I had never heard of or had Honey Bun cake before my husband’s grandmother offered me some the first time I met her. I thought she’d created it, honestly, just like Dirty Pudding.
When I posted it on Instagram a few weeks ago I was surprised to see so many folks comment that their grandmothers made it all the time, sometimes using different names for it. I feel extremely cheated to have gotten all the way into my 30s before discovering it. It’s hotdamn delicious. Frfr.
Recipes for Honey Bun Cake are all over the internet, and someone even told me on Instagram that it’s on the side of the box of Betty Crocker cake mixes, but here it is again. Just doing my part to ensure no other poor soul goes another day without it in their life.
Now I can’t tell you if it tastes like a Honey Bun or not because I’ve never had one myself – I doubt it tho, there’s no honey in this – but it’s a cute name.
Some tidbits:
- Both light and dark brown sugar work well, so it doesn’t matter which one you use. If you only have granulated sugar you’ll need to add some molasses.
- You can use vegetable oil instead of melted butter if you like.
You can watch me make this on Instagram.
Equipment
Ingredients
The Cake:
- 1 C light brown sugar, packed
- 2 Tsps ground cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 box yellow cake mix, I like Duncan Hines’ Butter Golden
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 C salted butter, melted
- 1 C sour cream
The Glaze:
- 2 C powdered sugar
- 5 Tbsps whole milk
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish so the cake doesn’t stick.
- Next, mix your cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg in a small bowl and set that aside for later.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, melted butter, and sour cream just until the batter is smooth and fluffy. You can use a hand mixer or do it by hand if you’re feeling strong!
- Now, pour half of that batter into your greased dish. Sprinkle your brown sugar mixture over the top, making sure it’s evenly spread out—cover every inch!
- Pour the rest of the batter over the top. To make this easier, drop spoonfuls of batter all over, then use a spatula to smooth it out.
- Pop the dish into your preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes. To check if it’s done, stick a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the cake—if it comes out clean, you’re good. If it’s still wet, bake it a little longer.
Make the Glaze:
- While the cake is baking, mix together the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk it until it’s smooth and there are no lumps left. It might take a little time, but you’ll get there! Tip: using warm milk will make this easier!
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour that glaze over the top while it’s still hot, and spread it out so it covers the entire cake.
5 Comments
Holiday Southern Pralines • deepfriedhoney
October 4, 2021 at 11:42 am[…] out my Honey Bun Cake recipe for another quick and easy Southern dessert fave. Here are the Obligatory Pin graphic […]
S
April 30, 2020 at 8:56 amMy family loved this, thanks for sharing!!
Devette
March 27, 2020 at 12:47 amI tried this recipe tonight and this cake is delicious! I ran out of sour cream, so I did half sour cream and half buttermilk and it still came out awesome!
María
September 2, 2020 at 10:04 amI always have buttermilk and very often am out of sour cream, this is good to know, thank you!
viviana
December 5, 2019 at 7:04 pmmy next edible !!! so obsessed with all your recipes!!!