If you’ve been searching for the perfect Kentucky Butter Cake, this is the one you can trust. After seven rounds of testing and fine-tuning the ingredients, I made sure it’s rich, buttery, stays moist, releases cleanly from the pan, and finishes with an easy caramel shortcut that keeps things simple without sacrificing flavor.
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This salted caramel butter cake hits that sweet spot between old-fashioned and easy. The crumb is dense, like a classic butter cake, but stays soft and moist, making it perfect for sharing or saving a few extra slices for later.
Kentucky butter cake has been a beloved dessert since it first showed up in community cookbooks in the 1960s. I stayed true to the heart of the original but added a smooth caramel sauce and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to make it feel just a little more special, without losing what makes this cake so comforting.
Ingredient and Substitution Info
Looking for the full recipe? The recipe card at the bottom of this post includes the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the cake a sturdy but tender crumb. Use cake flour for an even softer texture.
- Butter: It needs to be at room temperature so it can cream properly with the sugar. If you forget to take it out ahead of time, you can cut the butter into small cubes and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk keeps the crumb moist and tender without making it heavy. Make sure it’s at room temperature so it blends smoothly into the batter.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: The mix of brown and white sugar adds depth of flavor and helps the cake stay soft. Light or dark brown sugar will both work. Dark will give a little extra richness.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a high-quality, pure vanilla extract if possible. It adds warmth and rounds out the buttery flavor.
- Heavy Cream: Stick with heavy cream for the best texture—milk or half-and-half won’t thicken as well.
Keep It Simple 🍃
If you don’t want to make caramel sauce from scratch, you can skip that step and just use a good-quality, thick caramel sauce from the store.
Still make the butter glaze from scratch (6 tablespoons of butter, ¾ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of water, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla), and pour it over the warm cake.
Tips to Make the Best Caramel Butter Cake
Cream Butter and Sugars
- Make sure your butter is truly room temperature. It should easily hold a thumbprint without feeling melted.
- Creaming the butter and sugar properly is one of the most important steps for a soft, tender cake.
Alternate Buttermilk and Flour
- Alternating the dry ingredients with buttermilk helps the batter stay light and even.
- Always start and end with the flour, and mix just until you don’t see dry streaks. A few lumps are fine - you don’t want to overwork it.
- Start checking a few minutes early and look for a toothpick with moist crumbs. The cake will finish cooking as it cools.
Make Butter Sauce
- You don’t need to boil the butter glaze, just cook until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
- Pour it slowly over the warm cake so it can soak in.
- Keep it in the pan for at least 2 hours (I prefer letting it sit overnight).
- Before turning onto a cake plate, run a table knife around the sides and center. Turn it onto a plate, and tap the bottom of the pan firmly.
Make the Caramel
- When you’re making the caramel, watch for it to turn a deep golden color. As soon as it does, pull it off the heat and whisk in the cream.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.
Make Ahead⏳
You can bake the cake a day in advance and keep it covered at room temperature, or freeze it for up to 2 months, then thaw it at room temperature. Wait to drizzle the caramel sauce until right before serving so the cake stays fresh and the caramel looks smooth and glossy.
Make it Special✨
If you want to add a little something extra, try swapping a ¼ cup of the water in the butter glaze for bourbon or dark rum. It gives the cake a cozy, richer flavor without being overpowering. For more flavor in the cake batter, stir in 1 teaspoon of butter extract if you have it on hand.
More Bundt Cake Recipes
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Recipe
Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake
Recipe by:Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (1 grams) baking soda
- 1 cup (227 grams) butter softened
- 1 cup (220 grams) brown sugar
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 5 (5) large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) buttermilk room temperature
Butter Glaze and Caramel Sauce
- 14 tablespoons (196 grams) butter
- 1 ¾ cups (350 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) water or ¼ water, ¼ cup rum or bourbon
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (118 ml) heavy cream
- sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Thoroughly grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with butter, then dust with flour and set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar using an electric mixer on low speed. Once the mixture is combined, increase the speed ot medium-high and beat for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.1 cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed for one minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.5 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk, mixing on low speed and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Add half of the remaining flour, then all of the remaining buttermilk, and finally the remaining flour. Be careful not to overmix.1 ¼ cup buttermilk
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a cooling rack.
- As soon as the cake is finished baking, begin preparing the butter glaze by placing butter, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter has melted and the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.14 tablespoons butter, 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Use a thin skewer to poke holes in the warm cake. Then pour 1 cup of the butter topping evenly over the cake, setting aside the remaining butter sauce to turn into caramel sauce. If the mixture pools on top of the cake, poke a few more holes. Set the cake aside for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to cool completely and absorb all of the glaze.
- Place the saucepan with the remaining butter sauce back onto the stove over medium heat and bring to a steady boil without stirring. Let it boil until it reaches a deep amber color.
- Remove the pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. It will bubble up as you pour it in. Stir gently until the sauce is smooth. Set aside to cool at room temperature. It will thicken as it cools.½ cup heavy cream
- Just before serving, drizzle the caramel sauce over the top of the cake and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.sea salt flakes
Notes
- Butter and flour method: Rub about two tablespoons of soft butter over every part of the pan using your fingers, then dust with two tablespoons of flour. Tilt and rotate the pan to coat every crevice, and tap out the excess.
- Cake goop method: Mix equal parts shortening, oil, and flour, then brush the mixture onto the pan with a pastry brush for a smooth, even nonstick coating.
Store the cake tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’ve already added the caramel sauce, it’s best to store any leftovers in the refrigerator to keep the sauce fresh. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving for the best texture. Freezing:
You can freeze the cake without the caramel sauce. Wrap the fully cooled, glazed (but not caramel-topped) cake tightly in plastic wrap, then in a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature before adding the caramel sauce and serving.
Equipment
Nutrition
The nutritional facts provided are only estimates. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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