Next week is my older sister Cynthia’s birthday. She was my first friend, my first confidante and my first co-conspirator. She loved tennis and french, classical music and fashion. She was the best big sister. She watched out for me and was always there for me especially when I went through my “wild” stage. She never judged and has unfailingly given me the best advice she could our whole lives together. We share the early years in Puerto Rico before Tommy and Pamela were born. We shared Crayola crayons while coloring and spent hours playing “little dolls”. While in college the clouds of cigarette smoke billowing out of her bedroom were epic during our late night girl-talkathons.
Here she is circa 1974 after a tennis match and cooling dip in the pool. Slender, feminine and a helluva flirt she drove her college beaus mad. Today we both have a passion for books and the sophisticated appointment of rooms. Pearls thrill us beyond measure. And she has a thing for lemon cakes (but she calls them “lemon kuchens”). “Kuchen” being cake in German. Every single time she comes home to Fort Lauderdale, which is three or four times a year, she’ll ask me, “How ’bout that lemon kuchen? and I always answer, “What about it?”. I answer that way because I once baked her a lemon pound cake, from scratch, and ultimately she never had any because she never made time during that trip to come over to my house. So no more lemon kuchen! Until now. I’ve been on a pound cake kick, not surprising when you see my girth. I’m certain I’ve gained at least 4 pounds since I started on this mission. I craved… no, lusted after a dense, lemony-bright, tart and rich pound cake topped with a crown of smooth, creamy citrus icing. As you can well imagine the development process has been a short visit to Dante’s fifth hell. Not. Also, here in South Florida, it’s key lime season and I would venture to say that here in this tropical end of the state, key lime cake comes in close right after key lime pie in popularity.
I was lucky enough to have a plethora of key limes given to me and have juiced and zested my fingers down to the bone. Consequently long after the season is over I will have juice and zest safely tucked away in my freezer portioned out and labeled rendering me capable of baking great quantities of my new favorite pound cake. This cake bakes up beautifully. It would make an exquisite wedding cake, the icing decorated with the dramatic “pop” of fresh blackberries or raspberries. On the other end of the “pretty” spectrum around the “practical” end James mentioned to me in passing me that for the past several days he has had a thick wedge for breakfast. I’m telling you people, you cannot stay away from this cake. It’ll sing out to you from the next room. It’s the devil. And if loving it is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Yes, the cake is sweet, however the substantial addition of lime zest propels it to a new world of citrus wonder. The crumb is heavy and dense, incredibly moist while at the same time smooth and somehow almost weightless. The icing is a recipe in richness. The cream cheese works in tandem with the lemon to make a “dolce-crostata”, or sweet-tart heaven in your mouth. That being the case I look forward to having a key lime cake baked the next time Cynthia comes down for all of us to delight in and savor. Happy, happy birthday, sweet sister.
Hey, y’all! I first published this recipe almost five years ago. Although it’s been incredibly popular I have received a plethora of questions including the occasional wail of failure. That said, I’ve worked on both the cake and the icing recipes, tweaking and improving to make this spectacular cake better. (Is that even possible?) More eggs, less flour and more Key lime zest are some of the changes made. I recently made the new and improved cake for this past Thanksgiving and… y’all. Everyone loved it. Scarfed it right down. Including me. So keep a light hand when it comes to mixing the batter and this marvelous cake will do you proud. Merry Christmas, y’all!
Key Lime Pound Cake with Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 sticks butter, that’s 1 pound, room temperature
- 3 cups sugar
- 6 large eggs plus 2 yolks, room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh key lime juice. If Key limes are not available conventional limes are perfectly fine. Stay away from the bottled Key lime juice unless you like a distinct metallic taste.
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk, (I always keep a good number of those small, 5 ounce cans in my pantry.)
- 1/4 cup grated Key lime zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Preheat oven to 325°. Cover inside of 10 inch tube pan with non-stick spray. My pan is 10 1/2″ and it’s just fine. Set aside.
- Using a stand-up mixer or electric hand-held, beat the butter well until light in color and fluffy scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add sugar and again beat well for at least 5 minutes. I use a stand up mixer and beat the mixture 5-10 minutes. I don’t like a “grainy” cake.
- One at a time add the eggs and beat only until the yellow disappears.
- Add lime zest to batter and mix to combine.
- Stir juice, milk and vanilla together.
- Now mixing by hand, gradually flour to the butter-egg mixture alternating with the key lime juice and milk mixture. Begin and end with flour. Mix just enough to incorporate all ingredients. You don’t want a tough pound cake!
- Pour evenly into the tube pan and tap pan on the counter to loosen any air bubbles.
- Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs but not wet.
- Cool on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes in the pan then transfer from pan to cooling rack and allow to cool another hour or until completely cool.
The cake is far better the following day or 2 days later.
https://theirreverentkitchen.com/
Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 3-4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Key lime juice
- 2-3 teaspoons grated key lime zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Using a hand mixer beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until well mixed.
- Add confectioner’s sugar and beat well until completely smooth and fluffy.
- Add key lime juice, zest and vanilla and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Ice cake.
This makes quite a bit of icing. After icing the entire pound cake I fill the middle hole with the excess icing. When the cake is served icing can be taken from the middle and dolloped along the side the slice of cake. Or fill a pretty bowl with the excess icing and serve with the cake slices.
The Irreverent Kitchen 
Thank you for the wonderful story about your sister Cynthia. I have never met her but I feel like I have know her through you telling your stories. The cake looks awesome I’m going to attempt to make it, I’ll let you know how I did! Nothing I make compares to not only your baking and your cooking, but I will try my best! I Love You My Sister!! 😘😘💋💋❤️❤️😃😃
Awww, girlfriend, thank you! Make this cake… It’s epic. Truly. If you can’t get key lime use a freshly juiced mixture (equal parts) of lime and lemon and zest, too. Miss you! Can’t wait for May and BOSTON!!!!👏👍😎💃👑
I want to make this cake!!! Thanks for the sub if key limes are not available. I’m in California, and we do have them in some stores sometimes, but ///i don’t know when is the “season”.
I was going to ask what is the difference in key limes and regular? I guess the key limes are lemon-y?
If the Key limes in your store are dark green I’d go with regular limes making sure they’re ripe and heavy with juice. Hispanic markets usually have great quality limes. Key limes are more tart than conventional limes but you’ll not be able to tell the difference in this cake. Sure hope you like it!
I made this – your icing recipe is exactly that – your picture shows a frosting – totally different – but enjoyed making it – icing is more of a glaze – frosting is fluffy
I have mine in the oven. Licking the spoon, beatters, and bowl the cake taste awesome. Can’t wait til it’s done. Thanks for your website.
I love, love the picture of Cynthia. The way she is holding her sun glasses with her long gracefull fingers and the beautiful smile on her face says “the devil made me do it but I did it elegantly”!!!!! You know how much I love key lime, I will enjoy this recipe. I am so happy you are writing again, I love your stories…..
I can not wait to make this Key Lime Cake. It will never be as pretty as yours, but I hope the taste will be close. Thankyou for sharing
You can use Nellie & Joe’s key lime juice. It’s wonderful and can be found in the grocery store.
You can use Nellie & Joe’s key lime juice. It’s wonderful and can be found in the grocery store.
This sounds good!
This looks yummy! I love key lime pie, so I’m sure going to love this if I can find some key limes!!! Not sure if I can in virginia! Might have to have u ship me some!!!
Kim, lemons will work just fine!
If you can’t find key limes, look for bottled key lime juice.
Carl, go for fresh!
I found key limes in my local grocery store so they are out there in states other than FL.
You can substitute key lime juice that you can buy from your grocery store. Key limes are even tough to get here in Florida.
Especially when they’re out of season! But I still can’t bring myself to buy bottled key lime or lime juice. That “tinned” after taste sets my teeth on edge. When key limes are out of season I buy regular Persian limes; those are the ones found at the grocery store. I find fresh typically beats bottled hands down.
