If you love the warm, sweet flavor of a classic honey bun, this Honey Bun Cake with Cake Mix is sure to be a favorite. With swirls of cinnamon and a drizzle of glaze, it’s an easy dessert that feels like a bakery treat straight from your oven.
Ever had a Little Debbie Honey Bun? This Honey Bun Cake is a moist, cinnamon-swirled dessert that mimics the flavor of that classic honey bun pastry.
This nostalgic recipe is simply a doctored-up cake mix, with sour cream to keep the cake moist, ribbons of cinnamon and brown sugar, and a sweet vanilla glaze on top.
I was blown away by how melt-in-your-mouth delicious it was. Try this one for your next get-together, potluck, book club, or just a fun treat for dessert!
Also, here are a few more doctored up cake mix recipes that I love:
- Easy Chocolate Mayo Cake
- Jell-O Poke Cake
- Pistachio Cake with Pudding Mix
- Ding Dong Cake
- Ugly Duckling Cake
- Harvey Wallbanger Cake
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Ingredients
- When I am making recipes from classic cookbooks that call for cake mix, I always use Duncan Hines cake mix. Cake mix used to come in 17 ounce boxes, and Duncan Hines cake mix measures a close 15.25 ounces. Other brands are as low as 13.25 ounces, making it harder to replicate the recipe as intended.
- I recommend using full-fat sour cream here, as it keeps the cake really moist.
How to Make Honey Bun Cake with Cake Mix
- Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and sour cream by hand. No mixer required!
- Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Pour half the cake batter into a baking dish, and sprinkle the cinnamon mixture on top.
- Dollop the remaining half of the cake batter on top, and use a knife or offset spatula to swirl the cinnamon mixture into the cake batter. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.
Glazing the Cake
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
- Pour the mixture over the still-warm cake. Let the cake cool before cutting.
Frequently Asked Questions
While it can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days, refrigerating it will help keep it fresh longer.
Yes, honey bun cake freezes well. Wrap it tightly and thaw it at room temperature when ready to serve.
Yes! Chopped pecans or walnuts make a great addition to the cinnamon swirl layer for added texture and flavor.
Honey bun cake is delicious warm or at room temperature, and it’s especially tasty with a cup of coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream is also great on top!
📖 Recipe
Honey Bun Cake with Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix, oil, eggs, and sour cream until smooth.1 box yellow cake mix, ¾ cup vegetable oil, 4 eggs, 1 cup sour cream
- Pour half the batter into the greased baking dish.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter in the baking dish.1 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Top with the remaining batter. Use a knife to lightly swirl the cinnamon into the cake batter.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.
- When the cake gets out of the oven, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour over the warm cake.2 cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Let cool, slice into pieces, and serve.
100 0/0sis
I have remade this cake probably 5+ times. It gets raving reviews and a lot of people recommend I bring this one to the family functions!
Thank you for your kind review, Kyia!
I have made this recipe many many times now. My grandchildren beg me to make this cake and when I say it is gone faster than any other cake I make, it’s true. The only thing I do extra is i add honey to the top as soon as it comes out of oven and spread it so it soaks in the hot cake. I have also doubled the cake and baked
In bigger pan for bigger gatherings and it turned out great
I love the idea of honey on top. Thanks for your review, Dianna!
michele h. this is a great recipe. I drizzled in a table spoon of honey in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Thanks for your review, Michele!
Do you think this recipe would bake okay in a bundt pan?
I haven’t tried it but I believe it would be ok!
Thank you
Is there anything else to substitute the sour cream for besides yogurt? I have neither at the moment and need a dessert quickly. How about melted butter?
Unfortunately I haven’t tried anything else to know for sure. I don’t want the cake to not turn out for you!
Just made this for the first time it turned out fantastic and smells incredible. I did sub whole fat plain Greek yogurt as I did not have sour cream and it came out perfectly tasty and moist.
That’s great to know about the Greek yogurt substitution. Thanks for your review!
I baked this recipe this afternoon, I did add a Tbs. vanilla to the cake mix part as well. It wasn’t too much, overall the recipe is great my wife said it’s way better than chess cake. it is delicious and moist. thank you for sharing this recipe, I’ll be looking for more of your recipes 😋
Thanks for your 5-star review, Raymond! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!