Honey Bun Cake

I do my best to keep us from eating so many pre-packaged foods- sweets and snacks in particular. Hank and I successfully resist the oh-so-tempting Little Debbie snack cake display quite often, probably 95% of the time. We're determined. Even if it means one of us drags the other away by the arm like a 5 year old.
Its a reality we face.

But sometimes temptation gets the best of us. Every once in a while we'll grab a box of our favorite Little Devil indulgence- Hank likes Zebra Cakes and Oatmeal Cream Pies, while I'm a sucker for Nutty Bars and Honey Buns. And we snack to our heart's content, well almost. Most of the time we maturely ration our servings so as not to annihilate the entire box in one day.

So imagine my elation when I stumbled upon a recipe for Honey Bun Cake on Tasty Kitchen, I had to make this. And share it. There's no way I could let such richness sit in my kitchen for nightly snacking. This Honey Bun Cake truly hits the spot and definitely delivers on the honey bun flavor we all know and love. I, of course, could not leave well enough alone and decided that layering the cake with real honey buns would only make it that much more indulgent. And I was right. And I have the tight pants to show for it.

(My apologies to those of you starting New Year's dieting resolutions... remember everything in moderation, just don't give up cake!)


Honey Bun Cake
(printable recipe)
adapted from Tasty Kitchen

for the cake
1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 c sour cream
3/4 c vegetable oil

for layering
3/4 c light brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
6 honey buns

for the glaze*
2 c powdered sugar
6 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

*I made the whole batch of glaze, but it wasn't necessary and was a bit too sweet for my tastes. Next time I'll make a 1/2 batch and drizzle lightly over the top. A little goes a long way!

Combine the cake mix, eggs, sour cream and oil. Mix well and set aside. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Grease a 13x9 pan, add half the cake batter. Top with half the sugar mixture and 5 honey buns. Press the honey buns into the batter a little. Add the remaining cake batter and spread evenly. Top with the remaining sugar mixture and nestle the last honey bun in the center. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

While the cake is baking make the glaze. Combine the milk and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar and whisk until combined. Pour over warm cake, allow the glaze to set for a 5-10 minutes before cutting.