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Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

Last Updated On: November 08, 2024 | Published: September 08, 2022 by Melissa Diamond | 9 Comments
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Every fall, we look forward to all things pumpkin- and this year, we are happy to share a delicious Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake with you.

This is the cozy, pumpkin version of our homemade Snickerdoodle Cake!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

This moist homemade pumpkin cake with swirls of cinnamon and brown sugar is the perfect fall cake recipe, Thanksgiving cake recipe, and more.

If you love cozy fall flavors, this cake is for you!

How to Make Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

This layer cake recipe is a delicious combination of our Pumpkin Spice Cake and Snickerdoodle Cake Recipes. (However, we did use the traditional mixing method rather than the Reverse Creaming Method that we used in our Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe).

You can find the full, printable recipe further down in this post, but here is a quick rundown of our steps!

First, Combine the Cinnamon and Brown Sugar in a small bowl and set aside for later.

For the Cake Batter...

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Prepare the Pans: Grease and flour three 8 x 2 inch round cake pans
  3. Flour Mixture: In a medium sized bowl add the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Whisk at least 30 seconds to blend. Set aside.
  4. Pumpkin/Milk Mixture: In another bowl, add the pumpkin and milk. Stir to blend and set aside.
  5. Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of your mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and mix on medium speed 3 to 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and vegetable oil and blend.
  6. Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yolk is blended.
  7. Add Dry and Wet Ingredients Alternately: With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and the pumpkin/milk mixture alternately. Begin and end with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry and 2 of wet).
  8. Mix until just combined, do not mix above medium speed or over mix. Next, we will layer the batter with the cinnamon and sugar.

Layering the Pumpkin Batter with the Cinnamon and Sugar

  1. Put approximately one cup of cake batter in each of the three prepared 8 inch round pans.
  2. Sprinkle the combined cinnamon and sugar over the batter in each pan and cover with the remaining pumpkin cake batter.
  3. Bake at 325 for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
  4. Allow the cake layers to cool in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning them out.

This layering is going to give our cake a delicious boost of brown sugar and cinnamon flavor. You can see the swirls in the photo below!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Whenever we make a spice cake or pumpkin cake, we love to pair it with cream cheese frosting.

The light tanginess of cream cheese is so delicious with spiced desserts, and our go-to cream cheese frosting recipe is always a favorite! It is so easy to make too.

We've added a bit of cinnamon to our favorite Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe for an added dose of flavor. This recipe consists of butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.

Frosting Consistency:

Cream Cheese Frostings are a bit on the softer side. If it becomes too soft while you are frosting the cake, simply pop the bowl, the piping bag, or even the cake in the freezer or refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm things up!

Recipe FAQs

Snickerdoodles are a popular cinnamon sugar cookie. Today's snickerdoodle-inspired recipe incorporates swirls of cinnamon and brown sugar into moist pumpkin cake layers. The combination is heavenly. (Check out our Pumpkin Prailine Cake and Pumpkin Spice Cakes as well!)

Yes, just as with most of our cake recipes (from Pumpkin Bundt Cake to Almond Cake, Carrot Cake and more, this cake freezes perfectly. In fact, when wrapped properly, cakes will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.

Wrap each cake layer in plastic wrap, followed by foil, and pop into the freezer. (For added stability, you can place each layer on a foil wrapped cake board if you'd like.)

When it is time to thaw the cake layers, place the wrapped cakes on the kitchen counter. Remove the wrapping after 30-45 minutes, and continue to thaw to desired amount. (Some bakers like to decorate their cakes when the layers are partially frozen, as they are less fragile.)

Yes, because of the cream cheese frosting, this cake should be refrigerated. However, for best flavor and texture, remove the cake from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving. This will allow the cake and frosting to warm and soften.

Assembling the Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

To assemble the cake, place the pumpkin cake layer on your cake base or pedestal. Spread with a layer of cinnamon cream cheese frosting, add the second cake layer, and repeat.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

Add the third cake layer and frost the top and around the sides of the cake with a thin layer of frosting (this is the crumb coat).

At this point, I like to chill the crumb coated cake tier for about 15 minutes in the freezer-- this is an optional step, but firm everything up nicely before adding the second layer of frosting.

Decorating the Cake

Decorate the cake however you like! I decided to smooth on my second coat of frosting onto the chilled cake using a metal bench scraper (heated under hot water). This makes for a really smooth finish.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

I also smoothed the frosting on top with a small offset spatula.

