Sweet Potato Honey Bun Cake
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This Sweet Potato Honey Bun Cake is a moist, sweet potato cake with a brown sugar cinnamon center and a sweet, buttery vanilla glaze. It’s made with a box of yellow cake mix, mashed sweet potatoes, warm spices, and a few simple ingredients. If you love sweet potato desserts and honey bun cake, you’re going to love this combination!
There’s something about a honey bun cake with that cinnamon sugar layer running through the middle and a sweet glaze on top. Now add mashed sweet potatoes to the cake batter, and you’ve got an extra moist cake that’s packed with flavor. It’s perfect for fall gatherings, Thanksgiving, or anytime you’re craving a slice of something sweet with your coffee.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Starts with a yellow cake mix. Be sure to grab a 15.25 ounce box. Using the new 13.25 ounce size from Betty Crocker will result in a denser cake.
- Made with real sweet potatoes. Mashed sweet potatoes add moisture, flavor, and a beautiful golden-orange color without food coloring.
- Easy to customize! Add chopped pecans, reduce the sweet potatoes, add additional spices, etc.
Ingredient Notes
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
Yellow cake mix – You’ll need a 15.25-ounce box of yellow cake mix.
Sweet Potatoes – You’ll need 1 1/2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, which is 3 to 4 sweet potatoes depending on their size. I recommend baking fresh sweet potatoes because roasting them concentrates their flavor and brings out the natural sugars.
Texture tip: Using 1 1/2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes makes a denser, extra moist cake. If you prefer a lighter cake, reduce the mashed sweet potatoes to 1 cup (2 to 3 sweet potatoes).
Warm spices – The cinnamon and nutmeg go so well with sweet potatoes.
Substitutions and Variations
- Leave out the pecans in the cinnamon sugar layer. I know a lot of people don’t love nuts in their desserts.
- You can switch out the pecans with chopped walnuts if you would like.
- You can substitute/add additional spices to the cake or cinnamon sugar layer depending on the amount of spice you like.
- You can try a spice cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix. I haven’t tried it, but I do use a spice cake mix for my pumpkin cake with cake mix recipe.
- Reduce the amount of mashed sweet potatoes in the cake for a lighter cake.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
How to Make Sweet Potato Honey Bun Cake
Step 1: Bake the pierced sweet potatoes at 425 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes, until fork-tender.
Step 2: Let them cool, remove the skins, and beat until creamy. Measure out 1½ cups. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Step 3: Beat the mashed sweet potatoes, yellow cake mix, eggs, vanilla, oil, sour cream, cinnamon, and milk until smooth. Don’t overmix!
Step 4: Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and optional pecans.
Step 5: Spread half of the cake batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
Step 6: Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the cake batter.
Step 7: Spoon the remaining cake batter over the cinnamon sugar mixture and gently spread it out. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Step 8: Whisk the melted butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and 3 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Pour over the warm cake and spread evenly. Let the cake cool completely before serving.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Honey Bun Cake
- Bake the sweet potatoes until completely tender.
- Measure the mashed sweet potatoes. Don’t rely on the number of potatoes for this.
- Use a 15.25 ounce cake mix. Cake mix box sizes vary, so check the package.
- Don’t follow the cake mix box directions.
- Spoon the top layer of cake batter to avoid disturbing the cinnamon sugar layer.
- Don’t overswirl. A few passes with a knife are enough to create a pretty cinnamon swirl.
- Check the center of the cake for doneness. Using a skewer, insert it in the center of the cake. You’re looking for moist crumbs or a clean skewer. Any wet batter means it needs to bake longer.
- Glaze the cake while it’s still warm.
How to Store and Freeze
To store the cake, let it cool completely. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can let the slices come up to room temperature before serving or warm them briefly in the microwave.
You can also freeze this cake. Once the cake has cooled completely and the glaze has set, cut it into individual slices. Wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
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Sweet Potato Honey Bun Cake
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Ingredients
Cake
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- 1 ½ cups mashed sweet potatoes, about 3 to 4 depending on size
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup whole milk
Cinnamon Sugar Layer
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans, optional
Glaze
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 – 4 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- If you’re using fresh sweet potatoes, you’ll need to wash them first. Using a fork, stab 3 to 4 times on either side of the sweet potato.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and place the sweet potatoes on top.
- Place in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. The inside will be soft when pierced with a fork. If the fork sticks in and doesn’t release, they need to bake longer.
- Remove from the oven and let cool until they are easy to handle. You can cover and let them sit in the fridge overnight if you prefer.
Cake
- Reduce the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the skins and place in a medium mixing bowl. Beat using a hand mixer on medium speed until creamy.
- Measure out 1 ½ cups of mashed sweet potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the yellow cake mix, eggs, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, sour cream, cinnamon, and milk and beat until well combined. There shouldn’t be any lumps in the batter.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared baking pan.
Cinnamon Sugar Layer
- In a small bowl, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pecans if you’re using them. Stir until combined.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar layer on top of the sweet potato cake batter.
- Spoon the remaining cake batter on top of the cinnamon sugar layer. Spooning the batter will help prevent the cinnamon and sugar from moving.
- If you want to swirl the cinnamon and sugar layer, grab a knife or skewer and swirl it into the cake batter until you’re satisfied.
- Place the cake in the 350-degree F oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool for 15 to 20 minutes and then glaze it while it’s still warm.
Glaze
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add 4 tablespoons of butter. Cover with a paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- Once melted, add the vanilla, powdered sugar, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Whisk until smooth. If you want a thinner consistency, add the additional 1 tablespoon of milk and whisk until combined.
- Pour on the warm cake and spread out evenly. Let the cake cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Info
(Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.)