I dont bake much .. What is key lime zest?
Jan, it’s the yellow outside of a key lime. Key limes are found in the Florida keys and south Florida. Regular lemons may be used as well and taste tremendous! Take care when you zest citrus not to zest the white part of the fruit, the pith. It’s bitter. You can pick up a micro planer to zest your citrus or grate fresh nutmeg at target or any kitchen store.
I live in Brooksville, north of Tampa, and enjoy my own key lime tree on the courtyard. Instead of squeezing and zesting I cut the limes in half and put them through a juicer. The zest and juice are one, and the solids go to the wast bucket. Key lime pies are a family favorite, followed closely by key lime pound cake. My sister’s birthday is tomorrow – I loved your story!
So after it is iced do you put in refrigerator if you aren’t serving it right away? Planning on serving it tmro afternoon
Yes, loosely covered with plastic wrap
It is the skin of a key lime. You use a zest tool to get it off.
The skin of the key lime, but not the underlying pith, which is bitter. Use a zester or a cooking rasp to remove it.
I don’t see baking powder and salt. Is it not needed?
Nope! Not a bit!
Enjoyed your story about you & your sister ! You write so eloquently ! The Cake looks “out of this world” good !!!
Thank you! Sometimes I get a little carried away with my stories, so thank you!
Thank you for sharing. I made this pound cake for the third time since I found this recipe a few years ago. I’m so glad I stumbled upon your site/recipe so I could make it for my family and friends. The party is tomorrow. I’ll see how it goes.
you do not have a print option?????
Sonya, yes. At the end of the recipe click on the “sharing” box. It will give you several different options one being print.
Sorry, that “Print Option” is not printer friendly. It’s only printing on the right half of the page and printing the whole post, not just your recipe. Not the end of the world, just thought you should know it’s not a viable option.
Thank you! I’ll get my tech team, (my computer savvy son!), right on it. Again, thanks.
Hey, Jordan. Back to the printing problem. That’s the WordPress layout, from what I understand, and this particular layout is meant to be viewed as opposed to printed. I wish I had known before changing the whole blog! As you said, not the end of the world but know I share that frustration with you!
Do you refrigerate this cake?
Yes, ma’am.
I don’t know what I did to get lucky, but I saw the word “print,” clicked it and it printed perfectly in two pages. Usually, when I try to print from a website, I get all kinds of stuff I don’t want printed as well, but this was perfect. Thanks. (I don’t know how I’m going to find Key limes in Nebraska, but I’m going to try. How many do you think I’d need for that half-cup of juice?)
Regular lime are fine! Just make certain they’re ripe and juicy. Don’t use that bottled stuff….nasty! Glad you were able to successfully print. I so hope you enjoy it!
I only see small green key limes in the stores in North Carolina..Should I use lemons instead?
Absolutely, Jessie! Big, juicy, yellow ones are fine. Those hard, green key limes in the store are a nightmare to work with and usually dry as a bone…an old bone!
OMG is right. I am so excited to make this. AND I can’t believe I have never seen your blog before.
Well, thank YOU, Ann!! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Hi Alicia,
I have a dear friend who suffers from celiac disease and she would love this cake. Have you a gluten free option? Many thanks in advance.
Pam, I wish I did! I know there are gluten free flours available but I’ve not tried them out. I’m sorry!
Pam,
They have an all-purpose gluten free flour at Walmart that is made by glutino, and I use it for my son’s gluten intolerance. I’ve tried it myself in other things, and it works greats D tastes great. I think I’m going to make this on Friday with it for an event at my church. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Did you make the gluten free version yet, if so how did it do?
Becky, I have not. I don’t think it would come out right, quite frankly. But let me know if you do!!
I use King Arthur gluten free flour with positive results as a one to one replacement in most recipes. Good luck
Please include me in your recipe emails. ☺️ thank you
Hey, Cheryl! Thank you so much for wanting to follow theirreverentkitchen but, unfortunately, I can’t subscribe you, however, you can! To the right of your screen you’ll see a black box with white letters. Just click on the word follow, put in your email address and you’ll be all set. Thank you again for your interest!
can you make this in a different size pan?
I’ve always made it in a 10″ tube but I’m sure you could make it in a bundt pan. I’d go for a larger size one and one light in color rather than dark so the outside doesn’t bake too fast. Good luck!
I want to make mini tube cakes i looked up conversion and said it should make six, only problem is the timing, i can just watch but do you have any suggestions? my minis are spring form as well
I would keep an eye on them and check them for doneness when they start pulling away from the sides of the pans. But just when they start and the tops look somewhat golden. Better to under-bake then bake a bit longer than over-bake!
Is there an alternative to the icing as I do not eat any kind of cheese?
Sure! How about a lemon or key lime glaze with lemon juice, confectioner’s sugar and at tbs or two of milk? Drizzle it over the top… lovely!
I know what I will be doing this weekend! I absolutely love anything key lime regardless of the calories involved, lol. Cannot wait to make it and I am sure it will taste as good as your photo looks. Lovely story about your sister. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Thank you! I know you’ll love it!
Made this cake today. Followed the instructions exactly, however, the icing was a little thin so I added more confectioners sugar but it still was not the consistency that was in your photo. Put in in the refrigerator and will see how it turns out. Tasted amazing though. Any other suggestions?
Don’t add the lime juice all at once try using half until you think it’s the right spreadable consistency,.you can always add more..
Looks yummo!
It’s our favorite cake! Seriously.
This looks and sounds like an amazing cake! Tom Fourniea would you want to attempt this? WOW! Amazing.
Shawn, do it!
i am sending this to myself, so I can print it.
Linda, if you scroll down to the bottom of the post and hit the “share” button you’ll see the print option come up. Glad you like the recipe!
That didn’t work for me for some reason. I ended up having to write the whole recipe! Found out my own hand writing is terrible.
I’m so sorry! I’m not the best with the computer and but I am working on the print/share button!
I freeze my key lime juice all the time, but have not been satisfied with frozen zest. How do you freeze your zest?
Jane, it’s kind of a pain but, as you know, well worth it! I measure 1 and 2 tsp portions then wrap them tightly in Stretch Tight (plastic wrap). Like little bundle with twisty ties. Then into a freezer bag. I gently squeeze out as much air as i can. And I use it within a few months.
I think freezing the zest in ice cube trays will work then empty them frozen into a freezer bag.
Probably would work. But knowing me I’d forget about it and the zest would get freezer burn!
you can probably freeze zest right in the lime juice
Wow! Sounds yummy and after having just returned from Key West over Spring Break, this would sure bring up happy memories!! Do you suppose it would work using an all purpose gluten-free flour?? Might just have to give it a try!
By all means give it a try! I’ve not experimented with gluten free so if you do let me know!
I want to make this cake because it sounds delicious. My question is, when do you add the 1t. Vanilla to the cake mixture? Does it matter? Your directions are wonderfully thorough and clear other than that.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I live in Raleigh, NC, and I picked up a bag of key limes yesterday. I thought about making a pie, but this sounds much better.
Linda Armstrong
Hey, Linda! My son just graduated from Chapel Hill last May! I can’t believe I missed that so thanks for pointing it out. I add the vanilla to the key lime juice and milk right before starting the alternate folding of the flour. If your key limes are dry grab some lemons. They’re just fine to use. Enjoy!
Even though it looks and sounds delicious it is definitely a bypass operation cake one pound of butter ,WOW and the cream cheese plus more butter in the frosting is certainly not heart healthy! To each his own!!
Giorgi, it’s a POUND CAKE. You’re not supposed to eat the whole thing. One piece will most certainly not kill you.
Sam’s has key limes sometimes.
Hello! This looks FABULOUS and I would love to make it for Easter. I love the taste of lime, but don’t have key limes available. I see that you say lemon will work, but what about “normal” limes? Thanks for the delicious recipe! 🙂
Absolutely! If you have room in your freezer this cake freezes beautifully. You could make it the week before, wrap it well and freeze it. Bring it out a few day before to defrost in the fridge and ice the day before or of Easter.
