Our deliciously gooey honey bun cake recipe has swirls of cinnamon and brown sugar and is topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. It's easy to make, and tastes just like a honey bun!
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I love recipes with shortcuts like starting with a box cake mix in this easy honey bun cake recipe. My quick and easy Cinnamon Sticks recipe is another yummy shortcut recipe (it starts with prepared pizza dough)—it has all the flavor of cinnamon rolls without the work. If you like this honey bun cake recipe or the cinnamon sticks at Domino's or Pizza Hut, give it a try too!
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What you need to make this Honey Bun Cake recipe
- Yellow cake mix (butter cake mix will also work)
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Vegetable oil
- Light brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Non-stick cooking spray
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make this Honey Bun Cake recipe
1. Place cake mix, oil, eggs, and sour cream in a bowl and mix well. You can use an electric mixer, but I find that it's not necessary. A whisk is helpful if you are doing this by hand.
2. Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix well.
3. Spread half of the cake batter in a prepared pan.
4. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter in the baking pan.
5. Spread the remaining cake batter over the cinnamon sugar layer in the pan.
6. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and brown sugar over the batter in the baking pan and use a knife to make swirls in the batter.
7. Make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
8. Bake the cake at 325ºF for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with no uncooked batter on it (it might have the cinnamon sugar swirl on it).
9. Pour the glaze over the honey bun cake while it is still hot from the oven.
Enjoy!
Variations
Gluten-free. It's easy to make this honey bun cake recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free cake mix.
Bundt pan version. You can bake this honey bun cake recipe in a regular baking pan or a Bundt pan. The Bundt pan will result in a beautiful cake that really shows the cinnamon swirls in each slice.
Bundt pan adjustments. You will need to adjust the baking time to your specific pan, so start at about 40 minutes at 325ºF and check for doneness with a toothpick or wooden skewer. When it comes out clean or with only the cinnamon swirl on the wood, the cake is done. Let it cool until the pan is cool enough to touch, then put a cake platter upside down on the Bundt pan. Invert the pan so that the cake settles on the platter, and remove the pan. Drizzle the honey bun cake immediately with the glaze. You may need to cut back on the amount of glaze you use for the Bundt pan version.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Recipe
Honey Bun Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup oil
- Non-stick cooking spray
For the swirl mixture:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F.
- Combine 1 box yellow cake mix, 4 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, and ¾ cup oil (mixture may be slightly lumpy). Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon for the swirl mixture, and set aside.
- Prepare a 9"x13" baking dish with Non-stick cooking spray. Pour half of the cake batter into the baking dish, spreading the batter out evenly. Add half of the swirl mixture to the top, covering the entire layer of batter. Pour the remaining batter on top, and spread out until even. Top with the rest of the swirl mixture.
- With a knife, swirl the batter together in a circular motion. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cake tests done with a toothpick.
- To make the glaze, mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until glaze is smooth and lump free.
- Top cake immediately with glaze as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Let cool before serving.
Notes
Nutrition per serving
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Amanda
I made this on Christmas, and it's a pretty forgiving recipe. I didn't realize I didn't have any oil, so I used melted butter. I never remember that the butter will no longer be liquid once it's no longer hot. So my batter was even lumpier than I suspect Mary Ann intended. There was also less of it due to my substitution, so I used a smaller pan. Baking according to directions still worked out. My powdered sugar was old and had taken on an interesting taste, which I didn't realize until I had already put the icing on the cake. (Powdered sugar doesn't go bad. It just takes on a weird aftertaste.) So I scraped most of the icing off, which just left a slight glaze on the cake. Despite all the things I did to break this recipe, it was still delicious! Oh, and I used gluten-free mix, and it was the first cinnamon roll/honey bun experience I've had in years. I can't wait to make it according to the actual recipe!
Mary Ann
I'm glad it worked out despite the butter and powdered sugar! Thanks for sharing your experience.