Kentucky butter cake is a Southern favorite that's similar to a pound cake, but drenched in a rich butter sauce. The finished cake is perfectly moist and sweet with an intense vanilla flavor. We loved it with whipped cream and fresh berries, but you could also serve this Kentucky butter cake recipe with ice cream, chocolate sauce, or caramel.
Tips for Making Kentucky Butter Cake
Here are a few of our Test Kitchen's best tips for making homemade Kentucky butter cake.
- Use room temperature butter! It's essential to achieving the perfect texture.
- We highly recommend using buttermilk for the batter. Buttermilk is a low-fat or fat-free milk to which a bacterial culture has been added. It's thick and creamy with a mildly acidic taste. If you find yourself without buttermilk, make sour milk to use instead. Combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar with enough milk to make one cup of total liquid. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.
- The key to a tender crumb is not overmixing the batter. Alternate the wet and dry ingredients when combining and stop after all the ingredients are just combined.
- Have leftover cake? Make a trifle by layering cubes of cake, fresh berries, vanilla pudding, and homemade whipped cream.
Ingredients
Cake
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1 cup butter
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4 large eggs
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3 cups all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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2 cups sugar
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1 tablespoon vanilla
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1 cup buttermilk
Butter Sauce
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3/4 cup sugar
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1/3 cup butter
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3 tablespoons water
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1 tablespoon vanilla
Directions
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Let 1 cup of the butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
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Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl beat softened butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add 2 cups sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat for 2 minutes more. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 Tbsp. vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spread batter in the prepared pan.
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Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
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During the last 20 minutes of baking, prepare Butter Sauce. In a medium saucepan combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup butter, water and 1 Tbsp. vanilla. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Do not boil.
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When cake is done, generously prick holes in warm cake using a 8- to 10-inch skewer. Gradually spoon Butter Sauce over cake. Let cake cool in pan 30 minutes. Loosen edges of cake from the pan. Remove cake from pan and serve warm.
How to Store Kentucky Butter Cake
Wrap and store cake at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 382 | Calories |
| 17g | Fat |
| 53g | Carbs |
| 5g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 16 | |
| Calories 382.4 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 16.9g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat 10.2g | 51% |
| Cholesterol 87.7mg | 29% |
| Sodium 305.1mg | 13% |
| Total Carbohydrate 53.4g | 19% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.6g | 2% |
| Total Sugars 35.4g | |
| Protein 4.7g | 9% |
| Vitamin D 0.2mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin C 0.2mg | 0% |
| Calcium 50.3mg | 4% |
| Iron 1.4mg | 8% |
| Potassium 73.1mg | 2% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0.6g | |
| Vitamin D 10.4IU | |
| Alanine 0.2g | |
| Arginine 0.2g | |
| Ash 1.2g | |
| Aspartic acid 0.3g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 0mcg | |
| Choline, total 45.4mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0mg | |
| Cystine 0.1g | |
| Energy 1599.8kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 3.3mcg | |
| Folate, total 50.1mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 1.2g | |
| Glycine 0.2g | |
| Histidine 0.1g | |
| Isoleucine 0.2g | |
| Leucine 0.4g | |
| Lysine 0.2g | |
| Methionine 0.1g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 9mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.2mg | |
| Niacin 1.4mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 74.6mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.4mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0.2g | |
| Phytosterols 0mg | |
| Proline 0.4g | |
| Retinol 148.6mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 12.5mcg | |
| Serine 0.3g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0.2g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.6mg | |
| Tryptophan 0.1g | |
| Tyrosine 0.2g | |
| Valine 0.2g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 546.2IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 151.2mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 1.4mcg | |
| Water 32.7g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0.4mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
