This gorgeous indulgent low carb Kentucky Butter Cake is going to blow your mind! It's easily one of the best keto cake recipes I have ever made.
Keto Kentucky Butter Cake on a white cake plate with strawberries.

Kentucky butter cake is a moist and buttery pound cake with a sweet butter sauce that soaks through the cake. This indulgent keto kentucky butter cake  is going to blow your mind! It’s easily one of the best low carb cake recipes I have ever made.

titled photo (and shown): Kentucky Butter Cake on a white cake stand with a slice of the low carb pound cake sitting on a dessert plate in front of it

Sometimes, size matters and sometimes, bigger is better. I know many of you are enjoying my mini low carb cakes and keto desserts for two, but that’s not where we are going today, my friends. Oh no, today, we are going big, bold, and beautiful. And we are heading down into the heart of Dixie and taking inspiration from our beloved Southern friends, who do big, bold and beautiful better than the rest of the world. Take, for example, the beloved Kentucky Butter Cake.

I mean, people in the south know how to use butter in a big, BIG way. And anyone who can liberally throw huge amounts of butter in a cake and then drizzle that cake with butter sauce has my respect.

I am pretty certain that I’ve never been to Kentucky. I have a decent sense of US geography but some of those states down in the southeast corner of the country confuse me so I might not even be able to place it on a map. Sorry, Kentuckians, but it’s true and I wager that many of you wouldn’t be able to place the Canadian provinces, so there!

Sugar free butter syrup pouring over a low carb almond flour butter cake.

But I have plenty of respect for you because hey, you created bourbon, you’re pretty awesome when it comes to horse races, and you know how to knock it out of the park when you make pound cake.

I confess I’d never heard of Kentucky Butter Cake until I saw this glorious salted caramel version from Wishes and Dishes. Quite literally, I sat there with my jaw hanging open and there is a slight chance that I may have drooled a little. I instantly knew I had to make a low carb Kentucky Butter Cake recipe.

a low carb pound cake called Kentucky Butter Cake sitting on a white cake stand. Cake is sliced so you can see the inside

How To Make Kentucky Butter Cake

Creating a low carb recipe for Kentucky Butter Cake needed some careful thought, since low carb ingredients don’t behave the same way as flour and sugar.

Butter: You need ridiculous amounts of it. Well, of course you do, it’s a butter cake after all. You need a full cup of butter for the cake itself and even more butter for the glaze. Please don’t ask me how to make this recipe dairy free. It’s a butter cake.

Almond Flour: This is where the keto version of Kentucky Butter Cake differs from the original. Now this presents a bit of an issue with all that butter, because almond flour already contains much more fat and moisture than wheat flour. Which means it could be too soft and too moist.

Coconut Flour: To offset the moisture content of the almond flour, I also added some coconut flour. It’s incredibly absorbent and helps soak up all the moisture and give the cake some structure.

Protein Powder: Yes, you need it. It doesn’t have to be whey protein, it can also be egg white protein. But you need it. Because gluten is a protein and since this cake is entirely gluten free, adding in a dry protein powder helps the cake rise and hold its shape.

Room Temperature Ingredients: This goes for almost all keto cakes, but it’s really important to have your butter properly softened and your eggs at room temperature. For the butter, you should be able to easily press a finger into it and leave a dent, but not have it squish all over. And if you add cold eggs to that, it’s just going to clump up all over again. So make sure you leave them out for at least 30 minutes before using.

Grease It Good: This cake is so tender, it has a tendency to stick in the pan. Do yourself a favour and grease that pan really well. Not once, but twice. I like to grease once with butter and once with coconut oil spray. Then I like to dust lightly with almond flour. Be sure not to use a pan with deep crevices, where the cake is more likely to stick. And try to use a very good non-stick pan.

The Glaze: Glaze may not be something of a misnomer, since you aren’t glazing the top of the cake. Rather you are poking the cake with holes and allowing this amazing buttery syrup to soak into it. So good! Feel free to make some of the best low carb caramel sauce to drizzle over yours, if you prefer.

 

slice of grain free Kentucky butter cake on a dessert plate, garnished with a fresh strawberry

Everyone loves my Keto Kentucky Butter Cake

Ever since I first published this recipe, it’s been a beloved favorite among my readers. You don’t have to look much further than the comments to see that.

There are also a lot of copycat recipes out there now. I’ve even had people take this full recipe and pretend that they created it themselves! Yep, one woman on YouTube made a video and took full credit for my recipe. And a lot of other low carb bloggers have now copied it, changing just one or two little things and giving me no credit whatsoever. That’s unfortunately the way things seem to be these days. I might be old school but I believe in giving credit to my inspiration.

