Key Lime Pound Cake with Key Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

key lime pound cakeServings: one 10
Difficulty: moderate

INGREDIENTS:

4 sticks butter, that’s 1 pound, room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs, room temperature
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice
1/4 cup evaporated milk, (I always keep a good number of those small, 5 ounce cans in my pantry.)
4 teaspoons key lime zest, minced
1 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 300°.  Cover inside of 10 inch tube pan with non-stick spray.  My pan is 10  1/2″ and it’s just fine.  Set aside.
  • Using a stand-up mixer or electric hand-held, beat the butter well until light in color and fluffy.  Add the sugar and again beat well for at least 5 minutes.
  • I use a stand up mixer and beat the mixture 10-15 minutes.  I don’t like a “grainy” cake.
  • One at a time add the eggs and beat only until the yellow disappears.Stir juice, milk, zest and vanilla together.
  • Now mixing by hand, gradually flour to the butter-egg mixture alternating with the key lime juice and milk mixture.  Begin and end with flour. 
  • Mix well but just enough to incorporate all ingredients.  You don’t want a tough pound cake!
  • Pour evenly into the tube pan and tap pan on the counter to loosen any air bubbles.
  • Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
  • Cool on a cooling rack for 20-25 minutes in the pan then transfer from pan to cooling rack and allow to cool another hour or until completely cool.
    The cake is far better the following day or 2 days later.

KEY LIME CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3-4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
2-3 teaspoons key lime zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Using a hand mixer beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until well mixed.
  • Add confectioner’s sugar and beat well until completely smooth and fluffy.
  • Add key lime juice, zest and vanilla and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
  • Ice cake.  (This makes quite a bit of icing.  After icing the entire  pound cake I fill the middle hole with the excess icing.  When the cake is served icing can be taken from the middle and dolloped along the side the slice of cake.)