Using a small round piping tip (Wilton 4), I piped little daisies on top of the cake, and dots around the sides. I also piped a small bead border around the top and bottom of the tier.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

More Fall Cakes

If you love pumpkin desserts, we have a few more pumpkin cake recipes for you to add to your list. We even have a Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake version as well!

Don't miss these favorites from our Recipes section. Some of our most popular are our Pumpkin Cupcakes, Sweet Potato Cake, Spice Cake, Pumpkin Roll, and Gingerbread Cake!

You can also find our full collection of fall favorites here!: Favorite Cakes for Fall

We would love for you to check out our full collection of Cake Recipes, which includes favorite cake recipes from scratch as well as cake mix recipes!

If you are interested cake decorating we have lots of cake decorating tutorials! Many of our favorites are featured in our roundup of simple birthday cake ideas.

We also have basics like How to Make a Cake and How to Frost a cake (easily)!

Have you made this? We would LOVE for you to leave a ⭐️ rating as well as a comment and photo below! We really appreciate your feedback!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake

This moist, soft Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cake has an amazing flavor combination of pumpkin, spices, and a hint of brown sugar. If you are looking for a flavorful fall cake, you will love this recipe!

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Swirl

  • ½ cup (108g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) ground cinnamon

For the Pumpkin Cake Batter

  • 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
  • 2 cups (400g) sugar
  • ¼ cup (54g) vegetable oil ( I use Canola oil)
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon (6g) vanilla extract
  • 2 ¾ cups (360g) all purpose flour (plain in the UK)
  • 1 Tablespoon (12g) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons (6g) cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
  • 1 can (15oz) (425g) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)- We use Libby's
  • ½ cup (121g) milk
  • **Instead of using the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, you could also use 1 Tablespoon (6g) Pumpkin Pie Spice

For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 sticks (or 1 cup/226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened
  • 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (total weight 452g) I use full fat cream cheese. Using reduced fat or the spreadable cream cheese will cause the frosting to be too soft. Soften.
  • 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt (2g)
  • 6 to 6 ½ cups (690g to 747g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (3g) cinnamon

Instructions

For the Cinnamon Swirl

  1. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside for later

For the Pumpkin Cake Layers

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
  2. Grease and flour three 8 x 2 inch round cake pans - Cut a waxed paper or parchment paper circle and place in the bottom of each pan.
  3. In a medium size bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Whisk at least 30 seconds to blend. Set aside.
  4. In another bowl, add the pumpkin and milk. Stir to blend and set aside.
  5. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the softened butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed 3 to 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and oil and blend.
  6. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yolk is blended.
  7. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and the pumpkin/milk mixture alternately. Begin and end with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry and 2 of wet). After the last addition of dry ingredients, mix just until combined.

Layering the Batter with the Cinnamon and Sugar Swirl

  1. Put approximately one cup of cake batter in each of the three prepared 8 inch round pans.
  2. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the batter and cover with the remaining batter.
  3. Bake at 325 for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
  4. Allow the cake layers to cool in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning them out.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.
  2. Cut the cold cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated. If you are using a hand mixer you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.
  3. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cinnamon beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.
  4. Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don't over beat or it will become too soft. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a short while to firm it up a bit.
  5. This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.
  6. Will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake.

Cake Assembly and Decoration

  1. Place the first cake layer on the pedestal, spread with frosting, and repeat for the next two cake layers.
  2. I applied a crumb coat (thin coat) of frosting to the cake, chilled in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (or longer in the refrigerator) to firm things up before applying the final coat of frosting. If your frosting ever becomes too soft while decorating the cake, just chill it to firm it back up again.
  3. I smoothed the second coat of frosting around the sides and top of the chilled cake using a bench scraper and offset spatula. I added little dots, daisies and a bead border using a small round piping tip 4.
© Melissa Diamond

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9 Comments

  3. Hi Laura, You could bake in 2 (9x2) inch pans. The layers would not be as tall and you will need to bake a little longer until the center is done, check with a toothpick. It is done when the toothpick is clean or just a few crumbs attached. The recipe makes 7 1/2 cups batter. To make standard size cupcakes, bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes

    Reply

  7. I've made this cake twice, and it is amazing! I thought about using the recipe to make cupcakes for my church bake sale. Would that work? If so, what temperature and baking time? Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes.

    Reply

  8. I love anything snickerdoodle and anything pumpkin so this recipe sounds absolutely wonderful. Can your cake recipes be made into a 9x13 cake, and if so, how long would you recommend baking them?
    Thank you!

    Reply