I can’t be the only person who has childhood memories of the corner store y’all. Back in the day, I would grab a candy bar, chips, ice pops and of course a honey bun. My honey bun cake recipe will give you all the vibes of the original. I make a sheet cake that’s simple and buttery but with a cinnamon swirl in the center. Then I bake it up and top with a sweet glaze just like the OG treat. Every time I make it, that nostalgia hits me hard.
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How to Make Honey Bun Cake
Step 1: Prep the Cake and Cinnamon Swirl
- Mix the cake mix, oil, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla together.
- Pour half of that thick, creamy mix into a well-greased 9×13 pan.
- Stir up the cinnamon swirl by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Step 2: Swirl it Up and Bake
- Sprinkle all of the cinnamon swirl over the cake batter.
- Pour the remaining cake batter on top and carefully swirl a knife through the batter. Have a little fun y’all!
- Bake until a toothpick comes back moist but mostly clean.
PRO TIP: Make sure you don’t over swirl the cinnamon swirl. If you do, the layers of cake and cinnamon will blend too much, and you won’t have the different flavors and textures of a honeybun.
Step 3: Glaze it Up!
- Mix all of the icing ingredients together until pourable.
- Pour over the cake and let set.
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PRO TIP: Make sure you let the cake cool till it’s room temp before adding the glaze. Or it will melt completely off the cake boos.
Honey Bun Cake Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 box yellow cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
For the Icing
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 4 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Whisk together cake mix, oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan and pour in half of the batter and level in the pan.
- Next combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and pour on top of the batter. Pour remaining cake batter on top then use a knife and swirl through the batter.
- Bake for 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
For the Icing
- Mix together all ingredients then pour over cake and let set.
Notes
- Room Temp: This cake keeps for at least 3-4 days (at room temperature). Just be sure to either tightly wrap it in plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container.
- Fridge: It will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just keep it wrapped well.
- Freezer: Make sure you wrap it well and it will stay for up to 2 months.
- Serving Again: Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. Try warming up your leftovers in the microwave for a few seconds and serve with a glass of milk! So delish y’all!
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Room Temp: Make sure the eggs and milk are room temperature so the cake batter ends up smooth and well mixed.
- Grease Well: For a clean release, use my cake release recipe.
- Glaze Tip: To really let that glaze seep into the cake, poke the cake with holes on the top so it soaks in.
- Let it Set: To get that iconic hardened glaze on a honey bun, make sure you let it set up before you cut it.
Ingredient Notes
- Cake Mix: You can definitely sub in a homemade cake base if you prefer. Try this yellow cake recipe or sour cream pound cake for a more dense texture!
- Add Sweet Potato: Before you turn your nose up at me, it’s so good that I even developed an entire recipe for it, so go get at my sweet potato honey bun cake!
- Sour Cream: Or plain greek yogurt.
- Vegetable Oil: or canola oil or even melted butter works.
- Powdered Sugar: You can totally make this from scratch. Use my powdered sugar recipe.
- Spices: Swap out all of the spices for a pumpkin pie or apple pie spice.
Recipe Help
If you are planning to eat it in a day or two, nope. But if are keeping it longer, pop it in the fridge and just make sure it’s wrapped tightly.
Because we are using sour cream, it will be kinda thick but it will still bake up perfectly.
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I just made this cake, absolutely delicious and simple to make. My husband loves honey buns, this cake will probably be gone by morning. My glaze doesn’t look like yours, I probably should’ve cooled the cake more before pouring on the glaze.
I recently(several weeks ago) made this very delicious cake, and my family and friends ate it up. I mean scraped the pan clean of crumbs and frosting bits. I had someone from Brookly, come back to my place in Queens, because she was in the neighborhood(wink wink) to say hi. Thank you, it was a great hit. Your cake just added to my reputation. As a thank you, I purchase your book & download bundle. I will put it to get use and share your name.
Another score for this cake!!!!! I swear this cake turned out aooooo so darn delicious and moist omg!!!! I absolutely love all your recipes!!!! Thanks again for this one..
I had made this cake for my craft group and it was a BIG HIT!
Fantastic! So glad you all enjoyed it!
I made this cake for a brunch I was hosting, I only had 1/3 cup of sour cream so I added plain yogurt for the rest. I also just mixed in cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar instead of swirling it in. It was a huge hit. Everyone wanted the recipe.
I made this and my family loved it, however, it’s very sweet. Next time I’ll reduce the amount of brown sugar.
I read the comments and there seemed to be some confusion about buttermilk in the recipe. I noticed a comment in the Powdered Sugar Glaze section under TIP…”TIP: If you’re looking to mix things up, change up the liquid component used in the recipe. For example, use a citrus juice (lemon, orange or grapefruit) or buttermilk for a tangier icing.”
This might be what previous comments were referring to.
The buttermilk is mentioned in the options for the icing. (example, use a citrus juice (lemon, orange or grapefruit) or buttermilk for a tangier icing.) I would assume you would use the same amount of buttermilk as is listed for milk for the icing; 4 tbsp milk! It sounds delicious Jocelyn! I may have to try this one!
Buttermilk? 4 the chicken and waffles? No buttermilk 4 the cake.
I will be dreaming of this cake now! Looks amazing…