny ((remember what we talked about!!). Allow it to cool before you pipe any frosting onto it, and remember that it will settle as it cools.
Frost to your heart’s content: beat together the snickerdoodle buttercream and pipe it on with a Wilton 1M tip, or whatever tip you prefer (it can ever just be a bag with the corner snipped off), then finish the whole thing with more cinnamon sugar.
Leave it plain if you want to eat it like a snickerdoodle skillet cookie, or use any buttercream you like.
WHAT ARE GOOD CINNAMON SUGAR PROPORTIONS?
I get this question a lot, because sometimes you only need a little, and sometimes you need a lot. Adjust your portion as necessary but follow this ratio:
A ratio of 1:3 of granulated sugar to ground cinnamon is the perfect combination for a cinnamon sugar mixture.
There’s no better way to celebrate than with one big cookie, and cinnamon is one of my favorite ingredients to build one around. Follow the steps, trust the edges, and you’ll get a soft, chewy, cinnamon-swirled cookie cake that’s not too sweet, perfectly flavored, and topped with a delicate portion of snickerdoodle buttercream (which is probably my favorite part).
Dare I say it’s so good, I don’t even think it needs sprinkles?? Now that says something special.
Try some more of my snickerdoodle favorites: classic snickerdoodles, caramel stuffed snickerdoodles, and soft & chewy snickerdoodles (without cream of tartar)!
Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Recipe
Ingredients
CINNAMON RIBBONS
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg white reserve yolk for cookie cake
- 2 and ½ Tablespoons (32g) granulated sugar
- 2 and ½ Tablespoons (32g) brown sugar
- ½ Tablespoon ground cinnamon
COOKIE CAKE
- 2 and ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 2 teaspoons (5g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup (150g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 reserved egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cinnamon sugar coating: 1 and ½ Tablespoons (21g) granulated sugar + 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
SNICKERDOODLE BUTTERCREAM
- ¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15mL) milk or cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
CINNAMON RIBBONS
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and egg white until combined.1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, 1 large egg white
- Add both sugars and the cinnamon and whisk again until smooth. Set aside.2 and ½ Tablespoons (32g) granulated sugar, 2 and ½ Tablespoons (32g) brown sugar, ½ Tablespoon ground cinnamon
COOKIE CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 9" springform pan1 with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, toss together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.2 and ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons (5g) cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until smooth. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until completely combined.¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150g) firmly packed light brown sugar, ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg + 1 reserved egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir with a large spatula until no flour clumps remain.cinnamon sugar coating: 1 and ½ Tablespoons (21g) granulated sugar + 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Pour the cinnamon ribbon batter into the bowl and stir a few times to create swirls (about 5 to 7 strokes). Batter will be very wet. This is ok.
- Pour the cookie dough into the prepared pan and press evenly to the edges of the pan with the spatula. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar coating, then bake for 30 minutes until edges are set and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (see note #2 for important information regarding the doneness). Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack completely before decorating with frosting.
SNICKERDOODLE BUTTERCREAM
- In a medium bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Turn the mixer onto low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium, add the milk or cream, and beat until completely combined, scraping down sides as needed. Add salt and beat again.¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon (15mL) milk or cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of salt, 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- Remove cooled cookie cake from springform pan and place on serving platter. Fill a piping bag with the frosting and decorate the cookie cake. I like to use a Wilton 1M tip. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar mixture, if desired. Cookie cake remains fresh covered tightly at room temperature for up to 4 days. Undecorated cookie cake may be frozen, up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and allow to come to room temperature before decorating.
Video
Notes
- Springform pan: alternatively, you may use a 9″ pie plate or a 8″ or 9″ round or square baking pan.
