Snickerdoodle Cake
As I enjoyed Sunday's snickerdoodles with the kids, I couldn't help but wonder how I could turn the classic cookie into a cake. I immediately I started looking for recipes on Pinterest and my favorite cake blogs, but wasn't 100% excited about any. I didn't just want a vanilla cake with cinnamon sugar frosting. No, I like taking it to the next level... or at least attempting to (doesn't always work out).
My vision for this cake included buttery cake layers with cinnamon speckled throughout, and different flavors and textures between each layer.
As I looked around, I came across a churro chocolate cake on The Cake Blog that sounded and looked divine. While I wasn't in the market for spiced chocolate ganache, the cake recipe itself was seemingly perfect for what I wanted my cake to be - just needed to add a big spoonful of cinnamon! So I went with their cake recipe and was really pleased with how it turned out. Despite the whopping amount of sugar it calls for, it wasn't overly sweet (which was a good thing since the filling and frosting take care of that quite well).
For the fillings, I decided to use Sweetapolita's cinnamon sugar spread from her Sugar Spice Delight cake. I love the texture it adds to the cake, as well as the added punch of cinnamon sugar.
Then, the other idea I had was to add white chocolate ganache, thanks to some snickerdoodle white chocolate blondies a friend recently made me (check out Sally's Baking Addition for that recipe. It's delish!).
After sampling the cake, I actually don't think it needs the white chocolate ganache. In fact, it wasn't really noticeable, and I liked the rest of the cake just fine without it. Next time around, I think I'll skip the white chocolate ganache and just use the cinnamon sugar spread and a thin layer of frosting in between each of the cake layers. If you decide to use the white chocolate ganache, let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Snickerdoodle Cake
Yield: 6-layer, 8-inch cake
Ingredients
For the Cake (adapted from The Cake Blog)
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cups sugar
9 egg whites, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted twice then measured
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Sugar Spread (recipe by Sweetapolita)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
For the White Chocolate Ganache
1 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
For the Brown Sugar Buttercream
3 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 cups confectioners' sugar
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8" round pans with butter, parchment and flour.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Stir vanilla into buttermilk. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed using the paddle attachment. Cream until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. With the mixer on low, add egg whites one at a time. Mixing well after each egg.
6. Add one third of your dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
7. Add one half of your buttermilk. Mix. Alternate ingredients again. Dry, wet, dry and mix gently. Do not over mix.
8. Divide batter between the three prepared pans. Bake 30-33 minutes, rotating pans around 20 minutes. Cake is finished when a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool 10-20 minutes before inverting cakes from pans. Cool completely before assembling cake or wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate if not using until the next day.
For the Cinnamon Sugar Spread
1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until incorporated
For the White Chocolate Ganache
1. In a small sauce pan, heat the cream to a simmer and then pour over the white chocolate chips in a separate bowl.
2. Let the cream sit on top of the chips for 10 minutes, and then stir until glossy and shiny.
For the Brown Sugar Frosting
1. In a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together for 3-6 minutes until nice and fluffy.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar, and then the vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. You can add a tablespoon or two of cream if the frosting feels too dense. Beat the frosting again for another few minutes.
Assembly
1. After cakes are cooled and chilled, divide each cake in two, horizontally. Place your first cake layer, face up, on a cake plate or foil wrapped cardboard. Spread the cake with 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar filling. Then spread 1/3 of the cooled white chocolate ganache on top of the cinnamon sugar layer. If the ganache is still runny, set the cake in the refrigerator to let the chocolate set before continuing.
2. Place your next cake layer on top of the cinnamon sugar and white chocolate. Spread 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the brown sugar frosting evening across the cake layer.
3. Repeat steps one and two, so you have three layers with the cinnamon sugar and white chocolate and two layers of frosting. Crumb coat the cake with the brown sugar frosting and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Frost the cake with the remaining brown sugar buttercream. Can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, overnight but make sure to serve room temperature.