Jon’s 13th birthday was Friday and we had a family cookout for him on Saturday.  He had asked for a Snickerdoodle Cake, so I set off to take my sister’s recipe and use it with Pamela’s GF Classic Vanilla Cake Mix.  I followed the directions on the package for a cake in a 9 x 13 inch pan and added to the mix:

~ 1 tsp vanilla extract

~ 1 TBSP cinnamon

I baked for about 20 minutes, 5 minutes less than Pamela’s suggested.  I have been keeping a close eye on my baked goods as my new oven is persnickety or I am not used to it yet.  Sometimes the temp is spot on with my oven thermometer, other times it is off (usually when I am not paying attention, of course 😉 ). 

I let the cake cool, then flipped carefully onto a decorative plate.  I prepared the following frosting:

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Blend 1 stick of softened butter in a large mixing bowl on low speed for about 30 seconds.  Add 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 3 -4 TBSP milk, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp ground cinnamon.  Blend until sugar is incorporated (1 minute or so).  Increase speed and beat until light & fluffy (1 more minute).  If frosting is too thick, add 1 TBSP of milk.  Add food color for variety & fun.

The cake tasted amazing and got rave reviews by all.  I served only gluten-free cake to all of the guests and it went over well.  Jon loved it.  He had 2 or 3 pieces yesterday and 2 pieces today.  It isn’t the prettiest.  I am far from a pro cake decorator (please don’t submit to that blog that makes fun of cakes 😉 ), so it is funny looking.  Jon wanted me to put M & M’s on it to “write” Happy Birthday.  Only problem was that I only had the Easter Dark Chocolate ones and you can’t see them very well against the cinnamon frosting.  Oh well.  No laughing or making fun. 🙂