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    Home » Breakfast

    Honey Bun Cake

    Published: Feb 19, 2021 · Modified: Apr 6, 2022 by Jenn · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    This delicious Honey Bun Cake recipe is made using a boxed cake mix, Greek yogurt, apple sauce, and a few other staples.  It’s so good everybody will be going back for seconds.

    A humble sheet cake, there is no buttercream to refrigerate, no icing to melt, and it can be baked in a 9×13 Pyrex and topped with a lid.

    slice of Honey Bun Cake

    The beauty of baking a Honey Bun Cake is that it’s imperfectly perfect. It is a warm, moist, assembly of cinnamon heaven, yet it can be thrown together with little effort and zero icing skills.

    There’s no need to tell the masses that this cake has a healthy twist. This easy Easter dessert recipe has applesauce, half the usual oil, and the sour cream has been replaced by healthy Greek Non-Fat Plain Yogurt.

    Serve with a cup of post-dinner coffee and you have dessert perfection!

    Ingredients

    For this doctored cake mix recipe, you need the following ingredients:

    • 1 box of yellow cake mix
    • 4 eggs
    • 1 cup Greek non-fat plain yogurt
    • ⅓ cup applesauce
    • ⅓ cup oil
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoon cinnamon
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoon milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    Directions

    To make honey bun cake, start by greasing a 9 x 13-inch cake pan and preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

    Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, yogurt, and applesauce in a large mixing bowl.

    Honey Bun Cake ingredients

    In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. If you have little ones, this is the perfect step to let them help with.

    Child making honey bun cake

    Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the lumps in the brown sugar.

    Making cinnamon layer for a Honey Bun Cake

    Pour half the cake batter into the greased pan and top with half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Don’t worry if you don’t half the batter exactly, it’s ok if it’s imperfect (because this cake is meant to be yummy not pretty!)

    Adding cinnamon to Honey Bun Cake
    Honey Bun Cake cinnamon layer

    Add the remaining batter and top with the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Bake your cake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

    Baked honey bun cake

    Mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Poke holes into the cake and drizzle the icing over the top.

    2018-03-03_0009.jpg

    FAQ

    Does honey bun cake need to be refrigerated?

    No, it doesn’t. This makes it a perfect recipe to bring to an Easter potluck or serve away from home as a breakfast treat.

    Can you make a honey bun cake with white cake mix?

    You can, but you’ll need to tweak the recipe, plus you’ll have the extra step of separating egg yolks. Check the back of the white cake mix box to know how many eggs and how much oil to use to compensate for the missing yolks.

    📖 Recipe

    slice of Honey Bun Cake

    Honey Bun Cake

    Kelsey
    This honey bun cake makes a fabulous Easter dessert for Easter brunch or an Easter potluck
    4.86 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Recipes
    Cuisine Dessert
    Servings 16 servings
    Calories 295 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 box yellow cake mix
    • 4 eggs
    • 1 cup Greek non-fat plain yogurt
    • ⅓ cup applesauce
    • ⅓ cup oil
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoon cinnamon
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoon milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
    • Grease a 9 x 13-inch cake pan.
    • Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, yogurt, and applesauce in a large mixing bowl.
    • In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
    • Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the lumps in the brown sugar.
    • Pour half the cake batter into the greased pan and top with half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
    • Add the remaining batter and top with the remaining cinnamon and sugar.
    • Bake your cake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
    • Poke holes into the cake and drizzle the icing over the top.
    Keyword easter brunch, easter dessert recipe, easter potluck, honey bun cake
    Nutrition Facts
    Honey Bun Cake
    Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
    Calories 295 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
    Cholesterol 48mg16%
    Sodium 271mg12%
    Carbohydrates 55g18%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 41g46%
    Protein 4g8%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or share on Pinterest

    Have a sweet tooth? Be sure to check out these other tasty recipes at Sweet T Makes Three:

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    • No Bake Eggnog Pie

    A web story version of this recipe can be found by clicking the link.

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    Hi, I'm Jenn, a Southern food blogger and mother living in Alabama. After having my wonderful daughter, I decided to embark on a journey of sharing my Southern cooking recipes with the world.

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