Five Flavor Pound Cake
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 5 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon rum flavored extract
- 1 teaspoon butter flavored extract
- 1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract
- 1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- Carbohydrate 54.6327812445855 g
- Cholesterol 105.89644227226 mg
- Fat 20.9196977561821 g
- Fiber 0.723214299408223 g
- Protein 5.41286738471513 g
- Saturated Fat 11.5770648449567 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (123g)
- Sodium 465.742786226416 mg
- Sugar 53.9095669451773 g
- Trans Fat 1.57796447978469 g
- Calories 426 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch tube pan. In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and 1 teaspoon each coconut, lemon, rum, butter and vanilla extracts; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and 3 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat until smooth. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared pan.
- Bake for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until cake tests done. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Turn cake out of pan onto wire rack. Place waxed paper under rack to catch glaze drippings. Slowly spoon Five Flavor Glaze onto top of hot cake. Cool completely.
- To make the Five Flavor Glaze: In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, water and 1/2 teaspoon each coconut, lemon, rum, butter and vanilla extracts. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Baking at a low temperature of 325 degrees F is the governing thermal constraint for heavy batters containing large quantities of sugar and fat. High heat would cause the exterior to burn before the dense interior transfers thermal energy to set the egg proteins and starch matrix. Alternating the addition of dry ingredients with the milk and extract mixture prevents emulsion breakdown by maintaining a stable water-in-fat suspension throughout mixing.
The Chemistry of Multi-Extract Profiles
Volatile compounds from coconut, lemon, rum, butter, and vanilla extracts behave differently under heat. Highly volatile citrus notes and alcohol-based rum extracts require careful dosing so they do not entirely evaporate during the extended 90-minute bake time. Pairing these with stable lipid-soluble butter and vanilla compounds guarantees that the aroma persists after baking. Incorporating half of each extract into the batter and reserving the remaining proportions for a boiled sugar glaze applies aromatic compounds at different stages of cooling.
Common Structural Pitfalls
Overtaxing the batter during flour incorporation develops excess gluten strands, yielding a dense, rubbery crumb rather than a tender pound cake structure. Creaming butter, shortening, and sugar until thoroughly light and fluffy incorporates microscopic air pockets necessary for chemical leavening agents and beaten eggs to expand properly. Pouring the hot glaze over the cake immediately after turning it out onto a wire rack utilizes residual heat to open the surface pores, allowing the liquid syrup to penetrate rather than pool on top.
