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A Kentucky butter cake on a white plate with a slice cut from it on a plate in the background
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5 / 2 votes

Kentucky Butter Cake

This cake brought back many great memories of my mother in the kitchen. I do have to warn you, though: this cake is incredibly addictive.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Southern
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 383

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon rum extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk

For the butter sauce

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until very creamy and almost white, 4 to 6 minutes. Mix in the rum and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until incorporated, 2 to 4 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, sift the flour before measuring, and then measure and resift with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in increments, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour into the prepared Bundt pan.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove cake from the oven.

Make the butter sauce

  • While the cake is baking, place the sugar, water, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
  • Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake. Invert the Bundt pan onto a plate and remove the pan from the cake.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: To allow the sauce to really penetrate the cake, use a skewer to poke holes all over the warm cake while still in the Bundt pan. Pour some sauce over the cake before removing it from the pan and then finish glazing the cake with the remaining sauce.

  • Pour the butter sauce over the warm cake and devour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 253mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g