HHeritage Kitchen

Desserts

Sock-It-to-Me Cake

A rich, buttery Bundt cake with a cinnamon, brown sugar and pecan swirl baked into the center and a simple vanilla glaze poured over the top. Moist enough to keep for days, which it rarely gets the chance to do.

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Glazed Bundt cake cut open to show a cinnamon pecan swirl inside

Prep time

25 min

Cook time

1 hr

Total time

1 hr 25 min plus cooling

Servings

12 · One 10-inch Bundt cake

Origin Story

Sock-it-to-me cake belongs to late-1960s and 1970s American baking, when "sock it to me" was everywhere — a catchphrase off the television that ended up on a cake. It spread through recipe cards, church cookbooks and the backs of boxes, and it settled in for good in generations of Black American home baking, showing up at family gatherings, holiday tables and Sunday dinners long after the phrase went out of style.

Ingredients

Cinnamon-pecan filling

  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Cake

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup full-fat sour cream
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan, getting into every groove.

  2. 2

    Stir the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and pecans together in a small bowl and set aside.

  3. 3

    Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

  4. 4

    Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed for 4–5 minutes, until light and fluffy.

  5. 5

    Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

  6. 6

    Mix in the sour cream, oil and vanilla.

  7. 7

    Add the flour mixture in three additions on low speed, mixing just until combined.

  8. 8

    Spread half the batter in the pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon-pecan mixture evenly over it, keeping it away from the pan walls. Spread the remaining batter on top and smooth it out.

  9. 9

    Bake 55–65 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.

  10. 10

    Cool in the pan 10–15 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

  11. 11

    Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until pourable, and drizzle over the cooled cake.

Heritage Kitchen Tips

  • Room-temperature butter, eggs and sour cream blend into a smoother batter and a more even crumb.
  • Toast the pecans for 6–8 minutes before mixing them into the filling — it deepens the flavor considerably.

Kitchen Note

Sour cream is what keeps this cake moist, so don't swap it for something lighter. Layer half the batter, all the cinnamon-pecan mixture, then the rest of the batter so the filling stays a ribbon instead of sinking. Grease and flour every groove of the Bundt pan, cool the cake in the pan exactly 10–15 minutes, then turn it out — longer and it sticks, sooner and it can break.

Variations

  • Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the glaze for a spiced finish.

Ingredient substitutions

Full-fat plain yogurt
Sour cream
Chopped walnuts
Pecans

Storage and reheating

Keep covered at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated up to a week. Freezes well unglazed for up to 2 months.

Round out the meal

Complete the meal

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