About This Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake
This Kentucky bourbon butter cake has Kentucky bourbon in both the cake batter AND the glaze. So if you’re a bourbon lover, this cake is for you. Its primary flavors are bourbon, butter, and sugar. There’s also a slight tangy flavor from the buttermilk in the bundt cake, too!
For more unique bundt cake recipes, check out Hummingbird High‘s bundt cake recipe collection! Popular recipes include this Tom Cruise Coconut Bundt Cake (Copycat Doan’s Bakery Recipe) and this Banana Pudding Bundt Cake From Scratch (No Cake Mix!).
The recipe is a modern update on a vintage, prize-winning recipe.
I first found this recipe in a cookbook by Julie Richardson, a local Portland baker and owner of the very delicious bakery, Baker and Spice. Back in 2012, Julie wrote Vintage Cakes, a cookbook dedicated to updating old-fashioned recipes for modern tastes.
One of the recipes in Vintages Cakes was for this Kentucky bourbon butter cake. Julie writes that this recipe dates back to the 1960s. It was recorded as the prize-winning entry in the 1963 Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in Platte City, Missouri.
What You Need
Recommendations, Sources, and Substitutions
- Cake Flour. My favorite cake flour is Swans Down Cake Flour. But if you don’t want to buy some, no problem! Check out my recipe for Homemade Cake Flour!
- Buttermilk. You can make homemade buttermilk with ingredients like yogurt, milk, vinegar, lemons, and more. Check out my post about the best buttermilk substitutes in baking recipes to learn more!
- Bourbon Whiskey. Honestly, just use whatever you have on hand and/or is cheapest. In the past, I recommended that you use “good” bourbon—the kind that comes in a fancy, glass bottle and that people order for drinking neat. And if you’re a whiskey connoisseur and/or snob, you’d probably prefer this cake if it was made with the good stuff. Especially the glaze! The bourbon’s flavors will be most prominent in the glaze since you don’t cook or heat it at all.
But, that being said, I believe that good recipes transcend bad ingredients. I’ve made this cake with the “fancy” bourbon” I described above. I’ve also made this cake with the kind of bourbon that comes in a plastic handle. You know, the kind that college kids binge drink at frat parties (ehem). And guess what? Even with the cheap bourbon, this cake was still VERY delicious. So you do you.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour in this Kentucky bourbon butter cake recipe?
Yes! But it’s not a 1:1 volume substitution. cup of cake flour (4 ounces or 113 grams) tends to weigh less than 1 cup of all-purpose flour (4.5 ounces or 128 grams). So if you’re planning on using all-purpose flour instead, you need to swap out the cake flour with 2 ⅔ cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) all-purpose flour.
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
What type of bundt pan did you use?
I used this beautiful Nordic Ware Brilliance Bundt pan (which I’ve also used to make this black and white pound cake). In the past, I’ve also made this bundt cake in this Nordic Ware ProForm Bundt pan and this Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt pan. I was able to turn out the bundt cake without any issues in all three pans.
That being said, there was one bundt pan that gave me a whale of a time: this Nordic Ware Elegant Party Bundt pan. I made this exact recipe four times in the pan and IT. WOULD. NOT. RELEASE. Even despite following all my tips and techniques above! I really don’t know why. I suspect that the pan is too small, even despite its claims of being a 10-cup capacity pan. So if you own that pan and bake this recipe in it, please let me know if it works for you in the comments!
Can I bake the cake in a 12-cup capacity bundt pan instead?
Yes! You can bake this Kentucky bourbon butter cake in a 12-cup capacity bundt pan. However, let me warn you now—according to this King Arthur Flour blog post, small bundt cakes baked in large pans have a tendency to stick to the pan more. Be sure to check out my tips above and in the next section on how to unstick a stuck bundt cake.
Help! My cake got stuck in the pan. What did I do wrong?
Okay, first things first: did you check out my tips above on how to grease your pan? If not, scroll up, give it a quick skim, and come back so we can chat about it.
Now that you’ve read my tips, did you use a cooking spray that was butter, coconut oil, or shortening-based? I wrote above that those cooking sprays don’t work as well as cooking sprays made out of liquid oils like canola or vegetable.
Second, let’s talk about your bundt pan. I also discussed the importance of using a nonstick bundt pan up top. But nonstick pans with scratched up surfaces don’t work as well as newer ones with smooth surfaces. Furthermore, if you don’t clean and maintain your nonstick pans properly, they have a tendency to accumulate grime and residue that can act like glue. Gross, right?
