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Kentucky Butter Cake with Butter Glaze

Kentucky Butter Cake is a rich, buttery, and moist pound cake dessert topped with a rich and decadent buttery glaze.

What sets it apart from other cakes is the sweet butter glaze. The glaze, often flavored with a touch of vanilla extract, is poured over the warm cake, allowing it to ooze into the cake and create pockets of sweet, buttery goodness.

The Perfect Cake

Kentucky Butter Cake is moist with a touch of a crunchy crust, and is one of the best butter cake recipes from scratch.

It’s one of the best buttery cake recipes you can make from scratch.

The favorite dessert is perfect for everyday, special occasions, and holidays. It is made with simple ingredients and turns out decadent every time.

This is a traditional butter cake recipe that is easy and will be the perfect dessert addition to any party. 

It’s such a simple recipe, and I am sure that you will have most, if not all, of the ingredients on hand.

But I promise I won’t tell if you make it at home and keep it for yourself because I know you’ll love this Kentucky Butter Cake.

Kentucky Butter Cake with a dollop of whipped topping on a white plate

This cake is one of the easiest recipes to make, too. I love to make pound cakes because everyone loves them (especially me), and they are always a hit. They are moist, dense, rich, and pretty much perfect. 

Plus, you can use a butter glaze or any type of frosting, such as cream cheese.

What Do I Need To Make Kentucky Butter Cake?

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post

  • Butter (softened)
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Buttermilk
  • Water

Rich Butter Cake Recipe

  1. Add the softened butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and buttermilk to a large bowl and mix together.
  2. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.
  3. Bake for approximately one hour. Cool and poke holes in the cake.
  4. Add butter glaze ingredients (butter, sugar, water, and vanilla) to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
  5. Pour the glaze over the cake and let it cool.
  6. Invert and sprinkle powdered sugar over the top and enjoy

How To Make Kentucky Butter Cake

Butter makes the Kentucky Butter Cake cake rich.

Firstly, add the softened butter to the bowl.

Kentucky Butter Cake is a delicious cake for any holiday party.

Secondly, add the cream and sugar together.

Kentucky Butter Cake is a moist and delicious dessert.

Next, add the eggs and mix them in. 

Vanilla brings adds a rich flavor to any cake.

Fourthly, add the vanilla to the batter. 

Kentucky Butter Cake is a moist and delicious homemade dessert.

Pour the flour into the bowl and mix it in.

Butter cake recipes from scratch are easy to make and amazingly delicious.

Add the salt and baking soda. Mix everything together. 

Kentucky Butter cake with Butter Glaze Sauce is moist on the inside and has a bit of a crunch on the outside.

Pour the baking powder into the bowl and mix it in. 

Buttermilk makes every cake taste better. It's a rich ingredient that is the perfect addition to a Kentucky Butter Cake.

Finally, pour in the buttermilk.

I gotta say, I think this is the best ingredient. It’s going to make the Kentucky Butter Cake so much more moist and rich. 

Kentucky Butter Cake mix is easy and delicious. It's a treat for any time of year.

Mix everything together until it is combined and free of lumps.

For this recipe, I used a stand mixer. But you can use a hand mixer, as well. Either one will work.

A moist butter cake is the best kind of cake. This recipe is amazing. Y'all are going to love this recipe for Kentucky Butter Cake.

Grease and flour the pan.

I used a non-stick spray and then floured the pan. Be sure to do this step, or your cake will stick, and it won’t be pretty.

You can still eat it, but you’d have to grab a fork and just eat it out of the bundt pan, which is totally doable. (That’s never stopped me)! 

Kentucky Butter Cake made from scratch is the perfect dessert for Christmas. The Kentucky Butter Cake with a Butter Glaze Sauce is amazingly delish!

Pour the cake batter into the bundt pan.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a bundt pan, head down to the local second-hand store. I’ve seen quite a few for under a dollar! I got this one for only a few dollars. 

You might find some other goodies while you’re down there, too.

Kentucky Butter Cake is very similar to pound cake. And this is an amazing recipe. Moist, buttery, and perfect.

Bake the cake for about an hour and let it cool.

