A Kentucky butter cake on a patterned plate from above, with slices cut and fanned across the top

Cakes & Cupcakes

Kentucky Butter Cake

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

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A whole Kentucky butter cake on a patterned plate beside pink gerberas Slices of Kentucky butter cake showing the soft, buttery crumb and caramelised crust

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 gets 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 caramelised crust, creating some sweet, buttery crunchy bits.

A whole Kentucky butter cake from above, its fluted bundt shape glossy with butter sauce A Kentucky butter cake with slices cut away to show the golden crumb

The recipe

Kentucky Butter Cake

adventureswithsugar.com/kentucky-butter-cake/

Method

Method: Kentucky butter cake

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the tin: 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: Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This will take a good 5 minutes.
  3. Add the eggs: 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 dry ingredients: Sift the flour, cornflour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together.
  5. Add the flour and milk: Alternate adding a third of the flour mixture with the milk, into the butter mixture until everything is well combined.
  6. Bake: Bake for around 40 – 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  7. Make the sauce: Make the butter sauce whilst the cake is baking.

Method: butter sauce

  1. Boil the sauce: 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. Soak the base: 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. Rest and turn out: Let the cake stand for 10 minutes before flipping the cake out of the tin.
  4. Brush the top: Gently brush the remaining syrup on the top of the cake, just to coat the exterior.
Close-up of the sticky, glossy ridges of a Kentucky butter cake A sliced Kentucky butter cake on a plate against a dark background

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com

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