This is the best Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake recipe! It's a moist sour cream pound cake infused with a rich, butter-rum caramel syrup and topped with a salted caramel glaze and flaky sea salt! This ooey gooey salted caramel butter cake recipe is filled with so much sweet and salty goodness!
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And if you love this salted caramel pound cake, be sure to try my Mini Red Velvet Cake, my Rum Pound Cake with Brown Butter Glaze, and my Cherry Coffee Cake!
Best Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe
You are gonna LOVE this caramel pound cake! It starts with an incredibly moist sour cream pound cake with butter and rum extracts for a rich, decadent flavor. And now for the best part! While the cake bakes, we'll whip up a from-scratch salted caramel butter sauce that we'll infuse into the warm cake right after it comes out of the oven.
Then, we'll cook down our remaining syrup into a delectable homemade caramel sauce to pour over the top! All it'll need then is some flaky sea salt to bring out those rich caramel flavors!
This caramel pound cake is perfect with a morning cup of coffee or as the finishing touch for cozy family dinners. It's one of my favorite pound cakes, and you're sure to get rave reviews whenever you make it!
Jump to:
What is Kentucky butter cake made of?
This delicious cake is made from scratch with simple ingredients, so you may have many of them on hand already! You can see the full recipe and ingredient measurements in the recipe card below, but here's what you'll need:
- butter - I generally prefer salted butter in my cakes, but if you have unsalted butter, that's fine! Just mix ¾ teaspoon of salt in with your flour. This recipe uses lots of butter, so if possible, use a high-quality butter like Kerrygold. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before adding it in. If your kitchen is excessively hot or cool, you may want to check the temperature of your butter with an instant-read thermometer. It should be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- sugar - we'll use granulated sugar to cream with our butter and create that perfect fluffy texture!
- eggs - be sure to use room temperature large eggs. They should not be cold to the touch. To save time, you can submerge your eggs in lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
- vanilla - for the best flavor, I like to use pure vanilla extract. Or you can make your own!
- butter and rum extracts - these are optional, but they add so much rich flavor to this cake! These flavors are what make this such a unique recipe. I use McCormick Butter Extract and Rum Extract. And for more rum flavor, check out my rum espresso martini recipe and my Eggnog Pound Cake!
- flour - I like to use Swans' Down cake flour in this caramel pound cake recipe for a soft, tender crumb, but you can also use all purpose flour if you like! For all-purpose flour, I prefer White Lily. Be sure to measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale to make sure you don't accidentally add too much.
- baking soda - to help create a little bit more lift!
- sour cream - like your other ingredients, your sour cream should be completely room temperature before you begin. Use a full-fat sour cream for perfectly moist texture, like in my Blueberry and Lemon Pound Cake.
- cake release - I usually use baking spray with no problems, but I've recently started to prefer "cake goop": equal parts shortening, flour, and vegetable oil. Mix them with an electric mixer and use a pastry brush to brush a thin later of the goop onto your cake pan. Your cake will come right out!
You may notice there's no baking soda or baking powder in this caramel pound cake recipe -- that's on purpose! Traditional recipes for pound cakes don't use any leavening agents at all, and the way they achieve their rise is from the eggs!
This recipe works the same way, and because we're leaving out the baking powder we achieve a tighter, more buttery crumb! And for more of the best fall goodies, check out my list of the 36 Best Fall Desserts for your Seasonal Celebrations!
Then, here's what you'll need for your salted caramel sauce and salted caramel glaze!
- granulated sugar - white sugar is the main ingredient in our caramel sauce!
- water - to help cook the sugar down and thin the sauce out a bit.
- butter - again, I use salted butter, but if you use unsalted just add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- evaporated milk - you can also use whole milk.
- vanilla & rum extracts - to add even more flavor to this sauce!
- sea salt - I like to add a pinch of sea salt to the caramel sauce as well as on top of the finished cake!
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
I recommend making this salted caramel Kentucky butter cake in a high-quality Bundt or tube cake pan. I like the Elegant Party Bundt Pan from Nordic Ware. To mix this salted caramel cake recipe, I use my KitchenAid stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer.
I also recommend a rubber spatula for folding in the dry ingredients and scraping the sides of the bowl. You may also want to have a wire rack to help the cake cool more quickly and allow for your glaze to drip off the sides cleanly.
