Kentucky Butter Crunch Cake is my family’s favorite cake recipe! Buttery pound cake topped with a delicious nutty topping of cream cheese, butter, and toasted coconut.
It’s cake time people!
This is my favorite Kentucky Butter Crunch Cake!
I took two of my favorite cakes and turned them into one bite of pure sweet joy!
My all time favorite cakes are Louisiana Crunch Cake and Kentucky Butter Cake!
Years ago I said to myself, I said self?
What would it taste like to bite into both of these cakes at the same time and that’s when the magic happened people!
I’ve been making this cake every since and my family has been very happy about my cake epiphany!
First, cream butter, sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time then add vanilla.
Lastly fold in dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk.
Bake cake at 350 for about an hour and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Poke holes in the cake so the glaze can get all inside.
Prepare the glaze by mixing cream cheese, butter, vanilla, confectioners sugar and a little cream or milk to thin.
Microwave glaze for about 20 seconds.
Reserve 1 cup of glaze which will be our first topping on cake.
Toast coconut by placing in a dry pan and cooking over medium heat stirring constantly until it starts to brown.
Remove from heat, continue to stir, place on a plate and allow to cool.
Fold coconut and almonds into remaining glaze and mix well.
Top cake with remaining crunch glaze.
Make sure you allow the cake to cool slightly before adding the crunch topping.
I normally wait about 10-20 minutes before adding my crunch topping because I want to make sure it sticks to the cake.
You can always microwave the glaze if it stiffens up or add more milk to thin.
I personally believe the more crunch glaze the better the cake taste.
I even serve the cake with leftover crunch topping.
If you’re really a dare devil why not serve it with a big scoop of french vanilla ice cream?
I didn’t say this was a light dessert!
It’s really rich and buttery!
Lastly, a little food note:
The cake taste better the next day, and the day after if you can wait that long.
I always make it a day earlier than I plan on serving it.
Something happens with all that butter as the cake sits overnight!
Enjoy.
Kentucky Butter Crunch Cake
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 1x
Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 sticks butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs, large
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
For the Crunch Topping:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 cups toasted coconut
2 cups chopped almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla
milk to thin
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and Flour bundt pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a mixer, cream butter, sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beat about 30 seconds between each egg.
Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Add flour in batches to mixer with the butter/sugar ingredients alternating with buttermilk, end with flour.
Beat about 30 seconds on low between each addition.
With a spoon mix mixture to incorporate any remaining flour.
Pour mixture into bundt pan and bake 60-65 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove from oven, allow to cool about 10 minutes and flip onto cake plate.
Poke holes in cake using a skewer, pour the reserved 1 cup of glaze into cake.
Allow to cool 10 minutes, top with remaining glaze.
Serve with extra glaze after cutting.
To Prepare Glaze:
Mix butter and cream cheese in a mixer until light and fluffy,
Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
Thin with milk or cream about 3 tablespoons or more if needed.
Microwave glaze for about 15 seconds.
Reserve 1 cup of glaze for first topping on cake.
Fold in coconut and almonds into remaining glaze.
To Toast Coconut:
Place coconut into a dry skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly for a few minutes, once coconut starts to brown, remove from heat, continue stirring, remove from pan, place on a plate and allow to cool.
Kentucky Butter Crunch Cake
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60-65 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serving: 10-12
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 sticks butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs, large
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
For the Crunch Topping:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 cups toasted coconut
2 cups chopped almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla
milk to thin
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and Flour bundt pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a mixer, cream butter, sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beat about 30 seconds between each egg.
Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Add flour in batches to mixer with the butter/sugar ingredients alternating with buttermilk, end with flour.
Beat about 30 seconds on low between each addition.
With a spoon mix mixture to incorporate any remaining flour.
Pour mixture into bundt pan and bake 60-65 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove from oven, allow to cool about 10 minutes and flip onto cake plate.
Poke holes in cake using a skewer, pour the reserved 1 cup of glaze into cake.
Allow to cool 10 minutes, top with remaining glaze.
Serve with extra glaze after cutting.
To Prepare Glaze:
Mix butter and cream cheese in a mixer until light and fluffy,
Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
Thin with milk or cream about 3 tablespoons or more if needed.
Microwave glaze for about 15 seconds.
Reserve 1 cup of glaze for first topping on cake.
Fold in coconut and almonds into remaining glaze.
To Toast Coconut:
Place coconut into a dry skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly for a few minutes, once coconut starts to brown, remove from heat, continue stirring, remove from pan, place on a plate and allow to cool.
WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO BE ABLE TO PRINT. LOOKS GOOD BUT ILL NEVER FIND THIS AGAIN.
