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: What To Expect
- Simple Ingredients. Chances are you have everything in your kitchen right now to make this incredibly delicious cake.
- Great to make ahead! I am going to tell you this Kentucky Butter Cake is even better the second day! It gives the cake a chance to absorb all the sugar syrup while relaxing a bit and settling into all its moisture. Certainly it can be enjoyed the same day, but if you have patience, give it a day to become its best self!
- Flavor. While at heart, this is simply a butter cake, the way all the flavors combine with the buttery sugar syrup makes it extra vanilla, while giving it a slightly crunchy crust. Kind of like a huge glazed donut.
- So many serving options! Serve this with whipped cream and strawberries for the best strawberry shortcake of your life!
What Is Kentucky Butter Cake?
Kentucky Butter is the most delicious vanilla pound cake you will ever have. The texture is dense, but tender and 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 perfect on its own, along with a cup of coffee, topped with ice cream, or with whipped cream and strawberries. The possibilities are endless.
Ingredients / What You Will Need
Like I said above, this cake recipe is made up of simple ingredients, so I recommend using high quality ingredients. The flavors make the cake! Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to the recipe card for the full ingredient list and instructions.
- Butter. I use salted butter i this recipe, but you can also use unsalted if that’s what you have on-hand or prefer. You use butter in both the cake and the butter glaze.
- Sugars: Use granulated sugar in the cake batter and the butter glaze, and I also use powdered sugar to garnish the cake when done!
- Eggs. Use large sized eggs in this recipe as well as all my baking recipes unless otherwise stated.
- Vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste if you have that too. Vanilla bean paste will make the cake and the syrup slightly darker in color due to the vanilla beans.
- Dry Ingredients: All purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt.
- Buttermilk. Using buttermilk in this recipe makes the cake tender. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own at home easily. Use My Homemade Buttermilk Recipe!
How To Make Kentucky Butter Cake
The batter goes together in a snap…
- Prep the Pan: Make sure you heavily grease your bundt pan. You can use baking spray/nonstick spray, or you can coat it with butter or shortening and dust it with flour or powdered sugar. You need to make sure your pan is greased liberally because not only will the cake stick, but the sugar syrup can also stick a but too.
TIP: If you do use nonstick baking spray I recommend that you spray it just before adding the batter. I’ve found this technique helps prevent sticking more than spraying the pan and letting it sit before adding the cake batter.
- The batter goes together easily and all the ingredients can be added at the same time just like you would for a cake mix. This cake is pretty foolproof!
- Once the cake is baked make the sugar syrup. Cook the butter, sugar, vanilla, and some water together until the sugar is dissolved, but doesn’t come to a boil.
- Poke holes all in the warm cake and then pour the sugar sauce all over the top! Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. You can even let it sit overnight in the pan, just run a butter knife around the edges to help the cake from sticking.
Tips:
- Make sure your butter is completely room temperature so you don’t get any lumps! Since you mix everything together at the same time the butter needs to mix in well. If your butter isn’t quite room temperature mix it with the granulated sugar alone to combine and then add in all the other ingredients.
- Allow the bundt cake to cool completely in the pan so the sauce has time to soak in. You can even leave the cake in the pan overnight if you want! The cake gets better the longer it sits!
- Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan with a butter knife! When it’s time, flip the cake out of the pan loosen the cake at its edges to help the process along.
- Finish the cake with a sprinkle of powdered sugar! Dusting it with powdered sugar not only makes it pretty, but helps hide any imperfections in the cake.
Serving Ideas:
The slices are perfect, the flavor is perfect, and you will probably be eating this for breakfast, lunch, and dessert until it’s gone!
- On its own because it’s perfect!
- With fresh fruit and whipped cream!
- Warm with a scoop of ice cream
- Use any leftover sliced thin for French Toast!
Variations:
- Add in a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to add a little different flavor!
- Use bourbon or rum in the glaze instead of water to give it a boozy twist!
- Add mini chocolate chips if you love chocolate!
Looking for more Bundt Cake Recipes? Try These:
- Sour Cream Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Praline Bundt Cake
- Fudge Filled Vanilla Bundt Cake
- Marble Pound Cake
This recipe was originally posted in 2015, but has been updated with new tips in 2024!
Print
Kentucky Butter Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 12 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven/Stove Top
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Kentucky Butter Cake is the moistest vanilla pound cake ever, made with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup butter, cubed at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large 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- inch 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
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 514
- Sugar: 47.1 g
- Sodium: 296.3 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Carbohydrates: 71.4 g
- Protein: 6.2 g
- Cholesterol: 118.5 mg
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This recipe was a winner in the Pillsbury Bake-Off at least 35 years ago. I used to make it constantly but have forgotten about it. Thanks for posting it. It’s a WONDERFUL cake.
ahh, that looks AMAZING! =)
holy cow. Going to the store to get buttermilk right meow. Looks amazing!
you can make butter milk with your regular milk and add lemon juice to
it give it a few minutes to curdle and wha la
“Voila,” not “wha la.”
