Kentucky Butter Poke Sheet Cake.
Kentucky Butter Cake is a moist vanilla poke cake infused with a butter sauce that soaks into the cake. The top has a sugary coating from the butter sauce you pour and spread over the cake. Normally I only see Kentucky Butter Cake made in a bundt cake pan so I wanted to share a sheet cake version of the classic recipe. I find it easier to make in a baking pan because sometimes I have issues with my bundt cakes sticking to the pan. I made a small cake in an 8×8″ square baking pan but you can make a full 9×13″ size cake if you double the recipe below.
Tip* If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, regular milk will work just fine.
Recipe makes an 8×8″ baking sheet pan cake, if you want an 9×13″ cake just double the recipe.
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (optional, I didn't add any since I used salted butter)
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup buttermilk (or regular milk)
- -GLAZE-
- 2½ Tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Preheat oven to 350 F. degrees. Grease an 8x8" baking pan.
- Combine all cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase speed & mix for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes on clean. Top will be golden brown. Let cake set in pan.
- Prepare Glaze by heating ingredients on the stove top in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted.
- Poke holes using a butter knife into the top of warm cake. Pour glaze over top of cake.
- Let glaze set. Once cake is cool. Serve.