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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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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Thanks for the recipe. Best regards!
thank you, I’m only used to key lime pies, cakes are nice too since I love the uniqueness of key limes, much appreciated!
Great recipe I made mini cakes came out great
Really delicious recipe. I love it yummy!!! It’s really awesome
Id give it a thousand stars if I could. One of the most delicious cakes I’ve had.
Fantastic! My son requested a lime cake for his 12th birthday, and we all loved this one so much that he asked me to save the recipe and make it every year! This is not a light cake (even the weight of the batter in the pan was surprising!), but it has loads more flavor and moisture than most pound cakes. Thanks!
I made the key Lime pound cake and it came out delicious. My husband enjoyed it so very much. I had key Lime pound cake from friends and theirs were rather dry. My family thoroughly love, love this recipe. Thanks so very much ✌️
I’m very grateful to receive the recipe for the cake recipe
I made this cake for my mother-in-law 90th birthday party and it was a hit! It was delicious! This will be my go to pound cake recipe from here on out! Only this I did different was use a tube pan Thank you for sharing!
I made this cake last night. I follow the directions as is and it was to die for. I was surprised how moist it came out without having to use butter milk. For key lime Cake this will definitely be my go to receipe. I’ve been trying different pound cake receipts. I also made the strawberry pound cake recipe of yours. Excellent