I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with this Almond Kentucky Butter Cake.
LOVE: There’s a whole lotta love for this nutty spin on a classic Southern dessert. The flavor and the texture are exceptional.
HATE: Getting this freakin’ cake out of the freakin’ Bundt pan.
Tartlets, you’re staring at photos of my third attempt to make a Kentucky Butter Cake. I don’t think I’ve ever been so frustrated while baking something.
You’re probably wondering why I’m even posting this recipe. It’s because I’m pretty sure I’ve cracked the code to making your baking experience much less painful than mine.
Why is Almond Kentucky Butter Cake the book-inspired recipe for Horse?
A large portion of Geraldine Brooks’ novel Horse takes place in Kentucky, which is where the famous racehorse Lexington hails from. Having never been there myself, there are only two culinary items I associate with the Bluegrass State: Bourbon and Butter Cake.
Since I’m a bit of a teetotaler, Kentucky Butter Cake was the clear winner for this book-inspired recipe. No (racing) contest.
What is a Kentucky Butter Cake?
Making this recipe for the blog was the first (and second…and third…) time I’ve tasted a Kentucky Butter Cake. I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much.
And I was blown away by how much I loved this treat.
Almond Kentucky Butter Cake is similar to a pound cake, but much less dense. It’s also super moist, thanks to the warm butter-and-sugar glaze that’s poured into the cake when it’s fresh out of the oven.
The warm sponge soaks up all that sticky sauce, and it creates little pockets and rivulets of sweet, syrupy flavor.
Then, because that’s not enough, you pour the remaining glaze over the top of the cake once you turn it out of the Bundt pan.
What’s an Almond Kentucky Butter Cake taste like?
With all that almond butter glaze – which is basically a simple syrup – seeping into the cake, you’d expect a Kentucky Butter Cake to be super sweet.
BUT IT’S NOT. The sugar level is surprisingly mellow – except for when you bite through a ribbon of that yummy glaze. Then you get a mouth-watering hit of sugar and almond that’s similar to amaretto.
I didn’t expect to like this cake as much as I did. And, more to the point, I didn’t expect Mr Tart to like this cake as much as he did.
He loathes anything “too buttery” (i.e., a croissant, sablé or shortbread cookies, a piece of bakery-fresh bread slathered in good French butter… SIGH.). So, of course, he immediately turned up his nose when he heard what I was baking.
After a little cajoling, he agreed to try a piece “just to see”… He ended up eating more of this Almond Kentucky Butter Cake than I did!
Contrary to its name, the Almond Kentucky Butter cake does not taste like butter. I’ve had butter pound cakes from Entenmann’s that are way richer than this cake.
If I had to describe this dessert another way, it’s like a really good sugar cookie in cake form. Since I adore sugar cookies, it’s no wonder I love this butter cake.
Why did my cake stick to the pan?
So, the big questions are:
- why did my cake stick to the pan?
- if you make this cake, will yours stick to the pan, too?
The first question is easier to answer. I followed the baking instructions in a Southern Living recipe, which are usually tried and true.
But, friends, they led me astray. They told me to turn the cake out of the Bundt pan when it’s only been out of the oven for 10 minutes.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO THAT.
If you do, you end up with this:
After two failed attempts while following the Southern Living instructions I went with my gut and waited 30 minutes to turn out the cake… and it still stuck a teensy, weensy bit. Just a bit.
The cake tasted awesome. It just didn’t look very aesthetically pleasing.
So, I did what any good food blogger would do with a 95% perfect cake: I covered the damage with toasted sliced almonds and pointed the “bad side” away from the camera.
Now, will your cake stick to the Bundt pan? Um… yeah. Probably. Just a bit. But I’m recommending that you wait 40-45 minutes to turn your cake out. Hopefully, you’ll avoid the same bedraggled fate as my cakes did.
And if you don’t, just do what I did — cover up the evidence with toasted almonds! Because this cake is DELICIOUS, and you don’t want to miss out because it has separation anxiety issues.
What do you serve with Almond Kentucky Butter Cake?
A slice of Almond Kentucky Butter Cake is the perfect way to finish up a summer dinner of Grilled Rosemary Balsamic Steaks with Tomato, Corn, and Basil Salad, or a cozy meal of Smothered Chicken and Broccolini and Super Simple Mac and Cheese.
Serve the cake for dessert with fresh strawberries, peaches, and/or blueberries, or with a scoop of vanilla, Citrus Breeze, or Peach ice cream.
Almond Kentucky Butter Cake
Ingredients
CAKE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp pure almond extract
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice**
- 1 cup milk**
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup almonds, toasted
GLAZE INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp pure almond extract
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Spray the heck out of a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spay and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside.
- Make your makeshift buttermilk: Add 1 tbsp lemon juice to a 1-cup measuring unit. Fill the remaining cup with the milk. Lightly whisk and set aside.**
CAKE BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the softened butter and the granulated sugar until thoroughly combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition so the eggs are thoroughly incorporated into the batter. Batter should be light and fluffy.
- Beat in the 1 tbsp vanilla extract and the 1tbsp almond extract.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until combined.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the (makeshift) buttermilk into the wet ingredients, beating well between each addition to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Gently guide the batter into one side of the prepared Bundt pan, letting it pool onto one side and then guiding it around the rest of the pan using a spatula (this method reduces air pockets). Once all batter is in the pan, spread it evenly around the pan and smooth over the top.
- Thump the Bundt pan filled with cake batter on your work surface 2-3 times to release any air bubbles.
- Place the Bundt pan on the prepared baking sheet. Bake cake at 325F for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While the cake bakes, toast the almonds and make the almond butter glaze.
TOASTED ALMOND INSTRUCTIONS
- While the cake bakes, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced almonds to the skillet and arrange them into a single layer.
- Toast almonds over medium heat, stirring regularly, until browned and fragrant, 5-10 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they toast; they go from brown to burnt quickly!
- Remove toasted almonds from heat and let cool completely.
ALMOND BUTTER GLAZE INSTRUCTIONS
- While the cake is baking and the almonds are cooling, make your glaze: Cut 1/2 cup butter into cubes. Place butter cubes, the water, and the 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan.
- Heat glaze over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. This should only take a few minutes.
- Remove the glaze from the heat and stir in the almond and vanilla extracts. Keep warm.
GLAZING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALMOND KENTUCKY BUTTER CAKE
- Remove cake from oven. Immediately poke holes all over the cake while it’s still in the pan.
- Pour a little more than half of the warm almond butter glaze over the cake in several additions, allowing the glaze to soak into the cake between each addition. Sprinkle the cake with about half of the toasted almonds, then pour a little more glaze over the almonds to seal them in.
- Let Almond Kentucky Butter Cake cool in the pan for 30-45 minutes. Then, run a knife carefully around the inside of the pan to un-stick the cake from the sides as much possible.
- Invert the cake onto a cooling rack or serving plate (careful: some almonds may scatter). Slightly reheat the remaining warm almond butter glaze and pour it over the top of the cake. Sprinkle immediately with remaining toasted almonds.
- Let cake cool completely before cutting and serving. This cake is best enjoyed the day after it’s made.
