Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (2024)

Julie Clark

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Homemade cake full of sweet & tangy key lime flavor. This 100% from scratch Key Lime Cake with homemade buttercream brings summer days close.

My absolute favorite pie is key lime pie. I really only have it when we are in Florida, so in my mind key lime equates to lazy, sunshiney days.

This cake recipe is for a lime cake and lime cream cheese icing. Both the cake and the frosting are full of lime juice and lime zest. But don’t worry…the lime flavor isn’t overpowering. It’s fresh and well-balanced with the sweetness of the cake and frosting ingredients!

Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (2)

What’s to love about this cake?

We often share quick and easy cake mix recipes, but the cakes you love best? 100% from scratch. We know you’ll love this cake for these reason:

  • homemade
  • no special mixing techniques needed
  • oil instead of butter, resulting in the perfectly moist cake
  • cream cheese frosting
Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (3)

What is key lime?

Key limes are small and more “seedy” than larger limes (Persian limes). The skin is thin (they often remind me of a Mandarin orange in size and skin). They are full of tangy juicy though! Perfect for pies and cakes.

Key limes are in season June through August, but grow year round in Mexico and Central America. You should be able to find them in your local grocery store, but if you can’t, check a higher end grocery store such as Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

How to Make a Key Lime Cake

You’ll need two bowls to make this cake. It’s easiest if you use a hand mixer or stand mixer, but a whisk will work if you don’t have either of those.

  • Cream. In a large bowl, add oil, eggs, milk, vanilla, zest, and lime juice. Cream together on low until combined.
  • Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (4)
  • Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (5)
  • Stir. In another large bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
  • Mix. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Mix until combined.
Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (6)
  • Bake. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans with shortening, then dust with flour. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  • Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (7)
  • Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (8)

Cool completely before icing. You can let the cake cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then loosen and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

This lime frosting will remind you of your favorite key lime cheesecake! It’s amazing and will melt in your mouth.

  • Using a power mixer, mix together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the powdered sugar, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (9)

A note about the frosting: This buttercream recipe makes enough to cover the cake and add decoration. If you aren’t planning to add additional icing to the top of the cake, you can divide ingredients for the icing in half.

Assemble the Cake

Place one cake on a cake plate. Using a straight spatula, add the frosting in a thin base layer around the cake, then add a final layer on top. You can add as little or as much frosting as you want.

To decorate, use leftover icing to pipe flowers on the top using a large Wilton tip 1M or 2D. Add lime zest or lime peel to garnish the top.

Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (10)

How to Store Cake

Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. After that it will be best if you store it in the fridge.

This cake also freezes well! Double wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Then allow it to come to room temperature before unwrapping it to keep it fresh.

Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (11)

Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (12)

Key Lime Cake From Scratch

4.39 from 44 votes

Homemade key lime cake with a cream cheese frosting. It's tangy and sweet….delicious!

Servings 15

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

For the cake:

For the frosting:

Instructions

Make the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

  • In a large bowl, add oil, eggs, milk, vanilla, zest, and lime juice. Cream together on low until combined.

  • In another large bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.

  • Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture.

  • Spray two 9 inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

Make the frosting:

  • While the cake cools, in a large bowl, mix together the butter and cream cheese.

  • Add the powdered sugar, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix until combined and smooth.

Assemble the cake:

  • Remove the cakes from their pans. Spread icing over one cake layer, covering the top (this will be the filling of the cake).

  • Stack the second layer on the first and cover in icing.

  • Garnish with fresh lime slices and more icing, if desired.

  • Note: This icing recipe makes enough to cover the cake and add decoration. If you aren’t planning to add additional icing to the top of the cake, you can divide ingredients for the icing in half.

Notes

*This recipe can also be made in three 9” cake pans. If using 9” pans bake for 20 – 25 minutes.

*Tip: make sure your cake is completely cool before icing it. You may want to chill your icing until it’s ready to add to the cake.

*You could make this into a lemon-lime cake by switching out half of the lime zest and juice that it calls for with lemon.

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake (all of the frosting used). Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 670kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 424mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 91g | Vitamin A: 881IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 670

Keyword fruit, lime, summer

Have you tried this recipe?

Share a review below or share on Instagram with the tag #tastesoflizzyt.

Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - The Best Cake Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is key lime cake made of? ›

For the Key Lime Cake

In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and gelatin, and mix well. In a medium sized bowl, mix the eggs, oil, orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just incorporated.

Does adding sour cream to cake make it moist? ›

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

Can I ice a cake with cream cheese frosting? ›

Can I use this frosting for cake decorating and layer cakes? If you're making a simple 2 layer cake, then yes it can be used as a frosting for the inside and outside. However, as with most cream cheese frostings it will soften up slightly at room temperature making it less stable.

