Kentucky Butter Cake

Name: Kentucky Butter Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Southern American
Ingredients: Baking spray with flour, for a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan; 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda; 1 teaspoon (6 g) fine salt; 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened; 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar; 4 large eggs, room temperature; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract; 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature; 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 1/3 cup (76 g) unsalted butter; 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

Cream butter and sugar, beat in four eggs, then alternate the dry ingredients with buttermilk. Bake the Bundt cake at 325°F, poke the warm cake, and soak it with a vanilla butter-sugar sauce before unmolding.

Jump to Recipe

Kentucky Butter Cake is a Bundt cake with the flavor dial turned toward butter instead of decoration. The cake itself is a close relative of pound cake, but buttermilk and a little leavening keep the crumb tender. The part that makes it unmistakable is the warm butter-sugar sauce that gets poured into holes while the cake is still in the pan.

Do not boil the sauce into caramel and do not rush the unmolding. The sugar only needs to dissolve, then the warm cake needs time to drink in the glaze. After it turns out, the remaining sauce gets brushed over the outside and dries into a thin, almost crackly finish.

Prep25 minutes

Cook1 hr 10 min

Total2 hrs 30 min

Serves12 servings

DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

Servings

Baking spray with flour, for a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan
3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (6 g) fine salt
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
Butter sauce: 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (76 g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract

Instructions

1Heat the oven to 325°F. Coat every groove and the center tube of a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray containing flour.
2Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
3Beat the softened butter and 2 cups sugar on medium-high for about 4 minutes, scraping the bowl twice, until pale and fluffy.
4Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until each disappears before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla.
5On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions. Begin and end with the dry ingredients and stop as soon as the batter is smooth.
6Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until deeply golden and a long skewer comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter.
7During the last 10 minutes of baking, combine the 3/4 cup sugar, butter, and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring, just until the butter melts and the sugar mostly dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Do not boil.
8Leave the hot cake in the pan. Poke holes all over the exposed surface with a skewer and slowly spoon about two-thirds of the warm sauce over it. Let stand 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack or serving plate. Brush the remaining sauce over the top and sides. Cool at least 45 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 12 servings.

510Calories

6 gProtein

70 gCarbohydrates

23 gTotal Fat

14 gSaturated Fat

1 gFiber

47 gTotal Sugars

290 mgSodium

130 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Use baking spray that contains flour and coat every Bundt-pan groove. This cake has enough sugar to stick aggressively to a missed spot.
Keep the butter sauce below a boil. You want dissolved sugar and melted butter, not a cooked caramel syrup.
Give the cake 15 minutes to absorb the first pour of sauce before unmolding. Too soon and the cake can tear; too late and it can glue itself to the pan.

Substitutions

buttermilk → 1 cup whole milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and rested 5 minutes Cultured buttermilk gives the best flavor, but this substitute supplies the needed acidity.

vanilla extract → 1 teaspoon vanilla plus 1 teaspoon bourbon This adds a subtle Kentucky-style bourbon note without making the cake boozy.

Bundt pan → two 9x5-inch loaf pans Divide the batter evenly and begin checking earlier; loaf-pan bake time will vary.

Storage Instructions

Keep the cooled cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. The butter soak helps it stay moist longer than many Bundt cakes.

Make Ahead

Kentucky Butter Cake is excellent made one day ahead because the glaze has time to settle into the crumb. Freeze the completely cooled cake or individual slices tightly wrapped for up to 2 months.

Allergen Note

Contains wheat, egg, and milk.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Kentucky Butter Cake different from pound cake?

It has a pound-cake-like crumb, but buttermilk and leavening make it a little lighter. The defining feature is the warm butter-sugar sauce soaked into the baked cake.

Should the butter sauce boil?

No. Heat only until the butter melts and the sugar mostly dissolves. Boiling concentrates the syrup and can make the finished glaze hard or sticky instead of buttery.

Why did my Kentucky Butter Cake stick to the Bundt pan?

The pan may not have been coated thoroughly, or the cake may have sat too long after soaking. Coat every groove and invert about 15 minutes after the sauce goes in.

Can Kentucky Butter Cake be made ahead?

Yes. It is often better the next day because the butter sauce has more time to move through the crumb. Keep it tightly covered at room temperature.

Can I add bourbon to the butter sauce?

Yes. Replace 1 tablespoon of the water with bourbon and add it after the pan comes off the heat. The flavor will be noticeable but still balanced.