Key Lime Cake

This easy key lime cake from scratch is fluffy, moist, and full of fresh key lime flavor! This sheet-pan cake is topped with a zesty lime citrus glaze and cream cheese lime frosting. Each bite will make your lips puckering for more.

Try this zesty summer dessert this season!

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword bake, dessert, key lime

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings -12 slices

Author Elizabeth Van Lierde

Ingredients

For cake:

1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
4 oz cream cheese
1 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp freshly grated key lime zest
3 tbsp key lime juice

For glaze:

3 tbsp key lime juice
3 tbsp sugar

For Icing:

½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
4 oz cream cheese at room temp
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp fresh key lime juice
Lime slices

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease or spray with non-stick spray a 13x9 cake tin.
In a large mixing bowl add butter and cream cheese and beat for 2-3 minutes on high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the sugar and vanilla extract. Beat for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
Add in eggs, one at a time on medium speed, mixing after each addition.
Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda until it’s just incorporated.
Turn off the mixer, add in the key lime zest and key lime juice until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl.
Add cake batter to the greased cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake.
Cool cake for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling for at least another 30-45 minutes.

For the glaze:

In a small saucepan combine lime juice and sugar over medium heat. Heat mixture until all the sugar has been dissolved.
Trim the edges of the cake and poke evenly with a fork. Brush the cooled glaze all over the cake top.

For the frosting:

In a large mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and the cream cheese. Beat on high until fluffy and cream (3-4 minutes).
Slowly add in in the powdered sugar on low in three increments, scraping down the sides after each increment.
Add in the vanilla extract, and key lime juice until combined.
Frost the top of the cake with a thick, even layer of frosting and garnish with lime wheels.

Notes

Key Limes: Key limes get significantly less juice squeezed out of them than regular limes, so you'll need quite a bit. If you can't find key limes you can certainly use regular freshly squeezed lime juice.