So the next time you make a bundt cake, test your bundt pan for grime. What does that mean? Run your fingers through all its nooks and crannies. If your pan is perfectly clean, your fingers should have no whatsoever. If they come off feeling (even just a little bit) greasy, wash your pan (preferably with a liquid grease dissolver like Dawn Dish Power Dissolver) and dry it thoroughly before using it in a bundt cake recipe.
Finally, bundt pan size matters. This Kentucky bourbon butter cake recipe makes about 10-cups of batter, perfect for a 10-cup capacity bundt pan. Baking the cake in a bundt pan with a smaller OR larger capacity will make it more likely for the cake to get stuck in its pan.
Can I make the cake and glaze it later once it’s cooled?
Sadly, I don’t recommend doing so. The cake has a hard time absorbing the glaze fully once it has cooled to room temperature. Follow the recipe’s instructions for glazing the cake while it’s still warm—it will help keep the cake moist and flavorful for days, I promise!
Can you freeze Kentucky bourbon butter cake?
Yes, with reservations. You can freeze the Kentucky bourbon butter cake after it’s been baked and assembled. Tightly wrap the entire cake (or any leftover slices) in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature before serving.
However, I don’t recommend freezing and serving the Kentucky bourbon butter cake. One of the best things about this cake is the texture of its bourbon butter soak. The soak gives the cake a wonderfully subtle crunch. It’s similar to the craggy, textured glaze you’d find on the outside edges of an old-fashioned donut. Unfortunately, the cake has a tendency to absorb the glaze the longer it sits, and after it’s been frozen and thawed. It’ll still taste good, but it won’t have that magic.
My Best Recipe Tips
Bundt Pan Prep Tip
- Throughout the blog post, I’ve talked about the importance of spraying your bundt pan with the right type and amount of cooking spray. Because you’ll need to use a *generous* amount of cooking spray to prep the pan, it gets messy FAST. If you have a dishwasher, I recommend spraying the bundt pan over the inside of the open dishwasher door. Any excess and/or residual spray will be caught by the open door and washed away the next time you run the dishwasher!
- Most cake recipes instruct you to prep their baking pans first. However, it’s better to grease a bundt pan right before filling with batter. That’s because bundt pans require a LOT more grease than traditional cake pans. And all that grease has a tendency to slide down the sides of the pan and pool at the bottom. But by greasing the bundt pan immediately before filling it, you avoid that issue entirely!
Bourbon Butter Glaze Tips
- The bourbon butter glaze can be prepped in two ways. In this recipe, I instruct you to leave most of the sugar in the glaze unmelted. Doing so gives the cake a slightly crunchy, crystallized texture. However, if you prefer a more traditional cake texture, no worries! Combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium-heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until both the butter and sugar are completely melted.
- In the recipe below, I instruct you to cool the bundt cake in its pan for 10 minutes. I also instruct you to make the bourbon butter glaze during this cooling period. It should take around 5 minutes to make the bourbon butter glaze. After you’ve made the glaze, immediately brush half of it over and across the bottom of the bundt cake. Doing so should take another 5 minutes. Once the timer rings, flip the cake as instructed!
Video Tutorial
Use the video player below to watch my Instagram Story tutorial on how to make this Kentucky bourbon bundt cake recipe! Clicking the left and right sides of the frame allow you to move through the different recipe steps.
Get the Recipe: Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Kentucky Bourbon Buttermilk Bundt Cake:
- 3 cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (2 ounces or 57 grams) bourbon whiskey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (10.5 ounces or 298 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup tightly packed (3.75 ounces or 106 grams) dark OR light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
For the Bourbon Butter Glaze:
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (2 ounces or 57 grams) bourbon whiskey
- ¾ cup (5.25 ounces or 149 grams) granulated sugar
Equipment
- 1 (10-cup capacity) bundt pan
- cooking spray
Instructions
For the Kentucky Bourbon Buttermilk Bundt Cake
- First, make the bourbon buttermilk bundt cake. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, whiskey, and vanilla.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one has been fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
- With the mixer still on low, add the the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the wet ingredients in two parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
- Prep and fill your bundt pan. Generously spray a 10-cup capacity bundt pan with cooking spray. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Set the filled bundt pan on the sheet pan.
- Bake the cake. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the bourbon butter glaze. Place the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium-heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until the butter is melted. Whisk in the whiskey until combined. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar until just combined—at this point, the glaze will seem thick and sugary, but that's totally okay, I promise!