Hello Terry you can print it, if you look at the bottom of the screen it has a + button that allows you to print. If you scroll down after it says more you will see a printer friendly icon which allows you print the recipe WITHOUT the images! You can also copy and paste the recipe on word and print if from there. Unfortunately my print recipe only button that use to surround the recipe is broke and until my tech guy fixes it that’s what’s required to get the free recipes. I am so sorry you feel inconvenienced because at the end of the day you could actually just write it down with a pen and paper! Out of my I believe over 700 recipes the last 5 due to a glitch in my system doesn’t allow you to print the recipe only!
If you go to the arrow at the bottom right of this page, hit the arrow, then go to Your browser,the page will open, the plus sign is at the very top, hit that and your printing option is right there
Thank you Anne! And it gives you the options to remove the photos so you don’t waste ink.
Can you use a regular cake pan?
Hello Holly, yes you can.
Am I suppose to use coconut milk or buttermilk? I’m confused. Instructions say buttermilk but ingredients say coconut milk ?
Hello Tessa, the printable ingredients are on the bottom of this page. If you saw the ingredients list from Pinterest that’s incorrect and I am not sure how Pinterest came up with those ingredients as I don’t add ingredient list to my pins.
Bottom of what screen? This page scrolls forever with the comments so where is this plus button?
Hello Mary, Do you see right under the title at the top of the page the green print button it looks like a printer? And right under the recipes is another one. I am so confused how this I can’t print became a thing? And there’s a plus button right next to the green printer icon.
While it would have been nice to have had a print option just for the recipe, I just copy and past into a word document and save to my recipe folder. That way I can print whenever I want.
Hello Jeanette there’s a print option at the top and bottom and it’s been there for months. The comments give the impression that there isn’t but it is right there shaped like a printer.
I’m with you Terry. When I finally get it ready to print it tells me there are 17 pages!
Okay Terry, there is a way if you’re patient. Click the + sign, then the print icon, then the “remove Photos” thing at the top, then copy and paste it to a word document, then change the size of the print to 12 and the margins to narrow. Now you’ll get a good printout.
I am not sure what you guys are seeing. It’s a green printer button at the top right below the recipe name and bottom of the page. You click that button, then you click NO IMAGES at the top right, then you can either delete content or just print the page. It’s only two pages. No need to cut and paste anything.
Yes Barb that’s why I gave her detailed instructions. You can remove the images and even delete the text you don’t want. I even added a printer friendly icon on the bottom and top of the page.
Copy and Paste, or take a screen shot!
Use Pinterest and you will always have the recipe.
Or just save it on Pintrest, save the ink and paper! I’m going to a southern family reunion, I think this cake is going to be a hit! Thank you!
You’re welcome Ava, enjoy!
Why can’t you just copy and paste it to one of your files?
That’s how I do all my online recipes! That way,
you don’t need to print out a bunch of graphics too,
Hello Dana, that’s what I do when I go on my site or other bloggers site. I save them to one file and separate them by dessert, beef, pork, and chicken.
I had no problems printing out the recipe and the photo.
I do have a question, the recipe for the cake includes brown sugar, is it creamed with the butter and white sugar and other noted ingredients?
Terry, I went to my Yahoo and typed the name of the cake in the search bar and found it then I printed it out. I had to scroll the arrows to get to the final page with all the instructions and it worked. Sometimes that’s how I find a recipe if I can’t print it out otherwise.
Are u kidding me. I took a pic with my cell phone. It looks so sinful!!!!!
Michelle, I highlighted the directions, copied them, and then pasted them to a Word document. It worked really well, and then I printed them off. 🙂
This looks absolutely sinful. I don’t normally bake during the summer, but I promise to let you know how it turns out. I fully intend to bake it come October.
Enjoy Renee!
Wow! Glad I came across this! I’m in the process of baking myself a late birthday cake! I was at the beach on the 21st so today it’s cake day. 🙂
So you serve this cake while still in the bundt pan?
I’m going to try this with GF cake flour. I really hope it turns out amazing as yours. ?
Enjoy Michelle!
And this is why I love Pinterest !!! Saving this awesome sounding recipe for a time in the (hopefully!) not too distant future when it is not 100 degrees and I can turn on my oven! Gotta love Phoenix! Maybe for my grandson’s birthday in September. Thank you !!
Enjoy Kathy!
Thanks for the recipe. I hope it cools down in Cali in July so I can make it for my birthday!
Thank you Lisa!
Just found this recipe today……and had to comment!
Hello! Someone is “SHARING” a “FREE GREAT RECIPE”!
For: Terry Moore, “CRANKY PANTS”, there is an old invention called “paper and pencil” — saying “THANK YOU FOR SHARING” would be a better comment to note for the world to see! I’m sad to think you thought you are being inconvenienced!
So,this is the world today….
“THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECIPE, “creolecontessa”!
Thank you Joanne!
Also, Joanne you could have added that the recipe can be highlighted , then printed. That’s what I’m getting ready to do because I too cannot find the print button, Oh yes, like you said, I do have paper and pencil!! I was a teacher for 30 years. I hated it when my students would come to me the day a report was due and said “I don’t have my report because my computer was broken, no ink, something. My response was…Pencil and paper was invented WAAY before the computer…. If you really want something done, you can figure out a way to do it. Thank you for letting me get on my bandwagon. Have a good day all
Yes Tamara I 100% agree! And being that I am also a former teacher is the main reason I suggested writing it down. People must learn how to live when technology breaks down. lol
Well said Joanne! I was thinking the same thing.
What kind of flour do you use?
This looks decadent. I plan on making this a day ahead as you suggested. Does it need to be refrigerated until ready to be served?
Hi Patti, yes I would say keep it refrigerated and then take it out a couple of hours before serving. And I am a firm believer in making this cake a day or two before because something about all that butter makes it taste that much better the next day.
When do u use the 1cup of brown sugar I didn’t find it anywhere in the recipe.R
Hello Ruben, all the sugars are creamed with the butter.
Thanks
I was going to say same thing about brown sugar but I guess you should have say sugar in SUGARS will explain to add white sugar and brown sugar…thank again!
You’re welcome Theresa.
You are a flippin genius. enough said….
Can this be made in a 9 by 13 baking pan ? Making it for 1st time and taking it on trip. Sounds yummy!
Oh yum! my housemates would love this cake. It’s winter here in Australia so it’s not like anyone’s really watching their figures at the moment so we can indulge a bit, lol. Is it unsalted or salted butter for the cake? just wanted to check first. 🙂
Hello Annabelle, I always use unsalted butter when I bake or cook so I can control the amount of salt in my food.
Do you sift your flour? If so, do you sift before or after measuring? Thanks.
Hello Paula, I didn’t sift it.
make sure you read carefully she says pecans one place and almonds another ,reciepe calls for coconut milk but dosn’t tell you when and where to use it i’m hoping the cake will turn out with all of the screwwy directions…
Bee what are you reading and where are you reading it at? The recipe is at the bottom of the page and doesn’t say add coconut milk to anything. And it clearly shows and states almonds! Are you confusing toasted coconut with coconut milk?
I think the directions are very clear. Mine is in the oven cooking now. I’m taking it to a 4th of July party. The batter tastes wonderful…can’t wait to try the completed version!!!
Hello Bee I just went on Pinterest and if you’re trying to copy my recipe from Pinterest note: Pinterest has a glitch in their system and I wasn’t even aware people would actually follow a recipe from Pinterest and not come to the blog and print the recipe from the original source. I have no control over what Pinterest shows in their feed or if a glitch effects their system hence the reason I have a link on all my pins that lead directly to the original recipe!
This looks great! Thanks for posting the recipe. The front says coconut milk but when I click on visit the recipe says buttermilk. Just need clarification. Thanks so much!
Hi Charity, I am not sure where you see coconut milk at? For this recipe it’s buttermilk. Enjoy
Hi Charity, please don’t follow recipes that pop up on Pinterest as it’s a glitch in their system. Always click through the recipe to the original source which is the blog and print the recipe from there.
I am allergic to almonds. Do you think it would still work with pecans or walnuts or hazelnuts? It looks too yummy not to try! Thanks
GINGER from Ohio
Hello Ginger, Pecans or Walnuts would be perfect as well!
My DIL made this today and it was delicious! Have saved to Pinterest and will make it soon. Thanks for sharing.
Just made it! As it bakes my entire house smells of amazingness! Can’t wait to eat it tomorrow for July 4! Thanks for the recipe!
I agree Jenna, it makes the whole house smell like a holiday!
Oh my goodness… this looks soooooooo good. My diet is going to have to wait (again) because I believe this would be better than being skinny. =) Thanks….I think.
LOL Janet! I agree.
What is 1 cup of cream cheese that is listed in topping? Usually listed in ounces as you did in the cake recipe.
1 cup= 8 ounces
What kind of flour do you use All purpose or self rising?
Looks delish!!! Will be making this very soon! May I add, it’s worth breaking my diet for 🙂
Thank you Natalie, enjoy!
