Visual learner? Watch me make this key lime pound cake w/ key lime cream cheese icing from start to finish!


It’s that time of year again where key lime everything is in full effect! I’m starting to see this flavor pop up in bakeries around town and that means St. Patrick’s day and Spring are right around the corner! Woo hoo!!!

I’m so excited for Spring for so many reasons! One reason is that my little niece is having her first baby next month, eeek!  Well, she’s not little anymore. She almost 25, but she was just a little bouncy 5-year old when I met her and that’s how I still see her. She was my husband’s niece first, and the minute I was introduced to her, she became my little shadow. Always wanting to sit beside me, play in my makeup and asking me, “can you cook something” lol.

Key Lime Pound Cake Recipe

It’s crazy how time flies. She’s keeping the gender of the baby a surprise since she doesn’t want to know, but she let my husband and I come to her 4D ultrasound and allowed us to find out the gender as so long as we didn’t tell anyone.

I’ve been using this secret information to indulge my love of baby shopping! I’m so ready for this baby to join the family. This little one is surrounded by so much love and support. One blessed baby for sure!

I threw her a 100 Acre Wood baby shower last week, and it featured some of the cutest pound cake cake pops! They were shaped like little honey pots and were the talk of the shower. Today, I’m recreating those cake pops but in regular pound cake form.

Bring on the key lime pound cake with key lime cream cheese icing! This is the second lime pound cake I’ve posted on this site, and it’s become my favorite.

It’s that daggum key lime cream cheese icing that takes it over the top! It’s so good and perfect for special Spring occasions.

For this key lime pound cake, I opted to use all butter instead of my usual butter-shortening duo. Something about all-butter pound cakes with sour cream does it for me! The texture is so fluffy and moist! I mean just look at it! My goodness!

Key Lime Pound Cake Recipe

What’s The Difference between limes and key limes?

Well, besides key limes being much cuter and smaller, key limes are tangy just like regular limes but not as acidic. Do a taste test and you’ll see what I mean! Key limes also have really thin skin compared to regular limes so you’ll need to zest these carefully.

Can I substitute regular limes if I can’t find any key limes?

*Gasp* How dare you to suggest such an atrocity!! The answer is, yup! But don’t tell anyone, ok? And don’t tell anyone that I said it was ok. Some folks are particular about authentic key lime flavor, but I bet they wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference. Shhhh. I used fresh key limes in this recipe. You’ll only need about 8-10 of them for this cake, and I’ve always been able to find them at Walmart.

You won’t find any lime jello in this key lime pound cake. Sure artificial lime can boost the lime flavor and give it a green color, but there is nothing like the taste of REAL key lime juice and REAL key lime zest to lend all the key lime flavor. You won’t miss the lime jello, trust, especially since it has such a fresh, citrusy key lime icing to compliment everything.

 

Tips On How To Make The BEST Key Lime Pound Cake

1. Go gentle with the mixer. If you want to avoid those infamous gummy pound cake streaks in your finished cake, then keep that mixer on a low-medium. Over creaming the butter and sugar or flour results in a streaking pound cake. So be sure not to overdo it. Mix just until everything is combined on a low-medium speed.

2. Use natural lime extract for a stronger lime flavor. Throwing in a bunch of key lime juice and  key lime zest into this pound cake to increase the lime flavor isn’t a great idea. If you want a stronger lime flavor try adding more lime extract or poking a few tiny holes in the cake and brushing with with a simple syrup make with sugar and key lime juice. This is what I do when I make natural citrus cakes normally, but I didn’t think this key lime pound cake needed it. The icing packed enough key lime punch.

3. Serve the next day. If possible make this key lime pound cake the day before you want to serve it. Any pound cake is better the next day IMO but this is especially true for citrus pound cakes. By the next day the key lime flavor is much stronger and the overall taste is perfectly balanced. Of course it taste delicious the first day as well!

Enjoy!


key lime pound cake w/ cream cheese key lime icing

Get the Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake w/ Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing

4.37 from 72 ratings
Homemade Key Lime Pound Cake w/ Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing! Bakes up dense and moist with plenty of fresh key lime flavor!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients
 

CAKE

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons key lime zest, (zest from about 4-5 key limes)
  • cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 6 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lime extract
  • 1/4 cup key lime juice, (juice from about 4-5 key limes)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

KEY LIME CREAM CHEESE ICING

  • 2 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup key lime juice, (juice from about 4-5 key limes)
  • 1/4 cup milk, (use enough to make icing pourable)
  • 1-2 teaspoons key lime zest (plus more for garnishing if desired), (zest from about 4-5 key limes)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and lightly flour a 9½ inch bundt pan. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and key lime zest. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, using low mixer speed cream together butter and sugar just until combined.
  • Mix in eggs, one at a time until combine.
  • Mix in vanilla and lime extract.
  • Mix in key lime juice, sour cream and buttermilk.
  • Gradually add dry mixture into wet mixture until batter is fluffy and combined (DO NOT OVER MIX)
  • Spoon batter into prepared pan and shake the pan to level it out and remove air bubbles.
  • Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (may need a few extra minutes. I usually underbake slightly to get that perfect moist and velvety texture. Remember cake will continue to cook as it cool)
  • Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
  • When pan is cool enough to touch, remove cake from cake pan and allow cake to cool completely on the cooling rack.

MAKE THE GLAZE

  • To make the glaze, combine all glaze ingredients until smooth and silky.
  • Drizzle glaze over compleltey cooled cake and garnish with key lime zest.

Video

Notes

*This pound cake tastes great the first day but even better the next day! If making for a special occasion, make it the day before.
Cuisine: American, southern
Course: cake, Dessert, pound cake
Tried this recipe?Mention @divascancook on Instagram or tag #divascancook.