- Assemble the Kentucky bourbon butter cake. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the bottom of the bundt cake. Use a pastry brush to brush half of the bourbon butter glaze on the cake, making sure that the glaze seeps through the holes. Place a serving plate or second wire rack over the bundt cake and flip the cake so that the glazed part is now the bottom part of the cake. Turn the cake out of the pan and brush the top of the cake with the remaining glaze.
- Serve and store. Serve the cake warm, or at room temperature. The assembled Kentucky bourbon butter cake can be stored at room temperature, under a cake dome or a large bowl turned upside down, for up to 3 days. Press a sheet of plastic wrap against any cut surfaces to prevent the cake from drying out.
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Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
Wow this looks amazing! I might have to make a GF version. I love your bundt pan- it's so pretty!
Ooh, how rich! That pan shape is so pretty, too. I really need to get some prettier baking dishes… form as well as function!
I've never been a bourbon fan but I have a new friend who is! This may just need to be tested out!
Hi from UT! I was frantically searching online, Thanksgiving Day, for an explanation as to why my "Crack Pie" wasn't setting up well and found your high altitude recipe! Sadly it was a bit too late since they were already baking in the oven, (hello! I should have realized there would be issues since the recipe came from NY elevation) but I've been looking through some of your other recipes for high altitude and I can't wait to try them! What a great blog! Beautiful photography as well. Thanks for sharing!
Oh dear Lord! I have to fight the urge to lick my screen! What bourbon did you end up using?
Hi Bee, I just used some Buffalo Trace bourbon that we had lying around. But really, you can use any kind, it'll all be delicious. I promise!
Totally bookmarking this one!! I love whiskey! Seriously one of my most favorite things eevvverrr, and then to have cake with it? ::insert profanity:: genius!
Hi! I made this yesterday. I baked it in 2 (6 cup) Bundlette Pans. I used the NORDICWARE ORIGINAL CLASSIC design (the newest version). This recipe made 12 bundlettes (1 cup capicity cavities). I baked them for between 20 – 25 minutes. I made 1 1/2 of the Glaze recipe. I popped the bundlettes out of the pan. Poured a bit of the Glaze into each cavity. Put the bundlette back into the cavity (I made sure to match the designs) and then poked the “bottoms” with a fork and brushed the remaining Glaze onto them. I learned the top-soaking trick on reviews of another recipe that I decided not to use but it saves A LOT of brushing time… These turned out AWESOME!!! The recipe makes a moist cake that is just waiting to soak up that bourbony goodness!!! Thanks so much!!! I am trying this recipe with Dark Rum next!!!
Looks great. I'm a huge fan of Vintage Cakes, everything I've made has been fantastic!
Printed!! this looks amazing and what a great gift to give at the holidays wrapped up in cellophane with a big bow!
This is one of my all time favorite cakes. It holds up for days too.
Hi! I was just reading the recipe over before I begin so I don’t make any mistakes and I noticed you add the eggs twice :p At the end of step 3 it’s says to add the eggs one at a time and then step 4 is add 4 eggs.
Just wanted to point that out, so no one will get confused and end up adding 8 eggs. :p
Can’t wait to try this recipe and taste it! I am going to substitute the bourbon for rhum but I read in your notes that that should be fine.
Oops, sorry about that! Forgot to delete that line when I was updating the recipe. It’s fixed now! Hopefully it didn’t ruin your cake…
Followed the recipe exactly and it came out beautifully! no issues with the pan either…slid right out. Very tender, light, and delicious!
This was, hands down, the best cake I’ve ever made. We had friends over for dinner, and the six of us ate 3/4 of it! I used Buffalo Trace (my husband is a serious bourbon connoisseur). It is so moist, with buttery bourbon goodness. And the sugar crystals in the glaze are everything. This has been added to my personal cookbook to make again. Thank you!
Hi! I am totally confused about how much homemade buttermilk we are supposed to use in this recipe… Also, I am going to use this recipe for a NORDICWARE bundlette pan with this exact design! Any suggestions? Thanks for your time! Regina
You need 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) homemade OR store-bought buttermilk for this recipe. And sorry, I don’t own a bundlette pan so I’m not sure what you would need to do? I think my advice would depend on the capacity of the bundlette pan. If it’s a 10-cup capacity, you won’t need to do anything, but if it’s a 5-cup capacity bundlette pan, I would half the recipe? I really don’t know though, sorry!
Question, I’m flying to New York from Dallas and land at 10:30 pm going to see my boyfriend and all he wants for his birthday is this cake to take to the office and share with others. So I’m making the cake a day ahead. Should I put the glaze on a day ahead or wait till the morning and put the glaze on early that morning he goes to work? If I wait do I need to warm up the cake a little before I put on the glaze?
Put the glaze on a day ahead!!! It will help keep the cake moist overnight. It also makes the cake more flavorful!
This recipe page needs to be SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTER. Navigating this page is ridiculously horrendous, the tips contradict each other, and I (like everyone I’ve ever talked about recipe blogs with) don’t care to read any tips or tricks until after reading the recipe. That being said, the cake is delicious.
Oh man, this is an incredibly rude comment to leave on somebody’s page on Christmas Eve. There are both navigation links and a “Jump to the Recipe” button on top of the page if you don’t want to read the post and don’t find the tips helpful. I understand being a more seasoned baker and failing to see the value in the information I provided. But why leave a nasty comment telling somebody who essentially writes for a living to write less? I really thought that in 2020, people would be past telling women like me—who provide our recipes at little to no cost for people like you—to just shut up and cook.
Glad you enjoyed the cake.
I love this cake! I appreciate your tips. I can’t possibly know everything and I thank you for your tips. Thank you for sharing your talents. XO Bakery
I disagree. I find Michelle’s tips in her recipes an absolute gold mine that I feel very lucky to be able to read for free, since she obviously worked very hard to answer any questions that people might have. I personally have her cookbook and have spent many hours pouring over her stories and tips because they are rooted in hours/days/weeks/months of research in baking science. Michelle is an absolute gem.
This is so rude, I get that there is the “joke” about recipe blogs being long and starting out with some story that doesn’t make sense but Michelle’s posts are not like that at all, and if you don’t want to read them then just click the link at the very top of the page to get to the recipe. She already accommodates people like you with that link.
The absolute nerve! Michelle, if you read this, I hope you know you have readers who APPRECIATE the work you do in recipe development.
I baked this cake. I am at high altitude and just wonder is I could go from 350 to 375 and use the same times given? Altitude is 5500 ft above sea level.
Thank you for your time.
i’m so sorry! it’s been so long since i lived anywhere high altitude that i wouldn’t trust myself to give you accurate advice on how to adapt this recipe for it. but have you checked out king arthur flour’s high altitude baking guide? it’s what i used when i lived in denver: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Hello. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I just have a few questions. How does this compare to the bourbon butter pound cake? Can it be baked in a cake tin or loaf pan? Then finally, in the tips on making your own buttermilk it mentions only 1/2 cup of milk so should we double to make 1 cup of buttermilk or the recipe only needs 1/2 cup if you’re making your own buttermilk? Thanks in advance!
Hi,
This is a larger version of the bourbon butter pound cake, with more bourbon in the batter too. It cannot be baked in a cake tin or loaf pan because it makes about 1.5 to 2 times more batter than needed for those pans!
And yes, your intuition is right—double the recipe for homemade buttermilk to make the buttermilk needed for the recipe.
I made a gluten free version of this using cup4cup. I made them as mini bundts – it made 7. And baked for 24 minutes. The glaze alone was worth making this for. ❤️
Excellent recipe!!! As in, a small bite of bourbon heaven.
I’ll definitely be making this again.
AWESOME CAKE!! Absolutely delicious. Make it and people will be raving about it every time they see you.
Thanks for the buttermilk clarification! I understand about the bundlette pans… That will be trial and error!!! (Hopefully no error!!!)
Today was the first time to make this cake. It was very tasty. My daughter even said it was really good. I followed your tip for using all purpose flour. Thank you, it was very helpful.
Wow I am in love with this recipe! I made these as miniature sized Bundt cakes and served them as the dessert special at the restaurant I work at in Kentucky and they sold out.
The bourbon is not overwhelming it is just right. You can taste it but it does not overpower the vanilla and brown sugar flavors. This recipe made 12 mini Bundts and I found that 20 minutes exactly at 350 degrees was perfect.
Pam baking spray with flour worked miraculously for me without leaving any weird splotches or marks on the cakes.
Thank you!
Hi,
I love how your website is structured. And this cake just caught my eye. I had a related question, and was hoping you might be able to help. I want to introduce little bit of lavender and lemon in the sponge to get the flavor combinations of a whiskey sour cocktail. Do you think the flavors will taste good together?
Would really appreciate any help here!
I think that could be good! I would add some fresh lemon zest to the sugar in the recipe, and maybe some lavender in the soak?
