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.
Ingredients You Need & Why
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.
Tips for Key Lime Pound Cake
- 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
Regular lime zest and juice will work for this key lime cake, but if you can find key lime juice in the juice aisle, grab some.
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Key Lime Pound Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prepare a 12 -cup capacity bundt cake pan with baking spray and preheat oven to 325℉ (170℃). (10-cup capacity pan will have leftover batter, to keep from over filling the pan.)
- In a large bowl, hand whisk together sifted cake flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.3 cups (375 grams) cake flour½ teaspoon baking soda¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Combine sugar and key lime zest in a small bowl. Work the zest into the sugar with a fork and let sit for several minutes to allow the sugar to absorb the lime oils.3 tablespoons key lime zest2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- Transfer the lime sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Cream together on medium high speed into a light and fluffy consistency. (3-4 minutes)1 cup (16 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- Add the coconut oil and vanilla, mix on medium until incorporated. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with silicone spatula as needed.¾ cup (168 grams) coconut oil2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Continue on medium speed, adding one egg at a time. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding int the next.5 large eggs
- Add the key lime juice to the milk. Pour in ⅓ of the milk mixture , alternating with ⅓ of the flour mixture mixing on medium low speed between each. Continue with remaining milk and flour mixture.1 cup (240 grams) whole milk¼ cup (60 grams) fresh key lime juice
- Scrape sides and bottom of mixing bowl again as needed, careful not to over mix the cake batter. It should look light and fluffy.
- Transfer batter into the prepared bundt pan leaving about 1 ¼-inches below the rim for the cake to rise.
- Place bundt pan on a cookie sheet and bake on the middle rack for 75-80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Place cake pan on a wire cooling rack to cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto rack to cool completely.
- While cake is cooling make key lime icing.
- Make your frosting by adding the powdered sugar, lime juice and milk into a medium sized bowl. Whisk until smooth, then stir in the vanilla.2 cups (220 grams) powdered sugar1 tablespoons whole milk1 tablespoon fresh key lime juice1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For a thinner frosting stir in a teaspoon of milk, or if you want it thicker add an additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
- Tranfser cake to serving dish and drizzle glaze over cake before serving.
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