Just trying to help, not criticizing.
It’s onion, not Anion. (Think she knew what she was saying.)
Amellette, LOL LOL LOL
Unnecessary!
or vinegar. That’s how I do it.
or vinegar!
Join the discussion
Or, you can buy dry buttermilk-I think I got mine at WM. Comes in a round container similar to cocoa.
U can make your own buttermilk. Rey easily. Take a cup of milk add a teaspoon of lemon or vinegar to it wait a couple minutes wa-la u have buttermilk. I do it this way all the time now. I use lemon over the vinegar but I know u can do it both ways.
I havn’t made it yet , but I will probably add RUM to it !!
This looks so good, dying for a slice! 🙂
I will move to Kentucky if I can eat this cake every day!
This looks like the best bundt cake EVER! So moist with the addition of that glaze, I’d take a slice for breakfast right now!
I want this with a cup of coffee! Looks so good!
OK. I found your blog through a tweet of an link on Klout about your Bombshell Oreo Brownies. While there, I saw a link to this post in your sidebar. And, since I go by “KentuckyGal” sometimes, I figured I should subscribe to your feed as well.
Now I just have to figure out how to double the size of the garden, because I’m going to need the extra workouts to work off all this baked yumminess!
So glad you found me!!
Can this cake be made using a hand mixer?
sure!
Can you freeze it
Yes of course!!
What is the best way to freeze this cake? Would you pour on the glaze before or after freezing?
I would pour it on after. It will get sticky as it thaws.
Can I use low-fat buttermilk?
sure!
That was my question. THANKS!!!
Can you make this recipe as a sheet cake? If so, any tips on maintaining moistness?
Yes and I have also used a loaf pan, The med size makes 3 , great for sharing.
I don’t have a paddle attachment. Will it be okay to use the regular metal attachments with my stand mixer?
Yes! Just don’t over mix it 🙂
My Grandmother made a dish called steam pudding, the ingredients for it and this cake are very similar, except that
after you mix up the batter you steam it in a double boiler. The saucer is the same. I’m going to try this cake to see if it tastes like steamed pudding, because if it does, it will make sharing the decadence that my gma passed down a lot easier!
Good Morning your Grandma recipe sounds very good would you post it or sent it to me Thank you Karen.
Silly question, but what if you don’t have a Bundt pan? Would a loaf pan work as well?
Yep, you might need to divide the batter into 2 though!
Does the Kentucky Butter cake need to be refrigerated?
Mine was on the counter for three days with no ill effects. And this cake is to die for!
Can I bake this in 2 – 8” round cake pans to make a layered cake?
This cake was Awesome! So glad my sister found it. My only question is about the color of the cake. Mine did not come out nearly as light. It was more brown. Didn’t affect the flavor, just not as pretty. I wondered why.
Jeanette,
Mine came out brown too! I thought I’d done something wrong but I’m sure it’s still delicious.
baking soda will turn it brown.
You may need to adjust your temperature that you cook it at. Some ovens cook faster than others. So I’ve learned to take the temp down with bundt cakes so it doesnt cook too quickly!
Mine came out not a white too and it doesn’t have anything to do with over cooking. It’s not brown like over cooked. I’m thinking maybe it’s from the vanilla. I know there is a clear vanilla which I don’t have. Still taste awesome though.
I used clear vanilla and still got a brown cake. Didn’t affect quality. Yum.
Mine too! It was no where near that cream color. More golden actually. Thought I did something wrong. It still tasted great however!
Are we supposed to bake it covered?
I heard the darker the cake pan, the darker the cake. I’m going to try an aluminum angel food cake pan.
Do I sift the flour?
Nope, you don’t have to!
I made this recipe a few time following the recipes exactly. Unfortunately, as pictured in the blog it didn’t totally fill the bunt pan. So I tried the classic method of first making sure all ingredients where at room temperature. Then I creamed the butter and sugar together. Followed by alternating the wet and dry ingredients. The cake came out so much better! It filled the whole pan and was much more enjoyable.
Wow. Just wow! I NEED this in my life immediately – it looks AMAZING!!
Is the butter unsalted. Thanks
use salted, but it’s really a personal preference!
Can I use the batter for mini bundt cakes?
sure!
I forgot to add salt will it mess the cake up?
Nope, it should be fine 🙂
Hi Kim. Did you end up making this cake in your mini bundt cake pans? If so, how long did you bake them for and how did they turn out? Thank you for your help.
I added Almond extract as a substitute for the vanilla and its amazing!
New favorite…