Kentucky Butter Cake

 

The pound cake to end all pound cakes, and also one that uses less than a pound of butter. The cake is moist and dense and there's just a bit of crunch from the sugar syrup. We had this at a friend's house --a huge hunk of cake topped with whipped cream and syrupy strawberries. I thought, "Oh, this is way too much cake," and then proceeded to eat the whole thing. This recipe makes a nice big bundt cake, perfect for a large gathering. Remember to bake it ahead so that the butter sauce has time to soak in. 

Kentucky Butter Cake
1 large bundt cake - serves 12
From NY Times Cooking

For the cake

2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter, plus a bit more to grease the pan

3 cups all-purpose white flour

2 cups of sugar

1 cup buttermilk (I stir together 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup plain full fat yogurt)

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt (less if using salted butter)

1/2 tsp baking soda

For the sauce

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped cream (optional)

Sliced strawberries sweeten with confectioner's sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bundt pan with butter all the way up the sides and around the middle spindle, then thoroughly dust with flour.

Combine the cake ingredients in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed, or about 5-6 minutes if using a hand mixer. In either case, the batter should be light-colored and silky smooth. 

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and level the top with a spatula. Bake 60-70 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Near the end of the baking time combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until the butter melts, but not long enough to boil. The sugar will not be completely dissolved. Keep warm.

When the cake is done baking, keep it in its pan and, using a skewer, poke 20 evenly-spaced holes all the way through to the bottom of the pan. Spoon the warm butter sauce over the hot cake and allow it to soak in. Let cool for at least 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld. To serve, place a flat plate over the cake pan and flip, shaking gently and saying some kind words. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream as desired.