By Elina Strawberry honey bun cake is a yellow cake-mix cake layered with strawberry jam and cinnamon sugar, baked in a 9×13 pan and finished with a vanilla glaze — and it needs about 15 minutes of hands-on work. One pan makes 12 servings, the bake takes 40 to 45 minutes, and the single thing that decides success is the swirl: dollop the jam, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar, pass a knife through once or twice, and stop. Overwork it and the ribbon disappears into the batter.
How the jam and cinnamon swirl works in strawberry honey bun cake
A classic honey bun cake is cinnamon sugar swirled through yellow cake, nothing else. Strawberry honey bun cake keeps that idea and adds jam, and the jam changes the cake in three ways. First, moisture: the jam steams between the two batter layers as it bakes, so the middle stays soft while the edges turn golden. Second, tartness: strawberry jam cuts the sweetness of the cake mix and the glaze, so a slice does not taste one-note sweet. Third, colour: the jam bakes into a deep red ribbon that shows in every slice, which is the whole point of cutting this cake at the table.
The layering is what makes the ribbon possible. Half the batter goes down first, so the jam has a floor to sit on instead of sinking to the pan. The jam and cinnamon sugar go on that floor, and the remaining batter seals the top, so the jam cannot dry out or burn. When the cake is sliced, the jam shows as a spiral — the same spiral the video ends on, with the glaze dripping down the cut face. Mixed into the batter instead of layered, the jam would leave no ribbon at all, just a pink cake.
What goes into strawberry honey bun cake, and the swaps that still work
Every ingredient in strawberry honey bun cake earns its place, and most of them have a swap that still works. The cake mix is one box (15.25 oz / 432 g) of yellow cake mix — white or butter-yellow mix work the same way, but chocolate mix fights the jam and is not a swap worth making. Four large eggs, at room temperature so they beat in smoothly, and one cup of sour cream, which is where the crumb gets its moisture and its slight tang. Full-fat Greek yoghurt swaps for the sour cream cup for cup, though the crumb comes out a little less rich.
The jam is 3/4 cup of strawberry jam, and seedless spreads cleanest — a knife drags seeded or chunky jam across the batter and tears the surface. Raspberry or blackberry jam swap directly, cup for cup, if strawberry is not what you have; apricot jam makes a different cake, paler and less tart, but the method is identical. The cinnamon sugar is 1/2 cup of light brown sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon; white sugar plus cinnamon works, but it browns faster and tastes flatter than brown sugar. The oil is 3/4 cup of neutral vegetable or canola oil — melted butter gives more flavour but a denser crumb, so keep the oil if you want the cake light. The glaze is 2 cups of powdered sugar whisked with 4 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla; lemon juice in place of the milk makes a sharper glaze that suits the jam.
The pan, the layers, and why half the batter goes down first
A 9×13 inch pan is the right size: smaller and the layers get too thick to bake through, larger and the cake dries out before the centre sets. Glass or metal both work — glass shows the layers through the sides, metal browns the edges faster, so check a metal pan five minutes early. Grease the pan well, including the corners, because the jam layer will stick wherever the batter does not cover it.
Method: mix, layer, swirl, bake, glaze
- Heat the oven and grease the pan. Set the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish, including the corners.
- Beat the batter. In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, eggs, sour cream and oil with a hand mixer on medium for about 2 minutes, until the batter is smooth and pale yellow with no dry streaks.
- Spread half the batter. Scrape half the batter into the greased dish and spread it to the corners in an even layer.
- Jam, cinnamon sugar, swirl. Dollop spoonfuls of strawberry jam across the batter, sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the top, then pass a knife through the jam once or twice to make the swirl. Do not overmix — the ribbon should still be visible.
- Top with the remaining batter. Spoon the rest of the batter over the jam layer and spread it gently to the edges, sealing the jam in.
- Bake. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick pushed into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Glaze and slice. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth — the glaze should ribbon off the spoon. Pour it over the warm cake and let it set for 10 minutes, then cut into 12 squares.
Where strawberry honey bun cake goes wrong
The jam sank to the bottom when the first batter layer was spread too thin, or when the jam was piled in one spot instead of dolloped across the surface — the weight of a single thick pool of jam pulls it down through the batter. Spread the jam in spoonfuls and keep the first layer even, and the ribbon stays where it belongs.
The swirl disappeared when the knife went through more than twice. Two passes make a ribbon; four passes blend the jam into the batter and the cake comes out pink instead of swirled. Warm, runny jam does the same thing, so use jam straight from the jar, not heated.
Dry edges with a wet middle mean the oven runs hot or the pan is dark metal — tent the cake loosely with foil at 30 minutes if the top darkens early, and test doneness with a toothpick in the centre, not at the edge, where the cake always sets first. A glaze that slid straight off was poured onto a cake that was still hot, or a glaze mixed too thin: wait the full 15 minutes of cooling, and add the milk a tablespoon at a time until the glaze ribbons instead of running. A soggy bottom means too much jam — keep it to 3/4 cup, and do not add extra jam on top of the recipe.
Serving and storing
Strawberry honey bun cake is best the day it is baked, served warm or at room temperature, cut into 12 squares from the pan. Vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream suits it, and coffee is the obvious drink alongside — the jam and cinnamon both stand up to it. Cut smaller into 16 pieces, it also works as a brunch cake, since it holds its shape once the glaze sets.
Store it covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days — the glaze firms up in the fridge, so warm a slice for about 10 seconds in the microwave to soften it again. It freezes well unglazed for up to 2 months, wrapped tightly; thaw overnight in the fridge and glaze after thawing, not before freezing, because the glaze goes sticky in the freezer.
More strawberry desserts to try: Strawberry Crepe Roll, Strawberry Rose Tarts, Chocolate Strawberry Trifles, and Red Velvet Strawberry Cheesecake.
For another strawberry dessert that layers jam the same way, try the Belgian Waffle Layer Cake — waffles stacked with strawberry jam and mascarpone cream. Watch the cake come together in the Strawberry Honey Bun Cake Short — https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RJK4Y1WbcSE.
Strawberry Honey Bun Cake
Yellow cake mix, strawberry jam and cinnamon sugar layered in a 9x13 pan, baked golden and finished with a vanilla glaze.
15 minutes
45 minutes
1 hour 15 minutes
12 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
Chef Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs and sour cream so the batter mixes smooth with no lumps.
- Seedless jam swirls cleanest; chunky jam tears the batter when the knife passes through.
- Pass the knife through the jam once or twice only — more passes blend the jam into the batter and the ribbon disappears.
- Glaze while the cake is warm, not hot: a hot cake melts the glaze into a thin sheen, a warm cake holds the drip.
- Cut with a hot, dry knife for clean slices that show the jam spiral.
