By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 15
291 cal · 50 min
Honey Bun Cake
Recipe GLPR70a70267f2b4f2
A tender, indulgent cake inspired by honey bun pastries. Yellow cake batter is layered with a cinnamon-brown sugar filling, then finished with a sweet vanilla glaze drizzled over the warm cake. Perfect for serving at gatherings or enjoying at home as a comforting dessert.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups confectioners' sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together the light brown sugar and ground cinnamon and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and sour cream. Beat on medium speed until the batter is well blended and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly to the edges.
Sprinkle the entire cinnamon-brown sugar mixture evenly over the batter layer.
Carefully pour the remaining batter over the cinnamon-brown sugar layer and spread gently to the edges to cover the filling.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the cake is golden brown. While the cake bakes, prepare the glaze.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and pourable.
Remove the cake from the oven and immediately drizzle the glaze evenly over the top.
Cool the cake for at least 15 minutes before serving. The cake may be served warm or at room temperature.
Comments
This is an honest weeknight cake that uses pantry staples every Charlotte grocer stocks in volume: yellow cake mix, eggs, oil, sour cream, brown sugar, and cinnamon are standard finds at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, ALDI, or Walmart. The stated 50 minutes is realistic—15 minutes mixing, 35 minutes baking—with no surprise prep. At roughly $0.35 to $0.50 per serving, cost is driven by the cake mix (around $1) and sour cream ($2-3), making this genuinely cheap for a dessert. The swirl structure means it's a same-night dish; leftovers sit poorly uncovered but work in a sealed container for a day. The main drawback is that it's assembly-line convenient rather than distinctive, and the texture leans toward dense-crumbed rather than tender, so it's reliable family fare but not memorable.
Sign in or create a free account to add your review.
