Kentucky Butter Cake

This simple cake gets doused in a rich, buttery sauce to give it a sticky sweet crust to accompany a wonderfully buttery crumb

I have tested this recipe no less than four times, to get the right level of sweetness and density of crumb to soak up the delicious buttery sauce which accompanies the cake.

This cake is one of baking’s simple pleasures – made mostly with pantry staples this cake is deceptively moreish.

As if the cup of butter in the batter was not sinful enough, it get’s further doused in a sweet, buttery sauce after being baked. The base of the cake is my favourite part, where the butter soaks into the caramelized crust, creating some sweet, buttery crunchy bits.

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For the Kentucky Butter Cake

• 320g cake flour
• 40g cornflour
• 375g caster sugar
• 250g unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 250ml full-cream milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160˚ celsius. Grease a 23cm bundt tin by brushing it with butter and dusting it with flour. Chill in the fridge or freezer while you make the batter.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This will take a good 5 minutes.
3. Slowly add in the eggs, one at a time and mix well. Add only the next egg once the previous has been fully incorporated.
4. Sift the flour, cornflour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together.
5. Alternate adding a third of the flour mixture with the milk, into the butter mixture until everything is well combined.
6. Bake for around 40 – 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Make the butter sauce whilst the cake is baking.

For the Butter Sauce

• 75g butter
• 60ml water
• 150g white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, about 10 minutes before the cake is to come out of the oven.
2. Poke a few tiny holes in the cake, as soon as it comes out of the oven and pour half the syrup on the base.
3. Let the cake stand for 10 minutes before flipping the cake out of the tin.
4. Gently brush the remaining syrup on the top of the cake, just to coat the exterior.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com