Constructed on all of the basic, favourite flavors of key lime pie, my key lime cake is enjoyable, refreshing, and brilliantly flavored! It’s made with three moist, candy vanilla cake layers, a tart key lime frosting, and (elective, however beneficial) sky-high dollops of whipped cream. Recipe features a how-to video tutorial!
Why You’ll Love This Key Lime Cake
- Cake layers: the cake layers are subtly infused with key lime taste, however they nonetheless have a candy vanilla cake style, so the cake isn’t overpowered by tartness.
- Frosting: to attain probably the most key lime taste within the frosting, we’ll stir in a do-it-yourself lime curd. I first used this method in my lemon frosting (this can be a recreation changer for infusing taste into frostings!).
- Ornament: a crown of stabilized whipped cream and miniskirt of graham cracker crumbs places issues excessive and offers the whole lot an genuine key lime pie style and really feel.
- Method: from the reverse creaming methodology used to make the tender cake layers to the curd-infused frosting, each bit of labor you set into this cake can be properly well worth the reward.
A Few Issues to Know
My present favourite cake, key lime cake isn’t simply spectacular to have a look at, it’s an absolute taste masterpiece (if I do say so myself)! With subtly key lime flavored cake layers, a clean and silky cream cheese key lime frosting, and beneficiant dollops of whipped cream frosting (elective, however so beneficial), it’s concurrently decadent and completely refreshing for summer season. A contact of graham cracker crumbs across the backside provides a pleasant contact of sweetness and texture too!
The top result’s the proper stability of candy and tart.
I went by many, many trials and variations creating this recipe and eventually nailed the tender, gentle, however barely extra dense crumb I used to be in search of within the cake layers. For the frosting, one which began with a cream cheese frosting base was the winner with my style testers (and myself) each time.
Substances
Let’s chat about just a few of the important thing elements within the cake itself, after which I’ll do the identical for the frosting.
- Key lime juice. Key limes, not to mention good, juicy ones, could be troublesome to seek out relying in your location and time of 12 months. You may substitute “common” lime zest for the important thing lime zest, however for the juice I actually suggest utilizing a key lime juice. For those who can’t discover precise key limes, most shops carry the juice. Search for a model known as “Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice”, as that one works very properly right here (I’ve made the cake utilizing this juice a number of instances).
- All-purpose flour. I discovered that common all-purpose flour (plain flour within the UK) labored finest right here (quite than cake flour).
- Butter & oil. Like so a lot of my cake recipes, I’m utilizing a mix of oil and butter to create a moist, flavorful crumb on this key lime cake. Oil can be particularly useful for preserving moisture in desserts that want refrigerated, like this one.
- Vanilla. Despite the fact that we’re flavoring the cake with lime juice and zest, a contact of vanilla remains to be applicable right here. It’s delicate, however softens the tartness of the limes a bit.
Frosting Substances
- Cream cheese. Similar to when making key lime cheesecake, it’s essential to use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese for this key lime frosting. The spreadable type offered in tubs (or the low-fat selection!) can be far too gentle and you’ll have a runny frosting.
- Eggs. We’ll want simply the yolks (so be at liberty to avoid wasting the whites for coconut macaroons or meringues). This can kind the bottom of our key lime curd, which we’ll beat into our frosting.
- Key Lime Juice. See my word above; I sometimes can’t discover key limes once I need them, so I used bottled key lime juice (and whereas contemporary will all the time be my choice, bottled works properly right here!).
- Graham cracker crumbs. These are elective, however for a key lime pie vibe, you may press some graham cracker crumbs up the edges after frosting. These add a pleasant texture too!
No vanilla right here, as this could dampen the contemporary lime taste.
SAM’S TIP: In contrast to many citrus fruits that attain their peak through the winter, limes are in season through the spring and summer season months. So that you would possibly need to think about saving recipes like orange cookies and lemon cake for the winter, and make key lime cake when the climate is heat!
That is simply an summary of the elements I used and why. For the total recipe please scroll all the way down to the underside of the put up!
Find out how to Make Key Lime Cake
Make the Cake Layers
- Whisk collectively the dry elements and sugar, then progressively stir within the butter one tablespoon at a time. Be sure you wait so as to add the subsequent tablespoon of butter till the earlier tablespoon is totally mixed.
