Kentucky Butter Cake
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Kentucky Butter Cake is the kind of vintage recipe that never really goes out of style. Baked in a Bundt pan and soaked with a warm butter-vanilla syrup, it's rich, tender, and made mostly with pantry staples.
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This cake first caught my attention because of its Bake-Off connection. Having been a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off years ago, I'm always curious about recipes with that bit of history.
Often traced to Nell Lewis of Platte City, Missouri, and to a 1963 Pillsbury Bake-Off-era recipe, Kentucky Butter Cake has become one of those enduring American classics home bakers continue to rediscover, much like the story behind our Hummingbird Cake.
Despite its name, the exact Kentucky connection remains a bit of a mystery, but the appeal is easy to understand: a soft vanilla butter cake with a moist crumb and a delicate sugary finish.
If you're planning a Derby gathering, Kentucky Butter Cake is also often included in modern Kentucky Derby party menus alongside favorites like Derby Pie, making it a lovely option for spring entertaining.
Recipe Overview
This old-fashioned Kentucky Butter Cake is a buttery vanilla Bundt cake made with buttermilk and everyday pantry ingredients, then soaked with a warm butter-sugar syrup while still warm in the pan.
The syrup is the signature touch. It seeps into the cake, creating an exceptionally moist crumb and a lightly crisp, sugary exterior that makes this cake so memorable. The syrup is the signature touch. It seeps into the cake, creating an exceptionally moist crumb and a lightly crisp, sugary exterior that makes this cake so memorable.
What I Love About This Cake
There's something especially charming about vintage cakes like this. They rely on simple ingredients, familiar methods, and a little bit of kitchen magic.
What I love most about Kentucky Butter Cake is that it feels both humble and special. The batter is straightforward and pantry-friendly, but the warm syrup transforms it into something memorable. It gives the cake a soft, dense crumb and that delicate, almost crackly finish on the outside.
It's also the kind of cake that fits almost any occasion. Serve it plain with coffee, dress it up with berries and whipped cream, or place it on a spring dessert table for a gathering like the Kentucky Derby.
Jump to:
What Is Kentucky Butter Cake?
Kentucky Butter Cake is an old-fashioned butter cake, often described as somewhere between a butter cake and a pound cake, baked in a Bundt pan and finished with a warm butter-vanilla syrup poured over the cake while it is still warm.
That syrup is what makes the cake distinctive. Rather than frosting the cake after baking, you pour the warm glaze over holes pricked into the cake so it can soak in. The result is a rich, moist interior and a lightly crisp, sugary crust. Modern top-ranking recipes describe it in very similar ways, emphasizing the sauce-soaked crumb and the cake's ability to stay moist for days.
Despite some modern variations, this version keeps the flavors classic and simple with butter, vanilla, and buttermilk.
Ingredients
- Unbleached all-purpose flour: Gives the cake structure while keeping the crumb tender.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake and contributes to its classic fine crumb.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and rounds out the vanilla flavor.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Work together to give the cake lift and a soft, even texture.
- Buttermilk: One of the key ingredients in a good Kentucky Butter Cake. It adds tenderness and just enough tang to balance the richness.
- Unsalted butter, softened: Provides the rich buttery flavor that defines the cake.
- Large eggs: Add structure, richness, and moisture.
- Vanilla extract: Keeps the flavor simple, classic, and warm.
For the butter syrup: You'll also need sugar, butter, water, and vanilla extract for the warm syrup that gets poured over the baked cake. This is the step that gives Kentucky Butter Cake its signature texture and finish.
High Ratio Cake
Kentucky Butter Cake is considered a high-ratio cake, meaning the sugar is equal to or slightly greater than the flour by weight. That ratio helps create the cake's tender crumb, buttery richness, and fine texture.
These cakes are often mixed a little differently than traditional butter cakes, with the dry ingredients, butter, and part of the liquid combined first before the remaining liquid is added. The result is a soft, even crumb and a cake that stays moist beautifully.
For Kentucky Butter Cake, that structure pairs perfectly with the warm butter syrup, which soaks into the cake and gives it its signature finish.