Which would be better bottled key lime juice or fresh lemons
Def fresh lemons. They’re perfect and no chemical taste.
Hi! Ok…I’m so disgusted, because I’ve tried this cake twice. The 2nd time turned out a bit better. I followed to the letter and I’m a baker…it settles at the bottom in the same pocket. I baked on the listed temperature and time….one in the kitchen for it to fall. It’s a shame too, because the cake and the icing are sooooo good! I still tried it. Please help
Hey, Paris. I’m so sorry your cake did come out right but I can’t tell you what happened. A few times the cake has come out over-heavy for me when I didn’t pay attention to what I was doing and I absentmindedly over beat the batter. It is such a good cake, though. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more of a help.
Reblogged this on Random Streams of Jett and commented:
Wow! This sounds yummy!!!
When on facebook, how do you print out recipes. Please tell me how.
Laurie, I think you have to go to the blog and now I’m seeing…somehow…the share button which holds the print option is gone. Working on that.
This is way after the question. I hope it helps:
I’m old school, and I copied the whole thing and pasted into MS Word, then reformatted it to save paper and space. Reducing the size of the photos, deleting the duplicate photo, putting the ingredients into 2 columns, etc., I got the whole recipe down to 2 pages. Even including the description of your sister 😉
I’m so excited to see this recipe. I would like to try and make this recipe for a couples bridal shower. Can I make this recipe into mini cupcakes? Can they be make a couple of days before the shower and frozen? Then thawed the day of shower and then frost?
Got the cake all made according to the directions and it didn’t taste very lime like. I looked back at the ingredients and realized that the how-to part left out adding in the lime zest and vanilla. Fortunately I still had it in the mixing bowl so I added those two ingredients and a little bit of store-bought but real lime juice and it has a little bit more lime zest to it. Hope it still does after baking!
Baking at 300 degrees, the cake was still very wet in the middle and light on top, so I’ve left it in the over for another 30 minutes..
I hope it came out okay. I’ve always baked it short of the 1 hour 40 minutes called for in the recipe.
I do not ser Baking poder ir Baking soda in the récipe. Does’nt need?
Hey, Laura. Not all pound cakes require leavening and this is one of them😊
Having just read your story I have to now make this! I’m a great fan of lime cheesecake made with cream cheese. I’ve never thought of freezing juice and zest, what a great tip as that’s usually the process that puts me off baking.
I’m in the UK and not familiar with confectioners sugar ( I’m guessing it to be caster sugar) – any replies welcome. 💚
I believe it’s quite close to caster sugar. We also call it powdered sugar.
Confectioner’s sugar is finer than caster sugar; so fine that it appears more like a powder, and is sometimes called “powdered sugar.”Caster Sugar is simply the regular sugar, ground to very fine (you can do it in a good blender), but still granules.
It is Icing Sugar that we use for normal cake icing much finer than caster sugar & mixes in better with the cream cheese
Jane… I moved from South Florida to the UK not too long ago!! The closer thing to Confectioners sugar is really Icing Sugar (I use Tate Lyle)… Caster is still a bit grainy!! Hope this helps!!! And thank you Alicia… this brings a bit of home over here!!!!!
We call it icing sugar here in Australia it is powdered sugar basically we use it to ice most of our cakes & biscuits
I was wondering if you use salted or unsalted butter? Thanks, can’t wait to get started.
Sandra, I should probably use unsalted but often I have only salted in the house and if I want to bake and not go back out to the store I use what I have!
I noticed that you didn’t mention when to add the vanilla in the lb. cake but I assume with the eggs, butter and sugar mixture. But you know what happens when one assumes?
Yes, Deanna, I do. My sisters and I say all the time to each other, “It makes a silly fool out of you and me!” But that’s NOT what we’re thinking! Anyway, that’s fine to add the zest and vanilla then or with the juice/milk addition.
Can a loaf pan be used? I would love to try this for Easter or one of my many pot lucks.
I’m sure you can. I always use my tube pan, it was my grandmother’s, but I would divide the batter evenly between two loaf pans, not filling more than 2/3 full, and keep an eye on the baking time. Use a wooden toothpick to check for doneness. Good luck and let me know!
I could end up with two loafs! That is great. I will try this for sure.
Yum! My taste buds are tingling at the anticipation of a slice passing my palate. Can’t wait to bake this for Easter. Thanks for sharing.
Just a thought….. I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale with Key Lime trees galore.I now reside near Syracuse NY. (low and behold, no Key Limes). There is someone or two who sells bottled Key Lime Juice. I do find them in my larger grocery store chains. I use it for marinades, pies and jellies all the time! I know I would be lost without it! Nellies and Joes is the brand I get here and in FT. Lauderdale.
Not long after I put this cake in the oven I saw the zest I had prepared sitting there on the counter. Am I going blind, or do the directions omit adding the zest? It’s too late now, but I will definitely put it in the icing and hope it’s still good. The batter tasted amazing. I know the vanilla was omitted and I added tht last, as I do the flavoring in any pound cake, but I didn’t even think about the zest. I still think this s going to be a wonderful cake.
Wendy, I SO apologize! You’re right. Somehow I missed putting the addition of the vanilla and zest. However! I’ve made this cake so often I should know the ingredients by heart but then I pour another glass of wine or talk with my 93 year old father about the haircut I have to give him and all of a sudden I forgot something! The cake always came out great. As long as you don’t beat the batter too hard it’s a forgiving cake. The post has been updated. So sorry!
This sounds SO yummy! Can’t wait to try it! This is my first time to your blog so I can’t wait to see what else you have!!!!
Thanks, Beth! It’s a keeper!
Most Key Lime cakes are green….do you not add a little bit of food coloring?
Ann, an authentic key lime cake will look pretty yellow…vanilla-y. Ripe key limes and their juice are a pale yellow shade. But the zest in it is lovely!
There is no leavening agent listed. No baking powder or soda yet it calls for all purpose flour. Am use to adding salt as well. Does it work like this?
Yes, “it works like this”. Clearly, I’m not a chemist but maybe it’s the large number of eggs? But it works!
I have a lot of different pound cake recipes and they do not have leavening agents in them. This sounds scrumptious. I will try soon!
I was immediately drawn to this recipe because I’m a girl who loves all things citrus, but now that I’m living in the Southwest key limes are a thing of the past. I’m thrilled that you can do this with a combination of limes and lemons. I never thought of that!
I found an extremely similar recipe for a lemon pound cake (just like Starbucks), and will attest that they freeze quite well. I’ve been eating a ‘slab’ of one I pulled out of the freezer for breakfast all week. Nothing better to wake you up in the morning than a zesty bright piece of cake! Now I’m going to keep this one for when I want some lime flavor too!
Lemon or lime, girl, they’ll do you proud!
Oh boy !This sounds amazing to me, but the rest of the family does not like lemon or lime. So if make it I will have to eat it myself. I love cake and I could eat it but probably should not eat the whole thing ! I gonna try it anyway
Ha! Ginger, I think you’ll really like it!
Reblogged this on Tammy's Weblog and commented:
Key Lime makes me happy!
Better way to zest. Use your Corn on the cob holders when zesting small fruit. Keeps the fingers safer.
Hi. Do you sell these locally?
No, but I might make my family pay me!
If i cannot find Key limes, will regular limes do?
Absolutely! Limes will give a stronger, sharper flavor, lemons a bit milder.
This cake looks fresh, light and delicious! For the person that was asking about a gluten free option…. My daughter has Celiac and I also am gluten intolerant (after years of denial, I feel so much better being gluten free!). One thing we both missed was my mother’s lemon pound cake. So… Using her original recipe – similar to yours – I substituted Betty Crocker Gluten Free All Purpose flour and also Sorghum Flour. Hers calls for 3 cups, so I used 2 cups Betty Crock and 1 cup sorghum flour. Nothing else; just substituted the flour; all other ingredients stayed the same. It turned out fantastic! The BC flour seems to be the lightest and most like regular flour. No grittyness. We were SO excited! I hope this helps anyone else inquiring about a gluten free option. I can’t wait to try this key lime version!