How to use cheese cream on cake? ›

Method
  1. Beat the softened butter to a soft and even consistency. Add the orange juice, if using, then the icing sugar. ...
  2. Add the cream cheese and work it in – don't beat it in, just slowly mix with a wooden spoon. Depending on how soft the mixture is, you may want to put it in the fridge for 10 mins at this point.

What's the difference between a sweet lime and a Key lime? ›

How are Key limes different from regular limes? Smaller though they may be, Key limes are actually known for having a bolder, slightly herbal-floral aroma and packing much more of an acidic punch than their Persian brethren.

What is the taste difference between Key lime and regular lime? ›

In terms of taste, key limes have a higher acidity, making them a little more tart than what we consider "regular limes." This makes them ideal for pairing with sweeter ingredients, hence the ever-popular Key lime pie.

How do bakeries get their cakes so moist? ›

Jump to:
  1. Use Buttermilk Instead of Milk.
  2. Add Vegetable Oil.
  3. Use Instant Clearjel or Instant Pudding Mix.
  4. Use the Right Recipe.
  5. Don't Overbake.
  6. Bake in Sheet Pans Instead of individual Cake Pans.
  7. Use a Simple Syrup or Glaze.
Apr 23, 2021

Does butter or oil make a cake more moist? ›

Why does oil give cake superior texture? Butter is 18% water, so when the batter is baked, some of its liquid evaporates. Replacing the water from the butter with oil means there's more fat left in the cakes to ensure tenderness.

How can I make my cake more moist and fluffy? ›

10 WAYS TO MAKE CAKE MOIST
  1. USE THE CORRECT TEMPERATURE AND BAKING TIME. Consider lowering your oven temperature slightly when baking a cake. ...
  2. USE VEGETABLE OIL. ...
  3. USE BUTTERMILK INSTEAD OF MILK. ...
  4. ADD INSTANT PUDDING MIX. ...
  5. ADD MAYONNAISE. ...
  6. USE SIMPLE SYRUP OR GLAZE. ...
  7. USE CAKE FLOUR. ...
  8. DON'T OVERMIX.

Do I need to refrigerate my cake with cream cheese frosting? ›

So does it need refrigeration? Food Network Kitchens: Yes, you should always refrigerate any cake or cupcake that has cream cheese frosting.

What kind of cake is good with cream cheese frosting? ›

Desserts with cream cheese frosting are some of the most decadent out there. From carrot cake to pumpkin bars to red velvet cake, these treats are absolute classics. So grab a few bricks of cream cheese, plenty of confectioners' sugar and get ready to bake!

What should be avoided when frosting cake? ›

10 Common Cake Frosting Mistakes to Avoid
  1. Don't Make the Frosting in Advance. ...
  2. Don't Frost a Warm Cake. ...
  3. Don't Overbeat the Frosting. ...
  4. Don't Soften Butter to Room Temperature. ...
  5. Don't Forget The Crumb Coat. ...
  6. Don't Use Just Any Spatula. ...
  7. Don't Use Powdered Sugar Directly From the Bag. ...
  8. Don't Assume the Cake is Flat.
Jun 5, 2018

What cream cheese is best for cakes? ›

One of the most popular types is Philadelphia and is usually a trustworthy brand for this product. However, if you don't want to use a brand name, you can shop locally or even make your own.

Which is better cream cheese or cheese cake? ›

Overall, the cream cheese pie was more flavorful and the texture was light enough to leave you wanting more. It paired perfectly with some cherry sauce and the ease of the recipe makes you want to make it over and over again. So, there you have it, folks: Cream cheese pie is objectively better than cheesecake.

How do you thicken cream cheese icing for a cake? ›

Mix 1 tablespoon (25 grams) of cornstarch into the frosting. If it is still too runny, add a little more. Continue to add cornstarch until you are happy with the texture. Avoid adding more than 1/2 cup (62.5 grams) of cornstarch per 8 oz (226 grams) of cream cheese.

What are key limes made of? ›

Key lime is probably a tri-hybrid intergeneric cross (a three-way hybrid involving three plant species and at least two different genera) of citron (Citrus medica), pummelo (Citrus grandis), and a microcitrus species, Citrus micrantha.

What is the flavor key lime? ›

Key limes tend to be small and seedy, with a distinctive lime flavor that is tart but not too acidic. They also have a distinct aroma, far more aromatic than common limes. 2 Grocery store limes, generally speaking, are Persian limes, the most widely commercially cultivated variety of lime.

What does key lime dessert taste like? ›

What does key lime pie taste like? Citrusy, sweet, and tart are the three words that come to mind when I think of key lime pie. Traditional key lime pie filling contains key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks giving it a sweet and slightly bitter flavor.

What is key lime pie made of? ›

Combine condensed milk, key lime juice, sour cream, and lime zest in a bowl; mix well. Pour into graham cracker crust; place pie on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of the pie. The filling will be wobbly but not browned.

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