This will be another short post, because not only do I have to get back to eating more Kentucky Butter Cake (so much yes!) but today marks the return of our weekly nerdy gaming night.
And since we’re hosting the D&D festivities at our place this week, I have to busy myself with making the house presentable for company. One of these days I’ll learn to keep the house clean on a regular basis so it isn’t such an ordeal when “outsiders” might dare see it, but until then, this all means that my Friday will be full laundry and dishes and mops.
But, I digress.
You don’t care about D&D.
You’re here for the cake.
And I don’t blame you.
Beautiful, right?
That’s what’s so awesome about bundt cakes: not only are they (seriously and extremely) delicious, but they’re elegant and pretty. The bundt must have been invented to impress a crowd.
I only recently splurged on my very first 10' classic bundt cake pan, because while I love bundt cakes, the pans you need to bake them in always made me a little nervous. All those delicate designs and swirls? I wasn’t too sure. I don’t even have the best luck with flat cake pans, let alone anything with grooves and valleys to up the difficulty. And while I certainly can’t claim to know everything there is to know about baking bundt cakes, I did take some great advice and generously buttered and floured the pan before baking.
Was that the secret to my success while baking my first ever bundt cake?
Ehh, maybe.
All I know is that despite my clumsiness, the cake turned out perfect.
Bundt cakes are far easier to make than I ever imagined.
Which is great news for me, because I’ve got at least thirty-seven more bundt cake recipes that I’ve been itching to make.
I can already tell this bundt only be the first of many!
notes & tips for this Kentucky butter cake
- I mentioned it above, but I do believe that some cake pans bake better when the pan is prepped the “old fashioned way” with a healthy coating of butter that’s dusted by flour. It’s messy and time-consuming, but I’ve had enough cake fails in my life to know that someones a little extra prep work makes all the difference. That’s not to say you can’t use a baking spray – you most certainly can, and your bundt cake will probably turn out just fine – but for an ungifted baker like me, I’ve had the most success with butter and flour.
- The bundt pan I used for this recipe is probably the most classic style of bundt cake and works for virtually any bundt cake recipe. You can pick one up here: 10 inch classic bundt cake pan.
- Looking for more bundt cake recipes? Be sure to check out Red Velvet Bundt Cake, Champagne Bundt Cake, and Eggnog Bundt Cake.
Recipe Details
Kentucky Butter Cake
Extra moist and crumbly pound cake covered in a crispy sugar coating (with no alcohol in it, so it's family friendly!) Fair warning, this cake is addictive!
Ingredients
Instructions
For the Pound Cake
Preheat oven to 325 F. Generously butter a 10 inch classic bundt cake pan and dust with flour (or use baking spray). Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl: buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, and butter. Use a hand mixer to beat on low until ingredients begin to mesh, then increase speed to medium. Beat for another 3-4 minutes so that batter is thick and smooth.
- Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (no crumbs).
When bundt cake has finished baking, remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Keep cake in the bundt pan while you prepare the glaze.
For the Butter Glaze
Putting It All Together
While the bundt cake is still in it's pan, use a long skewer to poke numerous holes in bottom of the still-warm bundt cake.
Pour butter glaze over the bundt cake, focusing on the areas with the poked holes. If a lot of sauce has collected around the sides, pick the bundt pan up and gently tilt it left or right to help spread the butter glaze around.
Allow cake to cool completely (about an hour) before turning the bundt pan over and removing the cake from the pan.
Serve Kentucky butter cake immediately with powdered sugar dusted on top.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.
Ali @ Home & Plate says
This dessert sounds delicious and your photos are beautiful. Love the sprinkle of powdered sugar raining down. I’ll take a piece please!
Christine says
This is great news for me, too. I have a lovely new bundt pan that I haven’t had the nerve to use yet! This may be the time!!!
Barbara @Spirited Cook says
This looks delicious! I love my Bundt pan(s) — I have quite the collection from when my kids were little and I used to bake like mad in the 80’s and 90’s. Not so much now, but this may be just the nudge I needed to get them out again. Keep baking! Cheers!
Marlynn @UrbanBlissLife says
Well, this seals the deal: I’ve always put off getting a bundt pan, but I need to make this cake! Gorgeous photos, and the recipe sounds fantastic.
Kate @ Diethood says
~ Reading through the ingredients and drooling ~
This looks gorgeous!!
Healing Tomato says
The two words that really get my attention are “Kentucky” and “Butter”. The first reminds me of Justified and butter is my favorite ingredient. This is a superb recipe and I am always in the mood for some good comfort food.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
YUM. Never tried a kentucky butter cake before but I can imagine it tastes amazing as it’s appearance. Pinned!
Connie | URBAN BAKES says
This is one fine looking cake! I find bundts to be much easier than layered or sheets cakes because there’s usually no frosting involved. Just powdered sugar or glaze, and you’re good to go.
Chef Connie Gordon says
D and D festivities usually involve bad pizza and Doritos. You serve Kentucky Butter Cake? I bet that is the best D and D party ever. Love Nerdy game nights. I have not played in forever. We have been playing Settlers of Catan since the games are shorter but I am sure great food would get a good group around the table. Really enjoying your blog.
Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden says
This sounds delicious. A cake that you always know that will be great! Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
Amber | Caleigh's Kitchen says
OH…the crispy sugar coating got me. Now I absolutely have to make this! Looks great!
Thanks for sharing on #tryabitetuesday link party! Hope to see you back next week!
Rosalyn says
You forgot to tell us how much salt.
Chrisy says
Thank you for catching that Rosalyn! I should be 1 tsp salt. I’ve updated the recipe.
Kathryn @ Annie & Co. says
Considering the amount of Salt you re getting from the butter “1 teaspoon” of Salt seems extreme
Robin says
Kathryn, use unsalted butter for this recipe and then you won’t have too much salt for your dietary needs. 🙂
Lynna says
Good stuff! Had to make a few tweaks…had no buttermilk on hand, used sour cream instead-and we have to do things gluten free so I used a 1 to 1 baking mix in place of the flour. And for the vanilla I halved it and replaced the other half with almond extract in the cake. And that glaze is absolutely amazing! Thanks for putting the recipe here for all of us to enjoy!
Chrisy says
I’m so glad the cake turned out Lynn! And I love your take on it 😀 I’ll have to remember your trick of using sour cream in place of the buttermilk. Clever! I’ve always just made my own (with milk and lemon) but it never turns out as well.
Terri says
I made this and took it to a party and it went.
It was delicious.
Hannah says
I made this. Loved it. My an old friend of mine said “wow. Oh wow” when he took his first bite, so I would call that a win. However, I had trouble with the glaze. Felt like it got grainier the longer I heated it. How long should it take? Secondly, do you take the cake out of the pan before putting the glaze on? I put it on the flat side, so that it was on the bottom but I’m not sure if that was right.
Tiffany M says
My son (4) and I made this tonight!!! It turned out wonderful and we had a blast doing it! We will definitely be making this again! Thank you!
Kiara says
Hello, these look amazing. Is it possible to turn these into cupcakes without ruining how it comes out?
Thank you
Dee says
I made the cake. It was a hit. Easy and delish!
Shireen says
I used more water for the glaze but overall the recipe is AMAZING!!! Thank you, I LOVE it.