Wonderful! Thank you for the info!
I really have enjoyed your Lime Pound Cake recipe; delicious! Most of all, I enjoyed your story of your sister. I had a younger sister named Cynthia and I felt about her in the way you described your love for your sister. Sadly, she passed away about 12yrs ago and I miss her very much. Her favorite was an orange pound cake. Maybe I will try using orange in place of lime in her memory. Thanks again for the memories.
Oh, Connie. I can’t imagine. A sister is a precious jewel. She will always be special!
Connie, I’m sorry for your heartache. Coincidentally I have been wondering about using this recipe and fresh orange juice and zest as well. I think the office has gotten bored with lemon lately, but being as it’s close to Easter I was planning on baking something…now I’m thinking orange might be the ticket.
This looks great, I hope to try it. In regards to the gluten free option, I usually sub 4 oz of gluten free flour for each cup of regular flour. A standard cup of gluten free flour to cup of regular flour measure will make the cake dry. I use Better Batter Flour but I would think it would be close with other standard gluten free flours.
Loved your story…your well written words were mentally editable and delicious. Have a question?I am not a big fan of really sweet foods, but I could eat my weight in tart foods. Could I cut down on the sugar for both cake and icing?
Certainly you could make a tart syrup for the cake with lemon juice, a small amount of water and minimal granulated sugar. I don’t know how the cake would turn out with less sugar though. Maybe cut back by a quarter cup?
I had no problem printing the recipe. Just go under the recipe and hit the print button. Print only page 4 and you will have the recipe without all of the photos, blog info and comments (there are about 20 pages total). Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I am excited to take it to my family Easter dinner celebration!
I am so glad!
Thank you
sounds delicious. But I don’t know what a key lime is. Can I use limes or lemons?
Nancy, yes! I would go with lemons
When I make this cake, will my Cake have the same texture as your’s ? I love the texture of your cake. Im making soon as I get to the grocery store. Would be perfect to carry to Church for get together’s.
Oh, Janice! I hope so! Two factors that will make a difference are the following. Do not over beat the batter! Over beating the batter will yield a heavy as lead, hard as a brick pound cake. The second factor is this cake tastes better one or two days after baking. Without icing, wrap it well and store in the fridge. Ice it prior to serving. Hope that helps!
Tis recipe looks really good. I make k lime pies but never a cake I’m not questioning you (well, I guess I am) but you do mean evaporated, not condensed milk? Thanks. Will certainly be making t.
Linda, yes. Evaporated. It has less water than conventional milk and keeps the batter from getting watery after the addition of the lemon or lime juice.
This looks like the one I want to try; I have never found a pound cake that had any taste! You’d think with a pound of butter and sugar they would be awesome, but I haven’t found one and I’m hoping this will be it since I love key lime pie. Thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome! I understand what you’re saying about all that butter and sugar then the cake turns out dry with no flavor. Not this cake!
This is gonna be my birthday cake I’ll make myself cause my dang family forgets it every year… so anyhoo if she wants to speak German going all the way is much better so she should say Zitrone Kuchen.
Ha, Hollie, I’ll let her know!
Will make this for Easter.
Your Key Lime Cake looks and sounds delicious and I can’t wait to make it. I am wondering if the lime flavor will be too strong if I use Nellie and Joe’s bottled key lime juice instead of the fresh. I know that fresh is always better but in this instance, I don’t often see those little limes in our grocery stores in Anchorage, Alaska. I can always find the bottled stuff. The 2nd thing I am wondering is if this can be made in a Bundt pan instead of a tube pan. I love the way a Bundt cake slices up so nicely and besides, I don’t even own a tube pan. My only concern would be that the cake might be more prone to stick in the Bundt pan. Hopefully, Baker’s Joy would alleviate that problem. I thank you for any help you can give me!
Baker’s Joy, yes ma’am! I think the bunds would be fine as long as you have ample space once the batter is poured. Fresh is always better but if you only have bottled then so be it. Buy a lemon or two for the zest. Gotta have the zest!
Absolutely!! That’s a given! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I will actually try to find Key limes here first but I wanted to be sure to have a backup plan. I’m making this cake one way or the other!!!
I was looking for a good cake with that sharp citrus taste, cant find key limes in PA, but used a combination of lemon and lime. I have a new favourite lemon cake. Though I might cut the recipe in half for the icing, this cake doesn’t need much, so good on its own.
Must Try!! LOVE THE STORY!!
Thank you!
I love your story, and I am going to the store first thing tomorrow to get everything I need to make this. It sounds WONDERFUL. I think I’ll make it for Easter dinner also. Thank you
You’re so welcome! Just make certain your citrus is ripe. And enjoy the cake!
Made the cake and the batter tastes amazing , but it is very thick. Is this right? Ahhhhh….have never made a pound cake before, but I am a good baker (or so says my hips!). Its in the oven right now and will know how it turns out soon!
Hi there- thank you for sharing this recipe! Just made it today and it’s delicious! My question is- can I keep it stored in refrigerator overnight as I don’t have a proper cake plate with the lid? Thank you!
Sure! Just wrap it well.
Thank you!
Been in the oven a little over 2 hours and still wet. 😦
Really? I’m so sorry! I’ve never had that problem with this cake. Different ovens? I don’t know.
It ended up taking 2 1/2 hours but turned out really well. Super moist. I can’t ever seem to bake a moist pound cake but it looks like this is a keeper!
I’m so glad!! It’s a super cake and if you saw my hips you’d see it’s a keeper in my house as well!! I AM back to working out.:)
I made this cake the other night for my book club. It smelled amazing and the batter was delicious but the cake itself was VERY dry. It was edible but not good (the frosting was definitely the best part)
What did I do wrong? I followed the instructions to the T!
Tina, I don’t know! With all those eggs and that butter it just doesn’t make sense.
I had the same problem…super dense and dry…and I was a stickler with following this recipe. I just tracked the recipe down trying to figure out if not adding soda or powder was the issue….but others say the cake turned out great. Confussed. 😦
Hey, Jac! I really don’t know what to tell you. Most people had great results although a few had the opposite problem in that the cake turned out too moist. Pound cakes don’t rise much, very little in fact so I don’t think it’s an issue with leavening. I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out well and that I can’t give you a definitive solution.
Thank you!! It sounded so good I was hoping you could tell me what I screwed up! Lol!! The smell was so yummy I might give it another go! Thank you so much for replying!!! 😃
Sent from my iPhone
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We love the cake! Our Key Lime tree is loaded with new blossoms, so we harvested all the limes left on the tree and baked this cake.
Wish there was an option to share a photo of this beautiful cake. Just take my word that it is delicious! Thank you for recipe, it’s a keeper.
Jeanne from Central Florida
Jeanne, you have made my weekend! My heart sings!! I completely stress out when someone writes in that their cake didn’t turn out perfectly. And just wait until tomorrow when you have some. It’s even better an day or two later!
I was so excited to make this cake. It was for a lady’s 70th birthday. I have made hundreds of pound cakes, but this one was not good at all. The frosting was delicious.. And I am wondering what did I do wrong.. It was so heavy and thick.. I felt really bad for the lady I made it for… I went by everything you said..but I am going to try and make another one.. I just don’t know what happened… HELP!!!
Maria, it IS a dense cake. It’s rich and heavy. If you over mix the batte r it will affect the texture. Regular limes are more tart and bitter. Also all ovens are different in terms of temperatures. I just don’t know! I’ve had many comments on successful cakes and a handful that weren’t happy with the end result. But being a pound cake it won’t be light and fluffy!