- Checking for doneness: after 30 minutes, the cookie cake will still look and feel very underdone, but if the edges are set and a toothpick or knife comes out mostly clean, the cookie cake is done. The cookie cake will also settle as it cools, leaving the edges a bit more “risen” than the cookie cake center. This is a common complaint from readers and they often think the cookie cake is not done or safe to eat. This is ok. Just like cookies, if the edges are set and the center isn’t totally wet, the cookie is done. This recipe has been tested extensively.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Happy Birthday Lynn! This does sound like the perfect birthday treat! Hope you have a great day and maybe there will be another one of these cookie cakes in your future. Definitely going to remember this one, I see a cookie cake in my future for sure.
Hands down the best cookie cake I’ve ever made. The swirls!! OMG!
The swirls!! Thanks so much, Marla!
We loved this cookie cake! My 6 year old son loves snickerdoodles and asked for “snickerdoodle cake like a cookie” for his birthday. We all approved!
Aww, I love that! Thanks so much for sharing, Samantha!
Is it possible to double this this recipe?
Hey, Kim– you can, but I would bake it in two separate 9″ springform pans or press the double recipe into a 9×13 sheet pan. I’m unsure how this would work out, but that’s my best suggestion. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Hello! I would love to make this for Thanksgiving. For the measurements, are they listed for 1 serving, or for the whole cake? Specifically, I am wondering about the buttercream recipe – it doesn’t look like much (but I guess you don’t need much to pipe the edges). Thank you for your help with this!
Hi, Christina– you are right, the buttercream is for the whole cake, because it just gets a small line of piped frosting around the rim. You’re welcome to make more or less depending on how much buttercream you like!
The recipe was easy to follow and the cake looks and tastes great. The icing also tastes great but there was nowhere near enough to fill a bag.
Thanks, Laurie! I’m not sure how the recipe got quartered in post. It’s fixed now! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Hi there! I definitely want to try this out because my boy is asking for a snickerdoodle cookie cake for his birthday and there’s not many recipes out there. Quick question – is it not necessary to add cream of tartar to this big one? I know typically we’d add that to snickerdoodle but didn’t see it in your ingredients. Thanks
Hi, Meryl– you are correct, you can make snickerdoodles without cream of tartar 🙂
I agree about cream of tartar as it gives a sour cream type flavor needed for a snickerdoodle.
You didn’t read the post or make the cookie cake– the substitution of the leavening agents does this.
Quick question… I assume I could make the cookie dough ahead of time and cook it later. Have you tried this, by chance? Do you think anything would need to change in the recipe? Maybe cook for longer, since it would be chilled or just let it sit at room temp for a bit?
It should bake just fine! I would make sure it’s covered tightly and refrigerated no longer than 2-3 days.
Thanks! Also I like how it has a bit of a pie edge to it. Does it back into that or do you have to spread it out in a way that adds a bit of a pie edge?
It will do it on its own!
Perfect! Prepped it earlier for my husband’s bday tomorrow and did not do a ridge and got nervous!
I thought it was delicious – as did all my neighbors I gave some too!
Thanks so much, Sharon!
This was a very heavy dense bread, not cake-like at all. If not for the cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top one would think it was more of a pumpkin bread than snickerdoodle. I did not care for it at all.
Hi! This is not a CAKE. It’s a COOKIE CAKE. So that would explain why the texture isn’t what you expected. Thanks for giving it a try!
Delish! 🤤 made for my son in law, a lover of cookie cakes. he said it was the best cookie cake EVER!
Thank you, Daria!
I made this gluten free and it came out perfectly. I followed your recipe exactly but subbed King Arthur’s 1:1 gluten free flour. I also made a cream cheese buttercream to pipe on after it cooled. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing, Chris 🙂
I was looking through comments hoping to find someone did exactly what you did and am so happy to see it worked out! I am planning on giving making it GF a go as well! Thank you! ❤️
Enjoy, Estee!
I can’t get my icing right? it’s not fluffy at all? what could I be doing wrong?
Hi, Maggie– maybe your liquid was too cold? Just keep mixing it and it should warm up/come together with time!
This sounds AMAZING! Do you think this would work in a 12” pan by chance?
Hi, Beklyn– I would 1.5x the recipe if you wanted it go to in a 12″ pan. Enjoy!
