Southern Charm Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake
This Southern Charm Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake is a rich, moist Bundt cake soaked in luscious homemade salted caramel sauce and finished with a sweet vanilla glaze — a decadent Southern-inspired dessert that melts in your mouth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
For the Salted Caramel Sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sea salt
For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2–3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease and flour a Bundt pan generously.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3–4 minutes).
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60–70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While baking, make the caramel sauce: heat sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and amber in color. Add butter and stir until melted, then slowly whisk in heavy cream. Simmer 1–2 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in sea salt.
- Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Poke small holes all over with a skewer and pour the warm salted caramel sauce evenly over the cake. Let it soak in completely before inverting onto a serving plate.
- For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Notes
Add a splash of bourbon to the caramel for a Kentucky-inspired twist.
Sprinkle flaky sea salt or chopped pecans on top for extra flavor and texture.
Pour caramel over the cake while warm so it absorbs fully.
Use a 9×13-inch pan if you don’t have a Bundt pan—reduce baking time slightly.
This cake tastes even better the next day as the caramel soaks in.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 48g
- Sodium: 320mg
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 64g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 120mg
