Kentucky Butter Cake
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened, plus more for greasing the pan
- 3cups/385 grams all-purpose unbleached flour, plus more for dusting the pan
- Nonstick cooking spray (optional)
- 2cups/400 grams granulated sugar
- 1cup/240 milliliters buttermilk (see Tip)
- 4eggs
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
- ⅓cup/75 grams unsalted butter
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
For the Cake
For the Butter Sauce
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
529 calories; 24 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 74 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 49 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 333 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously butter and flour (or spray with nonstick cooking spray) a 10-inch tube pan or a 12-cup bundt pan.
- Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, combine the remaining cake ingredients and beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour into prepared pan, level with a spatula and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes.
- Step 3
Shortly before the cake is done baking, make the butter sauce: Combine the granulated sugar, butter and vanilla with 3 tablespoons water in a saucepan over low heat until the butter just melts. (Do not let the mixture boil, as you do not want the sugar to completely dissolve.)
- Step 4
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, leave the cake in its pan and gently poke it all the way through 15 to 20 times with a long wooden skewer or a long-tined fork. Slowly pour warm butter sauce over the cake. Let cool for at least 3 hours before unmolding from pan. Just before serving, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, measure out 1 cup of whole milk and remove 1 tablespoon. Add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to the remaining milk and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, then stir gently before using in the recipe as you would buttermilk.
Private Notes
Comments
Ms. Laskey: Mrs. Lewis's husband, Dr. Albert G. Lewis, practiced medicine with my father, Dr. H. Graham Parker, in Platte City, Missouri, in the 1960's. Our mother was thrilled when Nell Lewis took her cake to the Bake-Off. Sadly, the Pillsbury rules precluded the use of alcohol, so Nell had to use rum flavoring for rum at the Bake-Off. The original, much better, recipe called for adding 1/2 cup light rum after taking the sauce off the heat. It's fabulous; I make it for every New Year's Day.
Re: the tip about buttermilk...why not measure a tablespoon of white vinegar into the 1 cup measure and then fill up to the one cup measure with milk?
Here are the directions for the sauce from my mother's copy of her friend Nell Lewis's recipe: As soon as the cake comes from the oven pour over it the following sauce: 1 c. sugar, 1/4 c. water, 1 stick butter. Bring almost to a boil, remove from heat and add 1/2 c. (or more) light rum.
Hmmm... didn't seem to achieve the sugar crust, except on the very bottom, which I had to cut away when leveling the cake. Is that all there's supposed to be of the sugar crust (it was tasty). As for the cake itself, I'm glad I added lemon zest to the batter and lemon juice to the butter sauce. It was moist. A little plain (after me thinking there would be a miraculous sugar crust!) but flavorful.
This is a truly excellent cake! Made it twice in the last couple weeks. The first time, followed the recipe exactly and ended up with a scrumptious pound cake that everyone picked at through the week. It was as delicious on day one as the last day when crumbs were meticulously picked off the serving platter. The second time, I didn’t add the butter sauce after baking and it was still delicious! So if you’re wondering if this is worth the effort and the calories, let me tell you that it absolutely is!
Made this as directed, but added rum to the butter sauce per several of the comments. The cake was great, but we felt the rum flavor was a little too heavy. If making again I would add the rum to the sauce earlier, letting it cook off some of the alcohol before pouring over the cake.