Rich, buttery, soaked, and finished with salted caramel. Let’s do it.
🍰 Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake
Ingredients
Cake
-
3 cups all-purpose flour
-
2 cups sugar
-
1 tsp salt
-
1 tsp baking powder
-
½ tsp baking soda
-
1 cup buttermilk
-
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-
4 large eggs
-
2 tsp vanilla extract
Butter Sauce (the magic)
-
¾ cup sugar
-
⅓ cup unsalted butter
-
2 tbsp water
-
1 tsp vanilla extract
Salted Caramel Topping
-
½ cup caramel sauce (homemade or good-quality store-bought)
-
Flaky sea salt, to finish
Instructions
1. Bake the cake
Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
Grease and flour a Bundt pan very well.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
Beat until smooth and thick.
Pour into pan and bake 60–70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
2. Make the butter sauce
While the cake bakes, combine sugar, butter, and water in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves—do not boil.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
3. Soak the cake
When cake comes out of the oven, poke holes all over with a skewer.
Slowly pour butter sauce over the hot cake, letting it soak in.
Cool completely in the pan, then invert.
4. Finish with salted caramel
Warm caramel sauce slightly and drizzle generously over the cake.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
🔥 Pro Tips
-
This cake gets better overnight
-
Use real buttermilk—it matters
-
If caramel is very sweet, go heavier on the salt
-
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling bold
Variations
-
Bourbon caramel for Kentucky flair
-
Espresso caramel for depth
-
Mini Bundts for gifting
-
Extra crunch: toasted pecans on top
If you want, I can turn this into a bakery-style recipe card, a 10-minute caramel shortcut, or a viral social caption