Key Lime Pound Cake

This key lime pound cake is everything you want in a citrus cake with a bright, buttery, crumb that’s finished with a silky lime glaze. It’s made with plenty of fresh key lime zest and juice, which brings just the right amount of tartness to balance the richness of the cake. It’s the kind of cake that feels at home on a spring table, or served with a lime margarita.

Key Ingredients & Test Notes

• Cake Flour – Sifted cake flour with a lower protein content ensures a delicate, light texture that pairs beautifully with citrus.
• Unsalted Butter – Softened butter is creamed with lime sugar for a rich, airy batter. It adds buttery depth and helps create a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Coconut Oil – Adds extra moisture and a subtle tropical note that complements the citrus. Be sure to cool before mixing for the best texture.
• Granulated Sugar – Mixed with lime zest to release essential oils, sugar sweetens the cake while infusing it with bright, natural citrus flavor.
• Key Lime Zest – Freshly grated zest brings bold lime fragrance and flavor throughout the cake. Try avoid the bitter white pith while zesting. Swap out for regular limes if you can’t find key limes.
• Fresh Key Lime Juice – The star ingredient, used in both the batter and glaze. Its bright acidity gives the cake its signature zing and keeps it moist and vibrant.
• Large Eggs – You’ll need 5 eggs At room temperature, to bind the ingredients and provide richness and structure to the cake.
• Whole Milk – Used in both the cake and the glaze. In the batter, it adds moisture and helps create a smooth, fluffy crumb; in the glaze, it softens the powdered sugar for a pourable consistency.
• Powdered Sugar – The base of the glaze, sifted for a silky finish that clings beautifully to the cake with even more lime flavor.

equipment needed

• Bundt Pan: The 10-cup capacity bundt pan I used for the picture in this recipe was a Nordic Ware Kugelhopf Bundt Pan. You will have a little left-over batter with a 10-cup pan, so I recommend a 12-cup pan to use all of it. Because this cake was created for a bundt pan, I’d suggest keeping it that way for best results. I haven’t tested it in other pans like a sheet cake or cupcakes, so the texture and bake time may not translate well.
• Nonstick Baking Spray: Whenever I use a bundt pan I reach for the nonstick baking spray to prevent my cake from getting stuck. Spray a light coating into every crevice of your pan right before adding the cake batter.

Helpful Tips

• Use room temperature eggs, milk, butter, and coconut oil.
• Spoon the cake batter into the bundt pan and then level with a rubber spatula. Banging the pan on the counter won’t do it.
• Don’t open the oven door while baking. However after the 60 minute mark if you feel the color is getting too brown, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
• Let cake cool completely before inverting onto serving dish. This is a tender crumb and if you handle it while its warm it will break.

Storage & Leftovers

Store unfrosted cake by slicing and wrapping each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

FAQs

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