A southeastern American treat – made KETO. This delicious butter cake is a staple in some U.S. households and anything with butter – you bet I HAD to make it.
So original butter cake is made with buttermilk.. since we can’t use that on keto, I replaced that with sour cream so it will be nice and MOIST. It worked perfectly!
One problem that I had was that there was TOO much syrup – so I altered the recipe to be JUST right. A great thing about this cake is that if you don’t want to use the syrup, it will still taste delicious and moist!
We’ve gotten so many great reviews, here’s just a sample:
Keri on Facebook says:
I make this all the time. I add a chocolate ganache on top for birthday cakes. It’s our favorite cake. Ah-may-zing!!!
Sheryl on Instagram wrote:
One of the best cakes I have ever made!
Avelino on Instagram praised:
This is for real the best Keto breath ever! I am obsessed with it! I have made tons of desserts since I stated Keto and nothing compres to this! Yes it is a dream come true!
Hope you enjoy!
Buy my cookbooks on Amazon!
If you like this recipe, check out our Keto Mississippi Mud Pie, Japanese Cheesecake, Nanaimo Bars or Dark Chocolate Cake.
Keto Kentucky Butter Cake
A southern American treat made keto!
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups (230g) almond flour – packed
- 1/2 cup (115g) sour cream – levelled
- 1/2 cup (100g) butter - melted
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup (120g) sugar substitute (I used erythritol)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
Syrup
- 1/4 cup (50g) butter
- 1/3 cup (60g) sugar substitute (I used erythritol)
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake ingredients.
- Pour into a greased or floured bundt cake pan.
- Bake at 350°F / 175°C for 35 minutes.
- While the cake bakes, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat.
- Whisk in your sugar substitute, vanilla and water. Heat and stir until the sugar substitute has dissolved
- Once the cake is done, use a skewer or end of a utensil to poke several small holes into the top (technically the bottom) of the bundt cake.
- Pour the butter mixture around the cake, making sure the holes are filled with the butter. Keep swirling the pan around until your mixture has dissolved into the cake.
- Set aside and let it cool for 1 hour.
- When you’re ready to serve, place a plate on top of the bundt pan and flip it around so the cake pops right out!
- Serve!
Notes
3.4 net carbs per slice
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 25.8gCarbohydrates: 5.4gFiber: 2gProtein: 6.2g
99 comments
Can this be frozen? I’d have to do something with most of it to keep from eating it all. Looks delish!!!
Yes for sure!
so sad because i was so looking forward to this but it never rose?Going to see if maybe baking powder was expired
I have been baking for a long time and this cake was not even the yellow color. It did not rise and looks nothing like the cake in the recipe. So weird. It tastes very good but it is Brown not yellow .
I made this yesterday and it is delicious! Today I poured some sugar free chocolate syrup over it and it was glorious. I could taste the almond flour a little bit. Do you have a brand you recommend? Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I just made this the other night and it’s incredibly delicious. I am a very happy lady. ? thank you!
I just made this cake a few hours ago. Maybe I measured the baking powder wrong or something because it didn’t rise like a normal bunt cake. Also, the texture was really horrible with the almond flour. What can I do differently next time? Should I have mixed the ingredients a certain way? I’m not new to baking but this was my first keto baking. The taste of the cake was great and I made a keto chocolate buttercream icing to put on top.
hi! your baking powder may have been expired or gone bad. That is probably why it didn’t rise and had a bad texture. No specific way to mix the ingredients so it should be fine any way. Do a test with your baking powder. Add some water to 1 tsp of baking powder, it should violently bubble up. If it doesn’t or its more of a subtle bubble, your baking powder has probably gone bad. I also recommend adding in maybe a scoop of protein powder – that will help with the lift and give it more of a fluffier texture.
I have to agree with most. My batter did not look anything like the one on line. It was thick. Also, It didn’t rise. There was nothing wrong with my backing powder. ????? I was very disappointed because I made this for my husbands birthday.
sorry to hear it didnt work. Im not really sure why! some people have said its really thick for them, but I’ve made this cake several times with no issues and so have others. I think possibly it may be due to the brand of almond flour?? I will have to look into it more.