The same thing happened to me. I know it is a dense cake but your directions were not good. Also your frosting was runny because you said to add 1/4 cup of lime juice. Why do you keep deleting my comments? I am just trying to help you,as you can see there are many disappointed bakers…..
Emily, I can’t tell you what the problem was. Yes, there have been some disappointed bakers. There have also been quite a few ecstatic bakers. 4 cups of confectioner’s sugar with a half a pound of cream cheese should make a pretty thick icing. I don’t know what else to tell you. I’m sorry.
Hi Alicia, 4 cups of powder sugar and 1/2 pound cream cheese would make a thick frosting but your recipe said to add 1/4 cup of key lime juice for flavor and when I did that it thinned out the frosting. All you mention in your reply to me was “4 cups of powder sugar and 1/2 pound of cream cheese should make a pretty thick frosting”. What about the 1/4 cup of lime juice that your recipe called for? You did not address that in your reply…
Thank you for your feedback. As always, I will strive to make the recipes as clear as possible in the future. I wish you the best.
Definitely making this for my Easter brunch! Love you!
My first attempt at this cake is finished and on the counter now!! looks delish but havent tasted it yet…..how should i store it? covered on the counter or in the refriderator?
I kept mine in a huge plastic container on the counter. It’s really a deep bowl with a flat bottom. The top clips all around. I found it at the grocery store in the plastic storage section. I turned it upside down and it’s perfect for cakes! It’s fine to refrigerate it, too. Either way just make certain it’s well covered or wrapped. Hope you like it!!
I see that Marcy baked it for two and a half hours, maybe that’s the change for my next attempt. I will agree that the icing is DELICIOUS!
Clare, I’m sorry! I beat the heck out of the butter and sugar but have a light hand when I incorporate the eggs so as not to over beat. It barely rises as it is a poundcake. It’s heavy, dense and rich. I hope that helps!
I’m concerned about the tube pan leaking. Any tips you can offer would be appreciated. Also, my tube pan is 91/2 ” slightly smaller than what you use. Will that effect the baking time?
Bonnie, I can’t help with a leaking pan besides suggesting to put it on a cookie sheet when you put it in the oven to catch any leaks. I think you should be okay with the tube pan that you have just keep an eye on the baking time time. It’s so dense it requires quite a stretch in the oven!
Bonniejoy and Alicia, I have a solution to leaky tube pan that was passed down from my grandmother. Cut the bottom off of a large brown paper grocery bag. Slit it down the side so you have a large sheet of brown paper. Kitchen parchment paper or wax paper will also work. Take the tube out of the pan and center it on the paper. (Plain, inside of the bag side up.) Trace a circle around this part of the pan that is an inch or so wider that the pan. Cut out this paper circle. Make an “x” in the center of the paper circle just large enough for the circle to fit over the tube. Put the tube back in the outer part of the pan and smooth the outsides of the circle against the sides of the pan and the inside slits against the tube. Grease and flour your pan (or use Baker’s Joy) as usual. Include the paper as if it were attached to the pan. When you pour in your cake batter, be sure not to let it drip between the paper and the pan. Bake and cool as usual. When your cake is done and cooled, carefully remove the paper. Hope this works for you. We’ve done it in our family for over 100 years.
Thank you! Will be making this for Easter Sunday! It looks soooo yummy!!
It’s a make-ahead! I hope y’all enjoy it as much as we do!! Happy Easter!!
Made it today. smelled and looked wonderful. let it cool for 20 minutes in the pan and when I tempted to remove the cake it fell into 5 big pieces. Also, all the outside crust fell off. Any ideas? Maybe I can make a trifle out of it but so disappointed I cried. Any idea what went wrong? Had to extend baking time a few minutes but it was done.
Do you keep the cake in the refrigerator? I’m assuming yes since there is cream cheese in the icing
Refrigerated is fine. I kept mine in an airtight cake container on the counter. Either way should be fine!
I made this for our Easter lunch. I was thrilled to find key limes in our area at this time of year. I bought them early in the week and by yesterday they were perfect. Took a little time to get enough zest off those little limes, but it was well worth it. It was a big hit in our house. Definitely a keeper. I could have reduced the amount of juice in the frosting, but still great.
I made this yesterday for today’s Easter dinner, and it was a big hit! It’s delicious with or without the icing. I didn’t have access to key limes so I used regular limes, and it was wonderful. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for Easter dinner (a lemon version), and it was simply delicious. We’ll be keeping this recipe and enjoying it many times in years to come – thanks!!
Diana
I made this for Easter. Really big hit with family and friends, they loved it especially the icing. Used the limes in the story in Indiana. Had to use a total of 4 because they were dry even after popping them in the microwave. Should have used less juice for icing as it was loose but they just spread it over each slice. Will try with lemons next. Yum!
Followed the directions. Reread them. Batter was VERY thick. Spoonable into Tube pan but most definitely not pourable. Although cake flavor was great, the texture was quite tough. Actually hard to slice. Icing was great. Is this how pound cake is supposed to be?
No, it’s not. It is a thick batter but if over-beaten will toughen up. If you iced the cake try storing it in an airtight container. The moisture from the icing may soften the cake.
Thanks for the recipe: I , too , was excited and it was very heavy – my crew kept eating it even though it was heavy and I’m trying to critique it and…. having read all the comments – used unsalted butter, plan to change that, what all purpose flour did you use! something needs to be altered and not sure what else to do. Obviously many tried it -if it can be made with success my plan is to do just that – some did and some did not!!! don’t think i would ever cook it more than your recipe stated – the timing was ok it was something else that needs to done differently!
Hey, Glenda! Glad your people liked it! It IS a poundcake, rich and heavy. Typically I use King Arthur unbleached AP, sometimes organic sometimes not depending on what I find. I’ve made this cake so many times I have to take it to friend’s houses to get it out of mine! Gained a little weight on that one! Let me know what you come up with in terms of changes.
Thanks for sharing…my daughter aka luv bug followed the recipe and it was a success in our house…..can’t wait to make this a spring tradition!!!
I’m so glad, Lyndal!! It just breaks my heart when it doesn’t come out for someone but it’s not as if I’m in their kitchen! So yay for y’all!!!
Just finished making this for a youth cake auction at church tomorrow. I hope my husband buys this cake for us. It looks incredible and smells even better than that.
Update. This cake just sold for $550.00. How awesome is that. And the buyer let me taste a slice and it was delish.
Jeez Louise, Tracy! I’m at Greek Easter at friends too much to drink AND I just caught my reflection of myself…fat and, well, fat!! That SO makes my week! Χριστός Ανέστη! Happy Greek Easter! Christ is risen!!
Made mine a few weeks ago with lemons since I had 10 gorgeous lemons on hand. This was my first ever attempt at a pound cake and it was divine! I had some raspberries on hand as well and made a sauce with those. When I plated the cake I drizzled the raspberry sauce over it!!!!!! Oh wow!!! Amazing is all i have to say! Thank you for this recipe!
That’s great! And I’ll bet the raspberries were were gorgeous!
I AM BAKING THIS RIGHT NOW. I NOTICED THERE IS NO BAKING SODA OR BAKING POWDER. IS THIS CORRECT?
YES! Most pounds cakes don’t need it as they don’t rise much.
I am 77 years old. A guess which is probably on the low side is that I have made over 500 pound cakes in my life time. I baked over 100 in each of the past two years at Thanksgiving as a fundraiser at our church. I was intrigued by the idea of a key lime pound cake. My initial reaction was that the cake had too much flour in relation to the amount of sugar and despite using 6 eggs as opposed to 5, there was not enough liquid. Despite my misgivings, I decided to try it. My results were pretty near disastrous. As a number of your readers stated, the cake was extremely dry and when I removed it from the pan, it broke into 4 or 5 pieces. The flavor was good-thankfully so, since I had worked hard on the key limes to get the juice. However, standing on its own, there was no way I could take it to the church picnic. I made a simple syrup using sugar, water and more key lime juice. I sprinkled this on the cake pieces. I cut them into bite sized pieces and used them as a base for a simple trifle, with a custard, fruit and whipped cream. The remaining pieces I put into a plastic bag. My daughter who had not been aware of my experience, asked if she could have some. After eating it, her only comment was “This cake surely is dry and crumbly.”
In my experience,pound cakes always rise 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
I plan to try the cake again, using my own amounts of ingredients.
I appreciate your feedback. I’ve made pound cakes, as you, for years but I can’t say 500! I’ve made this cake so many times my clothes don’t fit but I’ve not had the problem of dryness. I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you. I don’t use any exotic ingredients, my flours are typically King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill, both all-purpose. I use only large eggs and grocery store butter at room temperature. I have a cookbook entitled “Southern Living Country Cooking” which contains seven recipes for pound cakes. Four of those seven do not use any baking soda or powder. As to it’s dryness, I don’t know! I’ve had many who commented they had no problems and a few who said it was too wet. I’m glad you were able to somewhat salvage it by making a trifle. I know how maddening it can be to juice those little key limes! A lot of time and effort went into your cake. I’m sorry it didn’t come out right.
Can’t wait to try! Sent my husband out this morning for the key lime juice (not sure he will find it in Missouri) but told him I will make it with lemons/juice if we can’t come up with key lime! Love your writing!
Can this recipe be used for layer cakes
I’ve not tried as it is a pound cake.
What about if it was done as a sheet cake or rectangular cake instead of in a tube pan or bundt pan?
It probably wouldn’t work as a sheet cake but I imagine it would as a bundt. Just make certain the Bundt pan is the appropriate size.
Oh my. I made this this today with key limes picked right off the tree in my back yard. It is the most delicious pound cake I’ve ever had! Here in Florida I have more key limes than I know what to do with & it’s nice to have a recipe besides just pie. I used a 10 cup Viking bundt & had excess batter which I baked in a small loaf pan at the same time, I pulled the small one out after an hour but baked the bundt for the full time. Everything was perfect, Including the cream cheese glaze. The cake was dense, but at the same time light & super flavorful. Thank you for an excellent recipe!
I totally forgot I saved this to my favorites on my iPhone MONTHS ago! I’m glad I came across it again! Question: Do you think I could use coconut flour in place of regular flour and get the same outcome? I was just wondering if it’s been tried. If not, I guess I will give it a shot and let you know, hahaha.
Thank you!
Hey, Hollie! I’m sorry I’m so late in getting back to you. Been traveling etc. I’ve not tried coconut flour in lieu of all-purpose but, from what I’ve read the ratio of CF to AP is 1/4 CF to every cup of AP. Given the number of eggs you should be okay! If you haven’t tried it yet, let me know. Good luck!
This looks fabulous. I will try it. But I can’t get key limes here in Switzerland! Regular limes will have to do…
Absolutely! Use regular limes but also regular lemons. Maybe 2/3 lime juice to 1/3 lemon juice. That’ll cut cut some of the sharpness of the limes, more like Key Limes. Bake it low and slow and you’ll have a magnificent pound cake!
Cake sounds wonderful! However, printing was a pain. When selecting the print button included with post…it comes up at 78 pages because it includes comments. Please figure a way to have a print friendly option! Thanks.
Hey, Laurie! I understand too well your frustration with the printing option. Apparently the issue is with WordPress, specifically the layout of the blog. It’s meant to be viewed on the computer as opposed to printed. The same thing happens to me; only the right side of paper gets printed. What you can do regarding the number of pages printed is to change the “All” button to the “Pages” option right underneath “All” and type in the exact pages you want i.e. 7-9. Hope that helps and thank you for the feedback!
looks great and will try this weekend but I do not see baking powder in the list of ingredients? is that because it was forgotten or is it not needed.
Hey, Tanya! In this particular recipe it’s not called for. I’ve been asked this before and in looking at my pound cake recipes, and I have umpteen!, I’ve found some include leavening, some don’t. This cake is super dense and tender but it doesn’t rise all that much. Oh, and the icing is not stiff…it’s runny and yummy. I serve the excess on the side or fill the hole in the middle with it. Enjoy!
Hi Alicia! Thanks from the entire internet for posting this recipe! I’m a foodie, and more than anything a professional amateur baker!! Just made this cake for Mother’s Day (I split it between myself & my mother in law…to say the least it is divine! I could literally eat the crust and icing, and be totally satisfied! As a matter of fact, I did have to cut the top of the cake to make it level, and was so happy it overflowed so I could! Thanks again…it’s marvelous!!
Do you ice this cake after it’s completely cooled?
yes, and this icing is meant to be really runny
Salted butter ??
I’ve used both salted and unsalted and both are fine. Your choice!
This cake is delicious!!
What is the nutrition information please?
I’m so sorry but I don’t have that.
How many lemons or key limes do I need to make this cake?
Can’t say, Lynn. It depends on how juicy your key limes are. If you think you may not have enough juice I’d back it up with 3-4 regular limes to juice if necessary . Hope that helps!
I just made this cake. Followed the instructions, used basic ingredients and it turned out perfectly! This is a new family favorite! We are in love with this cake! Thank you for this amazing recipe!! Trying to share a pic. I hope it comes through. Thanks again Alicia!
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Gosh, I’m so glad! Share the cake and share the blog!
I will absolutely share! And the cake is so perfectly dense, not dry at all. I just don’t understand some of the comments. Did the pic come through?
Nooooo, and I’d love to see it!
I want to bake this today but was wondering if cake flour will also work, or only all purpose flour?
Cake flour is fine. Remember, don’t over beat! Send a pic!
Thank you so much for such a great, flavorful recipe! I made it yesterday using my new aluminum 10 1/2 inch square tube pan and baked it for 1 hour 30 minutes. I think I slightly overcooked it as it was not as moist as I’d like. I’m still getting used to using aluminum instead of nonstick pans. I think I’ll try it again with my large Nordicware bundt pan which is slightly smaller for a taller cake.
Still loved the flavor and this recipe is a keeper!
Can you use another pan besides a tube/bundt pan. If so, how would you change the baking time? Thank you!
Becky, since it’s such a big cake I only use a tube pan. I’ve never used other size pans.
Thank you for the recipe, I made it last evening and we had some today with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It is a lovely cake and so easy to make and yes I did beat the flour and sugar for some time and it is not grainy. Makes a big cake. Will be interested to see how much nicer it is each day. We are hosting a reception in August and plan on using this cake.
That’s great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It gets better, it mellows a day or two after baking.
If you don’t have access to Key Limes, in the juice aisle of most markets is a product called Nelly & Joes Key Lime Juice. It tastes exactly like Keys but you don’t have to try to squeeze juice out of those little rocks. I don’t know about an alternative for the zest.
Actually, there is a better product. Limes. Regular, green, Persian limes. Take the zest off then juice them. You’ll never know the difference between the key limes. But you will with a bottled product. Bottled juice is cloudy and has a metallic aftertaste. I wouldn’t use it for anything.
Anxious to try
I made this in a bunt pan. Followed all instructions exactly, including baking time. It turned out perfect and is amazing!! I didn’t read the comments prior to baking and key limes aren’t available here so I did use Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice rather than fresh squeezed lemons or limes for the cake. I used fresh squeezed lime juice for the icing and lime zest in both. Thanks for posting. Love it!
That makes me so happy!! Glad you liked it!
Was a little disappointed in the results. Cake was a little too dense for my liking. The icing was so good, I could eat it alone.
Alicia, I made the cake and the frosting did not set. What do you think happened?
Bill, it’s very loose and runny. For a thicker icing you could cut back on key lime juice or add more confectioners sugar. Hope that helps!
Do you have to use a round tube pan or can you use a regular 9 X 13 cake pan?
