Redfield Recipes: Kentucky Butter Cake

Kentucky Butter Cake

An attempt to recreate the Dessert Booth's recipe

Adapted from Foodtasticmom.com

Cake
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 (or whatever buttermilk substitute you have available; Lisbeth has made this with sour half and half and it came out just fine)

Glaze
5 tbs unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp bourbon
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
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.

During the last few minutes of the cake cooking, imake 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.

Remove cake from oven. Poke holes all over the warm cake (a full-length skewer is best for this) 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.

You can also make this without a stand mixer (i.e., mix dry ingredients; cream butter, add eggs and syrup; add dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, alternating).

This is nice in a tube pan, but really needs a bundt pan / upside-down bake for maximum glaze absorption and saturated cake texture. According to a former Dessert Booth employee, holes all the way through the cake are important, and so is getting the glaze on as soon as the cake comes out of the oven.