How to Make Kentucky Butter Cake
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325°F and generously spray a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray that includes flour, or grease and flour the pan very well. Then sift the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl.
- Step 2: Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.
- Step 3: Using an electric mixer, combine the dry ingredients, the softened butter, and half of the buttermilk mixture on low until crumbly. With the mixer running, add the remaining buttermilk mixture, and mix for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary.
- Step 4: Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Meanwhile, make the butter glaze in the last few minutes of baking.
- Step 5: Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke holes in the top of the still-warm cake, reaching ¾ of the way down.
- Step 6: Slowly pour or spoon the glaze evenly over the top of the cake, letting it absorb as you go. If the glaze pools on top, poke a few more holes in the cake. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, invert onto a serving platter, and let rest about 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Tips for Success
Grease the Bundt pan very well: Because of the buttery syrup, this cake can stick if the pan is not well prepared.
Pour the syrup while the cake is still warm: The glaze absorbs best when the cake is warm, helping create that moist interior. If the glaze begins to puddle on top of the warm cake, poke a few more holes in the top to let the butter soak into the cake.
Do not boil the syrup: You want the butter sauce melted and smooth, not reduced.
Let the cake rest before serving: This cake is wonderful the day it's made, but it's often even better the next day after the syrup has fully settled into the crumb.
Variations
- Add almond extract along with the vanilla for a slightly more bakery-style flavor.
- Serve with macerated strawberries and softly whipped cream for a spring dessert.
- Dust lightly with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Serving Ideas
Kentucky Butter Cake is lovely served just as it is, with coffee or tea in the afternoon. Because it is rich but unfussy, it also makes a beautiful dessert for luncheons, spring gatherings, Mother's Day brunch, or Derby-inspired menus.
For serving, try it:
- Plain, in thick slices, with a dusting of powdered sugar
- With berries and softly whipped cream, much like a classic strawberry shortcake
- Topped with a spoonful of macerated strawberries
- On a dessert table with other vintage or Southern-inspired sweets, like this Princess Mary's Strawberry Chiffon Pie.
How to Store
Store the cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. The cake flavors are actually enhanced over time, making this a perfect make-ahead cake.
For longer storage, refrigerate it for up to 1 week, then bring slices to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
You can also freeze the cake, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQ
The exact reason is unclear. The recipe is commonly linked to Nell Lewis of Missouri and a 1963 Bake-Off-era recipe, so the Kentucky name remains something of a mystery.
Not exactly. It shares the rich, buttery character of a pound cake, but the warm butter syrup gives it its own distinctive texture and finish.
The warm cake absorbs the syrup more easily, which helps create the signature moist crumb.
Yes. In fact, it is often even better the next day once the syrup has fully soaked into the cake.
They're very different cakes. Kentucky Butter Cake is a Bundt-style butter cake soaked with syrup, while St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake is a flatter, much gooier cake with a soft, rich topping.
Kentucky Butter Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Butter Sauce:
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Spray a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.
- Make the cake: Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Blend in buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Beat for 3 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.
- When the cake is almost finished baking, make the butter sauce: Combine sugar, butter, water, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until fully melted and combined; do not boil.
- Remove the cake from the oven. Prick holes in the still-warm cake, then slowly pour butter sauce over the top. Let cake cool before removing from pan, about 30 minutes.
Notes
- Preparing the Bundt: Grease the Bundt pan very well to help prevent sticking.
- The Butter Syrup: Pour the warm butter syrup over the cake while it is still warm so it can soak into the crumb. If the syrup pools at the top of the cake, poke more holes into the top, allowing the syrup to seep down into the crumb.
- Cooling the Cake: Let the cake cool in the pan before inverting.
- Making Ahead & Storage: This cake is excellent the day it is made and even better the next day. Store tightly covered at room temperature for several days, or refrigerate for longer storage.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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I love making vintage inspired recipes that have stood the test of time. This cake certainly qualifies as an enduring recipe. It couldn't be easier to make, contains simple pantry ingredients, and, oh my goodness, is it moist and delicious!