This Kentucky Butter Cake recipe is CRAZY moist, buttery and coated with a sweet buttery sauce that crusts the outside and soaks into the cake making it amazing for days. What you get is a stunning, sweet, buttery, soft cake that is as perfect on its own as it is topped with strawberries and whipped cream!
Kentucky Butter Cake is Officially My Most Favorite Vanilla Pound Cake
This is definitely the winner of the Official Pound Cake Category. Let me explain why…
First, Kentucky Butter Cake is easy to make. Second its flavor is simple and buttery and vanilla-ish. Third its texture is perfection. And fourth…the MOST important part of this cake…is it’s topped with a RIDICULOUS butter/sugar/vanilla sauce that soaks into the cake while also leaving it crispy and sweet on top. It’s like a giant glazed cake doughnut, only better. Better because the cake absorbs so much of the sauce making it dense sweet and really unique. I am in love love love.
Serving Tip
I am going to tell you this Kentucky Butter Cake is better the second day. And even the third day too. And I never say that!
Don’t get me wrong, if you can’t wait, go ahead and eat it the day you make it…but I am telling you…if you can plan ahead at all let this cake take a nap overnight. You will be rewarded.
How to make Kentucky Butter Cake
The batter goes together in a snap…
And here’s the thing. The bundt pan… you will need to HEAVILY grease this guy. The cake needs to cool completely in the pan after you pour the sauce on top. So get out your Crisco or butter and give the pan a healthy slather. Then dust it with a layer of flour for extra help.
I have never had very good luck with the sprays for my bundt cakes. I feel like I have tried them all, but if you have had good luck with a baking spray, go ahead and use that. I just want to stress you need a good grease on this pan before you pour your batter in!
Once it’s baked poke some holes all over the Kentucky butter cake and whip up your sweet butter sauce.
Pour it all over the warm cake…
Allow the bundt cake to cool completely in the pan so the sauce has time to soak in. It will set up on top…
When it’s time, flip that gorgeous lady out of the pan and pray to the bundt gods all goes well. You will have to loosen the cake at its edges with a butter knife to help the process along.
Oh and dusting it with powdered sugar not only makes it pretty, but helps hide any imperfections in the cake.
Then slice it and try your hardest not to groan when you take a slice.
The bottom, that was once the top, with the crackly butter sauce is MY LIFE.
Looking for more Bundt Cake Recipes? Try These:
PrintKentucky Butter Cake
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Prep Time: 20 minutes -
Cook Time: 75 minutes
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Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
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Yield: serves 12 1x
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Category: Cake
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Method: baking
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Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
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Print Recipe
PinDescription:
This is the most epic pound cake recipe ever!
Ingredients:
Cake
- 1 cup butter, cubed at room temperature (I use and love Challenge Butter)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
Butter Glaze
- 1/3 cup butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C
- Grease a 10″ bundt pan with butter or shortening very liberally. Dust the pan with flour and set aside.
- Place all the cake ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low for 30 seconds and then increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 65-75 minutes until a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean.
- When the cake is done make the glaze. Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Do not bring to a boil.
- Poke holes all over the warm cake using a knife and pour the glaze evenly on the cake while still in the pan.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan and then invert the cake onto a serving plate.
- I actually like to make this cake a day in advance, finding it to be more moist and flavorful when it rests overnight.
Notes:
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days
Keywords:: butter, sugar, cake, bundt cake, vanilla cake, pound cake
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Helpful Tip… Out of buttermilk? Here’s a great buttermilk substitution!
Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
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I don’t have a bundt pan and would like to try making the cake so any suggestions.