Instructions
You can check below for a full salted caramel Kentucky butter cake video and recipe instructions, but here are the basic steps to make this cake:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated between each.
Add extracts and mix until combined.
Alternate adding flour and sour cream to the wet ingredients, folding each addition in until just barely combined.
Fold batter together just until flour streaks disappear.
Pour batter in prepared bundt pan and tap firmly on the counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick entered into the cake comes out clean.
Poke holes in the top of the cake and drizzle some of the caramel syrup over them. Let cake cool for an hour, then flip out onto a wire rack.
Reduce remaining caramel into a thicker glaze and let cool. Pour over cooled cake.
Hint: This caramel pound cake is even better the next day! Let it sit overnight, covered in a cake dome or another airtight container, and store the glaze in the fridge. Then glaze it and serve the following day for the best rich, buttery texture.
Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake Video
Caramel Pound Cake Variations
You can make this salted caramel pound cake your own!
- Store-bought caramel sauce - topping this cake with a store-bought caramel sauce is the best way to make this sweet cake recipe easier!
- Roasted Pecans - top your finished cake with toasted chopped pecans! Perfect with your morning coffee!
- Whipped Cream - this cake would be delicious with a dollop of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream!
Or if you need a gluten free option, try my Gluten Free Olive Oil Cake! And for more of the best fall goodies, check out my list of the 36 Best Fall Desserts for your Seasonal Celebrations!
Storage
You can store this moist kentucky butter pound cake covered in an airtight container for up to four days. I use this Libbey domed cake stand to store and display all my baked goods!
You can also freeze leftover cake, well wrapped, for up to two months.
Top Tip
Don't forget to measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale! It'll help ensure accurate measurements and prevent a dry cake! See my Measuring Baking Ingredients post for more tips!
Frequently Asked Questions
Butter cakes are lighter and more tender, using leavening agents, while pound cakes are dense and rich, traditionally made with equal parts butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. For more, see Pound Cake vs Bundt Cake: What's the Difference? + Recipes
I haven't had the Crumbl Kentucky Butter Cake cookie yet, but I can't wait to try it! From what I hear it's very buttery, with a rich vanilla flavor!
If you like this caramel pound cake, you'll love my Coconut Pecan Cookies or my White Forest Cake! Or try it with a sweet cocktail like my Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini! And another delicious caramely treat is my Apple Pie With Graham Cracker Crust. Pumpkin lovers will adore my Pumpkin Pie in Graham Cracker Crust!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite recipes to serve with this cake:
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups (284 g) salted butter - 2 ½ sticks
- 5 large large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) butter extract
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) rum extract
- 2 ½ cups (288 g) cake flour - (or 313g all-purpose flour) measured by weight using a kitchen scale or with the spoon and level method
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (230 g) full-fat sour cream - room temp
- cake release spread - a.k.a. cake goop; you can also use baking spray
Caramel Sauce and Glaze
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) water - divided
- ½ cup (114 g) salted butter - cubed
- ¼ cup (59 ml) evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) rum extract
- pinch salt
- flaky sea salt - for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Position oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.2 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 ¼ cups salted butter
- Add in room temperature eggs, one at a time, followed by extracts, mixing well after each addition.5 large large eggs, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon butter extract, ½ teaspoon rum extract
- Whisk together cake flour and baking soda in a medium bowl.2 ½ cups cake flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Fold in ⅓ of flour mixture until just combined, followed by ½ of sour cream, and repeat until you finish up by folding in the last third of the flour mixture. Mix gently just until flour is incorporated.1 cup full-fat sour cream
- Brush cake release (cake goop) all over inside of the pan, being sure to get it in the crevices.cake release spread
- Spoon cake batter evenly into prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on the counter to eliminate air bubbles (you should see a few bubbles come to the surface).
- Bake in preheated oven for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean, or an instant-read thermometer in the center of the cake reads 210℉. While cake is baking, prepare caramel syrup.
