Description
A delightful Strawberry Honeybun Cake featuring a moist cake base swirled with cinnamon-strawberry goodness and topped with a creamy strawberry icing.
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow or white cake mix
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, finely chopped
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup finely chopped strawberries
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp strawberry purée
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp milk, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Beat for about 2 minutes, until smooth and well combined.
- Toss the chopped strawberries with 1 tablespoon of flour, then gently fold them into the batter.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped strawberries, melted butter, and flour. Mix until the mixture resembles moist, crumbly cinnamon sugar.
- Spread half of the cake batter evenly in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the cinnamon-strawberry mixture over the batter. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the filling. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the layers together.
- Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover the cake with foil. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.
- Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar gradually, mixing until incorporated. Add the strawberry purée and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth, adding milk as needed until the icing reaches a thick but pourable consistency.
- Spread or drizzle the strawberry cream icing over the slightly cooled cake. Let the icing settle into the cinnamon swirls. Garnish with fresh strawberry slices, if desired. Slice into squares and serve.
Notes
- Dry the strawberries: Pat them dry after washing to avoid adding excess moisture.
- Keep the swirl distinct: Gently swirl with a knife rather than stirring the filling throughout the batter.
- For stronger strawberry flavor: Use ripe, sweet strawberries and fresh strawberry purée in the icing.
- For a shortcut: Use strawberry cake mix instead of yellow or white cake mix for a more vibrant berry flavor.
- Cool before icing: Let the cake cool enough that the cream icing won’t melt completely into the surface.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 70mg