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Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Moist key lime cake with sweet cream cheese frosting. A light and fluffy citrus lime cake with the perfect lime buttercream frosting!
I work long and hard to perfect my cake recipes. I take baking cakes pretty seriously and want to pass on these tried and true recipes to my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren…so they better be perfect!
I have been baking since the time I could climb up on a stool and help my Mom in the kitchen. Baking cakes and cookies for my friends and family have always been my favorite thing to bake! I shared how my kids get to choose the flavor of their birthday cake every year and they get pretty creative! Since my daughter, Sadie, is obsessed with anything lime flavored, I knew this had to be her special birthday cake.
This is literally one of my husband’s favorite cakes I have ever made. It is seriously the best lime cake!
We just returned home from a Caribbean cruise with the family and had the best time! It was so nice to be away from cellphones and laptops and reconnects as a family. My kids felt like Kings and Queens with access to unlimited food and drinks! Our favorite virgin non-alcoholic drink was definitely the mojito — made with fresh lime juice and mint. This drink was definitely the inspiration for this fresh key lime cake!
This Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting can be made as a layered cake with two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans or in a 9 x 13 pan.
How to make the Best Key Lime Cake (the best tips and tricks):
- Whip oil, eggs, whole milk, lime juice, and lemon zest for about 2-3 minutes. I would highly suggest using FRESH lime juice for this cake. It makes such a difference in the flavor. Also, zest the limes first before juicing since it is much easier to zest while the limes are hard and round.
- Fold in dry ingredients. Pour into greased cake pans. It is so important to grease the cake pans well so the cakes easily come out of the pans. You can choose to use two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans, depending on preference. If you use three 8-inch pans, the layers will be thinner and will need less baking time. This can also be made in a 9 x 13 pan.
- After cakes have baked, set aside to cool. Make frosting by whipping softened cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. This makes the frosting extra light. Add powdered sugar and whip for 1 minute. If you want a stiffer frosting, add more powdered sugar. Fold in lime juice and lime zest.
- Remove cakes from pan. Spread frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place the other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over. I use this angled spatula to spread frosting all over the cake layers. Garnish with freshly sliced limes.
If you love cakes, here are some of the most popular cake recipes:
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Orange Cake
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Key Lime Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Key Lime Cake:
- 1 cup Canola or Olive Oil
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 1/3 cup Whole Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Zest
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Lime Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
- 8 ounce Cream Cheese (softened)
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Lime Zest
- Fresh Limes (sliced for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, add oil, eggs, whole milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Cream for 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into egg mixture and fold.
- Spray two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Place batter into baking pans. If using three 8-inch pans, bake for 20-26 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If using two 9-inch pans, bake for 30-36 minutes. Cool.
To make Lime Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl often. Add powdered sugar, lime juice, lime zest, and cream together. Chill.
- Remove cakes from pan. Spread frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place the other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over. Garnish with fresh lime slices.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Would it be possible to have measurements in accurate grams and Millilitres please?
Very easy and great recipe! I used cake flour and big duck eggs and I made russian buttercream frosting with a little bit more lime than you used. I live in Cambodian jungle so we dont have access to all the supplies like cheese. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
LOVE this recipe!! The cream cheese frosting was so perfect with the lime cake. I couldn’t get enough!!
Can I use a Bundt pan for this cake?
I would like to know this too.
Great question Mary! I haven’t recipe tested that yet, but I think trying it out in a Bundt pan would be great. I think the bake time should be the same as a typical Bundt pan recipe, so about 50-60 minutes. Hope this helps!
I made this cake for my adult sons birthday. He loved it & so did his family. Have to say I loved it too! Very moist & great lime flavor!!!
This is such a fun birthday cake, isn’t it? I am so glad that you all loved it. Thanks for trying out my recipe!
Can you use Key Limes instead of regular Limes?
Can I substitute buttermilk for the milk? If so, would it be the same amount?
Hi Cheryl! Yes you can substitute the buttermilk for milk. The flavor and texture may be slightly different, I haven’t recipe tested it yet. I hope that you love it!
All baking recipes should be posted in metric as baking is a SCIENCE and should be exact
Can this recipe be made into cupcakes? If so, what is the bake time?
Can I bake this cake in a 13 x 9 pan instead of making a layer cake? If so, do I need to adjust the baking time?
Yes Michelle of course! That would be great! I would recommend baking it for 21-25 minutes. Hope that you love it!
Thank you for this lovely recipe. I made if for a birthday party for a special friend. I was stunned when she told me her new favourite cake was Key Lime Cake. I had never heard of it, just key lime pie. I was doubting my ears. However, I dutifully googled and found your recipe. I nervously made it and presented it at her birthday party. It was a huge success and now everyone wants Key Lime cake and your recipe!!
Yvonne! What a sweet comment. I am so glad to hear that you loved this recipe. And I am so happy to hear that you made this cake for a friend. That’s the best compliment I could ever get on any of my recipes, is that you shared it with somebody else. That’s major trust!! Thanks for the sweet comment!
This recipe doesn’t specify which type of limes.