High Altitude Snickerdoodle Cookie Cake

An easy high altitude recipe for a big snickerdoodle cookie cake, with a classic snickerdoodle cookie flavor, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and finished with piped buttercream around the edge.

You might also love these snickerdoodle cupcakes, snickerdoodle bundt cake, and classic snickerdoodle cookies.

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Cookie, Cake or Pie?

So is today’s recipe just a big snickerdoodle cookie cut into slices, or is it a snickerdoodle cookie cake? Or a snickerdoodle cookie pie? In my opinion, it’s all of the above. The recipe is the same as my soft and chewy snickerdoodle blondies. But instead of baking the dough in a square pan and cutting the cookie bars into squares, I’ve baked it in a round tart pan to cut it into wedges. With the wedge shape, it really looks like more of a pie than anything else, even though it doesn’t have a pie crust.

It’s not exactly a cake, though, like my sugar cookie layer cake which is made with two big cookies that are layered and frosted like a cake. But then again, the first cookie cake recipe I ever shared was this big chocolate chip cookie birthday cake with sprinkles and pink vanilla buttercream. And since you wouldn’t usually find buttercream or sprinkles on a pie, I called that one a cake instead of a pie. If you don’t want to add the buttercream border, you can serve slices just like pie, topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

So whether you want to call this a cookie, a cake or a pie, that’s up to you. It’s certainly debatable. What it is, though, is delicious. Soft, moist and chewy, and perfect for those who are more into cookies than birthday cake.

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. Today’s recipe will also work at lower altitudes and sea level without adjustments, though.

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

Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter. The butter adds fat, flavor and richness, as well as keeps the cookie moist.
• Granulated Sugar + Brown Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture, with a hint of caramel notes from just a bit of brown sugar.
• Eggs. Add structure, stability and moisture to the cookie bars, as well as make them chewy.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour + Corn Starch. The flour provides structure to the cookies, and a little corn starch makes them extra tender and soft.
• Cream of Tartar. Cream of tartar adds the classic tangy flavor that snickerdoodles are known for, as well as provides some leavening action to help them rise just a little.
• Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon added to the cookie dough gives these blondies even more cinnamon flavor, in addition to what’s sprinkled on top.

Instructions

Snickerdoodle Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom with non-stick baking spray.
• Place the butter in a saucepan, and melt the butter over medium heat on the stove. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon or whisk to stir together the hot melted butter with the granulated sugar (1 cup) and brown sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, cream of tartar, salt and cinnamon, until everything is evenly distributed. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and stir just until the flour is incorporated and you have a soft dough.
• Spread the dough into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the dough with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake for exactly 25 minutes, until the top crust on the cake is set.

Cinnamon Sugar

• Set the pan on a cooling rack. Combine 1 1/2 tbsp sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the cake.
• Let cool completely, at least several hours, before adding the buttercream. You can speed this up by cooling it at room temperature for one hour, then in the refrigerator for another hour.

Buttercream

• With an electric mixer, beat the butter for one minute until smooth.
• In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, cinnamon, meringue powder and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients by spoonfuls, then add the vanilla extract.
• Increase the speed to medium and beat for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape the bowl down several times. Turn the speed down to “stir” and mix for 1 more minute.
• Remove the sides of the pan from the cooled cake, and set it on a serving plate.
• Fit a 16-inch disposable piping bag with tip 6B, and fill with the buttercream. Pipe swirls of buttercream around the edge of the cake.

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

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