Thanks a lot!! This really helped 😀 The cake turned out to be beautiful.
Thanks for this recipe! I want to make this cake but as a multi tier instead of a bundt. Any recommendations for any recipe changes I should make? Also any suggestions for (light) frosting to match? Thank you!
Can I double this recipe to convert to a 2 layer cake or will something be lost in translation?
Thanks.
Are you planning on stacking the layers?
Simply one of the best cakes I’ve ever had! I’ve made it twice already for various parties. It’s always a hit. Today, I had the weird idea. My Grandmother would make a bundt cake that would add a package of instant pudding to the mix. It makes the cake extra moist. I’m going to add a package of butterscotch pudding mix to this recipe, to make a Kentucky Butter Bourbon Butterscotch cake…we’ll see how it turns out 🙂
Just a quick question: What is the purpose of putting the bundt pan on a baking sheet?
Just in case the batter overflows! The baking sheet will catch any drips and save the bottom of your oven 🙂
Can this bourbon Bundt cake be frozen? I need to make enough cakes for 80 people thank youj
Yes, instructions in the blog post:
“Yes, with reservations. You can freeze the Kentucky bourbon butter cake after it’s been baked and assembled. Tightly wrap the entire cake (or any leftover slices) in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and then for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature before serving.
However, I don’t recommend freezing and serving the Kentucky bourbon butter cake. One of the best things about this cake is the texture of its bourbon butter soak. The soak gives the cake a wonderfully subtle crunch. It’s similar to the craggy, textured glaze you’d find on the outside edges of an old-fashioned donut. Unfortunately, the cake has a tendency to absorb the glaze the longer it sits, and after it’s been frozen and thawed. It’ll still taste good, but it won’t have that magic.”
Hello can this cake be made in a sheet pan? If there is extra batter I would just use more than one sheet pan. I would want to carve and stack this cake. Any recommendations on a light icing that would complement this to use for stacking?
This is the umpteenth time I’m making this today. I even bought the same pan that is pictured. Thank you for an unforgettable recipe!
I made this cake 2 yrs ago and Thanks to the awesome hints on using a generous amount of spray my cake did not stick this time ! I used a Nordic loaf pan . And not melting sugar before glazing is the best advice . Scrumptious !
Michelle, I want to make this recipe only not in a Bundt pan. As I’m going to make it look like a whiskey barrel and need straight sides. I’m using fondant to cover the cake. What kind of pans would you recommend to use to get the sides smooth to cover it with fondant. Cake pans or angel food pans. Let me know what you think.
Thank you
Kathy from Iowa
Love, love, love this cake! I already had this particular Nordic pan too so mine turns out just like yours (except occasionally one of the fins sticks). Everyone except the kids are happy when I make this :).
Hello Bakers, I am Jill from Seattle. This cake is truly fab, and the crunchy sugar glaze adds such an interesting texture. I garnished with Tayberries, violets, roses, and Bachelor Buttons and it was an admired work of delicious beauty. I thought it was just the teensy tiniest bit dry — and this would not prevent me from baking again. Maybe I overbaked? I am inspired to try different liquors to change the flavor profile. Tequila lime? Brandy Rum Bourbon at Christmas with a cranberry compote? I am also thinking about subbing half the butter in the cake for oil to ensure more moisture. Still, all in all, a dependable, adjustable winner!
I haven’t made this yet, but I have a question? My Nordic ware bundt pan says “not” to use regular cooking spray like Pam. They suggest butter, or shortening plus flour. Hmmm…… what to do????
Turned out so dry and terrible we didn’t even finish a slice!!! 😱😱😱
I LOVE this cake. Maybe my 10 cup bundt pan is more vertical than most, but it took 70 minutes for the tester to come out clean.
I made this cake for xmas and it was great. Can I sift the cake flour for a lighter texture
Yes! Sifting the flour would work.
Very easy recipe to follow. Was extremely pleased with the look and flavor of the cake.
I believe the recipe is a great recipe, but the on and on instructions for the bundt cake pan proved to produce a failed cake turn-out. If you have a bundt pan, use it EXACTLY as you have always used it — and never turn out a hot bundt cake after only 10 minutes! It’s too hot and will never simply flop onto your cake ple in one piece. I kick myself for getting caught up in the on and on and on instructions with this recipe. The cake is delicious, the sugar crunch is okay, but don’t fall for turning out any bundt cake in 10 minutes — follow your own history of letting the poor cake cool much longer than 10 minutes or end up with spoon cake that is eaten from a bowl!