Honey Bun Cake

Incredibly soft and buttery honey bun cake with a spiced sugar filling and a shiny glaze. This all-time classic is really easy to make and takes only minutes to prepare. 

 

Although desserts of all shapes and flavors are amazing, sometimes the heart wants a good old classic. Honey bun cake is one of my favorite recipes because it’s so simple to make and tastes like a warm hug! 

This spiced cake is ideal as a last-minute dessert for gatherings, bake sales or sweet treat on coffee breaks. Made with yellow cake mix, this recipe is so easy and completely foolproof.  And did I mention it tastes just like a honey bun in cake form?! That brings back my childhood.

Why This Honey Bun Cake is Great

A moist yellow cake with a cinnamon sugar layer and sweet vanilla glaze on top- what’s not to love!

• Incredibly soft: This is hands down one of the softest cakes I’ve ever tried. It’s buttery, fluffy and melts in your mouth. 
• Chewy, sticky goodness: This honey bun cake has a chewy and sticky caramelized filling, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. The honey glaze on top is literally the icing on the cake, because it makes this dessert incredibly delicious! 
• Semi-Homemade: This recipe uses yellow cake mix, and the remaining ingredients can be found in most kitchens. 
• Uses REAL Honey– So many of the honey bun cake recipes out there don’t even use actual honey. If you look on the ingredient list of a Little Debbie confection, it clears states honey and we wanted ours to be as close to the real deal as possible.
• Double Icing– Listen, the icing is the best part, so I double it and no one complained!

Ingredients

Apart from the cake mix, all ingredients used in this recipe can be found in most pantries. Let’s have a look at what you need: 

• Boxed yellow cake mix – any boxed cake mix will work, and one box is needed. You can also use your favorite vanilla cake recipe to make it from scratch. 
• Eggs – I recommend using large, organic eggs. Ensure they are at room temperature. 
• Vegetable oil – any type of oil will work, as long as it’s flavorless and odorless. My favorite are canola or sunflower seed.
• Sour cream – makes the honey bun cake extra soft and moist. Can also be replaced with heavy cream. 
• Vanilla extract – optional, but highly recommended for a subtle vanilla flavor. 
• Brown sugar – you can use light brown or dark brown sugar (or muscovado). I like to mix the two for a more interesting flavor, but feel free to use only one. 
• Spices – ground cinnamon and nutmeg. You can get creative and try other spices like ginger, allspice and cardamom. Alternatively, feel free to leave out spices. 
• Powdered sugar – used to make the sugar glaze on top. 
• Milk – needed to turn the sugar into a glaze. You can also use lemon juice instead of the milk for a tangy flavor. 
• Honey – gives a wonderful floral flavor to the glaze. I recommend using pure, raw honey in runny form. 

How to Make Honey Bun Cake

You are going to love how easy this delicious honey bun cake is to make.

1. Mix ingredients. Combine all the ingredients for the cake in a large bowl. Use a whisk, spatula, electric mixer or hand mixer to combine everything into a smooth paste. 
2. Add to cake pan. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. 
3. Make filling. Combine the ingredients for the filling, then sprinkle them evenly over the batter.
4. Thin rest of batter. Add a splash of milk into the rest of the cake batter and mix. Pour the batter over the brown sugar layer and spread evenly. Bake until golden-brown. 
5. Make sweet glaze. Lastly, prepare and pour glaze over the hot cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let the honey bun cake cool, slice and enjoy! 

Tips & Tricks 

Check out my tips for the best way to ensure your honeybun cake recipe turns out perfectly.

• Ignore cake mix instructions: although the recipe uses yellow cake mix, when making this honey bun cake you should ignore what the box says. Only use the ingredients in this recipe and follow the steps exactly. 
• Thin out the remaining batter: The bottom layer cake batter is thicker in consistency, as it needs to hold its shape and support the sugar filling. For the top layer of batter, use ¼ cup of warm milk to thin out the mixture. This will make it easier to spread evenly, without clumping up or sticking to the sugar layer.  
• Don’t overdo the icing: This yellow cake mix is already sweet and there’s a layer of pure brown sugar inside this cake. The glazing on top should be quite thin, so it doesn’t make the final cake sickly sweet. Replace the milk with lemon juice in the glaze to cut through some of the sweetness.  
• Don’t overbake: This honey cake needs to be soft and extra buttery. Overbaking can make it dry and brittle. As soon as the cake looks golden-brown on top, do the toothpick test. There should be a few cake crumbs on the toothpick for the ultimate softness. 
• Variation: Replace the sugar glaze with cream cheese frosting for extra tanginess and creaminess. I’ve tried it and it’s amazing! 

Variations

There are plenty of ways you can make this moist cake your own.

• Glaze – Replace the sugar glaze with cream cheese frosting for extra tanginess and creaminess. I’ve tried it and it’s amazing!
• Swirl of cinnamon – Instead of making this cake in layers, you can add a cinnamon swirl throughout the batter with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Ice cream – To take this homemade honey bun cake to the next level, serve a slice of cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Add ins – You can always add something like walnuts or pecans to the batter or on top to give it a little crunch.

What to Serve with This Easy Honey Bun Cake

As with most rich desserts, I like to serve nine with a tall glass of milk. You can also serve it with a hot cup of coffee.

Other sweet treats that this cake would pair well with would be chocolate depression cake, cinnamon coffee cake, homemade cinnamon rolls or sweet rolls. Sometimes it’s nice to offer multiple dessert options as a party.

Storage and Freezing

You can easily store and freeze this delicious cake recipe.

How to Store Honey Bun Cake

This honey bun cake recipe is great because it stores really well. The cake will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days, so you can prepare it ahead of time. To store, place in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Can I Freeze Honey Bun Cake?

For longer storage, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3-4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat if needed. 

More Delicious Cakes

There’s nothing quite like a slice of moist cake topped with a decadent frosting. Here are a few of our favorite cake recipes that we know you’ll love too.