Honey Bun Cake

An easy cake recipe with all the classic flavors of a honey bun (including that signature white icing!) made with a doctored up cake mix, cinnamon and brown sugar.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. JUMP TO RECIPE
2. WHAT IS HONEY BUN CAKE?
3. RELATIVELY FUNNY ANECDOTE INVOLVING DADDY AND A RACCOON
4. WHAT KIND OF ICING DO HONEY BUNS HAVE?

The one about Daddy and the racoon

I kept noticing boxes of honey buns at my parents’ house whenever I’d go visit. I thought this a bit odd since I've never known them to keep honey buns around. So I asked…

Me:  What are all the honey buns about?

Dad:  We got them for the raccoon.

Me:  Oh, okay. Wait. What?

Dad:  We had a raccoon that kept eating all of your mama’s birdfeed and I couldn't catch it.

Me:  Well, that explains everything.

Dad:  Um-hmm.

Me:  Daddy!  What did the honey buns have to do with the raccoon?

Dad:  Well, your mama wouldn't let me shoot it so I had to catch him. And the sombitch didn't want anything I put in the trap. Somebody told me they liked honey buns.

Me:  Ahhh. OK. Did it work?

Dad:  Yeah, eventually. We kept running out of honey buns because me and your mama kept eating them.

Me:  What did you do with the raccoon?

Dad:  Oh, I took it down to Doug’s so his coon dogs could get a little practice.

Me:  I’m pretty sure that isn't what Mama had in mind.

Dad:  Humph. Maybe not but I didn't shoot it.

Lawzamercy! Never a dull moment over there!

I've been thinking about honey buns ever since. So this weekend I thought I’d make a honey bun cake.

Wonder if I ought to take one down to Doug’s for that raccoon?

WHAT IS HONEY BUN CAKE?

Honey Bun Cake is a yellow cake with a cinnamon and brown sugar swirl baked in the middle topped with a thin white icing like the individual snack cakes the recipe is based on.

This recipe starts with a butter cake mix then adds sour cream and a dash of nutmeg for a flavor and density similar to the danish-like dough honey buns are known for.

WHAT KIND OF ICING DO HONEY BUNS HAVE?

There are two basic types of honey buns: iced and glazed. Iced Honey Buns are topped with a thin opaque white icing made with sour cream and Glazed Honey Buns are topped with a semi-transparent simple glaze made with water or milk.

I like them equally but for this cake, I prefer the white icing over the thin glaze. Maybe because this recipe tastes a bit like a danish to me and I associate the white icing with danish?

If you prefer the simple glazed icing, see notes in recipe card.

NOTES ABOUT THIS RECIPE FOR HONEY BUN CAKE

Different cake mix manufacturers call the butter cake mix different things (Butter Golden, Butter Yellow, etc.) just look for a 15-15.5 ounce yellow-colored cake mix that has butter somewhere in the name. If you can't find one, just use a vanilla, yellow or even white cake mix - they'll all work just fine!

If you prefer the simple glaze instead of the white icing, make your icing using 4-5 teaspoons of water instead of the sour cream and milk.

If you have more than one cup of sour cream (if you're working from a pint container, etc.) add the full cup of sour cream to the cake batter then use an additional 2 tablespoons in the icing.

Even though the icing is made with sour cream and milk, there is enough sugar to prevent the icing from souring at room temperature. You can certainly refrigerate it if you prefer but I never have.

Recipe for Honey Bun Cake

Honey Bun Cake

Yield: 12 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

An easy cake recipe with all the classic flavors of a honey bun (including that signature white icing!) made with a doctored up cake mix, cinnamon and brown sugar.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream, divided
• 1 box butter cake mix
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl then mix well and set aside.
3. Reserve 2 tablespoons of sour cream to be used in the icing. Add remaining sour cream, oil, and eggs to a medium-sized bowl then mix with an electric mixer until well combined.
4. Add cake mix and nutmeg to wet ingredients then mix at medium-low speed for two minutes.
5. Pour a little more than half of cake batter into baking pan (between 1/2 and 2/3 of batter). Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over cake batter. Pour remaining cake batter over brown sugar mixture then spread evenly.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Let cake cool 15 minutes then prepare the icing.
8. Combine reserved 2 tablespoons of sour cream, powdered sugar, milk and salt then whisk together until smooth. If icing is too thick, add milk – one teaspoon at a time – until it is thin enough to spread.
9. Drizzle icing over warm wake then spread evenly using the back of a spoon.
10. Once cool, cover and store cake at room temperature.

Notes

• If you prefer the simple glaze instead of the white icing, make your icing using 4 teaspoons of water instead of the sour cream and milk.
• Different cake mix manufacturers call the butter cake mix different things (Butter Golden, Butter Yellow, etc) just look for a 15-15.5 ounce yellow-colored cake mix that has butter somewhere in the name. If you can't find one, just use a vanilla, yellow or even white cake mix - they'll all work just fine!
• If you have more than one cup of sour cream (if you're working from a pint container, etc.) add the full cup of sour cream to the cake batter then use an additional 2 tablespoons in the icing.
• Even though the icing is made with sour cream and milk, there is enough sugar to prevent the icing from souring at room temperature. You can certainly refrigerate it if you prefer but I never have.

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