I’m so excited to make this but just have one concern. When you flip the cake over to serve it on a plate, does the topping end up sticking to the plate? I guess I just don’t see how this could be successfully transferred from the cake pan to a plate since the topping is on the bottom of the cake.
Hello Gabby, the cake is flipped out before you add the first topping. I only did it in the cake pan for photos…oh and my daughter forgot to grease and flour the pan! LOL It was a nonstick pan but I didn’t want to take a chance. After I cut it, it did remove easily. Basically, take the cake out the pan and put onto a platter then coat with the toppings. Enjoy
Oh my goodness…I was thinking, “well, that’s an odd way to serve a bundt cake. Sure makes cutting a bit more difficult.” Hahaha! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try. Yum!!!
LOL TR!
Just pinned this recipe from your site and hope to make it for my weekly Sunday night supper for 10. I also agree with those who said write it out by hand. I know that dates many of us but I am one of those who always writes a recipe on a card and stores in my many recipe boxes. Old school but it is always there. Where I live they no longer teach cursive writing in school, so if you want your child to learn how it is up to you. What a sad thing this is! Anyway, I was wondering if I could sub out some of the white flour for something else as a family member cannot have gluten – especially the white stuff. I want her to enjoy this wonderful cake as well. Tthanks so much for the recipe and beautiful pictures.
Hello Wendy, you can sub with Gluten Free flour. Try Bob’s Red Mill Brand and it’ll tell you the ratios.
Wendy, I also hand print mine onto a recipe card and keep it in my Recipe Box…doesn’t bother me a bit….and yes,it certainly is sad that the school there have stopped teaching cursive!!!
So when you plate this beautiful cake the crumb topping is on the bottom? Too bad – it is such a nice looking topping.
No Janette, the cake is removed from the pan first then topped with the topping. My cake is still in the pan because my daughter forgot to grease and flour it. Although it’s nonstick I didn’t want to take any chances. After the photos the cake did remove easily so the nonstick worked. You decide which side of the cake you want to be the top. Sometimes I like the rustic look and make that my top, other times I want the perfect bundt slices and flip it over.
We have fun making popcorn, pizza, and little snacks.
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
OH MY GOD!!!! This is the most fabulous cake ever!!! Tastes every bit as good as it looks!! I followed directions exactly and it came out perfect! Sooooo good!! Ok I’ll stop! Will try to post a photo of it. Thank you for this fantabulous recipe!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed it~
What would you recommend if you’re allergic to almonds for the crunch topping?
What kind of flour do you use for this cake?
It was all purpose.
How do you get the cake out of the pan? The icing is technically on the bottom of the cake. You can’t remove the cake from the pan with the icing already on it.
Claudia The cake is removed from the pan before icing it. I only left it in the pan because my daughter forgot to grease and flour the pan and although it’s nonstick I didn’t want to take a chance removing it. Basically my cake in the pan is just for the photo. lol
Do you have cooking time suggestions if I were to use a 13×9 pan or cupcakes?
Hello Ashley I would say for 13X9-350 degrees 45-50 minutes. Start checking it after 40 minutes though. For cupcakes I would say 325 degrees for about 25-30 minutes but check them after around 22 minutes. I hope this helps you.
have been making the KY butter cake for a while now, will definitely try this one – a friend loves it so much I make it for here BD – Note that you need to grease the pan heavily for the butter cake
This cake recipe sounds so good that I would like to make it. However, on the topping I do not care for coconut, so could I just pecans for do I need to substitute something else?
Thanks for you reply.
Hello Gina, I would just add extra pecans. You really can’t go wrong with extra pecans ever in my opinion.
Can’t wait to make this one.. thank u!
I’m currently looking for a KY butter cake…I notice that you added cream cheese to the batter. Also I noticed that like most of recipes I have seen for the KY butter cake it has 2 cups of white sugar and you did 1 cup of white and 1 cup of brown…Have you always baked it this way? Have you ever baked it the other way? Curious! Thanks it looks wonderful.
Hello Lynn, I’ve always baked it this way. My mom was a professional baker and she always told me it’s good to mix the sugars because something about the molasses in the brown sugar and added flavor. I don’t know I just follow what my mama told me. The cream cheese make the cake moister.
I wish I had seen more comments about how the cake after it was completed and fewer comments about how to print the directions. I personally don’t like recipes that include a lot of step-by-step photos, but as one person noted, saving the Pinterest gets around concerns about the pages and pages that are wasted with excess photographs. The cake sounds like it would be rich, but delicious, and I plan to try it.
Well Abby I agree with ya!
