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Key Lime Cake

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Meet Kev’s Mom, Katie…

We’re going to blog about her awesome key lime cake today. It’s soooo good, and we’re excited to share the recipe with you!

Here are the directions, straight from Katie’s kitchen…

For the cakes-

Step 1: Prepare three round 9″ pans by lining the bottoms of each with 9″ circles of wax paper.

Step 2: Grease the wax paper with Pam and then sprinkle with flour.

Step 3: Mix the cake mix, lime jello, oil, eggs, orange juice and water together for 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed.

Step 4: Pour an equal amount of the batter into each of the three lined cake pans.

Step 5: Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

For the glaze-

Step 6: While the cakes are baking, knead two key limes against a hard surface to loosen the juice inside of them.

Step 7: Cut each of the limes in half.

Step 8: Squeeze 1/4 cup of fresh key lime juice into a small bowl.

Step 9: Pour 1/4 cup of bottled lime juice into the bowl of fresh lime juice.

Step 10: Mix in 4 tbsp. of confectioners sugar.

(I love that the confectioners sugar fell into the bowl in the shape of a heart in step 10!)

When the cakes come of out the oven, and while they’re still warm, use a spoon to drizzle the glaze mixture onto the entire surface of each of them.

For the icing-

Step 11: Mix the margarine and cream cheese together.

Step 12: Mix in the remainder of the box of confectioners sugar.

Step 13: Add the vanilla, and mix until it’s smooth.

Step 14: Remove the first cake from its pan, discard the waxpaper on the bottom of it, and spread a layer of icing on the top of it.

Step 15: Remove and stack the second (wax paperless) cake on top of the first one, and spread a layer of icing on the top of it.

Step 16: Remove and stack the third (wax paperless) cake on top of the second one, and spread a layer of icing on the top of it. Use the remaining icing to cover the sides of the cake.

Place the cake in the refrigerator to keep the icing firm.

Optional Refrigeration Instructions: Immediately cut and serve up several large pieces to your famished family.

So there ya have it- Katie’s Key Lime Cake recipe! If you decide to make one, let us know what you think of it…

…and if you have any questions about the recipe (or would just like to say hello to Katie!) please feel free to leave her a comment on this post!

She’s an absolute sweetheart and I look very forward to sampling the next neat thing she cooks up!


Print
Key Lime Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 box of lemon cake mix
  • 1 - 3 oz. box of lime jello
  • 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of orange juice
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • 1 box confectioners sugar
  • 1/4 cup of key lime juice (bottled)
  • 1/4 cup of key lime juice (fresh)
  • 8 oz. of cream cheese (softened)
  • 1 stick of margarine (softened)
  • 1 tsp. of vanilla flavoring

Instructions

  1. Step 1: Prepare three round 9" pans by lining the bottoms of each with 9" circles of wax paper.
  2. Step 2: Grease the wax paper with Pam and then sprinkle with flour.
  3. Step 3: Mix the cake mix, lime jello, oil, eggs, orange juice and water together for 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed.
  4. Step 4: Pour an equal amount of the batter into each of the three lined cake pans.
  5. Step 5: Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
  6. For the glaze-
  7. Step 6: While the cakes are baking, knead two key limes against a hard surface to loosen the juice inside of them.
  8. Step 7: Cut each of the limes in half.
  9. Step 8: Squeeze 1/4 cup of fresh key lime juice into a small bowl.
  10. Step 9: Pour 1/4 cup of bottled lime juice into the bowl of fresh lime juice.
  11. Step 10: Mix in 4 tbsp. of confectioners sugar.
  12. When the cakes come of out the oven, and while they're still warm, use a spoon to drizzle the glaze mixture onto the entire surface of each of them.
  13. When the cakes come of out the oven, and while they're still warm, use a spoon to drizzle the glaze mixture onto the entire surface of each of them.
  14. Step 11: Mix the margarine and cream cheese together.
  15. Step 12: Mix in the remainder of the box of confectioners sugar.
  16. Step 13: Add the vanilla, and mix until smooth.
  17. Step 14: Remove the first cake from its pan, discard the waxpaper on the bottom of it, and spread a layer of icing on the top of it.
  18. Step 15: Remove and stack the second (wax paperless) cake on top of the first one, and spread a layer of icing on the top of it.
  19. Step 16: Remove and stack the third (wax paperless) cake on top of the second one, and spread a layer of icing on the top of it. Use the remaining icing to cover the sides of the cake.
  20. Place the cake in the refrigerator to keep the icing firm.
https://theletteredcottage.net/key-lime-cake/

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tina

    The cake looks wonderful. Thank you for sharing the recipe. It looks like you used regular bottled lime juice and regular fresh limes. I can get bottled key lime juice, but can’t get actual key limes. I suppose it’s ok to just use regular fresh limes?

