Key Lime Pie Cake

5 from 5 votes

This key lime pie cake recipe is a layered moist lime cake filled with homemade lime curd. It is topped with the most delicious honey lime cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time1

Cook Time46

Chill Time1

Total Time2 46

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 763kcal

Author: Natalie

Equipment

Ingredients

Lime Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
3¾ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup oil canola or vegetable
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lime zest fresh key lime zest or zest from regular limes
1¼ cups whole milk room temperature
¾ cup full fat sour cream room temperature

Lime Curd (optional)

2 tablespoons lime zest key lime zest or zest from regular limes
⅔ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 pinch salt
½ cup lime juice key lime juice or juice from regular limes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature

Graham Cracker Crumble (optional)

1 cup graham cracker crumbs about 8 full graham crackers
¼ cup butter melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar light or dark, packed
1 pinch salt

Honey Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
8 ounces full fat cream cheese room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons lime zest key lime zest or zest from regular limes
2 teaspoons lime juice key lime juice or juice from regular limes
2 teaspoons honey optional
5 cups powdered sugar sifted, add up to 6 cups, to taste
¼ teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Lime Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 3 8″ cake pans with butter. Line with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper with butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer cream the butter, lime zest, and sugar for 2 minutes
Add the oil and beat for another minute.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time til incorporated.
Add the vanilla extract followed by the sour cream. Beat til just incorporated.
Add in half the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed til just incorporated. Beat in the milk followed by the other half of the dry ingredients.
Pour cake batter evenly among the three pans. Bake for 24-29 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Place cake pans on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Lime Curd (optional)

Cut the butter into four pieces. Place the butter in a medium heat proof glass mixing bowl. Place a large fine sesh sieve over the bowl. Set aside.
Add the sugar and lime zest to a medium pot. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar.
Pour the lime juice, pinch of salt and eggs into the sugar and whisk to combine. Try to break up the egg whites while you whisk. Set pot over low heat.
Stir constantly with a silicone whisk while the curd cooks and until the curd thickens. Cook for about 10-13 minutes or until the curd registers 160 to 170 F on an instant read thermometer. You can also check for doneness using the spoon method. Dip a wooden spoon into the curd and run your finger across the back of the spoon to make a line. If the line stays clear, the curd is ready.
Remove pot from heat. Pour the curd through the sieve into the butter. Use a spatula to help press the curd throught the sieve. Set sieve aside then stir curd til the butter has melted completely. Pour the curd into an airtight container. Allow to cool til room temperature before covering the container. Set in the fridge to chill til you're ready to use it.

Graham Cracker Crumble (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir to combine the graham cracker crumbs and salt. Stir in the melted butter til crumbs are all well coated.
Spread crumbs out evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Carefully stir mixture once halfway through baking.
Allow to cool completely.

Honey Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium for one minute.
Add the butter and honey. Beat for 2-3 minutes until combined and fluffy.
Turn the mixer to low and add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and salt. Turn mixer to medium high and beat for an additional 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Assembling the Cake

Place the first layer on your cake stand or turntable.
Pipe a ½ inch border of frosting around the edge of the cake. (Use a piping bag fitted with an open tip such as Ateco 808 or a large zip lock bag with a corner snipped off). This will keep the curd filling secure. Spread about ⅓ cup of lime curd til reaches the frosting around the edge. Evenly sprinkle about 3-4 tablespoons of the graham cracker crumble on top of the curd. Place the second layer of cake evenly on top.
Repeat with the same decorating process with the frosting, curd and graham cracker crumble. Place the third layer upside down so that the bottom of the layer is on top of the cake. This gives will make sure the top is even and flat.
Set the assembled cake in the fridge for 30–60 minutes to help it set. Once chilled, add a thin crumb coat (a light layer of frosting to catch crumbs), then chill again for 20–30 minutes before adding the final layer of frosting. This makes frosting smoother and keeps everything neat and stable.
Decorate the cake as you like! Top with lime slices or pipe some extra frosting on top or keep it simple and spread a little lime curd on top and sprinkle edge of top with graham cracker crumble. You can also scoop some extra graham cracker crumble with your hand and press it into the sides right after frosting the cake.
Optional: Pour some of the lime curd into a squeeze bottle or use a teaspoon to drizzle lime curd along the edge of the cake. Add a little extra lime juice to the curd if you need to thin it out.

Video

Notes

Lime zest: Use key limes or regular limes. On average, one regular lime should give you about 2 teaspoons of zest. Avoid the white part of the rind when zesting the limes. You want only the outer green zest. I recommend using a microplane to zest them.

Lime curd and graham cracker crumble: These are both optional layers. You can frost the two layers with frosting instead of a filling. You can also swap in store bought lemon or lime curd or jam instead of homemade curd.

Piping the frosting: Use a piping bag with an open round tip such as an Ateco 808 tip for piping borders of frosting around the bottom two layers. This will help keep the filling inside. You could also use a large zip-top bag with a corner snipped off.

Decorating: I use a Wilton 1M tip for piping swirls on top. For a simpler option, sprinkle extra graham cracker crumble around the top edge and/ spread a little extra lime curd on top. You can also press some graham cracker crumble into the sides of the cake. Scoop some up with your hand and press it onto the sides.

Make ahead: Each component of this cake can be made in advance. Assemble the cake the day you're ready to serve it!

Storage: Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Unfrosted cake layers can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw before decorating.

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