I made this cake today (3/12/17) for a work event tomorrow. I haven’t tasted it yet, but the batter was pretty yummy – so stay tuned for the verdict on the final outcome. My only criticism with the directions is that it is unclear how thin the glaze should be. I probably added at least 5 tablespoons of milk and it still seemed a bit thick. In the end, I wound up coating the entire outside of the cake, by hand, with the coconut/nut mixture.
Hello Joelle, the thickness of the glaze is up to you. Sometimes I make it thick but other times I’ll thin it out more. It really is just a personal preference.
This cake looks fantastic!! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Vee!
My husband is not too fond of Almonds. Is it okay to use pecans instead?
Hello Wanda, yes!
Like everyone else, I would like to just print the recipe. Can’t find a “print recipe” anywhere. Too much to write by and. Guess I will just have to pass it up. Such a shame. looks like a wonderful cake. Is there any way you can email me the recipe? I would love to have it. Thanks.
Hello Rose the print recipe button is at the top and the bottom of the recipe. This has been fixed for months. It’s the button that looks like a printer.
I made this cake! It was very easy and sooo good. I will definitely make it again.
There was no “extra” crunch topping. I packed it ALL onto the cake. It made an amazing crust.
HUGE HIT!
BTW…I had absolutely NO problem reading your recipe. I was spelled out perfectly.
Thank You!!!!
Thank you Adriane!
I just made the ring of deliciousness for my husband’s birthday. Everyone loved it! Thanks so much for sharing, I will definitely be making this cake many more times!
All you have to do is hit the CTRL button and the P key at the same time to open up the print command then select the number of pages that you actually want to print 🙂
Thank you Lisa.
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose.
I just made two of these (at the same time) for two different groups of people. A couple comments / observations:
1. Ingredients should be listed in the order they are used. There is no logic in how they are listed and that made it hard to follow. I had to use a highlighter to cross off things as I used them.
2. The recipe says to tip the cake out onto a plate. However, all of your pictures show the glazed cake in the Bundt pan.
3. Recipe says that prep time is 10 minutes. I would say it was closer to 20-25 minutes.
I have them chilling right now and I am looking forward to serving them.
Hello, I explained repeatedly why the cake was still in the pan. My daughter didn’t remember if she greased the pan and I didn’t want to take a chance flipping it out. Secondly, I am sorry you were inconvenienced by the ingredients. What I do is always organize my ingredients by the directions…what goes first, dry ingredients, wet ingredients…to make sure I have everything before starting. It’s a simple recipe with basic cake ingredients. I base my prep time on myself not what it takes someone else as I am the one preparing the recipes. It’s a cake and what takes someone 30 minutes would take me 10 as I do this everyday. It’s impossible for me to base my cooking time off of anyone besides myself. I hope you enjoy the cake.
OMG!!! I just want to say, you are SO incredibly patient!!! You have definitely explained EVERYTHING in great detail!!! How to print, the cake still in the pan, etc… ! WOW!!!!
I would have like to be able to print this off but I could not find where to print there was no + at the bottom of the page to print
Thank you so much for this magnificent recipe….can’t wait till morning come to make it. It looks just wonderful..
Thank you Kay!
Goodbye to your website…too difficult to copy a recipe…geeze!
Is it my website and or your lack of common sense? Do you NOT see the print button that I’ve explained the location NUMEROUS times!!!
If you make this cake a day ahead, do I add the glaze when I make it or the next day when I serve it? Thanks
DO NOT EMAIL ME ONE MORE TIME ABOUT PRINTING THIS RECIPE UNLESS YOU’RE BLIND OR COLORBLIND!!!!! IT’S A BIG GREEN BUTTON AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM WITH A PRINTER ICON. IF YOU DON’T SEE IT THEN READ THE COMMENTS FOR THE PAST YEAR OF HOW TO PRINT THE RECIPE!!!! MY PATIENCE HAS JUST RAN OUT!!!! AND YES, I AM YELLING!!!!!! HENCE, ALL CAPS!!!
Good Morning!
This cake looks so good. I can’t wait to make it! About the printing, it took a few minutes but I found the print button! I will let you know how the cake turned out. I don’t bake from scratch very often!. We will see!
Thank you Cathy! And I appreciate you so much for looking for the print button. Enjoy!
Hello Vickie, no because I don’t use that brand and not sure of it’s consistency or if it will ruin the recipe. It could contain ingredients that can ruin the final outcome of the cheesecake. And if it’s like regular jello pudding mix then that’s totally different from what was used in this recipe.
It only lasted a day in my house Chelsea. I normally leave it on the counter because it never last very long.
Thank you Jill, I hope you enjoy it. It was delicious!
Enjoy Freda!
Go for it Averie, you could do 7 eggs, LOL.