Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake starts with a tender vanilla Bundt cake. While it is still warm, you poke small holes in it and pour a simple butter sauce over the top. The sauce slips into the crumb as the cake rests in the pan, so every slice has that rich, buttery finish.
There is one detail worth knowing before you bake: the sauce in the recipe card is made from butter, sugar, water, and vanilla over low heat. It is a butter soak, not cooked caramel. For the salted caramel finish shown in the photos, drizzle the unmolded cake with 2 to 3 tablespoons of prepared salted caramel sauce and a light pinch of flaky sea salt. That last drizzle is optional, but it is what gives the cake its distinct caramel flavor.
Why You’ll Enjoy This Butter Cake
- Soft, buttery crumb: buttermilk and room-temperature butter make a generous Bundt cake that slices neatly after the sauce settles.
- Warm sauce in the cake: the vanilla butter mixture soaks into the cake instead of sitting as a thick frosting on top.
- Easy finish: a small prepared caramel drizzle and a few salt flakes add the sweet-salty flavor without a second saucepan of homemade caramel.
- Good for sharing: the recipe card makes 12 servings from a 12-cup Bundt pan or 10-inch tube pan.
Ingredients and What They Do
Find the exact cake and butter-sauce measurements in the recipe card. Here are the points that help the ingredients work together:
- Flour and sugar: use the all-purpose flour and granulated sugar listed in the card. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it, or use the listed 13½-ounce weight, so the cake does not turn out too dense.
- Buttermilk: this provides moisture and a little tang. The card also allows fermented milk. Use the amount given, rather than thinning the batter by eye.
- Room-temperature butter and eggs: softer butter blends into the batter more evenly. The recipe uses four large eggs.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt: all three are in the cake batter. Measure the leaveners carefully, as Bundt cakes spend a long time in the oven.
- Butter sauce: granulated sugar, butter, water, and vanilla are warmed together until smooth. Do not boil it; the sauce is meant to stay pourable and soak into the cake.
- Optional salted caramel finish: set aside 2 to 3 tablespoons of prepared salted caramel sauce and a few flakes of salt if you want the caramel-drizzled version pictured here.
How to Make Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake
1. Prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan, reaching every ridge and the center tube. This step matters because the cake will be soaked in the pan before it is turned out, and a missed patch can make it stick.
2. Mix the batter. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk, room-temperature butter, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl. Start the mixer on low so the flour stays in the bowl. Once the ingredients come together, increase to medium and beat for about three minutes, until the batter is smooth.
3. Fill and bake. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, checking near the earlier end of the range. A toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean. The top may have a natural crack; that side will be underneath when the cake is turned out.
4. Warm the butter sauce. While the cake bakes, gently heat the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir often until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Keep it below a boil; this recipe does not ask you to brown the sugar into caramel.
5. Make holes while the cake is hot. Set the baked cake, still in its pan, on a wire rack. Pierce the exposed surface all over with a fork or skewer. Keep the holes small but plentiful so the sauce has places to go.
6. Soak and rest. Slowly pour the hot butter sauce across the hot cake, moving around the ring so one area does not get all of it. Let the cake rest in the pan while the sauce absorbs. Then turn it onto a serving plate and allow it to cool slightly before slicing.
7. Add the optional finish. If you want the salted caramel version shown here, drizzle the turned-out cake with prepared salted caramel sauce and scatter a very light pinch of flaky sea salt over the top. Keep the drizzle modest so the butter-soaked cake remains the main flavor.
A Few Baking Tips
Take your time greasing the Bundt pan. A pastry brush can reach the curves, and a light dusting of flour helps reveal missed areas before you add the batter. If you use a different pan, the baking time will change, so rely on the center test as well as the clock.
Pour the butter sauce while both the cake and sauce are warm. A cold cake will not absorb it as readily. Resting before unmolding also lets the crumb hold together, which is especially helpful after it has taken in the sauce. If any sauce remains in the bottom of the pan, give it more time rather than forcing the cake out immediately.
How to Serve and Keep Leftovers
A slice is lovely with coffee, plain or with the optional caramel finish. For a dessert plate, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside rather than piling more toppings onto the cake. The butter sauce gives the crumb plenty of richness on its own.
Cover cooled leftovers well and keep them at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerate for a few days longer. Bring a chilled slice toward room temperature before serving for a softer texture. If you add the caramel drizzle only to individual slices, the remaining cake is easier to cover neatly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the butter sauce the same as caramel sauce?
No. The recipe-card sauce is a gently warmed vanilla butter mixture that soaks into the cake. Prepared salted caramel is a separate, optional finishing drizzle added after the cake is turned out.
Can I use a 10-inch tube pan?
Yes. The recipe card gives a 10-inch tube pan as an alternative to a 12-cup Bundt pan. Grease and flour it just as thoroughly, and check for doneness within the stated baking range.
When should I turn the cake out?
Let it rest in the pan after the warm sauce is poured so the liquid can absorb. Then turn it out carefully onto a serving plate. Rushing that rest can leave sauce in the pan and make a warm slice more fragile.
If you like old-fashioned cakes for sharing, try our Homemade Granny Cake or Cinnamon Apple Cake next.
Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe
The card below has the full cake and butter-sauce amounts. Its notes also explain the optional prepared salted caramel finish.
Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake
Ingredients
- For the Cake
- 3 cups / 13 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk or fermented milk
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- For the Butter Sauce
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Generously grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan or a 10-inch tube pan, making sure to coat all the edges and curves well.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and eggs.
- Beat on low speed until the ingredients are moistened.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 more minutes, until the batter is smooth and well combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar, butter, water, and vanilla.
- Cook, stirring often, until the butter is melted and the sauce is smooth. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack while still in the pan.
- While the cake is still hot, pierce it all over with a fork or skewer.
- Slowly pour the hot butter sauce over the hot cake, allowing it to soak into the holes.
- Let the cake rest in the pan so the sauce can absorb before turning it out onto a serving plate.
- Cool slightly before slicing and serving.