Sock It To Me Cake is a traditional southern butter cake with a ring of cinnamon-pecan streusel running through the center. This delectable treat is quick to come together and easy to make with a butter cake mix, yet tastes as good as any made-from-scratch cake.

Now and then, we need a little something for our sweet tooth around here. This Sock It To Me Cake is one of our favorites, and it comes together quite quickly. You can have the whole thing mixed and in the oven in about 20 minutes. It stays moist for days and is one of those cakes that tastes better the second day.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- Pecans: You can substitute almonds, walnuts, or macadamia nuts.
- Cake Mix: You can substitute yellow or white cake mix for the butter cake mix.
- Sour Cream: Use full-fat for the best texture and flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Please use the pure extract.
How to Make Sock It To Me Cake
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans, and a little bit of the dried cake mix. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the rest of the cake mix, oil, sour cream, water, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until combined.
- Grease and flour a twelve-cup bundt pan. Pour in ⅔ of the mixed cake batter into the pan. Spoon the streusel into the center all the way around the cake. Pour the rest of the batter over the top.
- Bake the cake for about 45 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.
- Whisk together milk and powdered sugar. Drizzle over the fully cooled cake.

Why is it called a “Sock It To Me Cake”?
I am sure that many of you remember the show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In with the “Sock It to Me” skit. It was a very popular comedy show that aired from 1968 to 1973. This cake also became trendy during the same period. The resounding, affectionate answer when anyone was asked whether they would like a piece of this cake was “Sock It To Me.” The cake quickly became named after that popular phrase.

Preparation Tips
- Grease and flour your pan well. I use Baker’s Joy, a nonstick spray with flour, and it works very well for me.
- If you do not have a bundt pan, you can also bake in a 9×13 pan, sprinkling the streusel in 3 lines down the length of the pan.
- Chop your pecans fairly fine, so it’s easier to spread the cinnamon mixture in the center of the batter.
- We are huge cinnamon lovers here! However, if you are not as much of a cinnamon fan, you can swirl the cinnamon-nut mixture or cut back on the cinnamon.
- We like a light glaze on the cake, but if you prefer a heavier glaze, double the glaze ingredients.
More Cake Recipes

Sock It To Me Cake
Ingredients
Streusel Center
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1½ cups chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons butter cake mix
Cake Batter
- 1 18.25 ounce butter cake mix (less 2 tablespoons for streusel)
- ½ cup oil
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- ¼ cup water
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Drizzle
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees-grease and flour the bundt pan.
- In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans, and 2 tablespoons dried cake mix.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining cake mix, oil, sour cream, water, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Pour ⅔ of the batter into the pan. Spoon the streusel into the center using a small spoon, working all the way around the cake. Gently pour the rest of the batter over the top.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until set. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting.
- Whisk together milk and powdered sugar. Drizzle over fully cooled cake.
Notes
- We prefer a drizzle on this cake since it is already quite sweet. If you prefer a heavier drizzle, double the powdered sugar and milk.














Amy
This looks so good, love this idea!
Jane Saunders
Great name for cake! Also, that streusel centre is just amazing.
Nellie Tracy
This cake is absolutely amazing! My family is obsessed
Jennifer
My husband LOVED this! Thank you for this recipe!
Andrea Metlika
Southern Butter cake is so good and you just upped it by adding this delicious streusel inside. Yummy!
Anjali
Haha I had actually never heard of a “sock it to me” cake until I came across this recipe but this turned out to be absolutely delicious!! Perfectly sweet and rich – it was a hit with all of my dinner guests this week!
Danielle
I just love how the inside of this cake looks. And that texture is just perfect – just the way I like it!
Emily
I never knew the origins of the “sock it to me ” name. Also this cake is so delicious- perfect to make again and again!
Roxana
This is so mouth watering. And so easy to make. I like that butter cake mix idea.
Paula Montenegro
I hadn’t heard about it, but it looks incredibly tempting! Give me a cake with a pecan filling and I’m in! I’m trying this recipe very soon.