Our easy sock it to me cake recipe with yellow cake mix and sour cream is buttery, and tastes like it came from a bakery! A classic Southern style bundt cake with nuts and a box of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cake mix.
You may have seen the Pioneer Woman make this and wondered if you could do it faster with a few tweaks, we got you!! Cake mix hacks are my thing y’all. It is a way to make a delicious dessert with a head start.
What is sock it to me cake?
This funny sounding dessert is a classic Southern-style bundt cake that features a buttery, moist yellow cake with a cinnamon sugar pecan filling swirled inside. It’s typically made using a doctored-up cake mix, making it easy to prepare while still feeling homemade. It was popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s featured in the show Laugh-In comedy show and the fun name stuck!
I mean it is fun to say the name right? That is where it starts and makes everyone smile when you hear it you want to hear the story. Maybe it is something your Southern Grandmother used to make or you had it at a restaurant. There’s always some sort of story (if not make your own y’all). Homemade is great, but nobody will know the difference when they taste it this way…..
Ingredients for Sock it to Me Cake
You are going to start making the cake batter with 1 box of cake mix, yellow used here but white would work. If you wanted another version you could even make this as a Muffin Mix Cake. That version would be smaller in size and the flavors aren’t as diverse but yet another great tweak the original version.
Melted butter will make it super moist, a dairy free plant based product would work too. I will say that this alternative isn’t salted typically so you might want to add a pinch of that into the mix to bring out the sweetness.
Sour cream will add moisture to the dessert too, alternatives to this would be Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree if you were making a Fall flavor, or even mashed avocado works.
White sugar sweetens it a bit more, white granulated we are referring to. We like some additional vanilla extract, almond extract is another option. And you will need 4 eggs which are best added at room temperature.
What is in the filling?
The streusel filling starts off with Brown sugar for the center with Cinnamon and/or a bit of nutmeg if you like that flavor, and we like pecans but those are crushed and optional
How to Make the Frosting
We make the glaze on top with Powdered sugar, it’s the base of any simple frosting in a small bowl added in with some regular or dairy free Milk, use more for thinner and some Butter, melted, just enough to become creamy and thick to your liking. Do not add until baked goods are cool completely out of the bundt pan and set on to a plate for serving.
Variations and Substitutions
If you need this to be dairy free that is pretty easy. Use plain or vanilla almond milk or cashew milk for the glaze. In the cake you can find lactose free sour cream that is fantastic and vegan plant based butter from Country Crock tastes amazingly similar when you bake with it. We have done this with our Coffee Cake with Yellow Cake Mix and nobody knew the difference. 😉
Can you make it without nuts? In the middle you can make this nut-free if you need it to be. Don’t like pecans? Use crushed walnuts instead, this is just the traditional listed below. I haven’t tried adding some diced fruit like in our Easy Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix but I think it would work, about 1/2 cup or so canned would be best.
For parties I like to make this and our Breakfast Bundt Cake for brunch items so one is savory and the other is sweet…..
How Long to Bake Sock it to Me Cake with Yellow Cake Mix
In a bundt pan it will take about 50 minutes to be baked all the way thru. You don’t want to cook too long as it should remain moist. You should check the last 5 minutes or so to achieve the ideal texture and it is recommended that you remove from the pan after 15-20 minutes so it doesn’t continue to cook in the hot pan.
How do you know when it is done?
First you should look at the top. It should have risen nicely, be a light golden brown and be cracked a bit too. Yes I do test with a toothpick but don’t wait until it comes out dry, that means it won’t be as moist. Instead there should be moist crumbs attached (no dough) to have the ideal moist texture inside.
FAQ
I recommend using a bundt pan because it is prettier when serving. Also you can fill the middle easily with brown sugar and pecans this way and it bakes evenly in a bundt.
If you need a nut free option you can leave the nuts out entirely or use something else like crushed toffee or caramel bits for the middle filling.
The thing that is unique to this type of cake is the sweet nut filling. Traditionally it is filled with a layer of brown sugar, cinnamon and some crushed pecans!
I mean you can choose your favorite but typically a vanilla frosting would be added. I have made it with cream cheese frosting too though and that was delicious. For a simple glaze just whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar with enough milk to thin it out to your liking (but keep pretty thick).
Sock it to Me Cake with Yellow Cake Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 4 large eggs
Filling
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine cake mix, sugar, melted butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Spray non stick spray in bundt pan.
- Spoon half of the batter into the pan. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans in a different dish and sprinkle them on top of the batter (reserve 3-4 tablespoons of the nut mixture). Try not to let it touch the sides of the pan.
- Spoon the remaining batter on top and smooth it out. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean with moist crumbs attached.
- Then let the cake cool in the pan, on a cooling rack, for about 15 minutes. Then carefully flip the pan over with a wire rack or plate on top and slide out of pan to continue to cool.
- In a large glass, whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze. It should be neither too thick nor too runny, and should be easy to spread on the cake. Pour the glaze over the top and sprinkle with the remaining nut mixture. Let the glaze set.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