So make no mistake, my friends, this is the original low carb Kentucky Butter Cake recipe. And I feel confident that it will stand the test of time!


slice of low carb, grain-free Kentucky Butter Cake on a dessert plate

Check out all my best Keto Desserts here!

Keto Kentucky Butter Cake on a white cake plate with strawberries.
4.72 from 208 votes

Keto Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe

Servings: 16 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
This gorgeous indulgent low carb Kentucky Butter Cake is going to blow your mind! It's easily one of the best keto cake recipes I have ever made.

Ingredients
 

Cake:

Butter Glaze:

Garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325F. 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 cake is firm to the touch. A tester inserted in the center should come out clean.
  • 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

Serving: 1/16th of cake | Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.54g | Protein: 7.34g | Fat: 27.07g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Fiber: 2.5g
I’d love to know your thoughts, leave your rating below!

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4.72 from 208 votes (65 ratings without comment)

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817 Comments

  1. Can I add dome Bourbon? yum, lol

  2. Made this cake today and it is SO GOOD. I used 2/3 xylitol and 1/3 Splenda for sweetening. I sprayed the bundt pan heavily with cooking spray. When mostly cooled l flipped the pan over on a plate … and it popped right out. No sticking. This cake is a total winner. Thank you SO much. I never thought l would eat cake again. Today, l did. 🙂

    1. Mine popped right out too! I can’t believe that people are having sticking problems with the huge amount of butter in the cake! You’d think the pans would be all lubed up!

  3. DELICIOUS….but I couldn’t get mine out of the pan ? it looks like a pinterest fail but it tastes yummy!

    1. It is a tricky one. Most people have been okay but a few have bundt pans with deep crevasses and those are sticking.

  4. I just made this cake and had to try a piece right away , it was still warm so it was “wet’ so I get leaving it the 24 hours , but the taste was fantastic. I can not wait to try it when it sits till the morning. Yumm!!

    1. Glad you like the flavour at least!

  5. This looks delicious! My daughter’s birthday is coming up in a couple of days and I’m considering making this. She requested chocolate chip cake…Do you think I could add Lilly’s chocolate chips in the batter and have it taste okay?

    1. Sure, that would be wonderful!

  6. Absolutely fabulous cake!!!!!! Thank you so much for creating the recipe.

  7. I made this today and it was glorious. I subbed the swerve with erythritol and reduced the quantity and it was fab. Only problem was I used a fancy rose patterned bundt tin and it refused to release the cake. Finally the cake broke but whatever it lacked in appearance it made up for in taste!

    1. Oh no! Sorry yes. This one is a bit sticky so the more crevasses the bundt pan has, the more likely it is to stick.

      1. Now I see this comment/answer! My pan is fluted as well and boy did it not want to come out. Man but was good! Even my skeptical of all things not made with reall stuff teenage niece gave it a thumbs up! Lol! She told her friends ‘Aunty broke the cake but it is good though’. Will be getting a new pan to try again! It’s an awesome cake!

    2. How much erythritol did you use when you made it? I’m all out of swerve and have to drive over 30 min to get some!

      1. I used two thirds the amount stated and a quarter cup for the syrup. But then I don’t have a sweet tooth so I always reduce the sugar in a recipe. Actually at two thirds I still found it a tad sweet.

      2. Hi! I rarely buy Swerve in a store… I find it online and get it shipped to my house… I Google “Swerve,” then start looking for the cheapest prices… often Vitacost.com, Netrition.com and Luckyvitamins.com have it priced lower than $6 a bag…

      3. Shannon Morris says:

        I use erythritol & swerve 1:1

    3. I thought the two were the same. I used ethritol. It’s so sweet that it hurts. And it wouldn’t come out of my Bundt either.

  8. Kristal Urick says:

    Anyone try freezing in slices? How would it hold up? My husband has been dying for old fashioned pound cake like my Grandma’s and this might do the trick!!

    1. I would let it sit for a day. Then slice it up and freeze. Most of my almond flour creations freeze well.

    2. I just made this cake today, after months of dreaming about it. I made it in an angel food pan with the bottom lined with parchment paper. It worked great, and the cake itself was heavenly. My husband was super impressed, and immediately begged me to cut it into slice-sized portions and freeze it because the temptation was too great. Like so many of your cakes, this one also freezes well in slices. I just took a slice out of the freezer and allowed it to defrost. Still delicious! Thank you for developing this amazing recipe. I am sure it will become a family favorite I make over and over again.

