Julie Clark
Posted:
Old Fashioned 5 Flavor Pound Cake
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This 5 Flavor Pound Cake recipe packs coconut, vanilla, lemon, rum, and butter extract into every bite, then doubles down with a matching glaze. It’s the most flavorful pound cake you’ll ever make.
An Old Fashioned Pound Cake that Works
Have you ever cut into a pound cake expecting something special and gotten something bland and dry instead? This 5 Flavor Pound Cake uses five extracts baked right into a dense, buttery bundt cake to ensure a dense, rich texture, the way a true pound cake should be.
Recipe Overview
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 65 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 15
Cook Method: Oven baked in a bundt cake pan
Flavor Profile: 5 flavors (coconut, rum, butter, vanilla, lemon) that work together for subtle warmth and richness, with lemon for a bright lift
Best For: Simple dinner parties, weekend baking, as a base for strawberry topping or raspberry sauce
Difficulty: Easy, ideal for a beginner baker
Feedback from Home Bakers
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Faye says, “This is a great tasting cake. Easy to make. I was skeptical about using 5 flavors, but it added something good to a plain pound cake! I served this at a small dinner party, everyone loved it and all took a piece home.”
What Makes This Cake Different
Most pound cakes rely on vanilla alone to carry all the flavor. And that’s why so many of them fall flat. This 5 Flavor Pound Cake takes a completely different approach.
Instead of one extract, it uses five: coconut, vanilla, lemon, rum, and butter. The coconut adds a subtle warmth, the lemon gives it a bright lift, the rum rounds out the richness, and the butter flavoring deepens the overall flavor. None of them fight each other, but rather makes the cake taste more complete.
Moist 5 Flavor Pound Cake (From Scratch!)
When summer comes around, there’s one thing I crave. And that’s pound cake. There’s nothing like a slice of buttery pound cake with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream.
This 5 flavor pound cake recipe was a huge hit with my family, especially the kids. It has the perfect pound cake texture, heavy and moist, with soft cake and sweet glaze in every bite.
It’s old-fashioned in the best possible way, pulled straight from a Mennonite country cookbook, and it delivers on every promise.
Love old fashioned recipes? Try our sour cream chocolate cake, Amish buttermilk pie and 7 layer bars.
And if pound cakes are your jam, try our brown sugar pound cake, lemon pound cake, orange pound cake and mocha pound cake.
Enjoy! -Julie
Prevent Your Pound Cake from Sticking
If you’ve had trouble with pound cakes sticking to the pan, you’re not alone. Here are our best tips and tricks for a smooth demolding:
- Generously grease the pan with shortening. Don’t use butter or margarine. Shortening works best. If you have an intricately shaped bundt pan, be sure to get all of the grooves and crevices covered.
- After greasing the pan, dust the pan with flour, then turn it upside down and tap it to get off any excess flour.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for just 10 minutes (unless the recipe says otherwise). Then turn the cake out to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for 5 Flavor Pound Cake
Knowing ahead of time what makes a pound cake work makes all the difference.
- Don’t open the oven door early. It’s tempting, but opening the oven before the cake is close to done causes the center to sink. Wait until the 60-minute mark at the earliest before checking.
- Test for doneness correctly. Insert a wooden toothpick or skewer into the thickest part of the cake. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If it comes out wet, give it another 5 minutes and check again.
- Let it cool before turning it out. Ten minutes in the pan is the sweet spot. Too soon and it falls apart; too long and steam builds up and makes it stick. Set a timer and don’t skip this step.
- Cool completely before glazing. If the cake is even slightly warm, the glaze will slide right off instead of setting up into that beautiful drizzle.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
This 5 flavor pound cake keeps wonderfully, which makes it a great option for holidays, potlucks, or anytime you want to get baking out of the way ahead of time.
- At room temperature, store the cake in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. It will stay moist for up to 4 days. It may taste even better on day two.
- To make it ahead, bake the cake and let it cool completely, but hold off on the glaze. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, let it thaw completely at room temperature and then add the glaze fresh.
- To freeze individual slices, wrap each one in plastic wrap and place them in a zip-top freezer bag. Pull them out one at a time whenever you want a slice. They thaw quickly on the counter in about 30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a regular loaf or tube pan instead of a bundt pan?
Yes, with some adjustments. A tube pan works best as a direct substitute since it has a similar shape and baking surface. If you use loaf pans, plan to divide the batter between two standard 9×5 pans and reduce your baking time to about 50 minutes.
Where do I find butter flavoring and rum flavoring?
Both are usually found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, right alongside vanilla extract. McCormick makes both and is widely available. You’re looking for “imitation butter flavor” and “imitation rum extract“.
Can I leave out any of the 5 flavors?
You can, but the cake really shines when all five are present. If you’re missing one, the closest swaps are leaving out the rum flavoring (the least dominant of the five) or replacing the lemon with a bit of orange extract for a different twist. Skipping the butter or coconut flavoring will have a more noticeable impact on the overall taste.
Five Flavor Pound Cake
You've never had a pound cake like this! Unique flavors blend together in a delicious way with this Five Flavor Pound Cake. Drizzle a powdered sugar glaze on top for a pretty look.
Servings 15
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 19 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1½ cups salted butter room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup 2% milk
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream (plus a few more tablespoons if needed)
- ½ teaspoon coconut flavoring
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon rum flavoring
- ½ teaspoon butter flavoring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 340ºF. Grease a 10" bundt pan with shortening, then dust with flour.
- Cream together the softened butter and sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat in the eggs until well blended. 1½ cups salted butter, 3 cups granulated sugar, 5 large eggs1½ cups salted butter, 3 cups granulated sugar, 5 large eggs
- Add the baking powder, salt, and flavorings. Mix well. ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1 teaspoon rum extract, 1 teaspoon butter flavoring½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1 teaspoon rum extract, 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
- Add the flour and milk alternately, mixing on low speed and scraping the bowl between each addition. 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup 2% milk3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup 2% milk
- Pour the cake batter in the prepared pan and bake for 65-70 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter. The exact time will depend on the size and shape of your bundt pan so watch it closely. Don't open the oven until you think it is done.
- Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Turn the cake onto a cake plate to cool completely.
- Combine the sugar and extracts in a small bowl. Add ¼ cup heavy cream. Whisk together. Add more heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the correct drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. 1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon coconut flavoring, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon lemon extract, , ½ teaspoon rum flavoring, ½ teaspoon butter flavoring1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon coconut flavoring, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon lemon extract, ½ teaspoon rum flavoring, ½ teaspoon butter flavoring
Notes
Store the cake in an airtight container.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 731IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
