Key Lime Cake with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
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Rich, bright, and fluffy, my Easy Key Lime Cake with Key Lime
This cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The cake layers or tender and moist and absolutely a must-make recipe for your next celebration… or no special occasion at all. This is a refreshing cake that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser and guilty pleasure.
If you can find key limes use them if not use regular limes.
Key Lime Cake with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
Citrus makes me think of Spring. This cake makes a great springtime dessert. St Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Mother’s Day would be the ideal time to enjoy this cake.
One of my favorite things to do is take an extensive recipe and make it easier to prepare. (You know how impatient I am!) I would love to spend hours in the kitchen baking and decorating cakes, prepping and preparing beautiful meals. But, the truth is, I just don’t have that kind of time. My boys have activities and need help with homework and such. I did implement a chore system for them to follow this summer, but they still need supervision. Therefore, for now, it’s simple, easy, and quick dishes!! (Mostly)
Tips and Method
This recipe was inspired by Trisha Yearwood’s Key Lime Cake, but I made it easier! I started with a cake mix with additions that make it taste homemade. The Key Lime
Cake mix and gelatin.
Pour the oil into the mixing bowl.
Then add the eggs and mix on high speed to combine.
I got excited and didn’t take pix of adding the orange juice, lime juice, and vanilla extract.
Pour the batter into the pan, then bake until the cake sets. You’ll know it’s baked when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs.
I was planning to give the key lime cake away, so I baked it in a disposable aluminum pan.
When I originally made this lime cake for my site, I made at in a 9×13-inch aluminum pan. I made it again for a celebration and made three 8-inch round layers. For both cakes, I topped them with a Key Lime
If you like this Key Lime Cake you’ll like my Key Lime Coconut Marbled Pound Cake (pin it) and my Key Lime Pound Cake (pin it).
Easy Key Lime Cake with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
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Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 package white cake mix
- 3 ounces lime flavored gelatin
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice freshly squeezed, or lime juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 and ½ cups powdered sugar (aka confectioners) sifted before measuring
- 2 tablespoons Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice freshly squeezed, or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 – 8 inch round cakes pans or 1 – 9×13 cake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix and gelatin. Add ½ cup oil and ¾ cup orange juice and beat on low.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add lime juice and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes on med hi, scraping sides.
- Pour into cake pans. Bake 8 inch layers 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Bake 9×13 inch cake 27- 30 minutes. Cool completely before icing with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting.
- *For the stacked layered cake, I used three 8 inch pans and cooked them for 27 minutes at 350 degrees.
For the Frosting
- Beat 1/2 cup butter and 8 ounces cream cheese until smooth, add confectioners sugar with a mixer on low. Add lime juice and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Frost cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
This looks and sounds sooo appealing! Thanks so much for sharing at Weekend Potluck. Love your awesome recipes.
Thank you so much, I truly love to bake. Wish my family could live off desserts! 🙂
I like to add milk to make cake mixes for extra moisture. Do you think I could use milk instead of the orange juice?I’m looking so forward to trying this as lime is one of my favourite flavours!
Milk would prob be ok, but it won’t have as strong citrus flavor using the milk.
I LOVE anything key lime! This cake would make a great St. Pat’s cake too. So fun! BTW, I host a link party every Wednesday night and would love if you stopped by sometime. Have a great rest of the week!
Thanks so much, Ginger, for stopping by and the invitation. I’ll put your party on my list!
This looks delicious.
Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above
Thank you! I really like it.
I adore key lime, Paula….it reminds me of my honeymoon! This cake looks incredible and I love your photos of it. Thanks so much for sharing at Saturday Night Fever!!
i love the color. this is great for st. patty’s day. i also love lime!
I thought it would be a fun St Patty’s day dessert too! I love lemon and lime desserts, makes me think of Spring.
This cake is gorgeous, Paula! 🙂 LOVE the updated photos! I am willing warmer weather to get here fast with this cake!
Dear Paula, This sounds wonderful. I love Key Lime Pie, so I know I would enjoy this cake. Blessings, Catherine
Thank you,Catherine. It’s really good, I like anything with cream cheese frosting! 🙂 I actually like this cake better than a pie. Thanks for stopping by.