This sock it to me cake is one of the best doctored cake recipes I have ever made! Rich brown sugar, warm cinnamon and a sweet glaze make the cake irresistible.
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Pin RecipeI love playing around with cake mixes and finding new ways to make exciting, delicious cakes. I believe that a boxed cake mix should always be tweaked and altered to make it better. The mix in the box should just be the start of your cake! Adding a few select ingredients can make a huge difference and make your cake truly taste homemade. That’s the idea behind this sock-it-to-me cake!
Sock It To Me Cake Recipe
Sock it to me cake is a type of bundt cake made with a cinnamon and pecan filling. The cake is classically rich and buttery, so I like to make it using a yellow box cake mix. Then, I make an easy brown sugar-spiced filling to layer in the middle of the cake along with the chopped pecans. It is all quite simple, but the cake looks like something straight out of a bakery display case.
It is hard to say whether this sock it to me cake is a true dessert or something you can have for breakfast. This cake is definitely sweet enough to be a dessert, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on top of sock it to me cake is heavenly. However, I have definitely served this bundt cake as a special occasion breakfast. It is so easy to make that you can even bake it in the morning and then serve your family a warm, fresh slice of breakfast cake! That sounds like the best way to wake up ever.
(If you love this recipe, be sure to try my Almond Joy Cake too!)
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Ingredients for Sock It To Me Cake
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Yellow cake mix – Any brand of yellow cake mix will work but I like Duncan Hines Butter Golden cake, which is really rich and moist.
- Pecans – Buy your pecans pre-chopped to save you some time.
- Dark brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Eggs
- Sour cream – Be sure to use regular sour cream, not low-fat. Whole milk sour cream has the best flavor and texture for cakes.
- Canola oil
- Whole milk – Whole milk is used to make the cake and also the glaze on top.
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
Variations
- Replace the canola oil with vegetable oil or melted coconut oil.
- Light brown sugar can be used in place of dark brown sugar, but will give the cake a more mild flavor.
- Use almond extract in the glaze to make the sock it to me cake even nuttier.
How to Make Sock It To Me Cake
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 375ºF and spray a 10-inch bundt pan with baking grease. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of flour into the greased pan and shake the pan to coat the sides of the bundt pan in flour. Shake out any extra flour and discard.
- Make the filling: Take two tablespoons of cake mix out of the box and put it in a mixing bowl with the brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans. Stir the ingredients together and then set aside.
- Make the cake batter: Pour the remaining cake mix into a large mixing bowl and add the eggs, sour cream, canola oil, and milk. Whisk everything together until smooth.
- Assemble the cake: Pour about half of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle the pecan filling into the pan, making an even layer over the batter. Pour the remaining batter into the pan and spread it over the pecan layer.
- Bake: Bake the cake for about 45 minutes. The cake will be golden brown on top and spring back when touched.
- Cool: Let the cake cool in the bundt pan for about 30 minutes, then flip the cake onto a serving tray or plate to continue cooling.
- Glaze the cake: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the sock it to me cake then slice and enjoy!
Quick Tip
You can also use two 8″ loaf pans to make this sock it to me cake. Simply divide the batter between two greased, floured loaf pans, sprinkle each with half of the cinnamon filling, and then top with the rest of the batter. Baking in loaves makes the cake very similar to a pound cake. It is easy to slice and very easy to eat!
How to Store Sock It To Me Cake
Wrap your cake tightly in plastic wrap then store it at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can also keep the cake in the fridge for up to a week. I like room temperature cake best because the texture is soft and tender.
FAQs
The phrase “sock it to me” essentially means give me something really quick. Legend has it that a baker once made this cake and asked if a customer wanted a slice. The answer was “sock it to me!” which is a very strong “yes”! The cake then got its name as everyone wants a big slice of this cake as quickly as possible.
Sock it to me cake is a rich, buttery vanilla cake that has a layer of cinnamon sugar and pecan filling. It is also topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. The strongest flavors in the cake are nuts, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
You can definitely freeze this cake. Bake the cake completely and then let it cool. Do not ice the cake. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw the cake at room temperature for about 3 hours then make the glaze to go on top of the cake. It is then ready to slice and serve!
More Easy Cake Recipes
Sock It To Me Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup whole milk
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Then spray a 10 inch bundt pan with baking grease and dust it with flour. Tap out any extra flour and set the pan aside.
- Scoop two tablespoons of the cake mix into a medium sized bowl. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans to the bowl and stir. Set aside for now.
- Pour the rest of the cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil and ¼ cup of milk to the bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to form a thick, smooth batter.
- Pour half of the batter into the greased, floured bundt pan. Then, sprinkle the pecan mix into the pan, evenly over the batter.
- Pour the remaining batter into the bundt pan, covering the pecan layer.
- Bake the cake in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes. The cake will be golden brown and spring back to the touch. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake will come out cleanly, with no sticky batter.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes then flip the cake out of the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack or serving plate.
- Once the cake has cooled, whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla and whole milk together for the glaze. Pour it over the top of the cake then slice and enjoy!
I used 3 tsp of cinnamon in the filling and it tasted great! I would recommend reducing the baking time. Start checking your cake at 35-37 minutes. I baked it for 42 minutes and it was a tad overbaked….still delicious, but drier then it should have been. I also saved a Tbsp of the filling to sprinkle on top the icing. Will make this one again!
The amount of cinnamon is missing from the ingredient list.