Some desserts are absolutely iconic and I can say with confidence that this Keto Kentucky Butter Cake is one of them. This is the original, my friends! I first published this epic sugar-free treat back in 2017 and it became an instant success. So much so that look-alike recipes started popping up all over the internet. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say!
But you’ve managed to find your way to the OG keto butter cake, and I am glad you’re here. If you love rich, buttery desserts, you’ll be happy to know I have plenty of them. You might also enjoy my recipes for Keto Gooey Butter Cake and Keto Butter Cookies.
My devoted fans know that I am a stickler for both taste and texture. So I took my time developing this recipe, and figuring out how to achieve the classic Southern butter cake experience with low carb ingredients.
This cake has the perfect density, but still comes out with an incredibly tender crumb. And the buttery syrup soaks in while the cake still warm, to make it ultra-moist. It’s really is a stunner of a dessert, so it’s little wonder that there are so many copycat recipes. But now you know where it all started!
Why Readers Adore This Recipe
- Rich, buttery flavor: Readers often tell me that when they take this to a gathering, it’s the first dessert to disappear!
- Unbelievably moist: The cake is moist enough as it is but the buttery glaze adds even more moisture.
- Elegant presentation: Bundt cakes always look so elegant, all they need is a sprinkle of powdered sweetener and a few berries.
- Crowd-pleaser: Many folks report that everyone loves this cake, from kids to grandparents.
- Make ahead recipe: You can make it several days in advance and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Keto-friendly deliciousness: No grains, gluten, or sugar makes this an epic low carb treat.
What readers are saying
“I think this cake might be my favorite, and I’ve made many of your desserts. This moist, buttery cake does not even need the glaze! It’s that good. Comes together quickly, bakes to perfection, and yields lots of servings. It’s 10 ⭐️” — Lynn
Ingredient Notes
- Keto flours: This recipe uses both almond flour and coconut flour. The coconut flour helps with structure and offsetting all the delicious butter.
- Protein powder: As always, protein powder helps the cake rise better and have more structure. I recommend whey or egg white protein. Plant-based may also work but don’t use collagen protein.
- Butter: Butter cake needs to be made with copious amounts of butter. Please don’t ask me how to make this recipe lower fat. It’s a butter cake, after all!
- Sweetener: This bakes for quite a bit of time, so I recommend using mostly erythritol based sweeteners in the cake. See the Tips for Success for more details.
- Whipping cream: I use a mix of whipping cream and water as the liquid in this recipe.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
How to Make Keto Kentucky Butter Cake
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sweetener until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Combine together: Add the almond flour mixture and beat until well combined. Transfer the batter to a large, well-greased bundt pan and bake until golden brown.
- Prepare the glaze: Melt the butter and sweetener together, whisking until combined. Whisk in the water and vanilla extract.
- Pour over the cake: While the cake is still warm, poke holes all over it with a skewer. Pour the glaze over and let cool completely in the pan.
- Garnish: Gently loosen the sides with a knife then flip out onto a serving platter. Dust with powdered sweetener.
Tips for Success
Take the time to grease the pan properly, as directed in the recipe. Bundt pans are notoriously tricky and sticky, and it can be tough to get cakes out in one piece. Particularly cakes as tender as this one! Make sure not to use pans with lots of nooks and crannies – a regular fluted pan works best.
Also let the cake cool completely but don’t let it stay in the pan much longer! I’ve noticed that keto baked goods begin to stick again if they stay in the pan much longer than that.
Use room temperature ingredients. I cannot state this strongly enough! Cold eggs will cause the nicely creamed butter to clump up again.
I don’t recommend trying to replace the coconut flour with more almond flour. Almond flour contains more moisture and it will make this cake far too soft.
Protein powder is an important part of this cake’s success so please don’t ask me if you can substitute anything.
Sweetener Options
I highly recommend using an erythritol based sweetener in the cake itself. Allulose browns more quickly and the part of the cake against the pan will darken considerably – and with a bundt cake, the majority of the cake is against the pan. It may also taste a little burnt.
That said, you are free to experiment with your preferred sweeteners. I just can’t guarantee the results.
You can use allulose-based sweeteners in the glaze, as that won’t cause any issues.
More Keto Bundt Cakes To Love
Keto Kentucky Butter Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/2 cups (260 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (30 g) coconut flour
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavoured whey protein powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (227 g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (182 g) granular sweetener , erythritol recommended
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (119 g) whipping cream
- 1/2 cup (118.29 g) water
Butter Glaze
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) granular sweetener, erythritol or allulose
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish
- 1 to 2 tbsp powdered sweetener
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease a bundt cake pan VERY well and then dust with a few tbsp of almond flour. Pro Tip: double-grease your pan to help prevent sticking. Use a solid fat first, like butter or coconut oil, and then a spray like coconut or avocado.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sweetener together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Beat in the almond flour mixture and then beat in the whipping cream and water until well combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and the top of the cake is firm to the touch.
Butter Glaze
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and sweetener together. Whisk until well combined. Whisk in the water and vanilla extract.
- While the cake is still warm and in the pan, poke holes all over with a skewer. Pour the glaze over and let cool completely in the pan.
- Gently loosen the sides with a knife or thin rubber spatula, then flip out onto a serving platter. Dust with powdered sweetener.
- Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a very butter-forward recipe, so dairy-free substitutions will change the flavor and texture. Some readers have had success using high-fat plant-based butter, but the result won’t be quite as rich or classic as the original.
Because this is a large cake, I recommend using a 9-inch spring form pan or two 8-inch round cake pans. Baking time will vary, so start checking early and take it out when the top is just firm to the touch.
