This Southern Sock It To Me Cake recipe pairs a moist and buttery cake texture with a cinnamon brown sugar pecan swirl that is to die for! The vanilla glaze brings it all together perfectly!
The Heart and Soul of the Best Sock It To Me Cake Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern Comfort
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Sweet, Nutty, Spicy
Skill Level: Intermediate
Sweet Highlights:
- Swirl Magic: The cinnamon-nut swirl isn’t just delicious; it’s a visual treat.
- Moist & Fluffy: Sour cream keeps every bite tender and light.
- Glazed Goodness: A sweet glaze takes this cake’s allure up a notch.
- Ready When You Are: Perfect for make-ahead plans; it stays scrumptious.
- Comfort in a Slice: This cake is like a sweet, comforting hug on a plate.
What is Sock It To Me Cake?
Sock It To Me Cake! For those of you who aren’t familiar (and I won’t blame you for that), this retro cake was very popular in the 1970’s, especially in the South, because of it’s funky name. Housewives everywhere loved this cake because it was a simple recipe that proved to be extremely useful to have in your entertaining back pocket. Convenient and delicious were the two words of the decade when it came to baking. I’m here to tell you that this cake is ready for its comeback. It’s sweet, nutty, light and full of spice. Absolutely perfect.
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter:
- Box of Yellow Butter Cake Mix: We’re kickin’ it off with some cake mix magic. Easy peasy and oh-so delish.
- Sour Cream: This right here? It’s the secret to that moist, tender crumb. Yes, please!
- Vegetable Oil: Bringing in the moisture big time!
- Granulated Sugar: Just a touch of sweetness to make everything nice.
- Large Eggs: These guys are the glue holding our cakey dreams together.
- Room Temperature Water: Because we want everything to mix smooth and even.
For the Pecan Filling:
- Chopped Pecans: Get ready for a nutty crunch in every slice.
- Brown Sugar: Bringing in that deep, caramel goodness.
- Ground Cinnamon: A little spice to make everything nice.
- Ground Nutmeg: Just a whisper of warmth to spice things up.
For the Glaze:
- Confectioner’s Sugar: Powdered perfection to sweeten the deal.
- Milk: To turn that sugar into a dreamy drizzle.
How to Make A Sock it to Me Cake
Start your process by preheating the oven and liberally spraying your bundt pan with non-stick baking spray. Now, when I say liberally I mean get in there and be sure to get every edge and crevasse. Last thing you want is for your hard work to result in a cake you have to shovel out of the pan with a butter knife.
This is where we get to the batter. I have used a similar technique in my Honeybun Cake! If you look on the back of most cake mixes, you will see that you only usually need water but by adding additional ingredients, you can really make a boxed cake taste homemade. For our cake batter, we added the following:
- Sour Cream (it creates such a rich and delicious cake, plus super moist!)
- Vegetable Oil (added extra moistness)
- Sugar (punched up the sweetness a bit more)
- Eggs (eggs always stabilize a cake!)
- plus a little water
Using a cake mix is what helps make this recipe a bit easier but if you would like to go the extra mile and make your cake from scratch there is no shame in that.
Next, pour two thirds of your mixture into the bundt pan. Whisk together pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until they are combined and spread that mixture evenly over the top of your cake batter. Pour the rest of the cake batter right on top and pop that bad boy in the oven!
Your cake should bake for about thirty five to forty five minutes. Try your best not to over bake the cake but bundts can be a difficult cake shape. Make sure to check in by the middle circle of the bundt cake as it’s always the last area to bake up fully for me. Believe me, no one wants a dry cake.
Be sure to allow your cake to cool for at least twenty five minutes so that it has the time to properly set. In the meantime, mix together your milk and confectioners sugar to make your glaze. Once your ready, generously pour that glaze all your cake and you’re set to serve. I promise you that each bite will be gloriously soft yet crunchy, sweet yet spicy and oh so delicious.
Can You Make Sock It To Me Cake From Scratch
Some might not be down for doctoring up a cake mix so in that case, we can use one of my existing pound cake recipes as the base. I would in this instance use my Sour Cream Pound Cake as the base since the original also uses sour cream.
Simply replace all of the batter steps in this recipe and replace with the steps in the Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe instead. Follow the rest of the steps once you begin layering the batter. You will still bake as long as is required in the Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe.
Sour Cream Replacement
If you would like to replace the sour cream in this recipe, you easily can. I like to substitute sour cream for Greek yogurt! It has a similar texture and thickness. You can also use buttermilk or coconut milk as a replacement.
Want more cake recipes that you will absolutely adore? Check out these!
Sock It To Me Cake
Equipment
- Bundt Pan
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter (Or to make from scratch, make my Sour Cream Cake)
- 1 box yellow butter cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup room temperature water
For the Pecan Filling
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350. Liberally spray a 10-cup bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs along with ¼ cup of room temperature water until completely smooth.
- Pour 2/3rds of batter into prepared bundt pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Evenly pour the filling over the batter then add the remaining cake batter over the top.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes then cool for 25 minutes.
- Whisk together confectioners sugar and milk and drizzle over cake and serve.
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I made this Cake twice, once for my sister it’s her fave! Looked beautiful, smelled delightful, but it wasn’t as moist as we expected. Where did I go wrong? I want to retry with making the butter cake from scratch do I still need to add the additional oil, sugar, sour cream, and water or would you then just skip that. Thanks, cake tasted amazing just wishing it was a tad more moist.
I’ve made this cake a few times and it’s always delicious however, my pecan cinnamon mixture always seems to end up at the very top of the cake. Am I doing something wrong?
Can I make the pecan filling without pecans (nut allergies)?
Absolutely! You can remove them.
This cake is unbelievably moist. I think I have a new go to cake.
Substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream. Came out fabulous the first time and sure to be a hit this time..
Be safe everyone.
My mother-in-law lived this cake for Mother’s Day! So easy and tasty. This is my second home rub with your recipes. Thanks!
This was my very first time baking a sock it to me cake. I am so happy I chose this recipe! The tips about heavily greasing the walls of the bundt pan and checking the bake near the center circle were extremely helpful. I baked my cake for exactly 35 minutes. I doubled the glaze for a little extra sweetness. The result was a very moist and tasty cake! This is a great recipe — I highly recommend it!!
Use Pam Baking spray. I use it on my heavy pans for banana bread and I barely have to wash the pans. Just kidding. Cake comes out easily with no problem!
I made this for my daughter’s 32nd birthday. She requested it after remembering her grandmother used to buy it at Von’s when she was little! ❤️
I love this cake, I’ve made it 3 time already, about to make again today. Its alway a hit with family and neighbors. Thank you so much again.
Do you cool this cake In the pan or out of the pan?
Yes you cool it out of the pan.
Another of your fabulous cakes! Made this for the first time and it was a hit! Will definitely make this moist, fragrant and beautiful cake again!!