Honey Bun Cake
This moist, indulgent, old-fashioned Honey Bun Cake is one of the best sweet treats! It’s one of our most popular dessert recipes on the site, and for good reason – the brown sugar and cinnamon cake mix is topped with a sweet glaze for a bite straight from heaven!
Who doesn’t love a super sweet dessert that’s layered with brown sugar and cinnamon? This tried and true classic Honey Bun Cake recipe never disappoints and is requested all the time by family and friends for potlucks, picnics, and birthdays.
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This recipe is inspired by my grade school. It was one of the most loved desserts by all of the kids because it’s truly addicting. I developed an identical recipe many years ago and it’s been passed around to all of our neighbors and friends, trust me when I say it’s so delicious!
We wanted to make this dessert recipe easy for bakers of all levels, so we use a box yellow cake mix as the base. The flavors of this cake are the perfect mix of a store-bought honey bun and a cinnamon roll.
We most often serve it for dessert, but some folks like to have it for a sweet breakfast or brunch treat. If you love an easy dessert recipe, try our Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake or Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake.
OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious!! This is a GREAT cake to make for a brunch, to have friends over for coffee or anytime!!! – Debi
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy to Make: Bakers of all levels will make this treat successfully!
- Less than 10 simple ingredients: We kept it easy, all of the ingredients are simple to find. The base uses a box mix for extra ease.
- Perfect Any Time of Day: This moist cake served with a glass of milk or hot cup of coffee is the kind of treat perfect for dessert, afternoon snack, a sweet breakfast addition or for a holiday brunch!
- Nostalgic Memories: If you love that classic Honey Bun flavor or a cinnamon roll, then this sweet treat is for you. It combines both into one unbelievable cake.
Ingredients
Scroll Down to the Bottom of this Post for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Printable Recipe Card
Cake Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: Makes the cake mix extra rich.
- Eggs: Binds everything together and adds richness.
- Oil: Makes for a moist bite! Use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable.
- Box of Yellow Cake Mix (or homemade as noted below): The basic dry ingredients you’ll need.
- Brown Sugar: The layer in between that’s extremely decadent. Dark or light brown sugar can be used.
- Ground Cinnamon: The warm spice that adds flavor everyone loves.
Glaze Ingredients:
- Powdered Sugar: Be sure to sift confectioners’ sugar to remove any lumps.
- Milk: Binds the glaze together.
- Vanilla Extract or Paste: Flavors the glaze with rich, warm flavors.
Tools You’ll Need
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cups
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- 13″x9″ Baking Dish
How to Make Honey Bun Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add eggs, oil, and the cake mix. Mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. If adding nuts, mix in as well.
- Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter over the top of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Spread in an even layer for full cake coverage.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- When finished baking, remove it from the oven and allow it cool for 5 minutes. Poke holes over the entire cake.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. Let it cool completely before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Expert Tips and Substitutions
- Swap out the cream cheese. The cream cheese can be substituted with 1 cup of sour cream. You can do this if you prefer a milder flavor.
- Make a homemade yellow cake mix. If you want to substitute the boxed cake mix with a from-scratch version, here are the ingredients: 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tsp salt
- Add nuts for more texture. We love adding 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the brown sugar cinnamon mixture layer.
- Ice the cake while it’s still warm. This is crucial for that crackly sweet topping. We like to also poke holes into the top before glazing so that the icing seeps into the cake mix too.
Storage
Store leftover honeybun cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. This dessert is great to make in advance before guests arrive at a party.
We don’t recommend freezing since it will change the texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the sweet vanilla glaze will naturally collect at the sides. However, as you pour on the icing, you can gently pull it from the sides to the center of the cake while it’s still warm with a butter knife.
Of course! It’ll simply be lighter in color but will turn out equally as delicious!
The glaze will seep down in the holes created in the hot cake and along the edges. It also creates an amazing top texture to the cake and helps keep it super moist.
You can use any neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil. You can also substitute with melted butter. The texture and flavor will slightly vary.
The cake mix used in the recipe was not gluten-free, but there are gluten-free cake mixes available that can be substituted.
Honeybun cake is a moist, cinnamon swirl cake topped with sweet glaze. Features moist yellow cake, cinnamon, caramel flavors, and a soft, tender texture—honey bun cake tastes like the classic honey buns and is perfect for breakfast or dessert.
More Delicious Cake Recipes
Honey Bun Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup oil
- 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix box or homemade substitute
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Glaze
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add eggs, oil and the cake mix. Mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. If adding pecans, mix in as well.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon mixture evenly over the batter.
- Dollop the remaining cake batter over the top of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Spread in an even layer for full cake coverage.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- When the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and allow it cool for 5 minutes. Poke holes over the entire cake.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the warm cake. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips and Substitutions
- Swap out the cream cheese. The cream cheese can be substituted with 1 cup of sour cream. You can do this if you prefer a milder flavor.
- Make a homemade yellow cake mix. If you want to substitute the boxed cake mix with a from-scratch version, here are the ingredients: 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tsp salt
- Add nuts for more texture. We love adding 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the brown sugar cinnamon mixture layer.
- Ice the cake while it’s still warm. This is crucial for that crackly sweet topping. We like to also poke holes into the top before glazing so that the icing seeps into the cake mix too.
Storage
Store leftover honeybun cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. This dessert is great to make in advance before guests arrive at a party. We don’t recommend freezing since it will change the texture.Nutrition
About Laura
Taught by some of the best, cooking and entertaining has always been my favorite hobby. Food is my love language! The conception of Dinner in 321 came from my family talks that sharing our dinners would help others learn new skills, tasty recipes, and make cooking fun! Read more…
Ahhhh-mazing!!!
I was all baked out and found you on TikTok while searching for a “semi-homemade” recipe to serve alongside my Xmas cookies tomorrow.
This cake is fantastic!!! I added chopped praline pecans which worked well.. I’m looking forward to going through your site in the New year. Thanks so much!!
🎄😍✨
Awwww!! That makes my heart so happy to hear!! Thank you SO much!!!🥰 I’m SO HAPPY you’re here and that you came across this recipe on TikTok! SO COOL! I love the addition of the praline pecans. I hope you have a very blessed and happy new year!