Now you know I love my grandmother, right? Just about every recipe I share with you all, has been from my Gram's kitchen. And one of the best things that I ever learned how to make was cake! Oh....My...Goodness! This woman could bake a cake that would cause men to fall to their knees—and many of them did! (But that's a whole other story!)

I remember the first time I really sat at my Gram's kitchen table and watched her make a cake. I was fascinated. She made all of my birthday cakes. She made all of the holiday cakes. Heck! She made cakes just for the sheer pleasure of seeing her family enjoy eating them.

The very first cake I learned how to make was a marble cake. I was four years old. I can see my Gram sitting at her kitchen table. You remember those old, Formica tables with the metal studs? (Yeah—one of those. I am that old!) I asked her how she made the cake different in the middle. She sat me down, and that was my first lesson in cake-baking 101.

My birthday cake was always a sheet cake. A rich, moist, yellow cake with a homemade apricot glaze filling. Or a caramel cake. But the cake that I absolutely adored; not so much for the taste, but because of the fond memories that I have of eating a piece while spending much quality, alone time with my Gram—is her Sock It To Me Cake! Don't get me wrong; it is an absolutely rich and delicious cake. But when I make it, it's for the memories mostly.

This cake is a Southern favorite. You can use a yellow cake mix for this recipe for those who are not “baking” inclined. Just add 8 ounces of sour cream, ¼ vegetable oil, and ¼ flour to the mix for a richer cake.

Ingredients:

Sock It To Me Filling:

3 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 cup of chopped pecans

Mix together and set aside

Glaze:

1 ½ cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla

Mix together and set aside.

Cake:

3 cups of self rising flour (sifted)
6 eggs (room temperature)
3 cups of sugar
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of sour cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

1.Butter and flour a large bundt or tube pan. (The spray with flour and butter works best for this.)
2.In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar for about 3-4 minutes.
3.Beat in 1 egg at a time, and beat until light and airy. (3 minutes)
4.Add vanilla.
5.Mix in one cup of flour, beating well.
6.Mix in ½ cup of sour cream, beating well.
7.Mix in another cup of flour, beat well. Followed by remaining sour cream and flour. Batter will be thick.
8.Pour half the batter into the bundt/tube pan.
9.Drizzle the filling over the cake batter.
10. Pour remaining cake batter over filling.
11. Gently tap cake pan on counter to remove any air pockets.
12. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
13. Remove from cake pan, onto wire rack.
14. Allow cake to cool, but not too much. You want the cake warm when you pour the glaze over cake.
15. Pour glaze over cake. Serve cake warm or cold.


From my Gram's Oven To Yours...Happy Baking!