- Stir within the oil and lime zest till included. You can be left with a sandy, crumbly combination.
- Add your lime juice to a big glass measuring cup, then pour in milk till you attain a complete of 1 ½ cups of liquid. This would possibly appear to be an odd measuring method, however for those who’ve ever made my buttermilk substitute, you’ll acknowledge it. By doing this, we are literally making a type of buttermilk substitute. The scant cup of milk give us the right quantity of liquid and chemical response for the last word texture and taste.
- Add the remaining moist elements to the milk combination, then slowly pour it into your batter till mixed. Scrape the edges and backside of the bowl as wanted and blend till you’ve got a clean, silky batter.
- Divide your batter between your cake pans and bake. I like to make use of the toothpick take a look at to examine for doneness; you need to see just a few moist crumbs or a clear toothpick.
- Let the desserts cool for 10-Quarter-hour, then take away them from the pans and funky utterly on a cooling rack.
Frosting
- Make the important thing lime curd, then pour it by a high-quality mesh strainer right into a heatproof bowl. Let this cool utterly earlier than including it to your frosting!
- Beat the butter and cream cheese till clean, then progressively add 4 cups of the powdered sugar till included.
- Progressively stir within the cooled key lime curd, working with one tablespoon at a time. Don’t do that too rapidly or add an excessive amount of, or you may break your frosting.
- Scrape the edges and backside of the bowl, then style take a look at. Add the extra sugar in case your frosting appears too gentle, tart, or about to interrupt.
Sure, making a do-it-yourself key lime curd is extra time consuming than merely including a splash of juice into the frosting, but it surely actually nailed the flavour I used to be in search of, whereas simply including lime juice merely does not do the trick. I promise, the additional work is properly value it!
Meeting
- Degree and frost your first cake layer, then repeat with the second layer. Add your last layer on high. If desired, do a crumb coat.
- End frosting your cake with a good layer across the exterior.
- Press graham cracker crumbs up the edges of the cake, if desired.
- Pipe whipped cream swirls across the high of the cake and adorn as desired. I wish to sprinkle lime zest and graham cracker crumbs on the tops of the swirls.
SAM’S TIP: Let the curd cool utterly and add it progressively, or your frosting may break. This may be laborious to repair (I speak a bit about this in my raspberry frosting put up), so prevention is finest.
Continuously Requested Questions
Common lime zest will work high-quality for this key lime cake, however strive your finest to seek out key lime juice. I speak extra about this within the recipe card under; I can normally discover the juice within the fruit juice part of my grocery retailer.
Sure it does. The frosting and whipped cream gained’t be secure at room temperature, so it’s essential retailer this cake within the fridge. Notice that it is best to retailer this cake in an hermetic container to stop it from drying out within the fridge.
My key lime cake can be made in a 9″ spherical pans, a 9×13″ pan, or as cupcakes. Simply word that your bake time can be totally different for every, so control your desserts as they bake.
This key lime cake is the proper summer season birthday cake! I can’t wait to listen to the way you prefer it.
Take pleasure in! And For those who’re having fun with these enjoyable and flavorful desserts, positively try my chocolate raspberry cake and new cannoli cake subsequent!
Let’s bake collectively! Subscribe to my publication to be notified of all the most recent recipes, and discover my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Key Lime Cake
Servings: 12 servings
Energy: 665kcal
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
Directions
Cake
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Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and completely grease and flour the edges of three 8” cake pans, tapping out any extra flour, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
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In a big bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2 ⅔ cups (333 g) all-purpose flour, 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon desk salt
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With mixer on low velocity, add softened butter one Tablespoon at a time, permitting every Tablespoon to be totally included into the dry elements earlier than including the subsequent. As soon as all butter is added, the combination could have a sandy, crumbly texture.
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
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Add oil and lime zest and stir till properly mixed. Put aside.
¼ cup (60 ml) avocado, 1 Tablespoon lime or key lime zest
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Add the important thing lime juice to a big measuring cup (a minimum of 2-cup), then add the milk till it reaches the 1 ½ cup line and whisk to mix.
1 ½ Tablespoons key lime juice, 1 ½ (333 ml) scant cups entire milk
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Add eggs and vanilla to the milk combination and whisk to mix.
