Honey Bun Cake

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Honey bun cake combines the flavors of a cinnamon roll and honey bun without having to spend a ton of time in the kitchen. Enjoy this tender and moist honey bun cake as dessert, or a sweet brunch treat! Afterall, who wouldn’t want cake for breakfast?

Why you’ll love this recipe:

If you love cinnamon rolls and coffee cake, you’ll love this honey bun cake! It starts with a yellow cake batter that gets a thick layer of cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans sandwiched in between. It’s topped with a delicious vanilla glaze and could very well be a new family favorite!

Ingredients you’ll need:

For the cake batter:

• For the cake batter:
• Softened butter- I use salted butter in all my recipes. If you’re using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the cake batter
• Granulated sugar
• Oil- vegetable or canola will both work
• Sour cream
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs- you’ll need whole eggs as well as egg yolks for this recipe
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder

For the filling:

• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Pecan pieces (optional)

For the icing:

• Powdered sugar
• Milk
• Vanilla extract

The combination of butter, oil, sour cream and 4 egg yolks in the cake batter makes this honey bun cake extra soft and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Warming up a slice in the microwave to have with a cup of coffee or glass of milk is pure perfection!

How to make the best honey bun cake:

• Make the cake batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, sugar, oil, sour cream, vanilla extract and eggs + egg yolks. Once smooth, fold in all-purpose flour and baking powder to form a batter.
• Assemble and bake: In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread half the cake batter into your greased 9×9 pan, then top with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Optionally sprinkle pecan pieces on top. Carefully spread the remaining cake batter on top of the brown sugar layer. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
• Ice and cool: While the cake bakes, make the icing from powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. When the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes around the surface with the prongs of a fork. Pour the icing all over the warm cake, then let the icing set and serve warm or at room temperature.

Make this cake anytime you’re in the mood for cinnamon rolls but don’t have time for kneading and proofing the dough! To make this even more convenient, use a boxed yellow cake mix instead of homemade. It’ll still be just as delicious!

My top tips:

• When assembling the cake, try your best to leave the cinnamon sugar layer undisturbed. I find the best way to spread on the top layer of batter is by dropping large spoonfuls of batter evenly over top of the cinnamon sugar, then spreading those out into an even layer.
• Adding pecans to this honey bun cake is completely optional but also very delicious! For best results, be sure to use pecan pieces or just chop whole pecans into small pieces.
• It’s important to add the glaze to the cake right when it comes out of the oven. Poking holes in the surface of the cake allows the glaze the seep into the warm cake, making the inside extra soft and sweet, just like a traditional honey bun!
• I do recommend baking this cake in a 9×9 baking pan to get nice thick slices of cake, but you can also bake it in a 9×13 pan to feed a crowd! The instructions and directions will stay the same for both. The 9×13 version may bake a little faster so start checking for doneness around the 30 minute mark!

Looking for more breakfast cakes? Try these out!

• Blueberry Lemon Upside Down Cake
• Cinnamon Roll Peach Cobbler
• Blueberry Crumb Cake
• Upside Down Pecan Cake
• Banana Crumb Cake

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