Honey Bun Cake
Have you ever had a honey bun? If not, you don’t know what you’re missing. These sweet buns are kind of like raised doughnuts, made from a buttery dough swirled with honey and cinnamon and topped with a wonderful, sweet, sticky glaze. They’re so good, I’ve heard they’re even used as money in prison.
When I first thought of trying to make honey buns at home, it seemed like a lot of work. To make them the traditional way, I’d have to make a yeast dough, let it rise, roll it out, shape it into buns, let it rise again, and then fry the cakes in oil. So I got the idea to try and recreate the yumminess of a honey bun in cake form – and once I thought of that, it turned out to be amazingly easy.
I started this Honey Bun Cake with packaged yellow cake mix, adding some buttermilk to give it that real buttery flavor. I topped it with brown sugar and cinnamon before baking to add that sweet cinnamon swirl of the original. And I finished it off with that white powdered-sugar glaze no honey bun is complete without. It’s everything you love about the classic honey bun, without the hassle.
What’s the difference between honey buns and cinnamon rolls?
- They’re similar, but not quite the same. Cinnamon rolls usually have more cinnamon in them, and they don’t usually have honey in the dough. Also, they’re typically baked, while honey buns are traditionally fried, like a doughnut.
Wait a minute – how can this be Honey Bun Cake if there’s no actual honey in it?
- Weird, right? But really, what makes honey buns so amazing isn’t mainly the honey, it’s the butter, cinnamon, and sweet white glaze. Once I recreated those flavors in my cake, it didn’t need honey to taste fabulous. Shhh, don’t tell!
How long will this cake last?
- This is a very moist cake and will last for about 4 days if you cover and keep it in the fridge. (but ours never lasts that long…. leftovers are rare with hsi cake. lol)
How to Make Honey Bun Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and spray a 9×13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In bowl with hand mixer mix together your cake mix, eggs oil and buttermilk.
- In another bowl stir together your brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Pour half of your cake batter into bottom of prepared pan and spread around. Sprinkle your cinnamon sugar mixture on top of batter. Spread remaining cake batter over top and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes until center is set.
- Remove from oven and then make your glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together in bowl. Drizzle over warm cake.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
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TOOLS USED FOR THIS HONEY BUN CAKE RECIPE
Baking dish: This dish will work great for all your slider recipes!
Measuring cups and spoons: Each cup’s “ml” and cup sizes have passed clearly engraved marking, and you can quickly identify the cup scale according to the color of the handle.
How to Make Honey Bun Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 Box yellow cake mix
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
Filling:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and spray a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In bowl with hand mixer mix together your cake mix, eggs oil and buttermilk.
- In another bowl stir together your brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Pour half of your cake batter into bottom of prepared pan and spread around. Sprinkle your cinnamon sugar mixture on top of batter. Spread remaining cake batter over top and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes until center is set.
- Remove from oven and then make your glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together in bowl. Drizzle over warm cake.
- Let cool slightly before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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