Step-by-Step Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 350°F and generously grease that 9×13 pan. In your large bowl, you’ll combine the dry strawberry cake mix, oil, eggs, and sour cream. Now, this batter will be gloriously thick and creamy—almost like a dense brownie batter. Don’t be alarmed! This is exactly what you want. Use your spatula to spread half of this pink batter into the bottom of your prepared pan. It takes a little patience to get an even layer, but a lightly dampened spatula tip helps smooth it out perfectly.
While the oven heats, make your “honeybun” swirl. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. The smell alone is divine. Sprinkle this cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the first layer of batter in the pan. Then, carefully dollop the remaining batter over the top. Here’s a personal tip I learned: don’t try to spread this top layer with the spatula right away, or you’ll drag the cinnamon sugar everywhere. Instead, use the back of a spoon to gently press and pat the dollops together until the sugary layer is mostly covered. It’s okay if some peeks through!
Pop the pan into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. The true test is the smell and a toothpick inserted near the center coming out with just a few moist crumbs. The top will be a beautiful golden brown with crackly bits of cinnamon sugar. Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before you make the glaze. Speaking of the glaze, simply whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. It should be pourable but still thick. Drizzle it artfully (or enthusiastically!) over the warm cake. That warmth helps the glaze melt just slightly into all those cinnamony crevices.
Pro Tips for Best Results
Trust me, I’ve tested this three different ways to get it just right. First, room temperature ingredients are non-negotiable. Taking your eggs and sour cream out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start makes the batter blend seamlessly and results in a more even rise. A cold sour cream can make the batter too stiff and lead to overmixing as you try to incorporate it. I made that mistake once, and the cake was slightly denser.
Second, do not overbake this cake. It continues to cook from residual heat as it cools in the pan. When you start smelling that strong, caramelized sugar and strawberry scent at about the 32-minute mark, start watching it like a hawk. You want the edges just pulling away from the pan and the center to spring back lightly to the touch. Overbaking is the fastest route to a dry cake, and with all the love we’ve put in, we don’t want that.
Finally, let’s talk about the glaze consistency. I’ve tried it both thick and thin, and a happy medium works best. You want it to ribbon off your whisk. If it’s too thin, it will just soak in and disappear. Too thick, and it sits in a globby layer on top. If you accidentally add too much milk, just whisk in a bit more powdered sugar. This simple glaze is the iconic finishing touch that mimics the sticky-sweet top of a store-bought honeybun, so it’s worth getting right.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The most common pitfall, which I absolutely fell into the first time, is trying to mix the batter according to the cake mix box directions. Resist that urge! We are only using the dry powder from the box. If you add the water or other ingredients it lists, you’ll have a soupy, thin batter that won’t hold those beautiful cinnamon sugar layers. It will bake up more like a coffee cake than a dense, tender honeybun cake. Just dump the powder in and add only what this recipe lists.
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