I was looking through recipes over the weekend and I saw a recipe that brought back some great memories from when I was a teenager.
Sock It To Me Cake
Back in the 70's, (yes, I was a teenager in the 70's!) Bundt cakes were a huge thing....you remember the round cakes with a hole in the middle? The pans were pretty funny looking:
Back then, my Mom used to make this really delicious Bundt cake that she called a "Sock It To Me Cake." I used to laugh at the name, she said she got the recipe out of a magazine and decided to try it because my dad was a fan of cinnamon and nutmeg. It quickly became one of my father's favorite desserts.
This cake doesn't have the consistency of most Bundt cakes. It is more coarse and heavy, but still moist and soft. It also had a different flavor than most cakes, the sour cream and brown sugar, along with the spices just makes it different. It doesn't taste like any other cake I've ever had. It also makes great coffee cake!
This cake is made from scratch, no cake mix here, and it has a lot of ingredients. It is not inexpensive to make but the good news is, most of the ingredients are things you probably already have in your kitchen.
Cake Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 8-ounce container full fat sour cream
1 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
3 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Glaze Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
2. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
4. Cream butter and sugar - to do this put your softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium for one minute. Slowly pour in the sugar and continue to beat for 6 to 7 minutes or until the combination is light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat on medium until just combined.
6. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the sour cream, in three additions. Mix until just combined, DO NOT overmix.
7. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and pour half of the batter into the Bundt pan.
8. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the chopped pecans, the brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Then, sprinkle the brown sugar and nuts evenly over the cake batter.
9. Pour the remaining cake batter over the nuts and brown sugar. Smooth the top.
10. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until a butter knife stuck deep into the center of the cake comes out clean.
11. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
12. Use a butter knife or small spatula to go around the edges of the pan. Then, invert the pan so that the cake comes out. Let the cake cool to room temperature.
13. In a clean bowl whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and maple syrup until creamy. Drizzle the glaze over the cake before topping with the remaining ¼ cup chopped pecans.
14. You can leave Sock It To Me Cake unrefrigerated on the counter for several days as long as it is in an air tight cake cover. If you need to store it for more time, place in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to six months.
This cake is pretty special to me, it always reminds me of my Mom, and eating with my family. Those were happy times. Why not try making this cake and creating some special times with your family? It's also a great cake to take to holiday gatherings that will be coming up before you know it. When they ask you why you made a Bundt cake.....just tell them it's "that 70's cake!"
