Honey Bun Cake
This Honey Bun Cake recipe made with yellow cake mix, sour cream, and chopped pecans is a Southern-inspired dessert that tastes just like a warm bakery honey bun! Perfectly moist, swirled with brown sugar and cinnamon, this easy doctored cake mix recipe comes together in minutes — no fancy baking skills required.
Hello, friends! The holidays will be here before we know it. Whether you’re baking for a holiday brunch, potluck, or Sunday dessert, this quick and simple honey bun cake recipe delivers melt-in-your-mouth flavor every time. The sour cream adds rich moisture, while the pecans bring a buttery crunch that perfectly balances the sweet sugary glaze. I must say this is a new favorite of my holiday recipes.
If you’ve ever wanted to bake something that tastes like it took hours of love and labor — but really came straight from your pantry in under ten minutes — meet the Honey Bun Cake. If you’ve tried my Christmas Poke Cake, you’ll absolutely love this one. I’m absolutely loving this cake, and it begins with a cake mix, making it super easy and saves you a little time.
This is the kind of dessert that makes your kitchen smell like a bakery and makes people think you’ve been secretly training for The Great British Bake Off. But here’s the twist: you start with a boxed yellow cake mix, a dollop (okay, an entire cup) of sour cream, a swirl of cinnamon-sugar goodness, and a handful of pecans that make it taste like a warm, nutty hug. Don’t forget about the delicous glaze!
Imagine the best parts of a cinnamon roll, a honey bun, and your Grandma’s Sunday coffee cake — all baked together in one gloriously sticky, golden masterpiece. It’s seriously a sweet, a little tangy (thanks to that sour cream), and crunchy from the pecans. I love the textures here.
It’s not health food. It’s happy food. The kind of dessert that disappears mysteriously overnight — “Who ate the last piece?” (Spoiler: You did. And you’re not sorry.) This recipe is great for all occasions:
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Breakfast? Yes.
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Brunch? Absolutely yes.
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Midnight snack while watching reality TV? 100% yes yes yes.
Serve this Honey Bun Cake warm with coffee for breakfast or chilled for a crowd-pleasing treat that gets better the next day. If you love easy box mix dessert upgrades, this is your new go-to!
Tips for baking this cake:
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Warm individual slices in the microwave for 10–15 seconds for that just-baked taste.
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Store leftovers (if they exist) in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Add a drizzle of extra honey before serving for bonus shine and flavor.
If you loved this recipe, don’t forget to save it on Pinterest, leave a 5-star rating, and share it with a fellow dessert lover!
Your oven deserves a little sweetness today — and so do you.
More Christmas recipes for you to check out:
Hot Chocolate Coffee Rum Cake – you don’t taste the rum, but it gives it a very rich flavor!
Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake another one that is totally holiday appropriate.
Snowy North Pole Cupcakes – these cupcakes will give you that extra Christmas spirit.
Sugar Cream Pie – one of my personal favorites! The filling is silky and rich – perfect for any occasion.
Holiday Sugar Cookie Bars – the easiest way to make sugar cookies! You won’t need to roll or cut-out!
Swig Sugar Cookies – these are so much easier than cut-out cookies for the holidays with a sweet, delicious frosting and sprinkles!
Honey Bun Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box golden butter cake mix or yellow cake mix
- 1 cup 2 sticks salted butter, softened
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar packed
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon divided
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- Reserve ½ cup of the dry cake mix; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the remaining cake mix, butter, eggs, and sour cream, mixing just until smooth. Do not over-mix.
- Spread half of the cake batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the ½ cup reserved cake mix, brown sugar, pecans, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture all over the cake batter in the baking dish.
- Dollop the remaining cake batter all over the pecan filling and use a spatula to gently spread until the filling is covered by the cake batter.
- Bake the cake at 350F for 40 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, powdered sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream, mixing until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add another tablespoon or 2 of cream. Spread the frosting over top of the cake.
- Cut the cake and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
