This scrumptious Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe is a super moist vanilla butter pound cake with a sweet butter sauce that soaks through the cake. The sweet buttery sauce is brushed on the outside of the cake, creating a heavenly crisp crust that takes this cake over the top with the flavor of vanilla and butter. Prepare to be wowed.
One would wonder why it is called Kentucky Butter Cake when the base for this recipe cam from Nell Lewis of Platte City, Missouri. She won the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest back in 1963 with this cake recipe.
Sometimes life just calls for cake and butter! This cake is what dreams are made of. If you have never made a Kentucky butter Cake, I am going to let you know that they are dangerous. Yes, I said it. I am just putting it out there. If you have intentions of eating just a small portion of this cake, then you had better be prepared to deliver pieces to the neighbors as quickly as possible or freeze it as soon it cools. This cake is even more delicious on the second day. Trust me on that one! If you like this cake, you must try lemon pound cake, gooey butter cake, and cream cheese pound cake.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Flour: All purpose or cake flour for a lighter softer crumb
- Butter: Usalted or salted. If using salted butter eliminate the added salt.
- Buttermilk: Or one cup of milk (whole milk is best) and one tablespoon of white vinegar. In the recipe I mixed my own buttermilk.
- Vanilla extract: Use the real stuff, please
- Brandy: You can substitute whiskey, bourbon, or rum.
How to make a Kentucky Butter Cake
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
First, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Now cream the butter and sugar together using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand mixer until it is light and fluffy. Then, combine your milk and vinegar to make buttermilk. While the buttermilk is working its magic, add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla to the butter mixture stirring just until incorporated between each egg.
Stir in the buttermilk and the dry ingredients in intervals alternating between the two. Stir just until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake. During the last few minutes of baking, in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, and brandy. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, stirring very frequently. Do not let the butter glaze boil. Remove the glaze from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Reserve 1/3 cup of the butter sauce to brush over the top of the cake. Remove the cake from the oven but do not remove it from the pan. Poke holes in the cake using the small end of a chopstick. Pour the butter sauce into the holes slowly and carefully. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack for a total of 30 minutes before inverting. Gently brush the remaining glaze over the cake.
Preparation Tips
- Butter and flour the cake pan very well, as there is a lot going on here, and you don’t want it to stick. I love Bakers Joy, which is a nonstick baking spray, but I was out of it this time, so I really had to work with the butter and flour to get all those nooks and crannies.
- Alcohol and its fumes are flammable, so put the brandy for the butter glaze in the pan away from the flame.
- Use the smaller end of a chopstick, a thick bamboo skewer, or even a straw to poke holes in the cake.
- The cake should cool for about 30 minutes total time after taking it out of the oven before inverting, so plan everything accordingly. Too little time or too much time could cause the cake to stick.
Store and Freeze
Store this cake wrapped with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze, first thoroughly cool, then wrap in two layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. For best results thaw in the fridge overnight.
More Cake Recipes
Kentucky Butter Cake
Ingredients
Butter Cake
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Butter Glaze
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons brandy water can be substituted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour or spray with nonstick Baking spray a 10-inch Bundt cake pan (12 cups).
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.
- Mix milk and vinegar together in a separate small bowl or measuring cup.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture stirring just until incorporated. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the buttermilk mixture and dry ingredients in intervals alternating between the two: stirring just until combined. Scrap down the bowl and beater as needed. Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven but do not remove from the pan.
- In the last few minutes of the cake baking, add the sugar, butter, and brand to a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and stir very frequently until the sugar dissolves. Do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Reserve 1/3 cup of the butter glaze.
- Poke holes in the butter cake using the smaller end of a chopstick or similar-sized instrument. Go close but not all the way through to the bottom.
- Slowly and carefully pour the butter glaze over the poked holes. Allow the cake to cool on a wire cooling rack for 30 minutes from the time it is removed from the oven to the time it is inverted. Once inverted and cooled, gently brush the remaining glaze over the top of the cake.