As soon as I saw this recipe I thought of substituting lemon extract for the almond!?!?!
I didn’t see almond extract in the recipe. ??
I can’t do Swerve or Erythritol, only pure Monkfruit or pure stevia, that has no erythritol added. Any suggestions out there for baking?
hi charlene – here is a good chart that may be able to help you!
https://www.wholesomeyum.com/natural-low-carb-sweeteners-guide-conversion-chart/#conversionchart
Can this b done as a sheet cake instead of bunt
Yes it can!
Am I missing the “Print” option for these recipes?
Hi Melissa, there is currently no feature but I am working to get it in there for ya!
Oh my this is so good!!! Ive made it once and have been raving about it ever since. Does this need to be refrigerated after it cools down. I am wanting to take it to work.
It should be fine to leave out!
Oh my goodness this is so good. Have been raving on it. Do you know if this should be refrigerated after baking or can you leave it out until you slice it?
It should be fine to leave out! I did!
Can I swap the almond flour out for coconut flour? Just wondering if I’d have to make any adjustments???
Yes! I’d start with 3/4 cup and go from there!
Can’t wait to try this! I don’t have a bundt pan though. I have all sizes of round ones though. Any idea which size I should use and how to adjust cooking time? I’m awful without directions…lol
2 8 inch cake pans should do the trick
or an 8 in spring form
Wowee, does this look yummy. I have a regular recipe for this type of cake but never made it before keto. Now I can have it keto! My family is from Kentucky so it’s gotta be good from the south ya know! And it’s got BUTTER!! You being from Canada, I appreciate a Kentucky style recipe from ya’ll up north. Thanks. I’ll have to put this one in my file.
Am I supposed to melt the butter in the cake recipe or is just “softened” butter??
melt!
Because it’s pumpkin season I think I’ll try substituting pumpkin for the sour cream. What do you think?
Hey Linda! I’ve actually done that! Here is the link to that recipe: https://wp.me/p6Yuzo-F4
You can still bake it in a bundt pan and add the syrup!
Want to double check the baking time…after 30 minutes my batter was still raw….checked the temperature and it was spot on…
what was the size of your pan? did you use a bundt pan? some bigger ones can take longer to cook
Any keto recipes I have baked have been crumbly. Does this cake stay in a solid piece when cut? Have you ever used xantham gum? Thanks!
Yes it’s definitely not crumbly. I’ve used xanthan gum before and you could add a tsp in here to hold it together 🙂
I made this cake as 12 mini bundt cupcakes. I followed the recipe exactly but only cooked them for about 29 minutes. They came out perfect! Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Next time I think I’ll add some rum to the glaze. Or just soak these in some now!
I accidentally only added half a cup of butter to the batter and only did softened (I should have watched the video first!) How badly do you think I ruined it? My batter was pretty thick
Made this today and loved it! So soft, moist and delicious! Tad too sweet though. So next time would prefer to either not use swerve in the butter syrup or cut the swerve in half in the cake itself. Very yummy though. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Please…..what size is your cake pan? Either capacity or inches? You say “packed” almond flour. Are you packing it hard like brown sugar? Most recipes say to lightly scoop the flour — I want to do it right for this recipe. thank you
Yes, like brown sugar 🙂 as for the bundt pan, I’d say it’s 9inches across!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? I’m dying to make this but only have salted.
Salted!
A family member had a rum cake shipped to us from Kilgore, Texas this Christmas. I was devastated being four months into lowcarb and having lost three sizes. I had to give it away! It looked an awful lot like this! I’m going to try this with just a little bit of rum in the syrup. If I’m not mistaken, rum is allowed on keto, right?
Yes it is 🙂
I followed this recipe exactly (by weight) and batter came out super thick, almost like cookie dough. Any idea why? My eggs were big, I measured and double checked everything, it should’ve worked… I tried fixing it by adding more cream and butter and a little water, but I’m worried about how it’ll come out, it’s in the oven right now
I’ve had some people say this although I’m not sure why. Might be the almond flour brand? Either way, see how it is after the oven. Most of them turn out well despite being thick. Let me know!
