Honey Bun Cake

Published Apr 18, 2023 | Updated Mar 17, 2024 | By Laura

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!

A slice of honey bun cake with a fork going into the cake for a bite.

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!

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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.

Yellow cake batter being mixed in a bowl with a hand mixer

In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. If adding nuts, mix in as well.

A brown sugar cinnamon filling being mixed in a small bowl.

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.

Cake batter in a glass dish. First layer is half the batter, then a layer of brown sugar cinnamon, then the remaining batter.

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.

Holes being poked in the cake with a knife

Drizzle the glaze over the top of the warm cake. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Spreading white glaze over the top of a hot cake.

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

My icing settles at the sides. How do I fix this?

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.

Can I bake this cake in a metal pan?

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.

Can I use a white cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix?

Of course! It'll simply be lighter in color but will turn out equally as delicious!

Why do I glaze the cake while it's hot?

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.

My cake mix box has different measurements. What should I do?

Ignore the box recipe and ingredients and just follow the steps noted in this recipe.

What kind of oil should I use in this recipe?

You can use canola or vegetable oil. You can also substitute with melted butter.

Is this recipe gluten-free?

The cake mix used in the recipe was not gluten-free, but there are gluten-free cake mixes available that can be substituted.

Is honey bun cake the same as cinnamon roll cake

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.

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4.90 from 56 votes

Honey Bun Cake

This moist, indulgent old fashioned Honey Bun Cake is one of the best sweet treats! Layered with brown sugar cinnamon and topped with a sweet glaze, it's a slice of heaven!

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake

Servings: servings

Calories: 406kcal

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

US Customary - Metric

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.

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Nutrition

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Comments

4.90 from 56 votes (32 ratings without comment)

Honey Bun Cake

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What You’ll Need

Tools You’ll Need

Why You’ll Like This Recipe

How to Make This Recipe

Tips and Substitutions

Storage

Frequently Asked Questions

More Recipes Like This