Kentucky Butter Cake is a classic dessert that has been enjoyed by generations of Southerners. This rich, buttery cake is made with simple ingredients but packs a delicious punch. It’s perfect for special occasions, potlucks, or simply as a treat to enjoy at home.
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After one bite of this old-fashioned vanilla butter cake, you’ll understand how it won the 1963 winner of Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. Of course, it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that this Kentucky butter cake was drenched in a butter-rum sauce.
With my step-by-step images and easy-to-follow instructions, I know you’ll agree that my Kentucky Butter Cake recipe is the best on the internet!
If you love buttery cakes, make sure to try my Pineapple Butter Cake.
Ingredients to make Kentucky Butter Cake
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Kentucky Butter Cake. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Grease and flour a bundt pan. Set aside until needed.
- Add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or an electric hand mixer with a large bowl).
- Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla to a large bowl and mix together until well combined.
- Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients.
- Mix on low speed for one minute, just enough to mix the ingredients together. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the rest of the buttermilk mixture. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue whipping the mixture for 3 minutes. The finished batter will be creamy and pale. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
How to make Butter Rum Syrup
- Add the butter, granulated sugar, water, vanilla, and rum (or rum extract) to a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sugar is dissolved (1-2 minutes).
*I prefer dark rum to make this glaze, but white rum will work. You can use spiced rum, but it will change the flavor.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place the cake pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack (still in the pan) to cool for 10 minutes.
- After ten minutes, use a wooden skewer to poke holes in the bottom of the cake. Go about three-quarters of the way down with the skewer.
- Continue until you have made 35- 40 holes.
- Spoon the sweet buttery sauce over the bottom of the cake so that it seeps down into the holes you poked in the cake. If the syrup is pooling on the surface, poke more holes in the cake so that it absorbs the syrup.
- Let the Kentucky butter cake cool for about 30 minutes. *Reserve about one-third of a cup of the butter syrup to brush the outside of the cake.
- Place a serving plate over the cake pan to invert cake, then remove the pan.
- Brush the outside of the cake with the reserved butter rum syrup and any syrup that oozes out onto the serving plate.
This old-fashioned Kentucky Butter Cake is best enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea. Its rich, buttery flavor and moist texture make it a crowd-pleaser that everyone will love. Give this recipe a try and see for yourself why it has been a Southern favorite for generations!
Recipe FAQ’s
Butter cakes (aka creamed cakes) have a lighter texture and greater volume than pound cakes. Pound cakes are denser and were called pound cakes because, traditionally, they were made with one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.
To make a Kentucky Butter Cake that is moist, it’s important to use the right amount of ingredients and not overmix the batter. Also, adding buttermilk to the batter helps to keep the cake moist. Finally, pouring the glaze over the warm cake helps to seal in moisture and adds extra flavor.
No, you can make Kentucky Butter Cake in different pans. You can use a 9×13-inch baking pan or two 9-inch round cake pans. However, you will need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
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Kentucky Butter Cake
Equipment
- 10-inch (12 cup) bundt pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 16 tablespoon unsalted butter -room temperature (2 sticks)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
Butter Rum Syrup
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon rum or rum extract – optional
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Grease and flour a bundt pan. Set aside until needed.
- Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla to a large bowl and mix together until well combined. Set aside until needed.
- Add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low for one minute, just enough to mix the ingredients together.Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the rest of the buttermilk mixture.Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue whipping the mixture for 3 minutes. The finished batter will be creamy and pale. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles.
- Place the cake pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack (still in the pan) to cool for 10 minutes.
- After ten minutes, use a wooden skewer to poke 35- 40 holes in the bottom of the cake. Go about three-quarters of the way down with the skewer.
- Spoon the butter rum syrup over the bottom of the cake so that it seeps down into the holes you poked in the cake. If the syrup is pooling on the surface, poke more holes in the cake so that it absorbs the syrup. Let the cake fully cool for about 30 minutes.*Reserve about one-third of a cup of the butter syrup to brush the outside of the cake
- Place a serving plate over the cake pan and invert the cake and remove the pan.
- Brush the outside of the cake with the reserved butter rum syrup and any syrup that oozes out onto the serving plate.
Butter Rum Syrup
- Add the butter, granulated sugar, water, vanilla, and rum to a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sugar is dissolved (1-2 minutes).
Winn says
I made this Kentucky Butter Cake and my husband said it’s the best thing I’ve ever made! It came out perfectly! Thank you so much for this recipe and I’m going to start trying lots of your other cake recipes!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome and I’m happy to hear your husband enjoyed the cake! I hope you find more delicious cake recipes to try.
Diane says
This was exceptional. I really thought that it would be too sweet with how much sugar was in the cake. It was not too sweet at all. The first time that I made it I prepared exactly as written. I made it again yesterday. I didn’t use my stand mixer because I had just spent nearly two days making homemade ravioli. The thought of using the stand mixer again made me feel like I wanted to cry. So I used my electric beaters and it worked fine. Also used Cruzan Pineapple Rum since I didn’t have any regular Rum and it was really a nice flavor as well. What a nice and easy flavorful cake. Most definitely not heart healthy (LOL) but a wonderful treat! Thanks a million for the recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my butter cake. The pineapple rum sounds like a delicious addition to the recipe. Definitely, not healthy, but everything in moderation isn’t too bad. I always give away most of what I bake to my neighbors.
Kelly says
I made this and it was delicious! Moist, flavorful and not too sweet. I also made one for a friend and her family and they loved it also! This is a keeper. I’m making two more because while talking about how good this cake is, I ended up being asked to bake another by two of my favorite people. I was not gonna say no, so off to the kitchen I go!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the cake. It’s an old family recipe, passed down from my grandmother.
Tom says
I made it as prescribed except I dialed down the sugar just a little. The cake is excellent, moist with great butter flavor. One change I would make is the glaze. I found the rum glaze to be light in flavor. And if this is a Kentucky butter cake I will make a fitting robust bourbon glaze instead of the rum glaze.
Wynetta says
Love this cake recipe can’t wait to prepare for my family. Thank you
Mindi D says
Incredibly moist, buttery and soft! Cannot get enough of this yummy cake!
Shery Sullivan says
Can’t wait to make this. Hopefully it will look like yours.