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 cake looks amazing!
I’m looking forward to making this. It sounds wonderful. Not your ordinary cake, I’m sure.
Just took mine out of the oven….YUMMO! I add buttered rum flavoring to it 🙂
Did you add the rum to the cake or the glaze or both?
please can you send it to my e-mail as i am on fb and i really want to make it .thank you .
I copy all the recipes I like and email them to myself. I have a Recipe folder in my email. It makes them really easy to find, just don’t forget the recipe name in the subject line.
Pound cakes are my favorite cakes and this one sounds divine, but I was wondering can I use self-rising flour?
Not really for this cake…it would change the texture.
Thanks Shelly. I always wondered about why some cakes called for AP flour and some SR flour and you’ve answered my question. Now I’m off to the store, so I can make this cake today. Wish me luck.
Self rising flour contains leavening agents and salt already in it.. so since my recipe calls for additional salt and a combo of baking soda and powder you would have some trouble I think 🙂
If you used self rising and omitted the baking soda, powder and salt you would have better luck, but it wouldn’t be quite the same.
I tried the self rising flour and omitted the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. It came out very dense. Taste is ok but the texture is very different.
Yes, yes and yes! THAT butter glaze has me weak at the knees!
Have you tried using sugar instead of flour when greasing your pan? I have done that before on other things and it gives a more caramel-y crust. I just wonder how that would work with this cake… Maybe I just need to try it!
OMG! I never thought of using sugar instead of flour. Do you use granulated sugar or powder sugar?
Powdered sugar works really well
i use granulated sugar on all my pound cakes and it turns out great!
Aargh! Is already in the oven… i should of read these comments first!
I always use sugar when making cakes depending on type of cake use granulated or 10 X. . Same with rolling and cutting cookies…always use 10 X sugar instead of flour! Been baking over 55 years and works like a charm!
What is 10x sugar?
It is regular powdered sugar, also goes by the name Confectioners Sugar
I always use sugar instead of flour for dusting bunt pans… granulated!
I always use the sprays with no problem BUT, do not spray the pan until you are right ready to pour batter into pan. I learned this through trial and error.
great tip!
Can you use self rising flour?
I have never used self rising for this recipe, but if you do omit the salt, baking powder and baking soda. Let me know how it turns out!
Mine was a flop,it tasted OK,but I greased and floured my pan like crazy, and it still came out in chunks,i wouldn’t make this again, to many wasted ingredients
My cake was beautiful…pulled away from pan but, I added that glaze and that did it. The cake was cemented to the pan. What a waste of time.
If that happens, just stick the cake in the oven at it’s lowest setting for a few minutes. It won’t bake the cake but it will melt the dried glaze a bit and let the cake release cleanly. You can also just take a hair dryer to the sides and bottom for a bit. Works like a charm.
Before removing cake from pan take a butter knife slide around side and middle tube. Place a plate over cake pan and invert, let sit couple minutes, remove cake pan. This method work well
I put strips of parchment paper in the groves of the bundt pan before pouring the batter, it keeps the cake from sticking to the pan.
So, your first time baking ? This recipe came out perfect for me and have to say my family thought it awesome.
I always use sugar too. It make a chocolate look beautiful. Flour leaves leaves the looking dusty and dry.
Can you suggest a cooking time if I were to use a mini bundt pan?
Thank you!!
I would start it at 30 and go from there… checking every 5-10 minutes.
It’s in the oven!!!
awesome!! hope you like it!!
Hi, for some reason I cannot see the ingrediants??? any way I can get them please? THANK YOU!
The recipe should be at the bottom of the post before the comments… if for some reason there is a glitch and you still can’t see them click on the print recipe button and the full recipe will open in a new window!
wondering if you can i cant believe its not butter:D
Nope, sorry!
Shelly, Do you use salted or unsalted butter? Thanks! Cant wait for your book to come out!
I use salted 🙂
Shelly
Can I use whole milk instead of buttermilk??
Thanks
An easy trick to make buttermilk is to add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup and then fill the rest up until you reach one cup. Let it sit for a few minutes and voila! Buttermilk!