  2. Ofelia

    Hi, this recipe sound wonderfull, I woul like to try it, but I can´t find the link to friendly print, where is it?

  3. Glenda Childers

    I am popping over from Rhoda’s recipe party. Hope you enjoy my orange muffins (link #99.)

    Your mom.in.law is just adorable and this cake looks so amazing. Such a pretty color, too.

    fondly,
    Glenda

  4. Elizabeth

    This looks like a fantastic recipe for cupcakes – would you be willing to share some suggestions in terms of baking time and temperature?
    Thank you!
    Elizabeth

    • Katie

      Elizabeth, the cake mix box indicates you should get 24 cupcakes and the baking time is 18-21 minutes.

    • Katie

      Elizabeth, the temperature is 350 degrees and baking time for cupcakes is 18 to 21 minutes. Hope you enjoy them.

  5. geri

    Hi Katie.
    Beautiful mom, beautiful friend, beautiful grandma, beautiful cook.
    I am tossing the scale under the bed to try this delish cake recipe.
    I am going to try it out this holiday weekend.
    I am hoping I can bypass the Tums, which I usually
    have to pass out as after dinner mints cause I am not
    the best cook. hehe
    Have a wonderful holiday also.

    • Katie

      Thanks, Geri, for your gracious comment. I am sure you will do a great job making the cake!

  6. Haunani

    Oh my goodness! I’m going to be dreaming about these tonight. And cupcakes…whoever suggested that is a genius. We will be trying these before the end of the week for sure!! Thanks for the suggestion.

  7. Jessica P

    Looks delicious!! Will definitely have to give a try. Miss Katie is so adorable! Would love to hear more of her recipes.

  8. Angie

    I am a HUGE fan of Key Lime “anything” . I cannot wait to make this for my family. My husband is gonna have a smile for days. Thank you for sharing.

    • Katie

      Thanks, Angie, for your comment. I hope your family enjoys the cake as much as mine does!

  11. Stacy T

    This looks amazing – key lime pie is my fav pie. I’ll def make this. But I must know where you got the galvanized cake stand!! Oh my! I must have one! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!

  12. BethAnn

    Hi Kev and Layla! Is there any way you can put this recipe into a printable format so I don’t have to print mucho pages and pics? This looks delicious and I hope to try it for our church potluck in a few weeks!
    THanks!
    BethAnn

  13. Alicia

    Katie & Layla,
    The cake looks amazing and delicious! Thank you for posting the recipe and giving us a step by step visual. I have a mother who constantly complains about cooking and forget about baking. So it’s wonderful to be able to gather inspiration from you. What a blessing you must be to your family and those around you. Please keep posting more of your recipes. Thank you for making me smile with your recipe.

    • Katie

      Alicia, thanks for that kind and gracious comment. My family means everything to me and I do enjoy cooking for them. The fact that I made you smile makes me smile!

  14. Barbi

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try it out as cupcakes for our annual summer bbq at work!

  15. Michelle Torres

    Thank you so very much for sharing this Amazing cake recipe! When I saw this post, I knew I had to make this cake, no longer than I thought about who I could make it for and ofcourse enjoy it with, a good friend of mine contacted me after almost a year, and asked if she could come for a visit so our little girls could have a play date, I was so excited and was thrilled to have this cake in the fridge waiting for us to enjoy all together! Let me tell you that we absolutely LOVED it, and I am honestly baking another one this weekend for more company that will be coming for Memorial Day!!!!! Just the perfect cake with the best zesty taste on these hot days here in NC!!!!!! Thanks again, for sharing this recipe!!!!!!!!!!

    Michelle Torres
    [email protected]

  16. Michelle Torres

    Ohhhh, a few more things…. I forgot to mention how Beautiful the table setting was, and how adorable Kevin’s sweet Mother looks too!!!!!! And Layla, so good hearted all the time, outside spray painting her Mother in laws patio furniture! You guys are so special, All of you!!!!! Great Pic’s too Kevin, so clear and very detailed, and believe me right on target, I made this cake today and you didnt miss a beat!!!! Ha ha Thanks you guys!!!!!!

