Kentucky Butter Cake

Ingredients

• 3 cups All-purpose flour, 360 g
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Fine salt
• 1 cup Unsalted butter, 227 g, softened
• 2 cups Granulated sugar, 400 g
• 4 Large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup Cultured buttermilk, room temperature
• 5 tbsp Unsalted butter, 71 g
• 3/4 cup Granulated sugar, 150 g
• 1/4 cup Water
• 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Thoroughly grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan, reaching every ridge.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Beat butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
5. Add dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with buttermilk in two additions. Mix only until combined.
6. Spoon batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 60–70 minutes, until a long tester comes out clean.
7. While the cake finishes baking, combine butter, sugar, and water for the glaze in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low until butter melts and sugar mostly dissolves, about 2–3 minutes; do not boil hard.
8. Remove glaze from heat and stir in vanilla.
9. With the cake still in its pan, poke holes all over the exposed surface with a skewer. Slowly spoon about two-thirds of the warm glaze over the cake.
10. Let cake stand in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack or serving plate.
11. Brush or spoon the remaining glaze over the warm exterior. Cool before slicing.

Nutrition

Chef's Notes

The butter-sugar glaze is the identity of Kentucky butter cake; it should soak into the warm cake rather than become a thick frosting. Rum extract can be offered as a variation, but vanilla is the canonical version here. Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days.

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