Sugar substitute… granulated or like powdered sugar?
if it just says sugar substitute, I always mean granulated. I will always specify if needed icing/confectioners/powdered sugar substitute.
Love this recipe! I put blueberries in it and it’s like a taste of spring
Anyone new to baking will likely run into issues with this recipe, as it leaves out some basics. First, you have to prep your baking pan with butter and a dusting of almond flour so the cake doesn’t stick. Bring the butter to room temp. Use a mixer. First, cream the butter and sweetener. Then add the sour cream and mix until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is combined. Add the vanilla, then the dry ingredients and mix again until it’s all combined into a batter. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Thanks for the clarification!!
Thanks for the details, Kristin.???
I beg to disagree. , You dont need to cream the butter etc., , I made it like a DUMP CAKE. all the ingredients in one bowl .
CAME OUT SPECTACULARLY !!
I tried this today and it was pretty good. I am new to keto and I’m missing regular flour a lot. Most of the things I’ve made with almond flour just don’t cut it. I think the difference with this recipe was poking the holes and pouring the butter mixture in made it more moist than anything else I’ve had and so I enjoyed it better. One thing I did differently was I had some xylitol sweetener that I had mixed with some cinnamon for something else and since I didn’t want to throw it away I used that. The cinnamon was a really nice touch.
(The cinnamon was in the syrup not the cake)
Do you grease the pan?
Yes!
I am going to make this cake until it comes out perfect mine looked beautiful and smell beautiful it was a nice rise to it but the minute I brought it out it sunk please tell me what I could have done wrong I’m going to keep trying!
it probably needed to cook longer!
I made this in a rectangular pan (don’t have a bunt pan), and it turned out so yummy!
With the last piece I had I decided to add low sugar jam and peanut butter and omg, delicious!!
Do you think I can make a layered cake by making two cakes in my rectangular pan and adding strawberries and whipped cream between the layer and on top? Wondering if it’ll be too sweet and how I should tone down the sweetness. Not adding the syrup? Or will that change the taste of the cake too much?!
Thank you!!!
My batter came out super thick, I followed the recipe exactly any idea what I could have done wrong??
Some people have had that issue but it turned out ok after baking
Delicious & soooo easy! Grease your pan super good!
Served with strawberries, blueberries & whipped cream!!!
It was a hit for Easter! Totally disappeared! YUMMM!!
Thank you!!
This was SO good. My husband loves all things lime so I changed it up only a bit. I added lime juice and zest to the batter and replaced the water in the sauce with lime juice (until it tasted lime-y enough!). Topped with swerve confectioners sugar and lime zest. PERFECT. Thank you!
This is a winner recipe, but in your directions, you could clarify what size (cup capacity) bundt pan you used. My cake was about 1/2 the size (in rise) that is should be. Next time I would double this recipe. The butter syrup takes this over the top great! I am serving this for Mother’s Day tomorrow, with strawberries and a smidge of chocolate buttercream piped along the bottom edge. Also emphasize buttering or spraying the bundt pan- I sprayed mine with coconut oil, but will use MORE next time…. Yes… there will be a next time!!
glad you like it and i will definitely add those measurements and extra greasing!
Hi there! First of all…AMAZING recipe! I made this for a friend doing Keto and he cannot stop raving about it! Such being, he actually wants me to bring 2 of them to his house! My only issue is…I only have 1 bundt pan and not enough time! Do you think this can be made in a sheet pan, and if so, what size/time would work best? Thank you so much!
Yes it should be fine! I’d probably do it at 30 minutes and check from there. An average size one would be best. 21×15?
Wait what….a 21×15? I don’t have a 21×15! I have a 9×13? 11×7? 12×8? Anything?! Haha
I dunno! I googled average size and thats what came up! Ahahaha 9×13 will be fine! Still try 30 minutes but check with a toothpick
I think I meant regular rectangular…not sheet…I apologize for the confusion =[
No worries! 9×13 should be fine!
