Sock It To Me Cake

Sock it to me cake is an extremely delicious butter bundt cake that has a tasty cinnamon and nut streusel nestled in the center of the cake.  You can turn a boxed cake mix into a serious must-bake cake. This Southern Sock it to Me Cake is so good it can be served with or without a simple vanilla glaze.

sock it to me cake on a platter and a slice on a plate


What is a Sock it to Me Cake?

The Sock it to Me cake has been around since the 1970s. The cake actually gets its name from the TV show Laugh-In.

If you have never had one of these cakes you will know they are a buttery bundt cake that has a cinnamon and pecan streusel filling. This cake was based on a Duncan Hines cake mix recipe that has been on the box since the 1970s.

Where Did Sock It To Me Cake Get Its Name? 

This amazing butter cake has a fairly unusual name, “Sock it to me”. It is not your average cake so it deserves an unusual name. This cake got its name from an old TV show called Laugh-In, and it’s been called “Sock it to me” ever since! 

What Makes Sock It To Me Cake So Good?

This sock it to me cake Ducan Hines cake is made with a tunnel of cinnamon sugar and nut streusel throughout the center of the cake. 

It is also an extremely moist cake that can be served with or without the powdered sugar frosting recipe included with this cake recipe. 

How to Make Duncan Hines Sock It To Me Cake

When making this recipe you can make it with or without frosting. To make the cake you will actually make the streusel first. 

Start by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans in a small mixing bowl until they are well combined. 

Then in a separate mixing bowl put in the rest of the cake ingredients with the cake mix, and blend it all together. 

Using a bundt pan, spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour in half of the cake mix. 

After half of the cake mix in the bundt pan, carefully spoon or use a large opening piping bag and put the streusel in the center of the cake. 

Then, pour the rest of the cake mix over top and pop it in the oven and bake it!

Once it’s done you can eat it as is, or make up the glaze for the top out of powdered sugar and milk, and then serve it and enjoy.

What is Sock It To Me Cake Made Of?

This sock it to me cake recipe is made of what most cake is made of. It has the yellow box mix, vegetable oil, eggs, sour cream, sugar, flour, pecans, powdered sugar. 

Most of this you will find in your fridge or pantry. The sour cream and pecans are key ingredients that make this recipe stand out.  

How Long Will Sock It to Me Cake Last For?

When you leave this buttery cinnamon filled bundt cake out at room temperature it will last for 4-6 days. 

You can also store this cake in the fridge. If you store it in the fridge you can get sock it to me cake to last for about 7-10 days. 

Can Sock It To Me Cake Be Frozen?

This cake can be frozen, but there are a few tips I would suggest when freezing. 

If you choose to freeze the whole cake, I would freeze it without the glaze on top. Once you thaw the cake and serve it I would make the glaze up fresh and then pour it on top of the thawed cake. 

You could also slice up the cake and freeze each piece individually to have small portions at time to make the cake last longer if you do not need it for anything special. This way you can have a sweet treat whenever you want it! 

However if you do decide to slice it up, I would suggest pouring the glaze on the cake before slicing and freezing. Otherwise you will either have to go without the glaze, which is just as tasty in my option, or make the glaze every time you want a piece.  

Top Cake Tips

Here are my top tips for this Duncan Hines cake recipe that will help produce the most amazing cake you’ll ever have! 

  1. Use Full Fat Sour Cream
    By not skimping on the fat, you will be able to have a tastier, and more moist cake when you use full-fat sour cream.
  2. Walnuts Instead of pecans
    If you do not like pecans, you are welcome to use walnuts, just make sure that you chop up the walnuts small enough to get the streusel the right consistency.
  3. Cool the cake down
    Make sure that the cake is cooled down before you pour the powdered sugar glaze on top of the cake. Otherwise, the cake will get soggy.
  1. Wipe down the knife
    In order to get clean-cut slices of cake, you will want to wipe down the knife you are using to cut the cake between each slice. A clean knife is the best way to get a smooth piece of cake.

Ingredients Needed For Sock It To Me Cake

This cake can be made with or without the glaze on top. Here’s a list of what you need for the cake batter, streusel filling, and glaze:

  • Yellow cake mix, Duncan Hines recommended – For this recipe, I like to use the Duncan Hines box of Golden Butter yellow cake mix, it produces a very moist cake when paired with the sour cream.
  • Large Eggs
  • Full-fat sour cream
  • Vegetable oil
  • Water
  • Sugar
  • All-purpose flour
  • Brown sugar
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Chopped pecans – You need to finely chop up the pecans to make sure to get the streusel filling a good consistency.
  • Powdered sugar
  • Milk
sock it to me cake ingredients on a tray

Ingredient Notes

Make sure you use a full-fat sour cream. It will taste better than if you use fat-free or low-fat.

You can use walnuts instead of pecans. Just make sure it’s finely chopped walnuts.

How to Make a Sock It To Me Cake

  1. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.
  2. Combine 2 tablespoons cake mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans in a medium bowl.
    pecan streusel filling for sock it to me cake in a bowl
  3. Combine remaining cake mix, flour, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, and sugar in a large bowl.
  4. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
  5. Pour two-thirds of batter into a bundt pan or a tube pan.
  6. Sprinkle streusel filling on the batter.
  7. Spoon the rest of the batter over the filling.
    sock it to me cake in a bundt pan before baking
  8. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Cool the cake in the pan for 25 minutes.
  10. Invert the cake onto a serving plate and cool it completely.
  11. Combine powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth.
  12. Drizzle the glaze onto the cake.

Make sure the cake is completely cooled before topping it with the glaze. This helps to keep the glaze from melting into the cake.

a slice of sock it to me cake on a plate and forks next to it

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sock it to me cake on a platter and a slice on a plate

Sock It To Me Cake

Sock it to Me Cake is moist, buttery and has pecan cinnamon streusel filling.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cake Recipes, Sock It To Me Cake
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 382kcal

Ingredients

  • 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream full-fat
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Streusel Filling

  • 2 tablespoons cake mix reserved
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze

  • cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

For Streusel Filling

  • Combine 2 tablespoon cake mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, stir in pecans.

For Cake

  • Combine remaining cake mix, flour, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, and sugar in a bowl. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
  • Pour two-thirds of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle streusel filling on top of the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over the filling.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  • Cool the cake in the pan for 25 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and then cool completely.

For Glaze

  • Combine powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the glaze onto the cake.

Notes

You will want to make sure you use a full-fat sour cream. It will taste better than if you use fat-free or low-fat.
If you want, you can use walnuts instead of pecans. Just make sure it’s finely chopped walnuts.
Make sure the cake is completely cooled down before adding the glaze.  This will make sure you don’t have a soggy mess.

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1.5mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Driddle88

    I have made this cake so many times, and it doesn’t last long. I use the oil, but I also use a stick of softened butter. People have tried to pay me to make this cake. It is Wonderful!

  2. Driddle88

    I have made this cake so many times, and it doesn’t last long. I use the oil, but I also use a stick of softened butter. People have tried to pay me to make this cake. It is Wonderful!

  3. Driddle88

    I have made this cake so many times, and it doesn’t last long. I use the oil, but I also use a stick of softened butter. People have tried to pay me to make this cake. It is Wonderful!

  4. Sue Minick

    This cake is very good. I made it about a week or so ago and got nothing but rave reviews. I did not use any glaze and it was fine without it. YUM….it will be a keeper and I will make it again.

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