      1. So glad you liked it, Linda!

  9. Spaceranger says:

    YUM! I don’t often like low-carb cakes, but this is delicious. Thank you. (Also, I thought this cake hit perfection about 24 hours after I baked it–before then it seemed slightly too moist, but with a little time it was perfect.)

    1. So glad you liked it!

  10. This looks yummy! You said you didn’t add the caramel sauce, but if one chooses to should it be added to the cake along with the butter sauce while it is warm?

    1. I’d probably just drizzle over the cake before serving.

  11. Can I use the collagen powder instead of whey? Thanks

    1. You can try but I am not sure how well it will work.

      1. Can you use whey protein ISOLATE instead of whey protein powder?

        1. That should be fine.

    2. Kirsten Felton says:

      I used collagen as opposed to whey cause I Have to be dairy free. it worked just fine.

  12. How much would I use if I only have baking blend and gentle sweet? Could I substitute and use the same amounts?

    1. Baking blend is a lot drier but since this is such a moist cake, it might work. Not sure about the gentle sweet but Swerve measure like sugar so use as much of it as you would if you were swapping out for sugar.

  13. I Couldn’t wait to get on here and leave a comment! I can’t even believe your recipes! They are the best out there. Always on point. Always true to your description and most importantly (for me) they are always easy for me to reproduce. I can’t thank you enough! THIS cake! I still can’t believe how delicious it is and how beautifully it came out. It reminds me of eating cake as a kid and pouring a little cream over my cake. My husband loved it – he’s new to eating keto and it’s been hard for him to wrap his little noggin around some of the recipes I’ve made. This was a hit through and through. Thank you! You are the best!

  14. This sounds delicious, I can’t wait to try it. I’d rather make it into muffin/cupcakes…would 16 be the right number, given this is 16 servings? Also, I’m not a fan of Swere, could that be replaced with powdered Sweetleaf stevia, or would o be better using Splenda for the bulk at the addition of a few carbs?

    1. I think it would make about 16 cupcakes. I think you’d be okay using whatever sweetener you prefer.

      1. This cake is way too big for 2 seniors. But I could cut the recipe in half and make 8 cupcakes. Yay!! Only question is “How long to bake cupcakes”?

        1. I really can’t say for sure. I’d bake for 20 minutes and then keep my eye on them after that.

  15. Looks like I’ll be giving this a go hopefully tomorrow. I love butter in things especially cake…. happy fat Tuesday!

  16. I really wanted to like this cake, but it just didn’t do it for me. I actually felt a little sick to my stomach all evening after eating it. I’m still sad to say that I haven’t found a good low carb dessert yet, other than my regular cheesecake.

    1. Kirsten Felton says:

      Kay, to many almonds can make me have that feeling. try the THM baking blend. that might help. I find it makes a lighter products. or try half almond and half baking blend which is what I made last time I made this cake.

    2. Could of been the swerve too. It causes some people tummy problems…it does me

      1. Could have …not could of. Up too late. Lol

  17. Michelle L. says:

    So this has to be made tomorrow! I do not have any almond flour but I DO have Trim Healthy Mama Baking Blend. I’m wondering if I could sub it for the almond flour, the coconut flour and whey since I’m pretty sure the THM Baking Blend has all of that in it. My only problem is that I think the THM Baking Blend is dry. I’m thinking 2 3/4 cup of THM Baking Blend would be a good sub for the three ingredients. However, you are the expert so – what do you think? I do NOT want to mess up this beautiful creation.

    1. Baking Blend IS dry, but this is an insanely moist cake so I think you might be able to do it. 2 3/4 to 3 cups sounds about right. But I am not sure it actually has whey protein in it so if you have some of that, add it still.

      1. So do you need to increase the water if you are using the baking blend

        1. Personally I would increase the fats and/or eggs instead.

    2. I’ve made this cake three or four times using Baking blend. it works out fine as written.

  18. Would powdered stevia extract work? Swerve gives me gastric problems!

    1. I would say no. Stevia powder is used in very tiny amounts. Swerve is measured same as sugar. so the lack of bulk will affect the cake.

  19. What did you grease your pan with?

    1. Both butter AND coconut oil spray.

  20. Mel Ramos says:

    Very nice Carolyn! Another keeper. Made it today in my crock pot because you taught me I could do such things, thank you very much. Was hoping it would be a simple pound-cake type tea time cake minus the glaze and it did not disappoint. Lovely tender crumb and good flavor. (But you do need to take extra precautions greasing and maybe even lining the bottom with parchment so it releases without sticking.)

    1. Oh well you are brilliant, doing it in the slow cooker!

    2. Could you tell us how long you baked it, and on low or high? Thx

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