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This easy Snickerdoodle Layer Cake is full of cinnamon and sugar! Four layers of moist cinnamon cake are layered with a snickerdoodle crumble and snickerdoodle cookie filling. It’s all covered with cinnamon buttercream for one amazing cake that would be an amazing Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert!
For more snickerdoodle and cinnamon-filled recipes, check out my Classic Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies, Cinnamon Roll Layer Cake or Apple Snickerdoodle Cupcakes.

My love for cinnamon runs deep. It’s hard for something to have too much cinnamon for me. Which is why when it comes to cookies, Snickerdoodles have always been a favorite.
I’ve incorporated Snickerdoodles into several desserts before, but somehow I have yet to do a cake. That changes today! This cake is pure cinnamon heaven. It’s got an amazing combination of layers and textures. The moist cake, the lightly crunchy snickerdoodle crumble and the snickerdoodle cookie filling make the most amazing combination of cake and cookie in one. This Snickerdoodle Layer Cake is for true snickerdoodle lovers.
How to Make a Snickerdoodle Cake
To get started, you’ll make the cake layers. It’s a four layer cake I so baked two cakes and divided each cake into two layers to get four. If that process intimidates you, check out my tutorial on how to level and torte a cake.
The cake layers are based on my favorite Moist Vanilla Cake, so if you’ve ever made that cake, this is basically a cinnamon-y version of it. Moist and delicious!
Next, you’ll make the snickerdoodle crumble. You’ll need a good number of cookie crumbs – made by crushing up snickerdoodle cookies – for both this layer and the other filling layer. If you have trouble finding snickerdoodle in stores, you can just use regular sugar cookies. There’s cinnamon added to every layer, so there’ll be no lack of flavor. Of course if snickerdoodles are available, go with those.
So for this crumble, combine the crushed up cookie crumbs with a little flour, sugar and cinnamon and then stir in some melted butter. Spread it out evenly onto a cookie sheet and bake it for about six minutes or so. You end up with as a crispy crumble that will maintain some cookie crunch once layered into the cake. Delicious!
This layer is one of my favorites. It reminds me of eating cookie dough because of the texture the cookies add, but because we are using cookie crumbs from already cooked cookies you don’t have to worry about any uncooked dough. It’s also not as thick as cookie dough, so slicing and eating isn’t difficult.
To get started, combine cookie crumbs with some butter. From there, add the powdered sugar, then add your cinnamon and vanilla. Finally, add some water or milk, as needed, to get the right consistency. This is going to be a little bit of a thicker filling than just a frosting would be because we want it almost cookie dough-like. But you also want it to have a nice texture and cut well. So use your best judgment when adding some liquid for the right consistency.
Finally you make your cinnamon buttercream. Layer everything together and then decorate as you like! I swirled some frosting on top and added some snickerdoodles and some left over cookie crumble, but feel free to cut that down if you think there’s already plenty going on in the cake itself.
This cake is a seriously fun celebration of all things snickerdoodle! It is literally full of cinnamon and snickerdoodle cookies! It’s so much fun to make an even more fun to eat. Such be a great way to enjoy your favorite cookie and a cake this holiday season!
You might also enjoy:
Classic Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes
Cinnamon Apple Layer Cake
Snickerdoodle Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
Snickerdoodle Fudge
Snickerdoodle Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 44 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 24 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy Snickerdoodle Layer Cake is full of cinnamon and sugar! Four layers of moist cinnamon cake are layered with a snickerdoodle crumble and snickerdoodle cookie filling. It’s all covered with cinnamon buttercream for one amazing cake that would be an amazing Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert!
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Cake Layers
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk
Snickerdoodle Crumble
- 1 1/2 cups (225g) snickerdoodle cookie crumbs*
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Snickerdoodle Filling
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups (375g) snickerdoodle cookie crumbs
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1–2 tbsp milk or water
Snickerdoodle Buttercream*
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (189g) shortening
- 8 cups (920g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2–3 tbsp (45-60ml) water or milk
- 4 snickerdoodles, cut in half
Instructions
1. Prepare two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. Add the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and beat together until fully creamed and light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
6. Slowly add the milk and mix until well combined.
7. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined and smooth, but do not over mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 32-36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
10. To make the snickerdoodle crumble, preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
11. Combine the cookie crumbs, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the melted butter and toss until well coated.
12. Spread the mixture evenly onto the cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes, or until lightly golden.
13. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes, then use a fork or something similar to toss the mixture and break it up. Allow to cool completely.
14. To make the snickerdoodle filling, add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth, then stir in the cookie crumbs.
15. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
16. Add the cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt and mix until well combined.
17. Add some milk or water, as needed to get a smooth consistency. It’ll be on the thick side.
18. To make the snickerdoodle buttercream, beat the butter and shortening together until smooth.
19. Slowly add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
20. Add the cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt and 2 tablespoons of water or milk and mix until smooth.
21. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or milk, as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
22. To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes so that they’re flat. Next, cut each cake horizontally to make 4 layers of cake total. See my tutorial for leveling and torting a cake for additional help.
23. To build the cake, place the first layer of cake on a cardboard cake circle or a serving platter.
24. Spread about a third of the snickerdoodle filling (about 3/4 cup) into an even layer on top of the cake layer. Your filling should be thick enough that it will stay in place. If it isn’t, too much liquid was added to it and thinned it out.
25. Sprinkle an even layer of the snickerdoodle crumble over the filling, about 6 tablespoons. Press the crumble down into the filling and spread a very thin layer of buttercream frosting over the crumble so that the next cake layer will stick to it.
26. Add another layer of cake, filling and crumble and then another layer of each, for three layers of each. For help moving the thin cake layers around, I find a cake lifter to be helpful.
27. Add the final layer of cake on top, then frost the outside of the cake with the remaining snickerdoodle buttercream frosting. Refer to my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, if needed.
28. To decorate the cake as I did, press cookie crumbles into the sides of the cake, along the bottom third of the cake. Pipe tall swirls of frosting around the top edge of the cake and top with more cookie crumble and snickerdoodles that have been cut in half.
29. The cake is best when stored in an airtight container and eaten within 2-3 days.
Notes
1. The snickerdoodle cookie crumbs are made by crushing up snickerdoodles. I added mine to a food processor. The number of cookies you need will largely depend on the size of your cookies. I used about 35 medium sized cookies to get the 4 cups (600g) of crumbs you’ll need.
This amount of snickerdoodle crumble gives you plenty of crumble to use for decorating with.
2. You could reduce the amount of buttercream needed if you don’t plan on decorating the cake the same way – with tall swirls of frosting on top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 1021
- Sugar: 92.5 g
- Sodium: 568.9 mg
- Fat: 58.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 121.4 g
- Protein: 6.6 g
- Cholesterol: 135.1 mg
Keywords: snickerdoodle cake, cinnamon cake, snickerdoodle dessert, thanksgiving desserts, thanksgiving desserts idea, easy Thanksgiving desserts, easy Christmas desserts,
do you have the recipe for snickerdoodle cookie crumbs yourself? because I can not find in Holland?
There’s a note in the recipe – the crumbs are made by crushing up snickerdoodles. You can buy them or make them and then crush them up.
So I just spent what I felt like was FOREVER making this cake, but boy was it worth it! The joy of my wife eating her gluten free snickerdoodle birthday cake was definitely the icing on the cake! Thank you for sharing such a delicious dish!
So glad it was a hit!
★★★★★
Made this for my husband’s birthday. Oh. My. GOODNESS! Fantastic tender cake and all the elements together made for a wonderful, delicious cake. I did put a skewer down the center as the layers moved around a bit, and I think I would do a crumb coat next time (I was a little short on time). I thought the buttercream would be too much, but I had nothing left over. Rave reviews all around. Thank you for posting this recipe!
★★★★★
So glad it was a hit!
Did you buy the snickerdoodle cookies for the cake or did you buy them? My snickerdoodles are not usually crumbly. They are kinda chewy.
I made them with store bought cookie dough, I believe. They were also on the chewier side.
my cake came out crumbly and fell apart.
Can this cake be made and frozen Or refrigerated to be eaten at a later time.
I don’t typically freeze full cakes. I don’t really know how well it would hold up. If you try it, I would thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready. You could make it and keep it in the refrigerator for a day before serving, but I wouldn’t make it much further ahead.
Making this for my office’s Secret Santa exchange for a Snickerdoodle lover! I’ve never made a cake though so I’m a little nervous to start with a 4 layer, but go big or go home!
Do you know what the bake time would be for 9 inch pans?
I don’t, I’m sorry. But your layers will be thinner so you wouldn’t necessarily need to bake them as long. But you may also want to not use four layers for this cake because they would be quite thin and probably very hard to work with.
I am in love with this cake recipe. I will definitely try this very soon. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
This cake looks delicious, Lindsay! I LOVE snickerdoodles and cinnamon, so this appeals to my taste buds 🙂 Love the idea of the cookie crumble. It must be delicious! I think I would personally be tempted unendingly to snack on the crumble while it’s cooling, and then I wouldn’t have any left for the cake. I guess I’ll just have to make a double batch of it 😀
Ha! I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!