Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake is a tender buttermilk Bundt cake soaked while still hot in a warm sauce of butter, sugar and vanilla. The sauce seeps into every crumb and sets into a sweet, buttery crust, so the cake stays moist for days. It serves 12 and is an easy make-ahead cake for holidays, potlucks and birthdays.
How to make Kentucky butter cake: Beat a buttermilk batter with butter, vanilla and eggs and bake it in a greased and floured Bundt pan at 325°F for 55 to 65 minutes. Poke the hot cake all over, pour on a warm sauce of sugar, butter, water and vanilla, and let it cool in the pan before turning it out.
Why You’ll Love It
- Incredibly moist: the butter sauce soaks all the way through.
- Sweet, crisp crust: the sauce sets into a thin sugary shell on the outside.
- Pantry ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.
- Serves 12: a tall Bundt cake that keeps well for days.
Ingredient Notes
Buttermilk: One cup. It makes the crumb soft and tender and gives a gentle tang that balances the sweet sauce. If you have none, stir a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a cup of milk and let it stand for a few minutes.
Butter: One cup at room temperature for the batter and a third of a cup for the sauce. Soft butter blends into the batter smoothly; cold butter leaves lumps. I set the butter and eggs on the counter an hour before baking.
Eggs: Four large eggs, also at room temperature, so the batter stays smooth and rises evenly.
Flour and leaveners: Three cups of all-purpose flour with baking powder and baking soda. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it, or weigh it; packed flour makes a dry, heavy cake.
Sauce: Sugar, butter, water and vanilla, warmed just until the butter melts. For a salted caramel finish, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the cake after the sauce soaks in, or serve slices with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups (13 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 large eggs
For the sauce:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
How to Make Kentucky Butter Cake
1. Prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease and flour a Bundt pan.
2. Make the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the buttermilk, butter, vanilla and eggs. Beat on low speed until moistened, then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
3. Bake. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Make the sauce. While the cake finishes baking, combine the sugar, butter, water and vanilla in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Do not let it boil.
5. Soak and cool. Set the hot cake, still in its pan, on a wire rack. Poke holes all over it with a fork or skewer and slowly pour the warm sauce over it. Let it cool in the pan for at least 1 hour, until the sauce has soaked in, then invert it onto a serving plate.
What Is a Kentucky Butter Cake?
A Kentucky butter cake is a buttermilk pound-style cake baked in a Bundt pan and soaked, while still hot, with a simple butter and sugar sauce. The sauce is poured over the cake in the pan, so it soaks into what will become the bottom and flows down the sides and the center tube.
As the cake cools, the sugar in the sauce sets into a thin, crisp, caramel-like shell on the outside while the inside stays soft and buttery. That contrast is what makes it different from a plain pound cake, and it is why the cake does not need any frosting.
How to Get the Sauce to Soak In
Pour the sauce while the cake is hot. A hot cake absorbs the sauce quickly; a cooled cake lets it pool on top and run off.
Poke plenty of deep holes, especially near the center and around the tube, where the cake is thickest. Pour slowly, a little at a time, and let each pour sink in before adding more. I pour a little down the sides of the pan as well, so the outside of the cake gets its share.
Keep the sauce warm and do not boil it. Boiling thickens the sugar, and a thick sauce sits on top instead of soaking in.
Tips for Success
Why did my cake stick to the pan?
The pan was not greased and floured into every groove, or the cake was turned out too soon. Grease generously, dust with flour, and let the cake cool in the pan until the sauce has set.
Why is my cake dense?
The butter and eggs were cold or the flour was packed. Use room temperature ingredients and measure the flour by spooning it into the cup.
Why is it done on the outside but raw in the middle?
Ovens vary. If the top browns too fast, lay a piece of foil loosely over the pan and keep baking until a toothpick comes out clean.
Variations
- Salted caramel drizzle: drizzle salted caramel sauce over each slice and finish with flaky salt.
- Bourbon sauce: replace some of the water in the sauce with bourbon.
- Brown sugar sauce: use brown sugar in the sauce for a deeper, butterscotch flavor.
If you like a butter cake, you might enjoy Butter Pecan Cake with its toasted pecans and brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
If you’re in the mood for more salted caramel, Salted Caramel Cheesecake layers it inside a baked cheesecake and pours it on top.
Storage
Keep the cake covered at room temperature for a day, or in the refrigerator for longer freshness. Let refrigerated slices come to room temperature before serving so the butter softens. The whole cake or individual slices can be wrapped tightly and frozen; thaw them in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
Serve slices plain, with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and fresh berries or sliced peaches. For more caramel desserts, try homemade caramel cake, salted caramel banana bread or apple pecan cake with caramel glaze. For more classic cakes, there is a lemon cake to die for, homemade German chocolate cake and Southern peach crumb cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Kentucky butter cake?
A buttermilk Bundt cake soaked while hot with a warm butter, sugar and vanilla sauce, which keeps it moist and gives it a sweet, crisp crust.
Can I use a cake mix?
This recipe is made from scratch, but the same butter sauce can be poured over a baked yellow or butter cake mix Bundt cake.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. It is even better the next day, once the sauce has fully soaked in. Keep it covered at room temperature.
Can I bake it in a different pan?
A tube pan works. In loaf pans or a 9×13-inch pan, the cake is thinner and bakes faster, so start checking it early.
Final Notes
Pour the sauce over the cake while it is hot and let it cool in the pan before turning it out. If you have a question or make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
SALTED CARAMEL KENTUCKY BUTTER CAKE
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 13 1/2 ounces
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 large eggs
For the Sauce
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease and flour a Bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the buttermilk, butter, vanilla and eggs. Beat on low speed until moistened, then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake finishes baking, combine the sugar, butter, water and vanilla in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Do not let it boil.
- Set the hot cake, still in its pan, on a wire rack. Poke holes all over it with a fork or skewer and slowly pour the warm sauce over it. Let it cool in the pan for at least 1 hour, until the sauce has soaked in, then invert it onto a serving plate.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
