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Kentucky Butter Cake Cupcakes || Life Above the Clouds
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Kentucky Butter Cake Cupcakes

A cupcake version of the old-fashioned vanilla pound cake drenched in a buttery syrup.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cupcake, Pound Cake, Vanilla Cake
Servings: 20

Equipment

  • Stand or hand mixer
  • Muffin tin

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the butter glaze

  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 8 liners – this recipe makes about 20 cupcakes.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  • Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale yellow.
  • Mix in eggs one at a time. Then, add in the the vanilla.
  • Alternate incorporating the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
  • Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each liner 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the butter glaze.
  • Heat butter, sugar, and water over medium low heat until butter is melted and sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  • After cupcakes are removed from oven and still warm, move cupcakes to a cooling rack and place over a cookie sheet or parchment paper to catch any drips. Thoroughly poke holes in each one using a toothpick or skewer and spread butter glaze over each cupcake being sure to fill the holes. Add glaze in small amounts to give it time to soak in.
  • Right before serving, use a fine sieve to dust the top of each cupcake with confectioners' sugar.

Notes

If the glaze cools too much before you use it, the sugar begins to crystallize, preventing all of the glaze from soaking into the cupcakes. Just reheat briefly until the sugar has dissolved again.
If you want to make a big fancy cake, this recipe will still work. Use a greased bundt pan and bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes.