Key Lime Pound Cake is a riff on my favorite (and award winning) Vanilla Pound Cake. The cake itself is a little lighter than most pound cakes, but with buttery flavor and in this case, a gentle lime flavor. Think key lime pie in cake form.
What is Pound Cake?
Pound cakes, as a rule, are a little heavy. If you want a light, moist crumb, this isn’t your go-to cake. But when you need a comforting buttery dessert, they hit the spot.
They got their name because the original ingredient list was simple. One pound of butter, one pound of sugar and one pound of flour with a few eggs. Hence, pound cake.
But with no leaveners or other flavors, this also meant they were heavy and needed to be accompanied by sauce or fresh fruit. Since, many variations of pound cake have emerged. My key lime cake being one of them.
Gather This
The basic ingredients for a good key lime pound cake are pretty straightforward and simple. You probably already have them on hand, and it not they’re easily found at the local grocery store. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter – Salt dries things out and brands can vary on salt content. Always bake with unsalted and then add salt as needed. Also, don’t skimp with cheap butter- it is the base for the is cake. Use a good grade A butter.
- Key Limes – Key limes are smaller than the usual limes at the store. Their skins are greenish-yellow and they have seeds. They are slightly more tart and have a floral aroma. Both the zest and the juice is more potent than regular limes.
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Lime juice
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
Key Lime Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup whole or 2% milk
- Key Lime Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk , to consistency
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour two 9×5-inch loaf pans. Set aside.
- In medium bowl, sift or whisk together the 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the 2 1/2 cups sugar and 1 cup unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add the 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice , 2 teaspoons lime zest and 5 large eggs, beating on high speed for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with 1 cup whole or 2% milk on low speed, beating just until smooth after each addition.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
- Bake the cakes on the middle rack for 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan(s) to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
- When the cakes are cooled, make the glaze.
- Whisk together the 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon lime zest . Add more milk very sparingly until a drizzle-able consistency.
- Place the cake on cooling rack with aluminum foil or parchment underneath. Spoon the glaze over cakes and let excess drip below. Let glaze set and then transfer to serving tray.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments and ratings!
Video
Nutrition
Storage and Freezing
Store your cake in a cool, dry place at room temperature. Make sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil or in an airtight container. It should stay good and moist for up to 5 days.
This key lime pound cake is also freezer friendly. Wrap very well in aluminum foil and/or freezer paper and store in the back of the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw by unwrapping and sitting at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
More Pound Cake Recipes
I love a good pound cake! Here are some of my favorite pound cake recipes. And make sure to check out out top pound cake mistakes!
- No Churn Chocolate Chip Nutella Ice Cream from Big Bear’s Wife Sweet Summertime Cakes and Cupcakes:
- Key Lime Pound Cake from Savory Experiments
- Cherry Cheesecake Angel Dessert from Sweet ReciPEAs
- Oh My Cherry Pie Cream Cheese Spread from For the Love of Food
It was hard to find real key limes, but totally worth it. Loved the flavors, not too sweet and not too tart.
Hi Jessica,so not even silicone loaf pan?
I’m sure a silicone loaf pan can work, but I haven’t tried it. Just no other shapes of pan like a bundt or tube pan.
Hi, I made this pound cake and it was very good. I’m a bit new to baking and followed the recipe. I used new Farberware loaf pans, used butter to grease them. I checked them at 53 min. and they were just slightly overdone…my oven is usually right on temperature-wise. I added a little lime juice to the glaze and a few drops of vanilla. I may have used too much sugar for the glaze when I compacted it a bit, and used at least six tablespoons of whole milk to get it to the right consistency. I used regular limes and will definitely make this again, thank you.
Hi Danny! It was probably the butter. Butter burns before other types o grease- most people use vegetable shortening or even spray PAM or cake release. When we are using fresh limes, each will vary on juice yield so you have to play the with other liquid and sugar amounts. Hope you liked it overall!
Did you mean a standard loaf pan? It said stand. I assume it was a typo. If not, please enlighten.
You are correct- it should read “standard” loaf pans. I’ll update it 🙂
Key Lime Pound cake: Didn’t like this recipe AT ALL!! Too dry, not much flavor. Yuck…
I am really sorry to hear that. I’ve made it several times and had rave reviews. Just curious- did you use normal limes or key limes and follow all of my tips to prevent dry cake?
This key lime pound cake looks absolutely amazing! I love a good key lime pie, but as a cake, it sounds infinitely better. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
I love the lime zest on top. So pretty!
This cake is one of my favorite. I love the flavor. Thanks for sharing
What a gorgeous and delicious cake! Love the flavor of key lime, especially in the summer. YUM!
This looks so moist and delicious. I just love the flavor of key lime pie and now I get to enjoy it in a pound cake!!