If you’ve been around these parts, you know my daddy loves a mean key lime pie. So I had to make a cake remix, and my key lime cake recipe straight up delivers. I keep the texture moist and soft with a cream cheese base but then I add in a ton of key lime zest to get that citrus flavor popping. Finally I finish it off with a delish cream cheese glaze that’s thick, creamy and just plain amazing. Get at it boos.
Video Tutorial
How to Make Key Lime Cake
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Step 1: Start by preheating your oven to 325°F then liberally spray a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick baking spray. In your mixer bowl, add butter, oil or shortening, and cream cheese and beat for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add in sugar beat on high speed for an additional seven minutes until very pale yellow and fluffy.
Step 2: Next, add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides as needed.
Step 3: Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour into batter in two increments then add salt, zest and juice. Be careful not to over beat.
Step 4: Lastly, add in vanilla extract, scrape down sides and mix until well combined and turn off mixer. Pour cake batter into prepared bundt pan.
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Step 5: Bake for 1 hour and 15 -25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cake on serving plate for at least an hour or until the cake is cool to the touch.
Step 6: Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and key lime juice until smooth then pour over top of cooled cake and serve. Note: this icing must be refrigerated so keep that in mind.
Key Lime Cake Recipe
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tbsp shortening or oil
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups plus 1 tablespoon of sifted cake flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp key lime zest
- 2 1/2 tbsp key lime juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Glaze
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp key lime juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Start by preheating your oven to 325°F then liberally spray a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In your mixer bowl, add butter, oil or shortening, and cream cheese and beat for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add in sugar beat on high speed for an additional seven minutes until very pale yellow and fluffy.
- Next, add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides as needed.
- Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour into batter in two increments then add salt, zest and juice. Be careful not to over beat.
- Lastly, add in vanilla extract, scrape down sides and mix until well combined and turn off mixer.
- Pour cake batter into prepared bundt pan, and bake for 1 hour and 15 -25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cake on serving plate for at least an hour or until the cake is cool to the touch.
For the Glaze
- Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and key lime juice until smooth then pour over top of cooled cake and serve. Note: this icing must be refrigerated so keep that in mind.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Help
- Room Temp: Make sure your cream cheese, butter, and eggs are room temp when working on this cake. It makes a difference in the smoothness of the batter and also the icing.
- Don’t Overmix: You gotta use a gentle hand once you add your dry ingredients so the cake doesn’t become dense.
- Keep An Eye on the Bake: I believe in checking a cake earlier than even the guideline I suggest. Ovens all bake differently so just check early to prevent it overbaking and getting dry.
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Sounds great! Can I replace the milk with heavy whipping cream for the glaze?
Sure thing.
Can I use a 10 in bundt cake pan? I don’t have a 12 in
If you don’t have a 12 cup bundt pan, you can use a 10 cup but you will end up with additional batter because you don’t want to overfill it and have it overflow in the oven. You can use the remainder to make cupcakes if you would like!
I made this and it’s absolutely delicious! The bundt cake was super moist and had such amazing lime flavor. I used regular limes since it’s March and key limes arent in season and the cake was still had a perfect lime flavor. My friends couldnt stop talking about it! Defintely saving this recipe and making it again!
Can’t wait to make this! Do you have an equivalent weight measurement in ounces or grams per cup of cake flour? I like the accuracy of weighing ingredients. Thank you!
Love Key Lime so on my list to make, I am doing low carb so the ability to freeze some is great! Also glaze on side will help!
Made this bundt cake tonight! What could I say? It is gone, there is no leftovers… It was amazingly delicious. It is worth making!
We love key lime pie around here, but have never tried a key lime cake before. This cake will be a favorite in my home for sure. 🙂
you had me at pound cake queen! your key lime cake looks DELICIOUS! I definitely need to make it
The glaze on the cake is such a wonderful addition – what a beautiful idea!
My husband loves key lime pie so I made this for him and he loved it!! Thanks for a great recipe.