This keto Kentucky butter cake recipe has 5.5g of carbs and 2.5g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3g net carbs per slice.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s not often I crave a dessert; I’m more of a salty, crunchy person. However, every now and then a slice of butter cake is just what is needed. Everyone who has eaten the cake said it was delicious. Now, to ask a favor. My most favorite cake is the original Hummingbird Cake from Southern Living. Yes, the one and only from 1978. Accept no substitutes! lol It has been so long since I enjoyed my favorite birthday cake… What are the chances Hummingbird could be converted to keto?
This cake was so delicious! I did make a few alterations though. I subbed 1/2 c almond flour for 1/4 c oat fiber and 1/4 c soy flour. I also used sour cream in lieu of heavy cream and rather than make the glaze I pourers sugar free English toffee syrup in the cake. Although, I made some changes the basis of the cake is yours and I’m so glad that you decided to create the recipe. We often find keto cakes to be too wet which is why I made the changes. You are awesome. This is the best keto cake I’ve had thus far. I’m going to look through your archives for a birthday cake recipe.
I was told the original recipes call for bourbon. How can I ad it to your recipe?
I guess just in the glaze.
Help! What happened??? Everything was going great until I got to the butter glaze. I heated the butter and granular Swerve on low heat, stirring until smooth, and THEN it sort of began to separate. The sweetener got all grainy again and started to clump together in the bottom of the pan. Then the clear butter fat came to the top. I went ahead and added the vanilla and water and whisked it until it seemed smooth again, poured it over the cake and found a lot of sweetener still on the bottom of the pan. What did I do wrong?
It got too hot. Either your heat was too high or your pan is low quality and lets too much heat through.
I suspected as much. I kept the heat on low, but I’ll keep a better eye on it next time! It was delicious, nonetheless! Thank you for all of your great recipes!
I only have mini silicone bundt cake pans. Will that work? Do I still need to grease them?
Yes, please still grease them. I am honestly not sure how this will turn out in silicone but it should still be tasty.
OMG these were Devine (my 9 year old daughter’s word)…made 12 mini Bundt cakes even better the day after Excellent recipe thanks so much
What a delightful and decadent cake! I made one slight tweak in that I replaced vanilla in batter and glaze with bourbon! I also brushed a wee bit more on the finished and glazed cake. Loved it and so does everyone that has tried it!
Est-il possible de mettre moins de beurre
Le gâteau est bon mais très gras au toucher.
Merci
J’aime beaucoup vos recettes
It’s a butter cake. So I suppose you can do less butter but it kind of defeats the purpose! 🙂
It took me 3 years, but I FINALLY made this cake. It was delicious and by following your tips, the cake did NOT stick. Thank you very much.
if i half the recipe, how’s the temperature and time will be?
The temperature would be the same. The time… I honestly cannot say. I don’t even know what kind of pan you are using. You will need to simply watch it closely.
This was absolutely delicious!!! My husband and mom who are both non keto loved it too!! It’s going into my normal rotation. Thank you!
Happy to hear it!
Have you tried making this with only coconut flour? My son has a severe allergy to almonds.
Sorry no, this wouldn’t work with coconut flour only. However, I have plenty of other great coconut flour recipes. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-coconut-flour-recipes/
I just made this cake but forgot to use the whey protein in it.
I hope it turns out OK ?
I really can’t say…
Hi Corolyn, Even though I forgot to add in the whey protein the cake turned out FANTASTIC! My husband told me its a definate keeper !! I’m making it again today but I will not forget to add in the whey protein. I’m bringing it into the office tomorrow for the girls to try 🙂
Thanks for this tasty treat !!
Leesa
I was wondering if you could tell me if you think the cake part of this recipe is similar to this cake recipe of yours.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cherry-bars/?trkid=soc-toh-facebook&fbclid=IwAR28TwKfzkAsdbAXqASEFeni-hoEDtO9MBiED3oitwkG9pJlLQFqNKQPmc0
I’m going to try your recipe tomorrow so maybe I will decide it’s close. I’ve made a recipe similar to this “taste of home” one for years and years, but now that I want a low carb version, I am concerned about using the right amounts and types of low carb flours. By the way, I am a huge fan of yours and have been making many of your recipes for the last 2 years. ALL of them have been so wonderful! And are written out in such a great easy to make/follow format-unlike many recipes that others create. Also, our stories about why we are eating this way, and our common need for sweets are SO similar. Can’t tell you how many people I have guided to your site and to your books-pretty much anyone who I’ve spoken to about low carb/keto eating! You’re the best! Thank you!
I honestly can’t really say. But you could have some fun experimenting.
This on my list to make. I have made the original Kentucky butter and it was out of this world. At the time there was only three people in my house, the cake didn’t even last 3 days. I was so looking forward to that last piece with coffee after work, unfortunately my daughter got home before I did. Needs to say the cake was gone.
Let it be known that I have No Talant Whatsoever when baking. I made two simultaneously one as written the other using almond in place of vanilla. I followed the instructions as written and THEY CAME OUT DELICIOUS AND INTACTED! Lol! The slices go perfectly with a cup of coffee/tea. Carolyn, my goal is to buy one of your cookbooks with every paycheck! Thank you for creating this scrumptious Butter Cake.
I love this cake and have made it many times. I no longer have a bundt pan but made it this time in a parchment paper lined 9×13″ pan. Came out of the pan with no issues. I also subbed the whey protein powder with 2 TB of gelatin and the whipping cream/water with 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk. I couldn’t tell the difference in texture at all. It actually held together quite nicely. In fact, I shared it with my small group and they were surprised this was low carb and gluten free. This is such an easy and delicious recipe. Thanks, Carolyn!
Glad you like it!