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Classic Sock It to Me Cake Recipe

A close-up of a rich, marbled slice of sock-it-to-me cake showing dark chocolate cake and yellow cream cheese swirls.
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Make this moist, flavorful yellow cake featuring a rich cinnamon pecan swirl filling and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting. This is a dependable, old-fashioned coffee cake recipe.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or a 9×13 inch baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes until well combined. Pour half of the batter into your prepared pan.
  3. For the swirl filling, mix together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped pecans in a small bowl.
  4. Sprinkle half of the sugar-pecan mixture evenly over the batter in the pan.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture over the pecan layer.
  6. Pour the remaining cake batter over the pecan layer. Sprinkle the remaining pecan mixture on top.
  7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. To make the cream cheese icing, beat the softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup softened butter together until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until the frosting is light and creamy.
  9. Once the cake is completely cool, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top.

Notes

  • Using buttermilk instead of water, as directed on the cake mix box, makes this cake extra moist.
  • For a richer flavor, toast the pecans lightly before chopping and adding them to the swirl mixture.
  • If you do not have a tube pan, a 9×13 inch pan works well; adjust baking time slightly.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookingbycarla.com/sock-it-to-me-cake-recipe/