2 giant eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Flip mixer to low velocity and slowly add the milk combination into batter till totally mixed, pausing to scrape the edges and backside of the bowl as wanted. Batter must be uniform, silky and clean.
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Evenly divide batter into ready pans (if weighing batter, every pan ought to have roughly 460 grams of batter) and bake within the middle rack of preheated 350F (175C) oven for 26-28 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted within the middle of every cake comes out clear or with just a few moist crumbs.
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Enable desserts to chill of their pans for 10-Quarter-hour, then run a knife alongside the sting of the pan to loosen from the perimeters and thoroughly invert onto a cooling rack to chill utterly. Whereas desserts are cooling, put together your frosting.
Curd
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In a small, non-reactive saucepan (see word) whisk collectively egg yolks, key lime juice, sugar, and salt.
2 giant egg yolks, ⅓ cup (80 ml) key lime juice, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon desk salt
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Add butter and cook dinner over medium/low warmth, whisking consistently till combination is thickened. This can take a number of minutes; as soon as it’s thickened the whisk ought to begin to depart trails by the curd, and it ought to coat the again of a spoon.
2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
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Pour curd by a high-quality mesh strainer right into a heatproof bowl. Enable to chill utterly earlier than continuing (this can be positioned within the fridge to chill sooner).
Frosting
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In a big mixing bowl, use an electrical mixer to beat softened butter and cream cheese till clean and creamy.
¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese
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Progressively add 4 cups (500g) of powdered sugar till utterly included.
4-5 cups (500-625 g) powdered sugar
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Add the cooled curd, one Tablespoon at a time, till you’ve added 5-6 Tablespoons. Make sure to scrape the edges and backside of the bowl to make sure all elements are completely mixed. If the frosting appears too gentle, too tart, or on the verge of breaking add the remaining sugar as wanted.
Meeting
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As soon as desserts are cooled, stage the tops if vital.
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Frost every layer evenly with the ready frosting. Evenly frost the surface of the cake with the remaining frosting.
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Gently press graham cracker crumbs across the backside of cake, a few quarter of the way in which up.
¼ cup (28 g) graham cracker crumbs
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Pipe, swirl, or dollop stabilized whipped cream frosting excessive of the cake, if utilizing. Enhance with extra graham cracker crumbs or lime zest, if desired.
½ batch Stabilized whipped cream frosting
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Enable to sit back within the fridge for a minimum of half-hour earlier than reducing and serving. Take pleasure in!
Notes
Key limes
Key limes could be troublesome to seek out throughout the US relying on location and time of 12 months. You may substitute “common” lime zest for the important thing lime zest, however for the juice I actually suggest utilizing a key lime juice. For those who can’t discover precise key limes, most shops carry the juice. Search for a model known as “Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice”, that one works very properly right here (I’ve made the cake utilizing this juice myself a number of instances).
Saucepan for curd
Select a small one fabricated from a non-reactive metallic like stainless-steel or an enameled ceramic pot. Keep away from reactive metals (like forged iron or aluminum) that might react with the acidity of the lime juice and make your frosting style metallic.
Lime Curd
Curd could also be ready as much as 3 days upfront of constructing the frosting. This recipe ought to yield roughly 6 Tablespoons of a really tart key lime curd. Whilst you can substitute an equal quantity of store-bought curd, it could alter the specified style a bit and do-it-yourself/as-written is finest.
Adorning: Whipped Cream Topping
To offer this cake an actual key lime pie really feel, a whipped cream topping actually provides a pleasant however elective contact. You may skip this completely or for those who want, however I like to recommend making a half-batch of my stabilized whipped cream frosting and piping this excessive of the cake (this may be accomplished upfront and can maintain its form for days, not like basic do-it-yourself whipped cream). I used my Ateco 848 piping tip to embellish the cake as seen in photos and the video.
Storing
Retailer in hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. Cake can also be tightly wrapped and frozen for as much as 3 months. I like to recommend thawing in a single day within the fridge earlier than serving.
Diet
Serving: 1serving | Energy: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 6g | Fats: 28g | Saturated Fats: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 8g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 76g | Vitamin A: 932IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary data relies on third-party calculations and must be thought of an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will fluctuate based mostly upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking methodology, portion sizes, and extra.
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