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A Bundt cake can be perfectly baked and still lose a few chunks when it sticks in the pan. I learned to take the spray job seriously: this snickerdoodle Bundt cake has plenty of ridges for batter to cling to, and every crevice needs a thorough coat of baking spray with flour. Once it releases cleanly, the cinnamon-sugar finish turns the outside into the best part to catch with your fork.

The batter gets its tender, close crumb from creamed butter and sugar, room-temperature eggs and sour cream, and a gentle hand once the flour goes in. I alternate the dry ingredients with the sour cream so the batter comes together without extra mixing. Cinnamon and cream of tartar bring the familiar snickerdoodle character, while a buttery cinnamon-sugar coating covers the cooled cake. Each slice has a soft center and a sweet, lightly crisp exterior.

Why the Mixing Order Matters More Than Extra Beating

A Bundt cake needs to be sturdy enough to hold its shape, but working the flour too long can make the crumb tougher than you want. Creaming the softened butter and sugar first creates a light base, and adding the eggs one at a time helps them blend in evenly. After that, the mixer should slow down: each addition of flour needs only enough mixing to disappear.

Alternating the flour mixture with sour cream keeps the batter from turning into a stiff mass all at once. Starting and ending with flour gives the mixture a smooth finish, while the sour cream brings moisture and tang. The order also gives you a useful visual cue: once the final flour addition is incorporated, stop. A few seconds of unnecessary mixing can change a soft cake into a denser one.

This balance matters especially in a Bundt pan, where the cake has a long bake and a large center to cook through. The goal isn’t a whipped, airy sponge; it’s a tender cake that slices neatly and can support its cinnamon-sugar coating. Gentle mixing after the flour goes in helps land there.

What Gives This Cake Its Snickerdoodle Flavor

• Cream of tartar and cinnamon — Cinnamon gives the cake its warm spice, and cream of tartar adds the gentle tang associated with snickerdoodles. Keep both in the batter for a flavor that goes beyond plain cinnamon cake.
• Sour cream — Its thickness adds moisture without making the batter runny, and its tang complements the cream of tartar. Plain full-fat Greek yogurt is the most useful swap; replace the sour cream measure for measure, knowing the crumb may be a little less tender.
• Unsalted butter — Butter brings richness and helps create the cake’s texture when creamed with the sugar. Choose butter that is softened rather than melted; the quality of an everyday unsalted butter is fine here.
• Eggs and vanilla — Room-temperature eggs blend into the creamed butter more smoothly than cold ones, and vanilla rounds out the cinnamon. Use pure or imitation vanilla according to what you keep on hand; cinnamon remains the leading flavor.
• Granulated sugar for the coating — Its crystals stay distinct when mixed with cinnamon and pressed onto the butter-brushed cake. The coating adds a fine sugary crunch that powdered sugar won’t provide.
• All-purpose flour — It gives this tall cake enough structure to release and slice cleanly. Standard all-purpose flour is the dependable choice; a gluten-free variation is included below for cooks who need it.

How to Mix, Bake, and Coat the Bundt Cake

Prepare the Pan and Dry Ingredients

Heat the oven to 325°F and thoroughly coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Take time to cover the ridges and center tube, not just the broad surfaces. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cream of tartar together in a medium bowl. Breaking up any small lumps now helps the dry ingredients distribute evenly through the batter.

Cream the Butter Before Adding the Eggs

Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. The mixture should look paler and hold soft ridges rather than appear glossy or melted. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, then mix in the vanilla. If the butter is too warm and soft, it won’t cream properly, so start with softened—not melted—butter.

Alternate the Flour and Sour Cream

Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream in two additions; begin and end with flour. Mix on low just until the batter comes together, scraping the bowl if dry streaks remain. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Cool Fully Before Adding the Cinnamon Sugar

Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and lift off the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before coating; warm cake can soften the sugar before it has a chance to cling. Melt the butter and stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow dish. Brush the cooled cake all over with melted butter, then sprinkle and gently press the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the entire surface.

Simple Ways to Adjust the Cinnamon and Coating

Questions That Come Up While Baking This Bundt Cake

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake bakes up tender and buttery, with cinnamon in the cake and a crisp cinnamon-sugar coating. Bake it in a 12-cup Bundt pan, then brush the cooled cake with butter and press on the coating.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 8 minutes mins

cooling 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 48 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 500

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the cake

• baking spray nonstick with flour; as needed
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs large, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream at room temperature

For the cinnamon-sugar coating

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Equipment

• 1 12-cup Bundt pan
• 1 electric mixer
• 1 shallow dish

Method

 

Prepare and mix the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Thoroughly coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour, making sure to cover all the crevices.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cream of tartar together in a medium bowl.
4. Beat the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
6. Mix in the vanilla.
7. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream in two additions; begin and end with the flour mixture, mixing on low just until combined.

Bake and cool the cake

1. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
2. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
3. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes.
4. Invert it onto a wire rack and lift off the pan.
5. Cool completely.

Coat the cake

1. Melt the butter.
2. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow dish.
3. Brush the cooled cake all over with the melted butter.
4. Sprinkle and gently press the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the entire surface.

Notes

For the lightest texture, mix the batter on low just until combined. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; this cake freezes well. Plain full-fat Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream.