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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
Check out all my best Keto Desserts here!
Keto Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe
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) Swerve Granular
- 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) Swerve Granular
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish
- 1 to 2 tbsp Confectioner's Swerve
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
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!
I don’t have any unflavoured whey protein powder, what can I use instead?
Egg white protein powder is your best substitute.
Is it an exact exchange for using egg white protein instead? I try to avoid whey as I’m Type 1–hasn’t agreed with me very well : )
Yes, it can be subbed in the same amounts.
Hello!!! Question…do you know the ratio of sweetener if I use Truvia?
Well, I don’t know exactly but Swerve measures like sugar so figure out how much Truvia in relation to sugar. I think there are conversion charts out there somewhere.
Is there a sub for whey protein? I need this cake right now but don’t have that!
It’s going to have better texture and hold together better with it. Do you happen to have any collagen powder? That might help. 1/4 cup maybe?
My son has nut allergies. Do u think i could sub Brianas nut free blend and any ideas of how much to use? Or what else to use?
I haven’t ever used her blend so I can’t say for sure. I suspect it’s a bit drier than all almond flour but that’s not a bad thing because this cake is so ridiculously moist. If you make it and the batter seems REALLY stiff, try adding another egg and a little more liquid.
So I made this a second time in my crock pot because it makes a superb “pound cake” minus the glaze. This time I used about a third more sweetener to compensate for the lack of a sweet glaze; and a full tablespoon of vanilla; and a half teaspoon of almond extract to zing up the flavor of my “plain cake” a little more. Took about 21/2 hours on low in my pot to firm up completely. And I lined the pot with buttered parchment so I could just lift it out of the pot. What an amazing low carb cake, Carolyn! I especially like it sliced and toasted with a cup of tea.
Thank you Carolyn for this yumminess! My husband and I are eating the last pieces tonight. I used a combo of Swerve and Splenda. About 1/3 swerve and the rest Splenda. I just can’t stand the “cooling sensation” of all Swerve. This was out of the park delicious!
That’s what I should do. The cake is beautiful with perfect moist texture but my tongue is still tingling hours after eating one slice. I don’t think I could serve it to others because of the erythritol mouth feel.
Just to be clear…not everyone (and in fact very few) get a tongue tingling sensation. So most people would not have the same reaction
I always use Swerve and am not familiar with the reaction some have described. Thank heavens cause I really don’t like the taste of erythritol. Just took my first attempt out of the oven. HAD to take a tiny bite. Delish! Thank you ????
Could I use coconut sugar in this? I can not find Swerve where I live.
I suppose that would work although it wouldn’t be low carb.
Made this and just had a little taste; the flavor and texture are good. I always bake exactly the first time, but will be playing with this recipe a bit in the future. I think citrus zest, rum extract and some cardamom or nutmeg would be excellent. Can’t wait to see what 24 hours does for the flavor. Thank you so much for your hard work. Your recipes have made hflc eating so much easier to stick with.
All of those things sound wonderful to me!
Made it for a church function! yummy. I labeled it for the diabetics in the church though and the others wouldn’t touch it. I’ll have to stop that I guess.
Well, now you have more to take home with you! 😉
I made mine in a 13×9 pan and cut it into rectangles it worked fine.
Yup! I’d love for everybody to love it, but hey, I wrap each piece in press and seal and store in the freezer in a storage box. I don’t even have to thaw it to have a snack when I’m reaching for my hubby’s unhealthy snacks.
Just made this tonight for a family breakfast in the morning. Holy COW I ate a slice right out of the oven (there was no stopping me!) Carolyn it is out of this world good. I added some crumbled flaked coconut and Lilly’s chocolate chips on top – so so good!
Thank you for this one!
You made me giggle with the “there was no stopping me!”.
Hi! What a delicious looking cake! Think I could make this dairy free with ghee instead of butter and cashew milk instead of heaving cream and water?
Thank you for your dedication to our palates!
Yes, those things might work well. Ghee is more liquid than regular butter so I might go to 2/3 cup instead of a cup of butter.
Yay!!! Thank you!!
I didn’t think to mention in my other comments that I opened a can of coconut milk and used the solid part in place of the Heavy whipping cream. it was Perfect!
Happy Birthday, Carolyn! I made this cake over the weekend and it was amazing! I couldn’t get it out of my metal cake pan, so will try a silicone pan when I make it again today. Even without any adornment (other than the butter glaze), this is moist and rich, absolutely delicious! Maybe I’ll try drizzling it with caramel sauce – but then I might eat it all in one sitting…
So glad you like it! Sorry it stuck to the pan. It’s definitely a tricky one with all that extra butter…
I made this yesterday and it was delicious. I served it with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and Caramel sauce. So yummy. I used the baking spray to grease the bundt pan and it came right out.
Thank you so much for all your recipes. I always know they will be good.
Carolyn, is there any way to make this in a crock pot? I don’t have a lot of baking time (I’m a first time mom to a fast paced 18 month old ha!), but this looks so so good!
Thank you for all of your recipes! My little family would be lost without them!
Very possibly. I have a couple of other crock pot cakes, but this one is bigger so it would probably take longer to cook through.
I took my bundt cake pan out of hiding for this one! Followed your recipe and instructions exactly and the result was a beautifully delicious butter cake. I will take this cake to functions where there are rarely desserts for my low carb friends and my diabetic son will enjoy his birthday cake with strawberries and whipped cream later this month! It stayed moist and delicicious covered on the counter for the 3 days it lasted! I always follow your recipes exactly as you have written because I know you have worked to perfect them…why mess with success! Thank you!!
This looks like the perfect thing to go under my fresh blackberries and whipped cream!
I have an angel food cake/tube shaped pan, will it work as well as the Bundt pan?
I really don’t know, i don’t own one of those pans. I think they are deeper and narrower and I worry that you will have trouble getting it to release. Might be best in a 9×13 pan.
know this sounds completely crazy for a die hard chocolate lover, but I’ve been trying to figure out what kind of birthday cake I want this year, other than chocolate. Thank you Carolyn! This gorgeous cake, out of so many gorgeous cakes is going to be the one. For some reason, by March every year I want something with strawberries or lemon. However, until I saw this posting I couldn’t figure out how I wanted them. You’re a master baking magician!
*Also, for those having trouble with typical bundt pans, I use this one https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Bundt-Springform-Bottoms/dp/B00004RFPR/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488997332&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=Non+stick+cheesecake+bundt+pan+combo
It’s not as pretty as some but as long as its well greased sticking isn’t an issue.
Happy Birthday! Mine is in two days…
Carolyn, I just saw that we share the same birthday!! I’m duly honored! Although I’m sure I have a few years on you… Have been trying your recipes with abandon in the last few weeks. I took up the keto lifestyle 6 weeks ago, and my HbA1c, taken after just 5 weeks of utilizing your great recipes every day, had me doing handsprings out of my endocrinologist’s office this week! It was a full .6 point lower than my previous lowest ever, in all my 13 years of fighting this scourge of diabetes. The doctor cut back on my meds as a result. What a kick!! And all this while enjoying cookies, muffins and pancakes. I never would have thought it possible. I can definitely live with this. Even the hubs, very dubious at first, is now a convert. He dreams about your gingerbread men! My next test will be even better, as I will have been in keto for the full 3 months before. I have to thank you for playing such an instrumental part. You’ve contributed to giving me one of the best days I’ve had in many moons. Great website, phenomenal recipes. Oh – and just so you know this is no faint praise, I am a classically trained chef.
Aw, thanks, Cat! I am so glad my recipes make you happy AND keep you healthy. And the praise from a chef, that just delights me. I’m a happy home cook with no designs on culinary school but that’s high praise!
Yay! I already have this pan!!
This looks similar to something I have been craving. Could a little orange zest and fresh squeezed orange juice be added and this still be low-carb (I’m assuming so, as you don’t use much)?
Absolutely. Orange extract might help too.
about how much extract? I am thinking of trying this with lemon extract!
Thank you!
Maybe a teaspoon? More than that and I find they have can have a fake flavour, even if they are all natural extracts.
mMMmmmm, lemon extract & lemon zest in the cake. Served w/fresh blueberries and a scoop of Halo Top lemon ice cream. I know what I’m making for Sunday dessert
How much orange extract would you add? I want to make this
It depends on how strong your orange extract is but you still want a little vanilla. I’d do maybe 1/2 tsp vanilla and 3/4 tsp orange or maybe 1 tsp.
Thanks so much for all the recipes you create! Every one that I have tried has turned out amazing!!! I just made your Kentucky Butter cake and can’t wait to cut into it…. it’s in the oven baking now! Thanks again and look forward to trying more!
Thanks, Louise!
I totally agree
One can never go wrong with one of your amazing low carb recipes
Never fails to get a lot of compliments
Thank you!
I made this yesterday and had it for dessert after supper. It is fabulous! Mine fell apart coming out of the bundt pan, I cannot seem to figure out how to keep a bundt cake intact. But regardless of it not being pretty, it was delicious! I cannot wait to serve it to my college age daughter, who has type 1 diabetes, when she comes home for spring break. Thank you for coming up with fabulous recipes that helps keep her blood sugar within the range she needs it to be.
So glad you liked it! Bundt pans are tricky indeed.