This key lime pound cake recipe uses lime zest and juice to flavor both the cake itself and the smooth cream cheese icing.
Pound cakes are known for their buttery richness and heft. They don’t have the delicate crumb of a layer cake but a satisfying density that cuts easily and travels well. This thick cake is lightened and brightened by the citrusy tang of key limes.
If you love key lime flavor but don’t want to make a cake, try these key lime bars.
Key Lime Pound Cake Ingredients
- Butter: Butter is a key ingredient in pound cake, and true to it’s name, the recipe calls for a full pound.
- Sugar: Sugar is creamed with the butter until it’s light and fluffy.
- Key lime zest and juice: Both zest and juice are used here. The zest adds true lime flavor while the juice adds a tangy brightness.
- Eggs: Eggs add richness and bring a deep yellow color to the cake batter.
- Vanilla extract: A hefty tablespoon of vanilla extract complements the citrus flavor.
- Cake flour and milk:Â Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour keeps this cake from getting overly dense. Milk provides the liquid.
- Cream cheese and butter:Â Room temperature cream cheese and butter beat up extra-smoothly.
- Confectioner’s sugar: Confectioner’s sugar makes for a smooth and sweet frosting.
- Lime slices and zest: Optional lime slices, along with a sprinkle of zest, decorate the top of the cake.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare pan and make cake batter
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spend time greasing and flouring a 10 inch fluted tube pan well so the cake won’t stick. Shortening or butter both work and a small wire mesh sieve helps distribute flour evenly.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and zest until light and fluffy, for about five to seven minutes. Add the juice and vanilla and beat on high for another minute. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on low. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternating with 1/2 of the milk, beginning and ending with flour on low speed. Scrape the batter into your prepared pan.
Editor’s tip: While pound cakes are meant to be dense, you can prevent a tough crumb. When adding flour and milk in an alternating fashion, only mix until just combined. Over-mixing at this step will create too much gluten and decrease the cake’s tenderness.
Step 2: Bake the pound cake
Bake the cake until a toothpick or metal skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cool them in pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to completely cool.
Step 3: Frost the cake
Key Lime Pound Cake Variations
- Add crunch: In addition to lime slices and zest, sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the top of the cake for added crunch, or pretty green chopped pistachios.
- Glaze it:Â Instead of frosting, use a lighter lime glaze to coat the cake in sweet flavor. It’s best to drizzle on glaze when the cake is just slightly warm so it runs down prettily and then hardens as it cools.
- Make a lime syrup:Â To amp up the sweetness and lime flavor, make a lime-infused simple syrup and pour over the cake while it’s warm. You can serve it like this or also add frosting.
How to Store Key Lime Pound Cake
Key lime pound cake stores well covered at room temperature for two to three days.
Can you freeze key lime pound cake?
To freeze, wrap the unfrosted pound cake well in both plastic wrap and heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze up to three months.
Key Lime Pound Cake Tips
What’s the difference between key limes and other limes?
Key limes are a different variety that are smaller, yellower and have a thinner skin. They’re bright flavor has a floral quality to it. Limes you find at the grocery store (often called Persian limes) are larger, have a thicker skin and straight lime flavor.
Can regular limes be used in this recipe?
If you can’t find or don’t want to use key limes, substituting with regular limes is fine. If you want to try and replicate the floral aroma of key lime juice try replacing a part of the lime juice with lemon juice or Meyer lemon juice.
What’s the best way to zest a lime?
A tool like a zester or microplane work well for zesting citrus fruit. Use a vegetable peeler to cut larger piece of zest from the fruit then mince as fine as possible if you don’t have either of those. The most important part is to only use the green part of the skin, as the thicker white pith beneath it will be bitter.
