If you haven’t heard of a Sock it to Me Cake before then you’re definitely missing out! This moist, tender cake has a ribbon of brown sugar, pecan, and cinnamon streusel in the middle and a vanilla glaze on top. Think of it like the best Southern butter cake with a surprise filling, it’s so easy to make but beyond delicious! If you love this flavor profile then you will also love my soft cinnamon rolls and easy sticky buns!
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Unsalted butter: If you’d like to use salted butter then decrease the added salt by 1/2 tsp.
Pecans: Make sure to toast your pecans, it really brings out the flavor.
How to Make Sock it to Me Cake
1. Set oven to 325F and grease the inside of your bundt pan with baking spray or butter and flour it. Combine the chopped toasted pecans, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a small bowl then mix together and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl then whisk together and set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together on high for about 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape the bowl down half way through because you want a nice homogeneous mixture.
4. Add the eggs one at a time while mixing on medium, scrape the bowl down and mix once more.
5. Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low until the incorporated.
6. Scrape the bowl down then add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix on low until just combined.
7. Add half of the batter to your prepared bunt pan then sprinkle the pecan filling over the surface evenly. Add the remaining batter and smooth the top. Bake at 325F for about 65-70 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Rest in pan for 5 minutes then invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
8. While the cake cools make the vanilla icing by adding milk and vanilla to powdered sugar in a bowl. Whisk until smooth adding more milk as needed for consistency then spoon over the cooled cake.
Pro Tips for this Recipe
Pro Tips for this Recipe- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Do not over-mix the batter! The key to a light fluffy cake is mixing until Just combined, otherwise you’ll activate the gluten in the flour and your cake will be dense and gummy.
- You can add other spices to the filling like nutmeg, allspice, or even cardamom.
- Chopped candied or toasted pecans can be sprinkled over the icing for added crunch and visual appeal.
- When you enjoy this cake the next day give it 20 seconds in the microwave to warm up the butter in the batter. It will have that fresh out of the oven tenderness and be that much more delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called Sock It To Me Cake?
Sock-it-to-Me was a catchphrase in the Seventies popularized by the comedy show Laugh In. It was originally printed on the back of the Duncan-Hines Golden Cake mix box and it still found there today. This cake packs a powerful punch of flavor that makes the name quite appropriate though perhaps a bit odd.
Can you make this with box cake mix?
Yes! Many recipes use boxed butter or yellow cake mix to make this bundt cake. You can definitely do that if you’re in a rush or have some boxed cake to use up. If using box mix then you’ll add 1 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup water, 4 eggs, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar to make the bundt cake.
How many boxes of cake mix do I need?
For a standard sized bundt pan you will need one package of boxed cake mix.
What can I add to this cake?
Try adding about half a cup of chopped toasted pecans to on top, they bring so much flavor and texture to the cake. You can also substitute some of the milk in the icing for maple syrup or even bourbon for a twist on the classic vanilla.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Southern Sock it to Me Cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Sock it to Me Cake
Equipment
- 12 cup Bundt pan
- Mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226g, room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar 425g
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 360g
- 6 eggs large, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10mL
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream 227g
For the Filling
- 1 cup pecans toasted and chopped
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar 66g
- 2 tsp cinnamon
For the Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar 240g, sifted
- 3 tbsp milk 45mL
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
Instructions
For the Filling
- In a medium bowl combine the chopped toasted pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well in set aside.
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 325F and coat the inside of your bundt pan with baking spray, or butter and flour it. Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl then whisk together and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar on high for about 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down halfway through.
- Add the eggs one at a time while mixing on medium. Scrape bowl down as needed.
- Dump in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined then add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl one last time and mix any stray bits in.
- Add half of the batter to your bundt pan then sprinkle the pecan filling over the top and add the remaining batter. Smooth the top with a spatula then bake for about 70 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to rest in pan for 5 minutes then invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
For the Icing
- Sift powdered sugar into a large bowl, add the milk and vanilla then whisk until smooth. You can mix in milk a teaspoon at a time if needed to thin the consistency out a bit. Spoon icing over the cooled cake.
Video
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Do not over-mix the batter! The key to a light fluffy cake is mixing until Just combined, otherwise you'll activate the gluten in the flour and your cake will be dense and gummy.
- You can add other spices to the filling like nutmeg, allspice or even cardamom.
- Chopped candied or toasted pecans can be sprinkled over the icing for added crunch and visual appeal.
- When you enjoy this cake the next day give it 20 seconds in the microwave to warm up the butter in the batter. If will have that fresh out of the oven tenderness and be that much more delicious.