Notes
- Butter and flour the cake pan very well, as there is a lot going on here, and you don’t want it to stick. I love Bakers Joy, which is a nonstick baking spray, but I was out of it this time, so I really had to work with the butter and flour to get all those nooks and crannies.
- Alcohol and its fumes are flammable, so put the brandy for the butter glaze in the pan away from the flame.
- Use the smaller end of a chopstick, a thick bamboo skewer, or even a straw to poke holes in the cake.
- The cake should cool for about 30 minutes total time after taking it out of the oven before inverting, so plan everything accordingly. Too little time or too much time could cause the cake to stick.
Nutrition
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https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Sophia Rowe
Could I fold in some can fruit cocktail in this Batter?
Beth Pierce
Not sure about that one. That might have too much moisture in it.
Leslie
Sounds wonderful! Can you omit the alcohol for kids??
Beth Pierce
I thought I put a note on there. Yes water can be substituted for the brandy! Happy baking!!
Holly Brown
When you cook with alcohol it takes the alcohol out and just leaves the taste so it’s safe for kids, my husbands a Professional pastry chef. We cook for our kids stuff with alcohol all the time, now if it’s not a cooked item then no you can’t give it to kids
Holly
You can keep the brandy in it for kids, as long as it’s being cooked it cooks the alcohol out so it’s just left with the taste, it’s safe for kids when ever you cook with any alcohol but if it’s not cooked then no it’s not safe for kids
V
I made this cake on Friday. Overall the cake was a little dry. I think it wasn’t enough milk for 3 cups of flour. I could actually taste the flour a bit. Maybe I will make it again with more milk or less flour.
Darlene
Can you use self rising flour?
Beth Pierce
No I do not recommend that because self rising flour already has salt and baking powder in it and I can not tell you what to change because it has not been tested. Sorry!
Patricia Guillory
Do you have to use vinegar ?
I love vinegar but not in a cake.
Beth Pierce
That is to make the buttermilk. If you want you just buy buttermilk and omit the milk and vinegar.
Angelica
I just made it and you do taste a little bit of the vinegar but it’s really good!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Angelica! I am glad that you like it!
SHERRY
You can sub lemon juice for the vinegar (1 tbsp lemon juice + enough milk to make 1 cup. Set for 5 minutes) = Buttermilk. And the lemon juice does not need to be fresh squeezed. I don’t always have lemons on hand, but I do have one of the little squeeze lemon juice bottles in the frig.
Laurie Dubay
Can I use a 9×13 pan?
Beth Pierce
Yes you can but it will cook a little faster so keep an eye on it at about 35 minutes.
Elena
I used a 9×13 today. It was a HUGE HIT! My teenage son and all his friends had big pieces & went for seconds.
Amazing recipe & my new go To
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Elena! So glad that you liked it! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Terri
So the glaze is not over the cake but i it?
Beth Pierce
Oh gosh you are so correct. It is both and I missed typing in a step. Please see amended directions. Sometimes there is a lot going on here.
Melissa
Amazing and buttery! Everyone was asking for more! This recipe is keeper!
Lauren
WHOA! This just might be the best cake I’ve ever had! Thank you!
Erin
That butter glaze is everything! This is such a great and easy recipe.
Shawna
This is a wonderful recipe. I substituted the brandy with a Kentucky Honey Bourbon ( 1TBLS bourbon 2 TBLS water). I had a bit of trouble with sticking to the pan but otherwise the cake and glaze recipes were great. I also used my mini bundt pan and yielded 12 mini cakes (cooked at 350 for 35 minutes.
SANDRA DUDLEY
why can’t you use salted butter, i see this in a lot of recipes does it really make that much of a diff?
Beth Pierce
If you want to or need to use salted butter in place of unsalted than omit or use less of any additional salt in the recipe.
Brandi
Mostly so that you can be in charge of the amount of salt in your food. If you use salted butter which you don’t really know how salty it is and then add salt it may not turn out right. If you do use salted butter just leave the salt out of the recipe. I like using salted butter for frosting as it keeps it from being too sweet, but I get the idea behind using unsalted. Personal preference when it comes down to it.