Sock It to Me Cake Is the World’s Best Coffee Cake

For an impressive but very easy take on coffee cake, make sock it to me cake. Made with a yellow cake mix, the bundt cake has swirls of brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.

overhead view of Sock It to Me Cake (a bundt cake) on a platter with 2 slices cut out of it, one on its side, napkin, cups of coffee, dessert plate with utensils on the side — Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

If you love coffee cake, you’ll immediately fall for this buttery, tender bundt cake that’s hiding a sweet brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecan swirl inside. It’s an impressive-looking dessert that couldn’t be easier to make, thanks to… boxed cake mix! Doctoring up the grocery store convenience transforms it into a truly show-stopping treat.

Sock it to me cake originated in the late 1960s, when the term "sock it to me" became popular. The catchphrase meant "give it to me" or “lay it on me,” which was used as a punch line in the comedy show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and featured in the song Respect by Aretha Franklin.

We can thank Duncan Hines for the creation of the recipe, as the company published its version on the back of its boxed cake mixes in the 1970s and it quickly took off from there.

Tips for Making Sock It To Me Cake

Layering the brown sugar pecan mixture in between the batter helps achieve a more intricate and dispersed swirl. When adding it, leave a border between the edges of the pan and mixture to ensure that you won’t see the filling along the sides of the cake.
For a citrusy twist, try adding a little freshly grated orange zest to the pecan mixture.
You can make the glaze up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it. Just give it a good whisk before drizzling it over the cake.

Sock It to Me Cake with a slice cut out of it to where it shows the marbling inside — Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

Bundt Bonanza

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Generously coat a 15-cup Bundt pan with baking spray; set aside.

Make the pecan mixture:

Stir the pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt together in a small bowl until combined; set aside.

overhead view of chopped pecans in a bowl with a spoon for Sock It to Me Cake — Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

Make the batter:

Whisk the eggs, sour cream, canola oil, granulated sugar, milk, vanilla, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl until combined. Add the cake mix and fold in until just incorporated.

dry ingredients with wet ingredients added in a bowl with a spatula for Sock It to Me Cake — Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

Assemble the cake:

Spoon about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon half of the pecan mixture into the center of the batter in the pan, leaving a 1/2-inch border on both sides. Spoon and gently spread another 1/3 of the batter over the pecan mixture (it’s okay if the pecan mixture mixes with the batter). Spoon the remaining pecan mixture over the batter, leaving a 1/2-inch border on both sides. Spoon and spread the remaining 1/3 of the batter over the pecan mixture.

Bundt pan, batter poured in with chopped pecan mixture on top for Sock It to Me Cake — Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

yellow cake batter poured on top of previous nut layer in bundt pan for Sock It to Me Cake — Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser

Bake:

Bake until golden brown, set, and a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack, remove the pan, and let cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes.