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Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Moist key lime cake with sweet cream cheese frosting. A light and fluffy citrus lime cake with the perfect lime buttercream frosting!
I work long and hard to perfect my cake recipes. I take baking cakes pretty seriously and want to pass on these tried and true recipes to my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren…so they better be perfect!
I have been baking since the time I could climb up on a stool and help my Mom in the kitchen. Baking cakes and cookies for my friends and family have always been my favorite thing to bake! I shared how my kids get to choose the flavor of their birthday cake every year and they get pretty creative! Since my daughter, Sadie, is obsessed with anything lime flavored, I knew this had to be her special birthday cake.
This is literally one of my husband’s favorite cakes I have ever made. It is seriously the best lime cake!
We just returned home from a Caribbean cruise with the family and had the best time! It was so nice to be away from cellphones and laptops and reconnects as a family. My kids felt like Kings and Queens with access to unlimited food and drinks! Our favorite virgin non-alcoholic drink was definitely the mojito — made with fresh lime juice and mint. This drink was definitely the inspiration for this fresh key lime cake!
This Key Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting can be made as a layered cake with two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans or in a 9 x 13 pan.
How to make the Best Key Lime Cake (the best tips and tricks):
- Whip oil, eggs, whole milk, lime juice, and lemon zest for about 2-3 minutes. I would highly suggest using FRESH lime juice for this cake. It makes such a difference in the flavor. Also, zest the limes first before juicing since it is much easier to zest while the limes are hard and round.
- Fold in dry ingredients. Pour into greased cake pans. It is so important to grease the cake pans well so the cakes easily come out of the pans. You can choose to use two 9-inch cake pans or three 8-inch cake pans, depending on preference. If you use three 8-inch pans, the layers will be thinner and will need less baking time. This can also be made in a 9 x 13 pan.
- After cakes have baked, set aside to cool. Make frosting by whipping softened cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. This makes the frosting extra light. Add powdered sugar and whip for 1 minute. If you want a stiffer frosting, add more powdered sugar. Fold in lime juice and lime zest.
- Remove cakes from pan. Spread frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place the other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over. I use this angled spatula to spread frosting all over the cake layers. Garnish with freshly sliced limes.
If you love cakes, here are some of the most popular cake recipes:
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Key Lime Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Key Lime Cake:
- 1 cup Canola or Olive Oil
- 3 large Eggs
- 1 1/3 cup Whole Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Zest
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Lime Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
- 8 ounce Cream Cheese (softened)
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Lime Zest
- Fresh Limes (sliced for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, add oil, eggs, whole milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Cream for 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into egg mixture and fold.
- Spray two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Place batter into baking pans. If using three 8-inch pans, bake for 20-26 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If using two 9-inch pans, bake for 30-36 minutes. Cool.
To make Lime Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl often. Add powdered sugar, lime juice, lime zest, and cream together. Chill.
- Remove cakes from pan. Spread frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place the other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over. Garnish with fresh lime slices.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Made this cake last night as I had some limes in the fridge I wanted to use up. Delicious! My only recommendation to others would be add more lime; the amount this recipe calls for leaves it a bit underwhelming on the lime flavor and I even added a bit extra to the icing. Otherwise, so good! Very moist and cream cheese icing is always a favorite of mine.
Made this cake last night to take to work. Omg it was delish! It’s a keeper !
Made the cake tonight and the family greatly enjoyed it. It was very simple to make. The lime taste was subtle, but very noticeable in a delicious way. My fiancée and I added a layer of crushed graham crackers in between the cakes and on top to bring out a key lime pie-like crust flavor. I was initially worried the crumbs would be a bit dry, but it ended up being just right. Thank you for the recipe!
This cake was really good! I wanted a margarita cake, so I brushed the layers with ready-to-drink margarita (although they were delightfully moist without that) and added the margarita to the frosting instead of lime juice. Next time I’ll probably up the amount of lime zest in the frosting just for a bigger lime kick. It was DELICIOUS. Thank you for a great from-scratch cake!
Thank you for sharing! This cake is super moist, and I love the cream cheese frosting. I did double the amount of lime juice and zest because I like things a bit tangier/acidic.
Made this cake for my son’s 2nd birthday. Wayyy too sweet. Clawing sweetness that kinda of reminded me of fruit loops. The frosting I altered to be less sweet and added probably about 3xs the lime. Half the amount of sugar it called for and added some heavy whipping cream. The frosting was super good. Did not like this cake recipe at all flavor wise but at least it’s moist? Lol. Too sweet! Won’t be making it again but will make the frosting again.
This cake is amazing!! So moist and delicious. I ended up using key limes instead of limes and there’s not one thing that I would change next time.
Hi!
This is my 1st time baking a key lime cake. Honestly I ONLY make poundcakes or red velvet cakes lol But I’ve been asked to make a key lime so your recipe stood out for me. I substituted buttermilk for whole milk, and I added a 3oz lime jello packet in the dry ingredients. Got it in the oven right now, and I can’t wait! I’m going to add 2sticks of butter for the icing instead, and just cut the confectioners sugar in half(from what your recipe calls for)Thanks for sharing!!
I made this key lime cake ytday on the Valentines. The cake came out fluffy, moist but no lime flavor at all, very sweet instead, both the cake and the frosting, Although the frosting is very nice, thick. I was debating a bit before I tried this recipe as 2 cups of suga for the cake and another 4-41/2 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting, seemed very sweet and it is, but didnt want to change the recipe. Thank you for your recipe tho.
This recipe has made my heart so happy!! I LOOOVE cake, and, after years of wanting to, finally decided to push my fears aside and actually “learn” cake. I’ve had fun, had highs, and lots of lows, with each attempt…until this Key Lime Cake. Oh my word. Tender, flavorful, zingy, beautifully zest-speckled party in my mouth! I also added crushed graham crackers between the layers and as a garnish on top…just like a key lime pie, but better because it’s cake!!
Thank you, thank you, Modern Honey, you’ve helped this novice Caker giddy to have something I feel proud and confident to share with others!
PS #goCOUGS!! 🙂
Hi Modern Honey!!
I only make pound cakes and red velvet cakes. But I was asked several times do I make key lime cake. So I did a search and your recipe and Trisha Yearwood recipe popped up. Read both…yours really had me interested(by using milk) and it was similar to making a red velvet(my opinion) but i tweeked it a little, and doubled thee ingredients since i was making 2. (9in and 8in) I used buttermilk instead, added 2 3oz lime jello packet, zest 2 whole limes (for batter), 1 lime (for icing) 1TBS of lime extract, 1TBS of fresh lime juice, and only use 2boxes in a half of confectioners sugar along with 2sticks of unsalted butter and baked @350°degrees 30-40mins…loveLOVElove this cake! OMG…it was soooooo moist! I made this on Friday night. Let’s say that I’ll be making another one tomorrow lol my family demolished it!!! Thanks for sharing
You didn’t tweak her recipe; you massacred it!