Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake |Cooking With Amanda

Oh man, I could hardly contain my excitement to share this cake with you! You see, I'm a big fan of snickerdoodle cookies, and I've married a few of my favorite recipes with this Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake. Plus we all know that fall will be here before you know it, and let's face it, these flavors are great for fall.

The inspiration for this cake actually came from a friend of mine, who asked me if I've ever made my famous Snickerdoodle Coffee Cake Cupcakes as a cake. I had actually not tried that before, but being that this recipe actually starts with a box mix, I gave her a few suggestions and asked her to let me know if she gave it a try. The following weekend I thought, "gee, I should be making this cake!" So off I went to try the recipe.

I've made several adjustments to the cupcake recipe, but perhaps the most important change is that I've added crushed Snickerdoodle Cookies. I have a favorite recipe that I made, especially for this cake, and then gifted the leftover cookies to some friends. You can certainly buy some cookies if you'd like, or pick up a boxed mix for the cookies. I always think fresh backed cookies are best!

For this cake, I added an extra egg white to help make the cake a bit fluffier since I knew I would be cutting the layers in half. I also chose to use buttermilk instead of regular milk for the cake batter. I love the richness of the buttermilk. If you don't feel like buying buttermilk, you could definitely use regular milk.

When it comes time to make the frosting, time and patience is key. I beat the butter until it lighter in color, for 3 to 5 minutes before adding the powdered sugar. Once all the ingredients are added and blended, I usually beat the frosting for another 2 to 3 minutes for some extra air in the frosting.

I've got all types of tips and tools for frosting a smooth cake like I did with my Valentine's Day Cake. Luckily for this cake, you don't need it quite as smooth and perfect because you're filling it with cookies!

So let's get this straight. I am giving you permission to eat cake AND cookies for dessert with this Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake.

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Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 box vanilla cake mix
1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding
3 large eggs
1 large egg white
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup light sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Streusel:

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Frosting:

2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
7 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
5 snickerdoodle cookies

Directions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch pans.
Combine the vanilla cake mix with the vanilla pudding. Add the eggs and egg white, followed by the buttermilk, oil, sour cream and vanilla extract.
Beat on medium speed until all the ingredients are well combined. Use a spatula to scrap down the side of the bowl and turn the batter over from the bottom until well mixed. Set the batter aside and prepare the streusel.

For the streusel:

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Pour the melted butter over dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or fork to blend butter into dry ingredients to create a crumbly mixture.
Layer the cake batter and the streusel, swirling together with a knife. Any remaining streusel can be sprinkled over the top.
Bake at 350°F for 35 to 38 minutes until the cakes are done. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cupcakes are done. Allow to cool completely then "tort" the top of the cake, cutting off the dome so it is complexly flat. Then cut each layer in half.

For the frosting:

Allow butter to come to room temperature so it is soft but not melted. Beat butter in mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy for 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and containing mixing for another 2 minutes.
Slowly add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time while continuing to beat on medium speed. Add cinnamon and mix into frosting.
As the frosting starts to thicken, add the vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream alternating in with the and increase mixer speed to high to whip frosting for another 3 minutes until it's smooth and creamy.

To assemble the cake:

Place a dollop of frosting on the bottom of the cake plate and place the bottom layer of cake on top. The frosting will help prevent the cake from sliding.
In order to create even layers, I use a piping bag fitted with an open round tip, or simply cut off the end of the piping bag. I also highly suggest to use a lazy Suzan to rotate the cake as you work.
Fill the first layer of frosting by using your piping bag and pipe from the outside edge into the center. Gently spread the frosting with an offset spatula to fill in the gaps.
Place the next layer of cake on top and repeat the above instructions to fill the layer of frosting. Repeat a third time. For the top layer of cake, place it inverted, so the bottom of the cake is actually the top, creating a nice and smooth top edge.
Proceed to add your crumb coat by adding a cup of frosting to the top of the cake and gently spread out to the edges and down the sides. Use the leftover frosting in your piping bags to fill in the cracks between the layers.
Using an offset spatula or icing smoother, the wipe away excess frosting, leaving you just enough to coat the outside of the cake. Do not mix your crumb coating frosting back into your icing if it has cake debris in it. Refrigerate the cake for 15-20 minutes to allow the crumb coat to harden.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and proceed to the remaining frosting to the top and edges of the cake. To get a nice smooth edge, use your offset spatula and icing smoother to wipe away excess frosting.
Once you are satisfied with the frosting of the cake, crush 5 Snickerdoodle cookies into crumbs and press the crumbs around the bottom of the cake, and sprinkle the remaining cookies on top.