High Altitude Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Sugar

This high altitude snickerdoodle bundt cake is so incredibly soft, tender and fluffy. The cake is brushed with melted butter and then covered in cinnamon sugar. With the buttery cake and the crunchy cinnamon sugar coating, this deliciously addictive cake might also remind you of a churro or a cinnamon sugar donut.

You might also love these high altitude recipes for snickerdoodle blondies, snickerdoodle cheesecake bars, and brown sugar cinnamon layer cake.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Tastes Like Snickerdoodle Cookies. By using buttermilk in the cake batter, you not only get a very tender texture, but also the classic tangy flavor of snickerdoodles. And the simple cinnamon sugar coating is all the finish this snickerdoodle bundt cake needs.

Use Any Bundt Pan. You can make a large bundt cake in a 12-cup bundt pan, or scale the recipe down for smaller 6 or 10 cup bundt pans. And you could even make mini individual cakelettes instead of a bundt cake. The cinnamon sugar will look beautiful with so many different bundt pan designs.

Soft, Moist and Fluffy. You can serve this cake warm or at room temperature, and it’s fantastic either way. You’ll love the soft, fluffy texture, and how moist the cake stays for days after baking.

Prize Winning Recipe. While this snickerdoodle bundt cake is new to my site, I’ve based it on my popular high altitude snickerdoodle layer cake recipe, which so many of you have tried and loved over the years. This is a cake that has won first prize at your local baking competitions, and gathered hundreds and even thousands of dollars when donated to charity auctions.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Cake

• Butter + Cream Cheese. The high fat content of the butter and cream cheese makes a rich, velvety, flavorful cake that you’ll just love.
• Sugar. A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
• Eggs. The eggs give the cake structure and strength, as well as moisture and a bit of leavening action. I’ve noted in the recipe card that you’ll need 4-5 eggs. Usually, large eggs are about 1/4 cup in volume, but sometimes they can be smaller. So if your eggs are on the small side, you should use enough to fill a liquid measuring cup to the 8-ounce line, whether that takes 4 or 5 eggs. I used 5 eggs in my cake.
• Vanilla. Use a good quality vanilla extract for the best flavor. You can also replace half the extract with vanilla bean paste, or the seeds scraped from a vanilla bean, for a richer vanilla flavor.
• Flour. For an incredibly soft, light texture in your snickerdoodle bundt cake, I recommend using Swans Down Cake Flour. With its lower protein content, cake flour makes very soft, tender cakes. Cake flour can be controversial when used in high altitude recipes, since it has a reputation of not providing as much structure to the cake. However, I’ve used it many times in this recipe and many other of my white and vanilla cake recipes without issue. You can, however, use all purpose flour, too, which will make the cake a bit more dense like a snickerdoodle pound cake.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
• Baking Powder. Leavening agent.
• Spices. In addition to cinnamon, a classic spice for snickerdoodles, I like to add a little ground nutmeg or cardamom to complement the cinnamon.
• Buttermilk. Use full fat or low fat buttermilk, whichever you can find. I usually don’t have buttermilk on hand, so I almost always make my own sour milk with whole milk and a little vinegar. You can use either white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Cinnamon Sugar

• Butter. You’ll need to brush the baked cake with melted butter, to give the cinnamon sugar something to stick to.
• Cinnamon Sugar. Snickerdoodle cookies are always rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking, for a crunchy coating. So you’ll get more of that snickerdoodle essence by covering the whole cake in cinnamon sugar.

Instructions

Cake

• Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Thoroughly grease a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed (#4-6 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) for 7 minutes. Scrape the bowl down several times while mixing.

• Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating in each egg on medium speed for 1 full minute before adding the next egg. Add the vanilla.

• In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and spices. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Increase speed to medium and beat for 15 seconds.

• Spread the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean.
• Set the pan on a cooling rack, and cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack and cool for an hour or two, until the cake is just warm or room temperature.

Cinnamon Sugar

• Melt the butter, then use a pastry brush to brush the butter all over the top and sides of the cake. This will give the cinnamon sugar something to stick to.
• In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
• Set the cake, still on the cooling rack, over a baking sheet to catch the cinnamon sugar. The easiest way to cover the cake with cinnamon sugar is to take a dry pastry brush, scoop up the cinnamon sugar with the brush, and drag it up the sides and over the top of the cake. This will coat the cake in an even layer of cinnamon sugar, and is easier than trying to press it onto the cake with your hand. Gather up what falls off onto the baking sheet and brush the cinnamon sugar onto the cake 2 or 3 times until it’s sufficiently covered.

Note: You should not try to pick up the cake to dip it in the cinnamon sugar. The cake is too big, and you’ll end up breaking it apart trying to do this.

• Carefully slide a spatula (or a large cake lifter) under the cake to loosen it from the cooling rack, then gently transfer the cake to a serving plate.
• Serve the cake slightly warm, or completely cooled to room temperature.

Recipe Variations

Smaller Bundt Pans. For a 10-cup bundt pan (such as these Jubilee or Elegant Party bundt pans, scale the recipe down to 3/4.  For a smaller 6 cup bundt pan (like these Heritage or Anniversary bundt pans , scale the recipe down to 1/2.  You’ll have to experiment with shorter bake times, testing the cake for doneness.

Cakelettes or Mini Bundt Cakes. I love the idea of making mini snickerdoodle bundt cakes or cakelettes, covered in cinnamon sugar and arranged on a pretty serving tray for the holidays. This Nordic Ware Autumn Cakelette Pan and Nordic Ware Tea Cakes Pan would make the most gorgeous mini snickerdoodle cakes for a special occasion.

Sheet Cake. For a snickerdoodle sheet cake, bake the full cake recipe in a 9×13 inch pan, or half the recipe in a 9-inch square pan. Brush the top of the cake with the melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream. While this snickerdoodle bundt cake is fantastic on its own, it’s so good served with cold and creamy vanilla bean ice cream, or lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will this cake stay soft?

Store the leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature to keep it soft and fresh for up to 3 days.

Can this cake be frozen?

Yes, you can cool the cake, then wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3-6 months. After thawing the cake, brush it with the melted butter and coat in the cinnamon sugar.

Can I use all purpose flour instead of cake flour?

You can use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour.  Cake flour will make a lighter, fluffier, more tender cake, while all-purpose flour will make it a bit more dense, like a snickerdoodle pound cake.

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