Honey Bun Cake

This Honey Bun Cake recipe has all the gooey, cinnamon-sugar goodness of the snack-aisle classic, minus the plastic wrapper. A tender buttermilk cake hides a sticky ribbon of cinnamon and brown sugar, then gets finished with a honey and vanilla glaze that soaks into every bite. It’s a homemade honey bun cake made with pantry staples, and I’m warning you now: one slice is never enough!

Craving more cozy cinnamon desserts? Look no further than my Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake, Cinnamon Coffee Cake, and Good Morning Crumb Cake.

Why This Honey Bun Cake Recipe Works

No cake mix required! This honey bun cake from scratch uses everyday pantry staples like flour, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk. You get a buttery, tender crumb that tastes homemade in the very best way, and I love that it only takes 20 minutes to prep.

A gooey cinnamon swirl in every slice. Layering the batter around a brown sugar and cinnamon filling tucks all that flavor right into the center of the cake. As it bakes, the filling melts into a soft, sticky ribbon. It’s a cinnamon swirl cake with zero rolling, twisting, or waiting on dough to rise, which is exactly how I like my baking!

Buttermilk keeps it extra moist. The tang from the buttermilk balances the sweetness, and it reacts with the baking soda to make the crumb light and tender. A little oil alongside the butter keeps the cake soft for days, so leftovers taste just as good as the first slice.

That glaze, though! This simple glazed cinnamon cake gets a thin powdered sugar glaze with a hint of honey, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. It sets into a shiny, sweet shell without being cloying. The salt is my secret to keeping it balanced, and it’s my favorite part of the whole cake.

Ingredients

• Butter: Use room temperature butter that gives slightly when you press it but still feels cool. Salted or unsalted both work here. Softened butter creams properly with the sugar, which gives the cake its lift.
• Granulated sugar: Regular white sugar is all you need. It gets creamed with the butter in two additions so the batter turns out light and fluffy.
• Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla gives the best flavor, and you’ll use it in both the cake and the glaze
• Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature blend into the batter more smoothly. If you forget to set them out, just place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
• Oil: Any neutral oil, like vegetable or canola, works. It adds moisture that keeps the cake soft for days.
• Baking powder and baking soda: You need both! The baking soda reacts with the buttermilk, and the baking powder gives the cake its rise. Make sure they’re fresh, since old leaveners can lead to a flat cake.
• Salt: Just a little balances the sweetness in the cake and the glaze.
• All-purpose flour: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping straight from the bag packs in too much and can make the cake dry.
• Buttermilk: Use room temperature buttermilk so it mixes evenly with the butter and eggs.
• Brown sugar: Light or dark both work for the cinnamon layer. 
• Cinnamon and nutmeg: Adds that warm, bakery-style flavor!
• Powdered sugar: Sift it before mixing the glaze so you don’t end up with little lumps.
• Milk: Any milk works for the glaze. Add it gradually so you can control how thick or thin the glaze ends up.
• Runny honey: Just a teaspoon gives the glaze a subtle honey flavor. If your honey has crystallized, warm the jar in hot water for a few minutes until it loosens up.

Substitutions & Variations

• Buttermilk substitute. Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Thinned plain yogurt or sour cream also works.
• Gluten-free. A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend should work in place of all-purpose flour, though the texture may be slightly different.
• Bigger batch. For a 9×13 inch pan, double the recipe, including the cinnamon layer and glaze. Start checking for doneness a little later than the original bake time.

Here’s How to Make It

1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×9 inch cake pan with cooking spray and baking parchment.
2. Cream the butter and sugar. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with half of the sugar until combined. Add the remaining sugar and beat again.

1. Mix the batter. Add the vanilla, then beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth. Beat in the oil, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Alternate flour and buttermilk. Mix in 1 cup of flour until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of the buttermilk, then the remaining cup of flour, then the remaining 1/2 cup of buttermilk.

5. Make the cinnamon layer. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.

6. Assemble the cake. Spread half of the batter across the bottom of the prepared pan in a single layer. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top, making sure it reaches all the edges and corners. Dollop the remaining batter over the top and gently spread it out with a spatula until it’s smooth and reaches the edges, doing your best not to disturb the cinnamon layer.

7. Bake. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick or the tip of a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the pan while you make the glaze.
8. Make the glaze. Stir 1 tablespoon of the milk, the honey, vanilla, and salt into the powdered sugar. Gradually add the second tablespoon of milk until you have a fairly runny glaze.

9. Glaze the cake. Carefully pour the glaze over the top of the cake, spreading it evenly across the middle.
10. Cool and slice. Let the glaze set while the cake cools completely, then remove it from the pan and slice.

Expert Tips

• Line the pan with parchment. Leave a little overhang on the sides so you can lift the cake out once it’s cooled. This makes for clean, tidy squares and no stuck corners.
• Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. Mix just until the batter is smooth, because overworking it can make the cake tough. Alternating the flour and buttermilk keeps the batter evenly mixed without a lot of extra stirring.
• Be gentle with the top layer. Dollop the remaining batter over the cinnamon layer in spoonfuls, then spread it out slowly from the center toward the edges. This keeps the filling from getting dragged around, so you get a clean swirl in every slice.
• Don’t panic at a sticky toothpick. The cinnamon layer melts as it bakes, so a streak of gooey cinnamon sugar on your toothpick is normal. What you’re looking for is any wet, raw-looking batter, and if you see it, give the cake a few more minutes.
• Store it covered. Keep leftover honey bun cake covered on the countertop for up to 3 days. The glaze stays soft, and the cake stays moist.

FAQs

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