Name: Sticky Bun Swirl Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 box yellow cake mix; 4 eggs; 1/3 cup water; 3/4 cup oil; 1 cup sour cream; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 tablespoon cinnamon; 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional); 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla; pinch of salt

Are you craving a sweet cake from a box mix that tastes like bakery quality? This Sticky Bun Swirl Cake is so easy to make and my son and husband LOVE it! A box cake mix is enhanced with a couple layers of brown sugar and cinnamon swirled together and drizzled with icing. #boxmixcake #easycake

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Sweet Sticky Bun Cake

My husband and son love sweet desserts and sweet breakfast treats. This Sticky Bun Swirl Cake is so easy to make at home, but tastes as good as a honey bun or other sweet treat that you might pick up at a bakery or grocery store. It is similar to our Buttermilk Coffee Cake, but easier because it uses a box mix!

This cake is so good we’ve made it several times in the last few weeks. While the cake has always tasted great it has never looked the same. We like that kind of thing, a unique experience in each bite! The look of the cake varies depending on how aggressively you swirl. On a recent variation, my husband let our toddler do the swirling. Toddler swirling is definitely not replicable. So if you like an easy sweet coffee cake give it a few tries and experiment with your swirl skills.

My friend Chef Alli shared this original recipe with me. She’s made it countless times for her sons and they always ask for more. So, I had to give it a try. We made it for guests that included a teenage boy. I’ve noticed that hungry growing boys seem to devour this cake the quickest and smile the biggest when eating Sticky Bun Swirl Cake.

Best Coffee Cake From Box Mix

Life on the farm is busy, so it’s great to have some easy go-to recipes like this. My boys might like this cake so much that they sneak a peace for breakfast on occasion. I prefer to enjoy this coffee cake for dessert.

I like that the topping and icing give the cake an upscale look and taste, but it’s very easy to make. This cake tastes perfect with a glass of cold milk!

Growing up on a dairy farm we love desserts that tastes great with a glass of cold milk. Our family sold our dairy cows in 2011 because labor was difficult to secure. My heart is with dairy farmers right now. They have gotten so good at producing a lot of milk that there’s an oversupply on the market. Since you can’t just turn milk production on and off quickly it means low prices for both dairy farmers and those of us who buy milk.

So, let’s support the dairy farmers everywhere by making desserts like this with sour cream and enjoying each piece with a glass of milk. Here are a few of our other favorite cakes that taste great with a glass of milk:

We hope you enjoy these easy cakes as much as we do!

How to Make Sticky Bun Swirl Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat cake mix, eggs, water, oil andsour cream together for 2 minutes in a mixing bowl. Scrape the bowl halfway through. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan
Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans (if using) and sprinkle over batter. Take a butter knife and swirl filling and batter together. Swirl until clumps of brown sugar have sunken down into the batter.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon topping ingredients together and sprinkle over the top of the batter.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
While cake is baking, make icing. Combine powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over cake immediately after it comes out of the oven.
While the cake is still hot cover with foil and let cool.

Printable Sticky Bun Swirl Cake Recipe