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!
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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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Why is it called Kentucky butter cake? I would think it would have bourbon in the recipe. I saw one comment that added a bourbon sauce. I’ll look for that recipe.
I don’t make the rules 🙂 Also you can just add a splash of bourbon to the glaze! Easy peasy!
I had problems with the icing and I know it was me. How do you mix butter and sugar to keep it from being gritty? I tried a couple of times, no luck. The cake turned out perfect. Please advise.
Hi Diane For the Butter Glaze…make sure to follow the instructions carefully. There are 4 ingredients to the Butter Glaze. 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.
I’d like to make this as a layer cake instead. How many 8″ pans do you think it would make?
I layered in the center cinnamon and sugar mixture: just adds a little more niceness to the recipe . It’s always a hit. Never lasts if I bring it in to work
Can this cake be frozen?
Yes!
Any advice on freezing? I plan on making 6 of these for Mother’s Day this coming weekend and hope to bake ahead and freeze. Have you done this before? Bake and glaze and then wrap well? I love this recipe and can’t wait to make these as gifts!
the glaze does get a bit sticky when it’s thawed out, but they still taste great! No real advice!
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 gently spooned in flour, baking soda & baking powder mixture while alternating with buttermilk (started with dry then wet for a total of 3 dry parts + 2 wet parts: dry, wet, dry, wet and finished with dry).
Definitely a keeper recipe! Thank you so much Shelly for posting this beauty!
Hi. That is the way I mix it too. Makes a better textured cake. Try baking it in two loaf pans instead of layer pans. Makes nice slices and soaks up the sauce just like the bundt pan. Sometimes I do this when I am giving gifts and I want a smaller cake. Happy baking.
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 of my only qualms is that the top of the cake browned so quickly! I had to add foil to slow down the browning. I’m wondering if I should add foil @ the half way point of baking next time I make this. I also am considering making a lemon, orange, or cinnamon spice glaze next time! Thanks for sharing!
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!