Caramel Syrup and Glaze
- Mix together sugar and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until mixture turns a deep amber color.1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup water
- Add in cubed butter and stir until melted and combined.½ cup salted butter
- Stir in another ¼ cup water and evaporated milk and cook, stirring, over low heat another 2-3 minutes. Mixture should have a syrupy consistency. Stir in vanilla and rum extract and a pinch of salt to taste.½ cup water, ¼ cup evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon rum extract, pinch salt
- Once cake is done baking, remove from oven and use a toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake in the pan. Pour ½ cup of syrup all over the top of the cake.
- Let cake cool in the pan for an hour, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- While cake is cooling, bring remaining caramel syrup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook another 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Pour into a heatproof container to cool. It should thicken further as it cools.
- Pour caramel glaze over cooled cake and top with flaky sea salt.flaky sea salt
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Last Updated on November 10, 2025 by Chenée Lewis
Heather says
I made the salted caramel Kentucky butter cake, and it was fantastic! The cake was moist, rich, and the salted caramel added just the right touch of sweetness. The recipe was easy to follow, and everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing!
Andrea says
Wow!
Will the glaze stay or will it run down?
Chenée Lewis says
Hi! The glaze will run down the sides of the cake, but if you cook it down a bit more and let it cool a bit before pouring it on, it will thicken up a bit.
DK says
This is one of the richest butter cakes I've every tried! So delicious and the perfect ending to a hearty dinner meal!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
TAYLER ROSS says
I made this cake for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday and it was delicious! Everyone was asking me for the recipe!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you so much! I'm glad it was a hit!
Angela says
Absolutely delicious cake recipe! I made this for Derby Day, and it was a total hit, rich, well-balanced and simple to make! Thank you!
Chenée Lewis says
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you!
Mikkiaylia says
I saw a photo of this cake on instagram and next thing I knew I was at the grocery store buying more butter. It was so delicious it has already been requested for Thanksgiving..and it's April! Thanks Chenée!
Chenée Lewis says
You're so welcome!! It's never to early to nail down that Thanksgiving menu! 😆
Paula says
We were in Kentucky a lot when I was a kid but I never got the pleasure of eating a butter cake. This look positively incredible and I can't wait to try it.
Julia says
this cake came out gorgeous, and the flavor is incredible! The caramel glaze is one of the best!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you so much! That's my favorite part of this cake!
Mimi says
This cake is very delicious. I love the addition of rum extract.
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you so much! I love the bit of extra flavor it adds.
Boston Girl Bakes says
This Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake is an absolute showstopper! This recipe delivers the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors!
Chenée Lewis says
I agree completely! Thank you so much!
Kim says
This might be my new favorite dessert! Mine didn't come out as pretty as yours but it sure was delicious! So moist and that caramel syrup...yum!
Chenée Lewis says
I agree about the caramel glaze! And don't worry -- all that matters is that it tasted amazing!
Harriet Young says
Wow wow wow! I made this as a gift for a friend and she absolutely loved it. I was so pleased with how well it turned out. Thank you!
Chenée Lewis says
Yayy!! I'm so happy you both liked it! 🙂
Gianne says
The cake is so moist and flavorful, and the salted caramel topping adds the perfect touch of sweetness. This recipe is a definite crowd-pleaser!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you so much! The salted caramel glaze is definitely my favorite part!
Kim says
Such a delicious cake! I can't wait to make this one again! It was so moist and incredibly flavorful. I could eat that caramel syrup with a spoon!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you so much! This is one of my new go-tos!
Casey says
This was so moist and decadent. I wish I'd made two! That caramel syrup is out of this world!
Chenée Lewis says
I'm so glad you liked it! The caramel syrup is definitely my favorite part!
Ann says
I'm a Kentucky girl so I can't wait to try out this sweet treat. Thanks!
Vanessa says
You had me at salted caramel - oh my goodness what a delicious cake!
Chenée Lewis says
It's so good! Thank you!
Kim says
Oh my goodness! I can't remember the last time I made a dessert as delicious as this! I wanted to eat the entire thing myself!
Chenée Lewis says
You and me both! This cake is addictive!
TAYLER ROSS says
I made this cake over the weekend and it was fantastic! So full of gooey caramel flavor!
Chenée Lewis says
I'm so glad you liked it! It's my new favorite recipe 😋
Casey says
This was so buttery and delicious. I'll be making this one for my book club next week!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you! I know it'll be a hit!