This wonderful cake is so easy to put together and you most likely already have all of the ingredients in your own kitchen. It’s topped off with a delicious vanilla-butter sauce that gives extra sweetness and moistness to the already delicious buttery cake.

I guarantee that it will make you a star at your next get-together and everyone will be asking for the recipe!

Kentucky Butter Cake

Ingredients for the Cake

1 Cup unsalted butter, softened

2 Cups granulated sugar

5 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Glaze

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions for the Cake

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees

In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

Stir together the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup and set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and granulated sugar on a medium-high speed until light and airy, about 3-5 minutes.

Add eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating until incorporated. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl often.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture in thirds.

Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.

Generously coat a 10-inch Bundt pan with baking spray.

Transfer batter to the prepared Bundt pan.

Bake for 60-70 minutes until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, preparer the glaze. Add the sugar, butter, and water into a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved, making sure not to let the glaze boil.

Stir in the vanilla extract

When cake has finished baking, remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Using a large skewer, immediately poke deep holes all over the cake without removing from pan.

Slowly pour half of the glaze (about 3/4 cup) over the top of the cake, giving the cake time to absorb before adding more glaze. Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes to allow the glaze to absorb fully.

Be sure not to let it sit in the pan longer than 10 minutes, or the glaze could cause the cake to stick inside the pan.

Loosen the sides of the cake, then invert the cake onto a plate or serving platter. Warm the remaining glaze up slightly, then slowly pour over the top of the cake.

Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

(Recipe adapted from Southern Living)

As we are in the throes of Summer and the heat (and humidity!) is atrocious in Virginia it’s the perfect time to enjoy something cool and refreshing for dinner.

I’ve made this salad for years and it’s fun because you can add your favorite seasonal fruits and veggies – so you can really make it as your own – however you like it!

The homemade honey-vinaigrette dressing is the perfect topping for this bowl of deliciousness!

Delicious Summer Salad

Ingredients for the Salad

2 cups of green leaf lettuce

2 cups of fresh spinach

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

1 cup of strawberries (quartered)

1 seedless cucumber, chopped

1 cup of mandarin oranges

1 cup of blueberries

1 cup matchstick carrots

1 1/2 chopped pecans

1 cup of crumbled Feta Cheese

Ingredients for the Honey-Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 cup Canola Oil

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons of honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, add the green leaf lettuce and spinach

Add the fruit and veggies

Add the crumbled feta cheese and chopped pecans

Mix and toss really well.

Directions for Honey-Vinaigrette

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. Put into an airtight jar with a lid and shake. Pour over each bowl of salad.

Store any leftover Honey-Vinaigrette in the refrigerator for a few days (if there is any left!)

I served the salad with cold rotisserie chicken. It made for a delicious dinner 😋

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have known each other basically all of their lives.

Growing up as next door neighbors in the small town of Plains, Georgia, their families were close friends. Jimmy’s mother, Miss Lillian, even helped bring Rosalynn into the world during the Summer of 1927. A young Jimmy, at three years old, met her for the very first time a few days afterwards.

When Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter became officially engaged he gifted her with an engraved compact that had the letters ILYTGwhich meant “I love you the goodest” (it was something his parents affectionately said to one another).

They were married on July 7, 1946 at the Plains Methodist Church in their hometown and as they say…the rest is history.

Happy 77th wedding anniversary to this wonderful couple.

Today in American history…Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower were married on July 1, 1916 in Denver, Colorado.