I just finished letting my cakes cool after glazing them and had a small piece. This is HANDS DOWN the best cake recipe I’ve ever tasted. Didn’t have a Bundt pan so I used two 8x8x2 dark cake pans, well-greased + parchment paper and baked at 325°F for 50 minutes. Toothpick came out clean when I pierced them to check for doneness. Creamed butter and sugar first on medium speed for a good 5-7 minutes. Turned mixer down to lowest “Stir” setting and slowly added eggs 1 by 1 letting each incorporate before adding the next one. Then vanilla and… Read more »
I made this for Christmas Eve, I creamed the butter and sugar as well as eggs and vanilla first then added the other ingredients. I also subbed 1/4 of the white sugar for 1/4 cup brown sugar and used white sugar for the other 1/2 cup of white sugar required for the glaze. I also added a splash of whiskey to the glaze! It is currently cooling and I will update my post with the results once my family and I get to try it! So far I give a 5 stars based on the easiness and the smell! One… Read more »
I made this with my granddaughters and it turned out perfectly. Love the taste and the sugar glaze.
★★★★★
Do I use salted or unsalted butter?
I use salted, but you can use either!
Hi, just a quick tip for greasing your pan. I grew up with my father greasing his pans and then flouring so I did that for a long time. What a mess!!!! Flour would go everywhere and then you had to dump out the rest in the trash and then it would end up on the floor. Then I started making a pan release that bakeries used. It’s called “Goop”, or you can just call it pan release. It’s equal parts flour, oil, and butter or shortening. Use a mixer to mix is until there are no lump and then… Read more »
Great tips!!
OMG, I am laughing reading this tip, not because it is a good one but because there is a hand cleanser my husband always keeps in the garage and after working on greasy parts of a car he uses this 1stuff. What’s it called? GOOP!!
★★★★★
This is THE best cake. It is my go to for any parties/celebrations…and to just have at home for my husband and I to indulge in. So good. Also check out Kentucky butter cake cookie recipe too!
★★★★★
I made this cake in a loaf pan and it was delicious, though dare I say I wish it was even more buttery! I also made a bourbon caramel sauce to go with it. Yum!
I plan to make it again and was wondering if there would be any advantage to creaming the butter and sugar first. Would it make for a better/different texture? Always trying to improve.
★★★★★
I have always creamed the butter,sugar,and eggs with the vanilla myself. The cake comes out with a wonderful texture that melts in your mouth.
★★★★★
Thanks!
Does this recipe fill one loaf pan or 2? Thanks for any info!!
2 🙂
Sauce?
How many loads did it make?
Did you change the temperature or cook time?
Update: I unpanned this after 20, fearing the cooled glaze would harden it into all the intricate groves of my Bundt pan. It came right out, no problem. I flipped it back upside-down to finish cooling. Hope I didn’t mess up by taking it out early.
I just made this it was done in only 54 min. My oven is a bit fast and I always try hard not to over bake. I added a 1/4 t of fiori di Sicili I got from King Arthur to the glaze along with the vanilla. Flavor is great! If you haven’t tried this flavoring in your baked goods, I highly recommend it. Now just waiting to see if I can unpan it.
★★★★
Baked this today. Used Country Crock to butter the pan. No flour. Only took 2 1/2 cups of flour. Baked 325 for 55 minutes. Perfection. Delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! The plastic knife idea worked great to loosen cake from pan. Came right out on to the plate!
★★★★★
Can I half the recipe? If so, what size pan would you use?
9×5 loaf pan!
Made this cake for the 1st time today. It has a great flavor, but when I transfered to the cake plate out of pan, it cracked and opened up in 3 places. No powder sugar is covering this. Did I not cook it long enough or let the butter Glaze set up long enough( i did around 2 hrs)? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
★★★★
Yes, the toughest part IS getting it out of the pan. First, the sugar makes the cake stick to the pan. Run a wet knife around the edge to break the sugar free from the pan. Then turn the pan over and bang the heck out of it with a with a wooden spoon all around the pan. After doing this, and with a gentle shake …. ta da. Perfection and worth all the effort and worries.
★★★★★
I’ve made this cake a few times, it is my nephews favorite. I had him over for dinner a few weeks ago and my oven was broken so I couldn’t bake, but my oven goT fixed yesterday and this is the first thing I’ve baked and since my nephew is coming by today he will be so excited!
Love this cake!!!
★★★★★