I just thought I’d follow up and let you know that I baked this recipe in a 12×10 (half steam table tray), poked/poured as normal, cooled, then dusted with Swerve powdered sugar…STILL just as perfect! My keto friend said he devoured 4 pieces as soon as he got home! Thank you so much– this one is def a keeper (:
Yay! so glad to hear! 🙂
I followed the recipe to a tee and had a separate thermometer to check the oven temperature, but it was still uncooked after 35 minutes. I put it in for an extra 5 minutes, but it still seemed undone. I was hoping it might set as it sat out, but nope. When I tried to flip it out of the binder cake pan, it came out as a broken up mess. If you think it needs more time, I recommend going with your gut.
:o(
[…] Keto Kentucky Butter Cake […]
Made this and it looks nothing like photo was flat did not rise. and my powder was. Not expired . And the cake had a gritty texture.
hey trina! it sounds like the baking powder was an issue. I realize you said it’s not expired, however baking powder can go bad quite easily and if it’s been opened for sometime, it can lose it’s power while not actually expired. hope that helps!
For the cake ingredients, do you use room temp or cold butter?
actually the butter should be melted! Ive adjusted the recipe!
This is by far my favorite cake. I make it the way its written but also make it in donut pans and put butter/swerve frosting on it to replicate a favorite missing treat for my kids. Thanks so much for changing our lives with this treat!
Made this yesterday and it was delicious! My keto family were raving about it. It’s a little sweet but I didn’t mind. I made it as is. It has potential to add flavoring like almond, orange, lemon, cinnamon etc. Thank you!
This cake is so amazing! It smelled so good and I couldn’t wait for it to cool so I dug in while still warm and omg, unbelievable! Thank you for such a keto knock out dessert!
Thank you so much! I’ve made this recipe so many times! A few times as is, occasionally with rum added to the butter sauce. Today it was the butter sauce with fresh raspberries mashed in, reduced down, and then strained. Pour over the top. This recipe is amazing and versatile! My diabetic husband thanks you as he can have sweets again! THANK YOU!!
My cake didn’t rise I even checked my baking powder with water test it was fine.
I just opened my baking powder so not sure it was that but mine didn’t rise either. I also watched the video afterwards. I think the order you added the ingredients mattered. Would suggest altering the recipe to match the video. I just combined everything like the recipe says and could tell from the batter it would be a mealy texture.
I have made many Keto desserts. THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST KETO CAKE / DESSERT EVER.
Thank you for sharing this dessert. Have signed up for your news letter. Cant wait to try more recipes from THE HUNGRY ELEPHANT.
I would like to send this to my granddaughter at university…do you think it would travel well in hot weather? Thank you!
Im honestly not sure. I would advise against it just incase!
Mine came out great! I would love to change it up a little next time. Maybe some berries and cream or drizzle a bit of sugar free melted chocolate on top.
I love this recipe, works our perfect very time. I change up the extracts just to change the flavor. My issue is, I can never get it out of the pan pretty. I made this today and over sprayed the pan and it still didn’t work. Any suggestions on what to do to get it out of the pan?
Try a silicone pan!
I think some of the problems people are having is that there are different levels of almond flour. Almond meal is not finely ground, and will probably result in very thick batter that won’t rise. Superfine almond flour is nearly like wheat flour in consistency, and should result in a more cake-like batter and a much better, rising cake. There are also major differences in brands of almond flour. Most keto recipes recommend using only Bob’s Red Mill superfine almond flour from blanched whole almonds for baking. It yields a light colored, easy to pour batter. Almond flour made from unblanched whole almonds will result in a brown, mealy, thick batter. Hope this helps with some of the problems people are having with their batter. .
I just made this after watching high falutin’s video on it. I don’t have a bunt pan so used a 9″ round pan. Cooked it for the exact same amount of time and temp. Didn’t use my big oven used my countertop airfryer/oven on the bake setting. Turned out fantastic, didn’t get as high as it would’ve in a bunt pan but it’s moist and really tasty. Thank you so much for this easy to make simple recipe. Since my husband can’t eat almond flour I’ll be cutting it into one serving size pieces and freezing.
I made this last night. so delicious.
Could you sub Greek yogurt for sour cream?
Yup!!
Looks delicious! Can I use non-fat plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
Yes! that should be fine!