Cooking Lesson #429: Sock-It-To-Me Cake

…from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? Sock it to me! The phrase itself has quite a history. It was first popularized in Aretha Franklin’s 1967 version of the song “Respect,” an Otis Redding original. In 1968, the phrase was made even more popular when it was used in NBC’s Rowan & Martin’s reoccurring sketch comedy show, Laugh-In. And it was made even more famous when Rowan & Martin got President Richard Nixon to recite that line in his own inimitable style.
 
Later, in the 1970s, Duncan Hines added a recipe for Sock-It-To-Me Bundt Cake on the back of its Classic Butter Golden Cake Mix box and the recipe has since become a Southern dessert staple (sometimes known as Tunnel Cake).
 
If you haven’t baked a Sock-It-To-Me Cake before then you’re definitely missing out! This moist, tender cake has a ribbon of brown sugar, pecan and cinnamon streusel in the middle that is to die for and a sugar-almond glaze on top that ties it all together perfectly. Think of it like the best Southern butter cake with a surprise filling. It’s so easy to make and it is beyond delicious!
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  60 to 75 minutes
Yield:  12 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the cake batter
Non-stick baking spray (I prefer Pam)
3 cups cake flour sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
2-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest (optional—see ChefSecrets)
 
For the pecan filling
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
 
For the cake glaze
1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325⁰ F
2. Liberally spray a 10 to 12 cup Bundt (or Angel Food cake) pan with non-stick baking spray.
3. Whisk or sift the flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside.
4. Using your fingers mix the filling ingredients and set aside. It will look light small clumps of sand.
5. In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar and whip for 3-4 minutes on high speed until very pale yellow and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
7. Turn the mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture in two increments. Do not to overbeat.
8. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, scrape down sides again and mix until just combined; turn off mixer.
9. Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
10. Evenly deposit the filling over the batter as close to the center as possible.
11. Top with the remaining cake batter over the top and smooth off the top.
12. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Be patient.
13. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then invert cake on serving plate for at least an hour or until the cake is cool to touch.
14. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar, milk and almond extract to form a glaze, drizzle over the cake. Add a little more milk, one teaspoon at a time if the glaze is too thick.
15. Serve and sock-it-to-them!

ChefSecrets: 

• It’s best to use a simple designed Bundt pan and really spray the inside of the Bundt pan well to make sure the cake doesn't stick. For the cover shot, I forgot to bring home a Bundt pan and just used an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom.
• To really Sock It To ‘Em, try adding 2 Tablespoons of fresh Orange Zest to the cake batter.
• Just a few seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the toaster oven with a little butter, refreshes the cake if a few days old... if it lasts that long!

Quip of the Day: “Learn to cook and bake well now—you can’t build a reputation on what you say you’re going to cook, plus you can often eat your mistakes while practicing!
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