Bourbon Glazed Kentucky Butter Cake is a decadent and buttery bundt cake that takes just minutes to get into the oven.
I found the original recipe for this bourbon glazed Kentucky butter cake here. Sometimes cakes are advertised as being truly moist but then somehow I go to bake them and find the exact opposite to be true. So I was thrilled with how this cake turned out. It smelled incredible while it was baking too.
I have eaten a few Kentucky butter cakes in my day but never one with a bourbon glaze. This never made sense to me because Kentucky is bourbon country. Why not add a little bourbon to the glaze? I don’t bake with alcohol often and the glaze does make this cake off-limits for my kids. It’s only two tablespoons but the alcohol content does not cook off in this case. Oh well, more cake for me!
Bake this cake for a birthday for your favorite bourbon lover. Or make it as a dessert for serving at a Kentucky Derby party. Bundt cakes are one of my favorite kinds of cakes to make because they don’t need a lot of fussy decorating. A simple sprinkling of powdered sugar is all this buttery, decadent and bourbon sugar glazed cake needs. Everyone will be impressed.
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Bourbon Glazed Kentucky Butter Cake
Ingredients
- 16 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk not low fat
- 5 tbs unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grease a 10-inch bundt pan liberally with butter or shortening and dust with flour. Set aside.
- Place all the cake ingredients (16 tablespoons butter cut into cubes, 2 cups of sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 3 cups flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, baking powder, baking soda and buttermilk) in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low for 30 seconds and then increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 - 70 minutes until a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean.
- When the cake is done make the glaze. Combine the remaining 5 tablespoons butter, 3/4 cup sugar, bourbon, remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Do not bring to a boil.
- Poke holes all over the warm cake using a knife and pour the glaze evenly on the cake while still in the pan.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan and then invert the cake onto a serving plate.
Maggie @ Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Oh my word! That cake looks absolutely scrumptious. I’m drinking coffee… Can’t think of anything better to have with my coffee right now!!
foodtasticmom says
It most definitely would pair well with coffee!
Natalie says
WOW this cake looks absolutely delicious! I love the texture – seems so soft and melt-in-your-mouth. I have to try this cake soon 🙂
foodtasticmom says
It really is so soft. I was very happy with how it turned out!
serena lissy says
I’m such a fan of using bourbon in pastries. This sounds delicious! Saving for later.
foodtasticmom says
Great I hope you try it! Bourbon is the best
Heidy says
Southern Style recipes are my favorites! I love your rendition of this iconic Southern recipe! Looks amazing.
foodtasticmom says
Thanks so much Heidy!
Pam Greer says
OMG! I know what I am making the hubs for Valentine’s Day. He is a confirmed bourbon lover and I have been in the mood for a simple cake. This checks off all the boxes!
foodtasticmom says
Awesome, so glad to hear this! Enjoy 🙂
Neha says
Oh I am totally in love with the texture of this cake. I need to try this recipe soon.
foodtasticmom says
Yes you totally need to try it!
Silvia says
Oh my!!! This cake looks just lovely! And that sticky glaze, YUM!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you so much Silvia
Anu says
Awesome. The texture is so soft!
foodtasticmom says
It is incredibly soft and decadent
Shashi at SavorySpin says
This is my first time seeing a Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake! Wow! It not only has a fantastic texture – but (as a bourbon lover) this is one heck of a wonderfully boozy cake!
foodtasticmom says
You’ve got to try a Butter Cake at least once in your life – hope you make it!
Susie says
What a fun adult dessert! This would be a perfect brunch sweet treat!
foodtasticmom says
Yes, this cake would be a fabulous addition to brunch!
Sara says
Wow this looks absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to make it for my husband’s birthday in a few weeks!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Sara, I hope he enjoys it!
Dannii says
What an awesome sounding cake! I bet it’s really light and fluffy.
foodtasticmom says
It is light, despite all the butter 🙂 Thank you!
Babita says
This recipe was super awesome! Followed the instructions carefully and added a little Moore booze than suggested. It was heavenly!! Super noisy and full of flavour.
This was the first time I was trying a bundt cake, so ran into some issues where my cake got stuck to the pan. But with some care I was able to get it out. Top was a little crooked though.
The taste made up for it! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. am gonna try it very soon again.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you for the positive feedback, I really appreciate it!
Cathy says
Can this cake be frozen? We are thinking of using it as our top layer on the wedding cake and use on our 1st anniversary. Thank you in advance.
foodtasticmom says
Gosh, I’ve never tried to freeze this cake or any other. So I’m really not sure. Here’s a link for an article for how to freeze cake (https://www.taste.com.au/baking/articles/freeze-cakes/yzd3hoqp). I know that people freeze the top layer all the time for their anniversary. The only issue I can think of is the glaze. I know that alcohol doesn’t freeze. So the glaze may make the cake watery. Which then would ruin it for eating later. Good luck. If you decide to freeze it, please come back and let us know how it worked. Maybe freeze it without the glaze and add the glaze after it’s thawed? Congratulations on your upcoming wedding 🙂
that mom good says
I can only find reduced fat buttermilk. Will it work for this cake?
foodtasticmom says
Sorry for the late reply. Yes, it should be fine.
Sandy says
Made this yesterday for hub’s birthday, and he really liked it. I ended up making a double batch of the glaze, used one on the bottom in the holes, then flipped it and used the second batch with some cream added for color and creaminess to the top as a drizzle. Very good with coffee ice cream on the side! My cake stuck to the sides even though I greased well and floured, and I think the 60 min was a little too long to cook in my oven, as it was very brown when flipped. Otherwise the texture was nice and the flavor was definitely buttery.
foodtasticmom says
I’m loving the addition of coffee ice cream. Thank you for taking the time to offer feedback, I appreciate it!
Lyndi says
This was a great cake. Everyone loved it too. I did do some swap outs though. I didnt have any bourbon so I used Apple Rum instead. And to the cake batter itself I added some apple cider powder I thought it would pair nicely with the apple rum. It was so good..I get requests to make it often.
foodtasticmom says
I’ve never heard of apple cider powder. I’ll have to search for it and try it because it sounds great! Thanks for the feedback and positive rating!
Rebekah Farquhar says
Yummy!!love this cake recipe! Turned out perfect! And was a hit for the 4th of July!
foodtasticmom says
So happy to hear this and I appreciate the great review. Thanks!!