Easy Sweet Potato Honey Bun Cake Recipe

Published Sep 22, 2024 By Elle Ann

Image credit: Ellen's Homemade Delights via YouTube

It’s the Fall season once more, and what better way to welcome it than by making a delicious sweet potato honey bun cake? This cake is a classic and delicious treat that I grew up eating, my Grandmother used to make it for us, then my Mother eventually did, and now it’s my turn to impress the whole family with my version.

I tried a lot of recipes before but nothing comes close to how good this one by Ellen’s Homemade Delights on YouTube is, plus, it’s very simple to prepare and the steps are easy to follow which guarantees that you can make this perfectly even if you’re a beginner. Learn how now by watching the video tutorial below.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Honey Bun Cake:

Cake Batter

1 (15.24 oz) box of yellow cake mix
½ cup of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
½ cup of white sugar
¼ tsp of table salt, if using unsalted butter
½ tsp of ground cinnamon
¼ tsp of ground cloves
½ cup or 1 stick of salted or unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup of full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
¼ cup of buttermilk, at room temperature
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
1 large sweet potato

Brown Sugar Filling

1 cup of packed light brown sugar
1¼ tsp of ground cinnamon
½ cup of toasted chopped pecans or walnuts

Vanilla Honey Glaze

2 cups of powdered sugar
2 tbsp of unsalted or salted butter, melted
1 tsp of honey
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp of evaporated milk
A pinch of table salt

How to Make Sweet Potato Honey Bun Cake:

Ingredients for Potato Honey Bun Cake — Image credit: Ellen’s Homemade Delights via YouTube

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 400°F, then wrap the sweet potato with aluminum foil, and place it in a 9-inch round cake pan. Put it in the preheated oven, then let it bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Once the sweet potato is ready, remove it from the oven, then unwrap the foil, carefully remove the meat of the sweet potato discarding the skin, and transfer it to a large bowl.

Step 2

Mash the sweet potato and transfer it to a food processor, then pulse until smooth, and set it aside. Place a skillet on a stove over medium heat, then add the chopped pecans or walnuts, and toast them for about 10 minutes until crisp and warm. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and toasted pecans or walnuts in a small bowl, stir everything until combined, and set aside.

Step 3

Lower the oven’s temperature to 350°F, then grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter and flour, and set it aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cake mix, flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and cloves, then beat them until incorporated, then add the melted butter, sour cream, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and sweet potatoes, and continue mixing over medium speed until well combined making sure not to overmix.

Step 4

Pour half the batter into the bottom of the prepared pa, then spread it evenly, and sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top. Repeat the layers with the remaining halves of the batter and sugar mixture, then let it bake in the oven for about 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

Step 5

Place it on a wire rack to cool, then in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and salt, then add the melted butter, honey, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk until smooth and combined. Drizzle the glaze on top while the cake is still warm and spread it evenly, then slice into desired sizes, and serve. Enjoy!