This moist, indulgent, old-fashioned Honey Bun Cake is one of the best sweet treats! Layered with brown sugar and cinnamon and topped with a sweet glaze, it's a slice of heaven!
Who doesn't love a super sweet dessert that's layered with brown sugar and cinnamon? This tried and true classic never disappoints at a get-together. Our grade school made it often, and many a Sunday Homecoming had this cake on the spread of dessert options.
Honey Bun Cake starts with a yellow cake mix and is sticky, buttery, light, and incredibly moist! The flavors of this cake are the perfect mix of a honey bun roll and a cinnamon roll. It's most often served as dessert, but some folks like to have it for a sweet breakfast or brunch treat. Warming up a leftover slice in the microwave and having it with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee is a real treat!
Save The Recipe!
Add your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox+ you’ll receive all our newest recipes!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
CAKE
- Cream Cheese
- Eggs
- Oil
- Yellow Cake Mix (or homemade as noted below)
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
GLAZE
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract or Paste
Tools You’ll Need
- Hand Mixer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- 13"x9" Baking Dish
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- This Old-Fashioned Honey Bun Cake is SUPER easy to make!
- It has simple ingredients
- It brings back yummy, happy childhood memories
- It will quickly quench a sweet tooth craving
How to Make This Recipe
- 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 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.
Tips and Substitutions
- The cream cheese can be substituted with 1 cup of sour cream.
- If you want to substitute with a homemade cake mix, here are the ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tsp salt
- An optional add-in is ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the brown sugar cinnamon mixture layer.
Storage
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the icing 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.
Absolutely! A glass, stone, or metal pan all work great for this cake, but different pan materials can slightly change the cook time. Simply ensure doneness by using an instant-read thermometer aiming for 210°F or ensuring a knife or toothpick comes out clean.
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.
Ignore the box recipe and ingredients and just follow the steps noted in this recipe.
You can use canola or vegetable oil. You can also substitute with melted butter.
The cake mix used in the recipe was not gluten-free, but there are gluten-free cake mixes available that can be substituted.
While cinnamon roll cake may offer a soft, ooey-gooey sweetness, honey bun cake take things to the next level with their complex and nuanced flavor profile. Featuring a rich and nuanced caramelized flavor with notes of pure honey, honey bun cake is like a slice of heaven in every bite.
More Recipes Like This
Honey Bun Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 large eggs
- ⅔ cup oil
- 15.25 oz yellow cake mix box or homemade substitute
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 13"x9" 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.
Marie
This cake is to DIE FOR! I made it from scratch using your substitution list for the yellow cake mix as well as sour cream instead of cream cheese and it turned out perfectly. It’s super decadent and moist.
Laura Ashley
This makes my heart so happy to hear! THANK YOU so much for making it and sharing how much of a hit it was!!
Alfreda
please send me homemade recipe version for Honey Bun cake.
Thank you
Laura Ashley
The homemade cake is listed under Tips and Substitutions on this recipe page. I hope you love it!
Angel McNabb
I made the frosting and it wasn’t enough to cover the cake. Did I make too many holes?? Or make the holes too deep??? I even made extra with what powdered sugar I had left over and it STILL WASNT ENOUGH!! I used 2 1/2 cups first time and 1/2 cup milk. So I followed the directions correctly. 🙁
Laura Ashley
Hi Angel! I'm sorry you experienced this with the cake. I haven't received this feedback for this cake from the reviews I've gotten. I'm not sure what happened as it is the correct amount on the recipe and it is a very light icing coating that it yields on top. Maybe there were too many holes, but the taste/sweetness would have still been there. I'm not sure how else to troubleshoot other than that.
Debi
“Allow to cool before slicing”. Girl, you may be asking A LITTLE TOO MUCH with that step! I did dig DEEP and found a tiny bit of Will power to wait and hour, and I think it’s important (but NOT easy!!). OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious!! This is a GREAT cake to make for a brunch, to have friends over for coffee or anytime!!! Huge hit, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Laura Ashley
WOW, Debi!! This is amazing! I’m SOOO excited that you made this and loved it so much!! It makes my heart so happy! You’re right…waiting is the hardest part haha! Thank you again, Debi!
Vicki Dowell
I love this recipe because of the cake mix substitution. I rarely buy cake mix unless I have an event coming up so when I'm in the mood for something sweet I usually bake from scratch. I have made this recipe four times now, twice for my family, a church potluck and a bake sale. Each time it has been a hit. I have one in the oven now with the sour cream substitute and the cake mix substitute. Real comfort food.
Laura Ashley
Oh, Vicki! This is the sweetest review ever! Thank you so much for making it and loving it! It means so much to me that you’ve made it multiple times too! THANK YOU!!
Tiffany
The milk in the glaze wont be a problem when leaving the cake at room temperature for up to 5 days? i ask cause I definitely don't want to put it in the fridge and I want to make sure
Laura Ashley
Yes, it will be ok at room temperature 🙂
Cathy Zachem
My daughter loves honey buns so I knew I had to make her this cake. Oh my word, it turned out absolutely delicious! Better than the actual snack!
My daughter loved it and we will keep this recipe on hand always!
Laura Ashley
Aww!! It makes my heart so happy to hear that you made it and that your sweet girl liked it so much! THANK YOU!!
Helen
I made your Honey Bun Cake for our July 4th family get together. So easy and so delicious! I enjoyed some with my morning coffee. Thank you!
Laura Ashley
That makes my heart SO HAPPY!! Thank you so much!! I love that you made it and that it was such a hit!
Daiquiri
This was amazing!!! Thinking of adding pumpkin, do you have any idea how much I should use and should I add pumpkin spices?
Laura Ashley
I have a pumpkin honey bun cake coming up this season. I'm excited to share it!
Nikol
instead of the icing we chose to used whipped honey. it adds an amazing flavor and gas quickly become a favorite. let it sit overnight and it's so much better the next day
Laura Ashley
That's a such a great idea1! YUM!! 🙂