Rebecca, I’ve only used a tube pan. This is a big, heavy cake. It’s a pound cake so no light and fluffy here. I don’t know how long you would bake it…or how it would come out. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I’ve been craving a yummy dessert and have been dissatisfied time and time again. So I decided to bake one. Since I LOVE a good key lime pie (hard to find), and I LOVE a nice moist flavorful cake, I thought this cake merged the best of both worlds. I did everything exact, even though I was tempted to take short cuts, like use lime juice. And I was careful not to overmix, mixing just until the flour was no longer sitting on top.
I was SOOOO saddened by the outcome. It was stiff and dry. However, the flavor was spot on. That’s what made me so sad. When I reflect on what went wrong, all I can think of is that the cook time was like 15 minutes too long even though the top of the cake wasn’t very dark. But it had completely pulled away from the sides of the pan, which is a sign of being over done but not burned. I want to try it again, but getting the juice and zest from all those limes were an absolute NIGHTMARE. The prep time was well over an hour and the labor would be worth it if a delicious moist cake was the outcome. Now I have this huge cake that I can’t eat, nobody else in my house will eat it and I would hate to throw in away. I wish there was a way to revamp it into something yummy, like on those reality cooking shows. Still on a hunt for a delicious dessert. Thanks for the recipe. Great flavor.
Hey, Janelle. I’m sorry the cake didn’t turn out as you had expected. I know the feeing well of a recipe that, somehow, went wrong. I’ll tell you though, I bought some time ago a citrus “press” (?) for everything from key limes to oranges and I use it all the time. Slice the fruit in half, drop one half in, cut side down, and squeeze the two handles together. Juice in a jiffy! You can gwt them at the grocery store. Bed Bath and Beyond, Target etc. As to a huge cake sitting in your house, what if you made a key lima and blackberry trifle? The fruit, whipped cream and liquor would moisten the cake and you would still have that delicious key lime flavor. Just a thought. Again, I’m so sorry the cake didn’t come out as expected. Thank you for your comment.
When you say to use a 10″ tube pan are you talking about a bundt pan or an Angel food cake tube pan?
Angel food cake tube pan. I’ve not tried a bundt pan yet with this cake. I don’t think I have a bundt pan big enough for this recipe!
I just made this cake, so far batter and frosting on beaters was to die for…We are waiting on the birthday boy for the final opinion!😊
Regarding the print problem. Highlight the entire recipe, right click, choose “Copy”. Go to your word processor and, using your keyboard hold the “CTRL” key and hit the “V” key on keyboard. Print and/or save the recipe. I have a file for just these instances.
Your comment list is crazy. I have a beautiful Myer lemon tree with great big Jenkins on it right now can’t wait to try this cake with them.
The cake is hard as a rock when you refrigerate it. Is that happening to others?
Beth, leave the whole cake out at room temp for 30 minutes or 15 minutes for slices and that seems to bring back the tenderness. I’ve also kept it on the counter in a covered cake stand without refrigerating it and my family has never had any problems with it going bad but, typically, I refrigerate any baked good with butter or cream cheese in the icing. Hope that helps!
My first time making a pound cake. Followed directions to the letter. The first slice that night was great. I put it in the fridge and the next day the cake was hard and dry. The flavor was great. I guess I shouldn’t have put it in the fridge??
Hey, Tracey! I’m so sorry your cake dried out in the refrigerator but I’ve had that happen, too. You can put the cake in a clean, plastic garbage bag with a slice of bread included. The cake with absorb the bread’s moisture and will have freshened up the next day. What I do with this cake is leave it out secure under a glass cake cover. I don’t ice it until the day I’m serving it. Hope that helps!
So we have fresh lime juice from our tree here in Florida but no zest because we already squeezed all the limes and threw them away. Any suggestions?? Do I have to use the zest or could I add more juice instead? I’m not a huge fan of zest cuz I don’t usually like the texture but if it’s required…thanks!
It says the cake is best after 1-2 days in the fridge. Do you ice it before storing, or wait until serving the cake?
Thanks!
I leave it out, not iced and tightly covered until serving. I ice it a few hours before serving or right before serving.
Girl! I made this pound cake a couple of months ago and took half of it to work ! After everyone had a piece, they would come to my cubicle with an OMG! look on their face – LOL! The men in my family (hubby and our 17 year old son) NYAMED (Jamaican way of saying that they gobbled it up 🙂 ) it up! I will be making it again this weekend. Thanks again for a wonderful recipe!
Thank YOU! That makes my heart happy! If you loved that check out the peanut butter cake squares I posted a week or two ago. Giiirrrrlll…you won’t be able to keep your hands off them…and they’re supremely easy! Let me know if you try them.
That will DEFINITELY be my next project. Thanks again for being generous with your recipes!!!
Help. Mine was one of those that was WAY too dense. I think over mixing may be my problem. I reviewed the instructions and may have discovered my problem. The recipe states “mixing by hand…” I interpeded that as, use a hand electric mixer. Should I have mixed by hand? Thanks
Susan, I’m so sorry! I’m pretty sure that’s what happened. It’s the hand mixer’s fault! And, yes, it at that point the batter should be gently mixed by hand. Don’t feel alone. I’ve done that before with this same cake when I’ve had too much on my mind and without thinking I’ve gone and beaten the batter too hard and too much. I cubed the finished cake and folded it into some freshly whipped cream and fresh fruit to somewhat rescue it. Hope that helps!
Laugh of the day, took the cake anyway to ladies meeting, warned them, reaction”hmmmm a little dense but good, and one even asked for your recipe. Good show! And no one understood how I confused the instructions…I keep telling people they have no idea how my mind works! Happy Spring!
I made this cake for a easter dinner. It was truly one of the best pound cakes I have ever made. The directions were concise and the slices even looked like your picture. Thank you for sharing the recipe along with your story about your sister.
Oh, yay! I’m thrilled! Good stuff, huh?
Why is your key lime poundcake with Key lime cream cheese icing recipe calling for 4 cups of ALL PURPOSE flour but no salt or baking powder? I need to find out before I try to bake this cake please reply asap. Thank you.
The buttermilk and eggs act as, somewhat, a leavening agent in this cake. Keep in mind it is a POUND cake. It’s heavy and dense, not light or fluffy. You’ll find, in doing research, many pound cakes call for leavening and many don’t. If the batter in this recipe is overworked the cake will come out like a brick so try to maintain a light touch. Hope that helps!
buttermilk? Should it have been buttermilk instead of evaporated milk?
Trying to determine why mine was too dense and although cooked for 2 hours doesn’t seem quite done although I do love the flavor and appreciate your posting the recipe!
Absolutely you could use buttermilk if you’d rather or whole milk. I find evap to be a bit richer. It IS a dense cake…heavy, too…quite rich. I find the following day after baking it the cakes mellows more…the flavor is more luxurious. Maybe 20-25 more minutes in the oven would finish it off? I hope that helps!
I just made this for my daughter and her boyfriend who are visiting for Thanksgiving. So far, so good! The cake is baked, the icing is made, and just need to frost it. I can’t wait to taste it! But I think it will be delicious because the batter was and the cake rose so it shouldn’t be too heavy.
I so hope y’all enjoy it! Btw, it get better after a few days but it IS a dense cake😊
This sounds so good. Any suggestions for taking this and making lofthouse cookies?
I’m sorry, I wouldn’t even know where to begin!
What kind of pan is used???
10-inch tube pan. My pan is 10 1/2-inches and it works fine.
Twice in the directions for the cake it says to add the juice. Do we add 1/2 at one point and the other half with the flour ? These are a lot of expensive ingredients I would have to throw out if it didn’t turn out 😕 Thank you !!
Mix the juice, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. mix your dry ingredients separately. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. In between adding the flour, add part of the juice mixture. But make sure you don’t beat the ingredients to hard or long. Barely incorporate them or you’ll end up with a dry, hard cake. Hope that helps!
We made this cake for Easter, 2018. Without a doubt it is the best cake I have ever baked. It is hard to find key limes in our area so it was a challenge. It took approximately 75 limes to extract the juice for the cake and frosting. It was well worth the result! The cake was beautiful, had a creamy dense texture with a rich, buttery citrus flavor! I filled the center hole with the extra icing which was eaten. Thank you for this recipe. I love a challenge in baking and will make this my special cake for special occassions.
Charles, that fills me with joy! Thank you! I haven’t posted on the blog in months…trying to figure out where it’s going…do I even want to keep it…so when I saw there was a comment on the Key Lime cake I thought, “That’s it! I’m deleting the entire blog!” But it was a kind and gracious comment and I’m terribly grateful. Plus you liked the cake! Thank you! And, just so you know, that cake mellows and gets even better 2-3 days after baking.
I love key lime everything! Sounds like a beyond-dense cake, to say the least! I’ve baked a lot of cakes, but don’t ever remember making one that called for 6 eggs a POUND of BUTTER and 3 CUPS of SUGAR ( not to mention another 4 cups of confectioner sugar and the frosting)!! It must have 3000 calories per slice!! I can’t believe no one has commented on those ingredient amounts… Or maybe they have and you deleted those posts? i’m sure it’s delicious… but way too rich for my blood!
It is a very dense and large cake but I know what you mean. Original recipes called for one pound of butter, eggs, sugar and flour. The name stayed. It’s a treat… meant for a special occasion. When I prepare one I typically ice one half and freeze the other half icing it upon serving. I’ve taken it to many after-funeral gatherings and birthdays. Yes, it is rich but so, so loved!
Its cake, not dinner. It’s meant to be decadent. It is fantastic and I hope you actually try it before you knock it.
I made this cake and it wasn’t as yellow your picture shows and it was not moist more like tough as you mentioned.
I want to make it again. Suggestions?
I’m so sorry, Bridgette! I understand too well when the cake comes out “tough”. It has happened to me when, for whatever reason, I’ve beaten or stirred the batter too much or too hard. You really need a light hand. In regards to the “yellow” color I only use organic eggs and they are large. I hope that helps!
THANK YOU for this tasty recipe and hope to receive more of your recipes.
How would you make this as cupcakes instead?
Darla, I don’t know how they would come out. Obviously the baking time would have to be adjusted. But the cake is so dense I feel they wouldn’t come out quite right. Maybe small individual bundt cakes? Even then I’m not certain of the outcome. Sorry I couldn’t be more help!
If I am making this cake to serve the next afternoon, should I wait to ice it the day it’s served and keep covered on the counter until iced? Also, is the icing stiff enough to make some pretty piping around the edges? Sometimes with cream cheese it’s too soft. Thanks for a delicious sounding recipe!
Hey, Jaime! Yes and yes! Ice the cake the day you’re serving it. Keep it well covered on the counter until iced. This icing is super runny but what you can do to stiffen it up is cut way back on the key lime juice. Start with 2 tablespoons of juice and add one teaspoon of lime juice at a time until it’s the texture you need to decorate the cake. Take out and set aside the amount needed to decorate. Add lime juice to the remaining icing until it’s where you want it. I think the cake recipe is terrific and hope you’ll enjoy it. Just make certain NOT TO OVERMIX!😊
Unsalted or salted butter?
I’m partial to salted but unsalted is fine😊
Regarding adding the eggs – do you beat the batter until the yellow disappears after adding each egg?
No, you want to still see a few egg streaks until you add the last egg and then carefully stir until all the egg is incorporated. Try to beat or stir the batter as little as possible.
Ok, so my daughter sent me this recipe because she loves pound cake. So I made it! First let me say that the taste is amazing! I followed the recipe exactly. However, as many have already stated, it is a very dense cake. So the 2nd time around, I made the following adjustments. I like a cake to be a bit more fluffy and moist.
1. I used cake flour instead of all purpose flour
2. I used buttermilk instead of evaporated milk
3. I added 1 additional egg and 1 egg yolk
4. I increased the oven temp to 325
5. I tented the cake @ 20 minutes to keep it from burning and kept an eye on it
6. I thinned out the icing to a glaze consistency
It is extremely important not to over mix the cake. Yes put the eggs in one by one but mix in only until incorporated. When I got to the last few mix ins, alternating the dry ingredients with the wet I actually folded them in by hand.
The results were phenomenal! In fact, the cake was gone by the next day. Hope this helps some of you.
Came out solid…pasty…didn’t mess with directions/ingredients. Have baked many a cake, but can’t figure what went wrong ?????
I’m so sorry, Bill. I don’t know what went wrong! I know that a few times I’ve over-mixed the batter and the cake turned out a bit tough…and quite heavy
My husband has requested this as a “second pie” for Thanksgiving. I think it’ll be perfect!! Now, the trick is finding key limes here in west Georgia……..
Ha! That’s so great! Patricia, please know plain, ol’ limes from the grocery store are perfectly fine to use. Y’all really won’t taste the difference. Just remember… don’t over beat the batter! Thanks again for your kind words.
This cake turned out incredibly delicious and beautiful. We made it for Father’s Day. Couldn’t find fresh key limes so I used the bottled juice, and my husband who is a Floridian and crazy for key limes didn’t seem to even notice. The icing is a true icing and not a frosting and is amazing. Refined and delicious. Also I had only a bundt pan and it worked great. Thanks!
I am thrilled! I get SO upset when I read a harsh comment that the cake didn’t turn out for someone in spite of the many positive remarks. Thank you for your kind words! And please know that conventional fresh limes work just fine, too.
I was a little concerned about the absence of salt and baking powder but went to another cake recipe book – the pound cake sections – and found that it’s ok not to use them. It is pretty labor intensive – what with the juicing tiny limes and zesting 7 Tablespoons of lime peel but, my best friend, sister and dance buddy all wanted one for their birthdays so I made one today. I usually take out a little batter to make some cupcakes (just to be sure I don’t serve up something terrible) and I’ve tasted the cake meant for tonight. It is really great and I’m glad (now that the juicing and zesting is finished) I made it. The birthday guests will love it. Maybes I can talk someone into being a sous chef next time! Great recipe. I stuck to the original recipe, by the way.
I’m so glad you like it! I zest whole key limes then cut them in half and juice one or two at a time in a hand-held lemon squeezer. Still a little work to be done but we’ll worth it!😋
Can you use a bundt pan instead of true tube pan?
I don’t see why not. But if your pan is dark you’ll need to really keep your eye on the cake so the outside doesn’t get too dark. Also, the amount of time the cake bakes will be altered so take that into consideration. Good luck!
I am wondering if I can substitute the All Purpose Gluten Free flour. My daughter has a problem with gluten and I would so like to try this cake. It sounds fabulous!
Hey, Sara! I’ve not tried GF flour for this cake but I think if you follow the substitution directions on the GF flour it should come out. Hope that helps!
I don’t know what I did wrong, but I was disappointed in the cake. It turned out hard… It’s not dry, tastes good, but too hard. I followed directions to a tee… beat the batter according to directions, baked it correctly. Frosting is delicious however. I did refrigerate it after frosting it. Thought maybe that caused the hardness.
Hey, Kathy! I’m so sorry the cake didn’t live up to your expectations. It should be refrigerated after icing so you were right there. I do find, though, if I beat the batter the slightest bit too much it does turn into a brick
should i use sifted flour?
I don’t sift, however, I lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup. I don’t scoop the flour. Hope that helps!
how many limes do I need for the zest?
Above where you said buttermilk could be substituted for evaporated milk- is that an exact proportion substitution?
The number of limes needed for zest depends on their size. Typically I zest my limes prior to juicing them. If the Key limes available to you are dark green and hard they will yield precious little juice so you may want to consider ripe traditional limes. And yes to the buttermilk. Hope that helps!
Hi, is it salted or unsalted butter for this recipe??
Hey, Brittany! I like salted but it’s up to you
This sounds delicious!
Please do not copy this recipe if are are not going to credit theirreverentkitchen. Thank you.
Your recipe calls for 1/4 cup of evaporated milk. Is that diluted or undiluted?
Undiluted.😋