Honey Bun Cake

Honey Bun Cake recipe – Super moist cake swirled with cinnamon and honey and covered in an easy glaze. Super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, powdered sugar, and vanilla. It tastes like a cinnamon roll but in cake form! Great for breakfast, potlucks, and dessert. This easy cake recipe is sure to become a family favorite!

Originally published January, 18, 2013

slice of honey bun coffee cake

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Easy Honeybun Cake Recipe

Does anyone else love Honey Buns snack cakes? Yummy sweet rolls, similar to a cinnamon roll, made with honey, with a swirl of cinnamon in the middle and icing on top. Well, this cake has all the flavors of Honey Buns, but it tastes SO much better! Plus it couldn’t be any easier to make! The base of the cake starts with a boxed cake mix! This cake is great for an easy sweet treat at potlucks and holiday brunches. I never have any leftovers!

pouring icing over cake

How to Make Honey Bun Cake

This coffee cake is super easy to make with only a few basic ingredients. Add a box of cake mix to a medium bowl. Add sour cream, vegetable oil, and eggs. Mix well and spread into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Drizzle honey over the top of the cake. In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon mixture over the top of the cake in an even layer. Use a knife to swirl the cinnamon-sugar mixture into the cake batter. 

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Remove the cake from the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour the sweet vanilla glaze over the warm cake and let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do not make the cake as directed on the box. You are only using the dry cake mix in this recipe.
  • Feel free to add some chopped nuts to the honey and brown sugar mixture. Pecans or walnuts work great.
  • I topped the cake with a simple glaze but it is also delicious with some cream cheese frosting.
  • Can substitute melted butter for vegetable oil.
  • Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
  • Does Honey Bun Cake need to be refrigerated? No. The cake will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container on the countertop. It will keep for 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator.
  • Can Honey Bun Cake be frozen? Yes! I suggest freezing the cake without the glaze. Bake the cake and cool completely. Wrap the cake tightly and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw the cake completely and add the glaze.
slice of honey bun coffee cake

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

This cake is great for breakfast or dessert. I prefer to serve the cake slightly warm. It is also delicious with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! This is honestly one of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten! You MUST give this a try the next time you need a sweet treat.

This cake goes great with any breakfast or brunch spread. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of milk and a slice of cake and enjoy.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that goes perfectly with this delicious cake:

slice of honey bun coffee cake

Honey Bun Cake

Yield: 12 people
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 38 minutes
Total Time 48 minutes
Honey Bun Cake -Super moist cake swirled with cinnamon and honey and covered in a vanilla glaze. Super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, powdered sugar, and vanilla. It tastes like a cinnamon roll but in cake form! Great for breakfast, potlucks, and dessert. This easy cake recipe is sure to become a family favorite! #breakfast #coffeecake #dessert #honey

Ingredients:

Cake

Topping

Glaze

  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, sour cream, oil, and eggs on low speed of an electric mixer for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more. Pour into the prepared pan.
  • Drizzle honey on top of the batter, then sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon. With a knife, swirl topping to blend.
  • Bake 38-40 minutes.  
  • Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Pour over warm cake. Allow cake to cool at least 20 minutes before cutting.

Notes:

  • Do not make the cake as directed on the box. You are only using the dry cake mix in this recipe.
  • Feel free to add some chopped nuts to the honey and brown sugar mixture.
  • I topped the cake with a simple glaze but it is also delicious with some cream cheese frosting.
  • Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
  • Does Honey Bun Cake need to be refrigerated? No. The cake will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container on the countertop. It will keep 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator.
  • Can Honey Bun Cake be frozen? Yes! I suggest freezing the cake without the glaze. Bake the cake and cool completely. Wrap the cake tightly and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw the cake completely and add the glaze.

Steph

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Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!

Pin This Recipe
slice of honey bun coffee cake
pouring icing over cake

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Comments

  1. Super easy recipe and yummy! I only made 1/2 recipe of the frosting and that was plenty! Thanks for a great recipe!

    1. Love this cake recipe. I’ve made it quite a few times.😊 I have one question though, do you or do you not have to sift the powered sugar before making the glaze?

  2. I pin lots of your recipes you post, don't think I've tried any of them yet. I used to enjoy a semi frequent Honey Bun in Junior High and that was over a decade & a half ago, so I think I'll definitely have to give this one a try and not just let it sit on my food board on Pinterest!

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