Poke a few holes in the bottom of the cake with a knife so that when you drizzle the butter glaze sauce over it, it will run down into the crevices, creating a buttery flavor with each bite.

Butter Glaze

Butter glaze sauce is easy to make a delicious topping for Kentucky Butter Cake or any pound cake. It's easy, inexpensive and perfectly delicious.

Add the butter to a saucepan and melt it on medium heat.

Butter glaze sauce is an easy homemade sauce that's perfect for topping cakes.

Next, add the sugar and mix the two ingredients together.

Kentucky Butter Cake with a Glazed Butter Glaze Sauce is a wonderful Christmas treat. The moist and rich cake is great for potlucks and parties.

Add the water and vanilla and mix everything together again. Cook the sauce for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves, but don’t let it boil, or it will be overcooked.

Pour the butter glaze sauce over the Kentucky Butter Cake for an amazing dessert that is to die for.

Pour the sweet buttery sauce over the cake. It will run down the sides and into the knife holes. This might be the best part and most satisfying step of the entire recipe.

The cake smells amazing, and you know once it sets up, it’s going to be incredible. 

Kentucky Butter Cake with a Butter Glaze Sauce is moist, delicious, and incredibly awesome. The Kentucky Butter Cake recipe is to die for.

Let the glaze cool. Once it cools, it will be crunchy. Invert the cake onto a cake plate and enjoy! 

Kentucky Butter Cake with a Butter Glaze Sauce is a wonderful holiday treat. This is one of the best butter cake recipes from scratch. The homemade recipe is easy and moist.

Look at the butter glaze on the side. Seriously, it’s so good. Oh, my goodness gracious. 

Sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top, add a dollop of whipped topping, and you are in business. 

Kentucky Butter Cake is rich butter cake recipe. It is the best ever butter cake.

Optional Additions To The Buttery Cake

You can add a few things to the cake after it bakes, such as some fresh fruit. Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, or even pineapple make a great addition. Cut it up into individual slices and serve it on the side with a little bit of whipped cream.

Add a little bit of vanilla ice cream on the side and drizzle with some more of the butter-sugar sauce.

Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe

Kentucky Butter Cake is a classic Southern treat that’s full of rich, buttery goodness. The moist and dense cake has a special butter glaze that adds a touch of sweetness and a hint of crunch.

Whether eaten by itself or paired with fruits, it’s a delicious dessert that’s always a hit. Simple, sweet, and satisfying – that’s Kentucky Butter Cake for you!

Be sure to print out the recipe and add it to your recipe box today!

Kentucky Butter Cake is moist with a touch of a crunchy crust, and is one of the best butter cake recipes from scratch.

Kentucky Butter Cake with a Butter Glaze

Yield: 20 pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Kentucky Butter Cake with sweet butter sauce is a decadent and delicious. The old fashioned pound cake is super easy to make and so delicious.

Ingredients

Kentucky Butter Cake

  • 1 cup butter (softened)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Butter Glaze

  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325-degrees.

Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Kentucky Butter Cake

  1. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix together.
  2. Add the eggs, vanilla, and flour and mix.
  3. Add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder and mix together.
  4. Add the buttermilk to the batter and mix together.
  5. Pour into the greased and floured bundt pan.
  6. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
  7. Cool.
  8. Poke a few holes in the cake with a knife.

Butter Glaze

  1. Add the butter and sugar to a saucepan and mix together.
  2. Add the water and vanilla and mix.
  3. Cook on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
  4. Pour the glaze over the cake.
  5. Cool, invert the cake, and serve.

Notes

You can store the cake in an airtight container or cover it with some plastic wrap. The cake does not need to be refrigerated.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 305Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 297mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 1gSugar: 28gProtein: 4g

Nutrition is approximate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Check out more delicious recipes at: Julia’s Simply Southern, South Your Mouth, and Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Laura Allen

Sunday 24th of July 2022

When you use butter in your recipes, is it salted or unsalted?

Julie Pollitt

Monday 25th of July 2022

That's a great question. I usually use whatever is on sale. If there's a recipe that specifically needs salted or unsalted I will notate that. But, I am all about saving, so I use the least expensive. ;)

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