Pumpkin Honey Bun Cake
With a ribbon of pumpkin spice brown sugar in the middle and topped with a sweet glaze, this Pumpkin Honey Bun Cake is an easy way to incorporate pumpkin into an already moist and delicious cake. A fall cake everyone will love!
A FALL HONEY BUN INSPIRED CAKE
One of my family’s absolutely favorite cakes is the original Honey Bun Cake. It’s such a deliciously impressive cake that doesn’t require a ton of work. When I have to bring a dessert somewhere, I will usually bring that cake as I know it will be a hit. So I thought, why not make a pumpkin version? And boy, did it ever turn out GOOD! I mean seriously good! It has all the flavors of fall packed into one fantastic cake!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Certainly! I made it more like a glaze rather than an icing. I thought the cake itself was pretty sweet so I didn’t want an overwhelming icing but it’s very easy to adjust to your preference. I know some people may just not want to see any of the little fork holes. To thicken up the glaze, use less milk when making it or add a bit more powdered sugar.
This cake is best served while still warm or at room temperature. But honestly, it’s still really good cold too.
Instead of the glaze, you can try a dusting of powdered sugar, some caramel sauce, making a cream cheese glaze, or a cream cheese frosting, a cinnamon frosting or glaze, or a drizzle of white chocolate on top of this sweet cake.
Sure! Adding some cinnamon chips to the Pumpkin Honey Bun Cake batter would really amp up the flavor of this cake. If you want to add some texture to the cake, add a cup of chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans to the cake batter.
You bet. Instead of yellow cake, feel free to swap it out for a spice cake mix or a white cake mix.
Keep your cake covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep it longer by refrigerating it for up to a week or place it in the freezer in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- yellow cake mix– I personally like Duncan Hines cake mixes but any brand works fine. I usually end up going with whatever I can find. You can even make a homemade yellow cake if you like (obviously you would not add the additional eggs and oil that is in this recipe.)
- eggs – if you have time, allow the eggs to come to room temperature. This helps the eggs mix better into the batter and allows the cake to rise easily.
- pure pumpkin puree – not pumpkin pie filling. If you buy that, it will not turn out right.
- light brown sugar – for a deeper molasses flavor, try using dark brown sugar.
- pumpkin pie spice – use store bought or make your own pumpkin spice mix.
- powdered sugar – also called confectioners sugar. See my FAQ (frequently asked questions) above about making a thicker icing.
- milk – I prefer whole milk or heavy cream for icing and glazes but 2% works fine.
- vanilla extract – I think you could have fun with the extract. A maple extract might go perfect with this cake.
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN HONEY BUN CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Place the cake mix, oil, eggs, and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Beat until combined and smooth for 2 minutes, set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and pumpkin spice.
Add half of the cake batter to the bottom of the prepared baking dish, smoothing it out. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the top. Carefully smooth the remaining cake batter on top of the cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Using a fork, poke holes all over the cake and allow it to cool slightly while you make the glaze. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Note: for a thicker glaze, use less milk. Pour the glaze all over the cake, making sure it is well covered.
Allow the cake to come to room temperature; during this time, the glaze will fully set. Slice and serve.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Pumpkin Honey Bun Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix (do not go by amounts on the back of the box)
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 Tablespoons milk (use less for a thicker glaze)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place the cake mix, oil, eggs, and pumpkin puree into a large bowl.
- Beat until combined and smooth for 2 minutes, set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and pumpkin spice.
- Add half of the cake batter to the bottom of the prepared baking dish, smoothing it out.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the top.
- Carefully smooth the remaining cake batter on top of the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Using a fork, poke holes all over the cake and allow it to cool slightly while you make the glaze.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Note: for a thicker glaze, use less milk.
- Pour the glaze all over the cake, making sure it is well covered.
- Allow the cake to come to room temperature; during this time, the glaze will fully set. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This is delicious served slightly warm or at room temperature.
- Keep at room temperature (covered) for up to 3 days. Refrigerator (covered) for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
The recipe refers to a cinnamon layer but there isn’t cinnamon in the recipe. Do you mean the brown sugar? All other recipes have cinnamon in them.
The cinnamon is in the pumpkin spice. 🙂