Key Lime Pound Cake
Key Lime Pound Cake is the perfect balance of dense, buttery crumb and sharp, tropical citrus. The secret to a great one isn’t just the juice—it’s the high oil content in the zest of the Key limes, which provides a deeper floral aroma than standard Persian limes.
Ingredients
The Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sour cream (full fat for moisture)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup fresh Key lime juice
- 2 tbsp Key lime zest
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
The Key Lime Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp fresh Key lime juice
- 1 tsp zest for garnish
Instructions
1
Cream the base
5 minutes on medium-high
Cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until very pale and fluffy. This step incorporates the air needed for a fine, velvet-like crumb.
2
Add liquids
One at a time
Beat in the eggs one by one, followed by the sour cream, Key lime juice, zest, and vanilla. Don’t worry if the batter looks slightly curdled at this stage; it will smooth out once the flour is added.
3
Incorporate dry ingredients
Low speed only
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Gradually add to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the white streaks disappear. Overmixing here will develop gluten and make the cake tough.
4
Bake
60–75 minutes at 325°F (165°C)
Pour into a greased and floured Bundt or tube pan. Bake until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before reversing it onto a wire rack.
5
Glaze
Apply while slightly warm
Whisk the powdered sugar and lime juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cake while it’s still slightly warm to allow some of the glaze to soak into the surface.