Is the 3/4 cup butter supposed to be melted? I followed the instructions exactly. Mine turned into a glob of dark greasy mess 1/4 high and not fitting to eat. I have never seen anything turn out like that, and I bake cakes and cookies all the time and sell them. I also made a chocolate chip cookie cake from a recipe calling for softened butter. The only thing really difference in main ingredients was the melted butter.
Hi, Jane– yes, the butter is supposed to be melted. I have no idea where your recipe went wrong, because I can assure you the recipe works great, as you can see by other positive reviews and the photos. Most all of my cookie cake recipes use melted butter and they work perfectly fine. Are you sure you used 3/4 cup and not 3/4 of a stick?
If I were to bake this in a heart shaped pan, how should i adjust baking time? This looks great and I’d love to make it for Valentine’s Day 🙂
Hi, Serena– what size is it? If it’s an 8-9″ heart, the baking time will be relatively the same. If it’s significantly larger or smaller, you’ll want to adjust. Bake longer for smaller (it will be thicker) or shorter for larger (it will be thinner). Let me know how it goes!
WOW WOW WOW – Listen I am not a cookie cake person, I didn’t even know I liked Snickerdoodles, then I had a bite of this. JUST WOW!!!
I made this for my friends baptism (she loves snickerdoodles) and got raving reviews – everyone at church loved it. She loved it. I was like okay, I guess I’ll try a bite and… done. I. Am. Hooked.
This recipe has made it into a rotation of favorites that I will bring everywhere I go.
I did have trouble with the ribbon getting it to be a ribbon and not just mixed in, haha, but that’s whatever. It was delicious and fantastic. And also this is user error, nothing to do with the recipe.. but if there is a tip for success here I’d love to hear it 🙂
I put it on a small sheet tray instead of a 9″ circle pan, also baked it for 10 minutes less (figured my tray was slightly larger so bake time should be less) and it came out beautiful. Chewy, delicious, perfection.
Ohhhh yeah, I was also squirting the buttercream into my mouth – dangerously good.
A gal asked if I can make it with gluten free flour – I have no idea, so I’m going to try because why not.
Fantastic recipe, 10 out of 10!
Hey, Jen– thanks so much for this thorough review! No real tricks for making a ribbon except to only stir it a few times, but there’s nothing wrong with however it is you did it for yours 🙂 this recipe should work just fine with a 1:1 all-purpose sub without any additional adjustments. Let me know if you try it!
This is one of the only snickerdoodle cookie cake recipes out there and I was really having high hopes for the recipe followed everything exactly as stated in the recipe used a 9 inch spring pan have an oven thermometer so I know the temperature is correct. This cook took me over 40 minutes to bake. The outside was done at the 30 minute mark, but the inside was complete mush, completely disappointed.
Hi, Colleen– I’m not sure what to tell you since I wasn’t there. You can see there are several positive reviews, and I personally have made this cookie cake with success many times.
I seen your replies to others that did not have success with this cookie cake and I was not expecting you to be able to rectify the problem, as I followed every instruction accurately. I just wanted to let it be know sometimes it’s genuinely just the recipe that doesn’t work for certain individuals, could be the climate outside could be the temperature inside who knows but for the others who had this same issue those are things to think about. Appreciate you sharing your recipes wishes this one would have worked out for me. Have a great weekend
I agree with this comment. I just made this and although i followed every step exactly, my outside is plenty done while the inside just won’t bake. i’ve tried putting it in for longer, getting to a total of 45 mins and the inside is still complete mush. i’m sure everyone else had theirs work out fine, i just don’t know why mine didn’t work. i’m wondering if it’s the ribbon mixture. although even after mixing that in my dough was still just as thick as before i mixed it in, so i know it wasn’t too runny. i’m not sure. i just wanted to throw it out there i had the exact same experience.
Hi, Kaylin– I’m not sure what went wrong, but I am testing this recipe next month for accuracy.
Can I bake it and freeze? I would let it thaw first and try en frost it.
Hi, Marnie– yes, you can. Enjoy!