    Mcihelle Torres
    [email protected]

    • Katie

      Michelle, thanks for your kind and gracious comments. I am so glad all of you enjoyed the cake. Regarding Layla, she is a jewel and is dearly loved by all of our family!

  17. Pam Pike

    Wow, this looks so good. I’m going to make this weekend for our family get together. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks to Kevin’s mom for sharing. She looks so sweet.

  18. Kathleen

    Kudos to Katie for such a fun post! I love the knife, no high falootin’ off-set spatula. I have two and can never find them! Layla, I would like to see this as a continuing series- “Katie’s Kitchen” and how about some snickerdoodle baking with those darlin’ grand kids!

  20. angela r j

    I dare say that Katie looks sweeter and more enjoyable than the cake. Still, I’ll have to try the cake out next week for my daughter’s birthday. Thanks!

    • Katie

      Angela, thanks for that kind and gracious comment. I am sure the cake will be a big hit for your daughter’s birthday!

  21. Sharron

    Love the recipe! I haven’t served it yet…I’ll let you now how tomorrows “hen party” goes with the girls!
    Love your site. If I could figure put how to get my camera pics to my email I would send you a pick my presto over!
    XOXO,
    Sharron

  23. Julie

    Thank you for the recipe! I made this today for a family gathering. It was supposed to rain today and I thought this would be a great way to bring a little summer into our day even if the weather failed to cooperate. The cake was perfect! And, so was the weather.

    I have to tell you, my youngest daughter did not like the frosting. She used her fork to eat every bit of the cake and gave the frosting to my husband. He was thrilled!

  24. mimi linna

    I reposted this on facebook and kiddingly said.. I would make this if I had a oven that worked. /A wonderful friend made it for me and drove two hours to deliver it. She even had to order the key limes since they couldn’t be found where she lives in Nebraska. It was so good!! We now refer to it as the Key Lime Pie Cake.. it is just hard not to say pie after key lime..thank you again for posting the recipe.

  25. Tara

    please know that I am making this cake this coming weekend and I CAN’T WAIT.

    my mom made a key lime pound cake from southern living while we were home visiting them..actually she made three of them..one a week for every week we were there.

    my thighs are miserable but my heart is happy!!!!!

  26. Brittany

    I have been looking for a good keylime cake recipe forever! One of my favorite little bakeries sells keylime cupcakes and they my favorite!!! Thanks so much for sharing! AND I love the galvanized cake stand!

  27. Gina

    My husband absolutely loves Key Lime pie, so I thought I’d give this cake recipe a try. Wow! What a hit! I’ll be making this for a friend’s upcoming summer gathering. Thanks for the post!

  28. Lee

    I have FINALLY printed off this recipe! Can’t wait to make it for my Mr. Mister…he loves key lime and his birthday is right around the corner!

  29. Danita

    What is the difference between a key lime and a regular lime?? Is that a dumb question, I really want to make this cake for my son this week as a surprise, looks like a yummy cake Thanks for sharing Katie

    • Liz

      Good question! All my super target had was Persian limes, so I used those! Amazing recipe, I don’t think it would make much of a difference. 🙂

  31. Valerie

    Off to the store to buy the ingredients for the cake. I love anything made with limes. The pictures are super!!! Wishing all a Happy Birthday!!!!!

  32. Lisa Ann

    I am making this for my daughters high school graduation dinner. I had trouble copying it for printing. Am I missing the place where you have a printable copy? I just found your site…and I just might be a little inspired….thank you

  33. Anne Moore

    I made the cake over the weekend and it was fabulous. One comment was “it was the best thing in the world”

  34. Danielle

    Made this scrumptious dessert for our family picnic on Memorial Day, it was a HUGE hit. We are getting together for Father’s Day tomorrow and all the men in the family requested this cake. Thanks sooo much for sharing, you’re simply the best!!

  35. Kathy

    Quick question – do you spoon ALL the glaze over the cakes? I did and then had trouble having it stay sturdy enough to 1)get out of the pan, and 2) ice without parts pulling off. Maybe I did something funny, but, BOY does it sure TASTE great!!!

  36. Lisa

    Just wanted to say I tried this recipe for our recent family reunion and it was a huge hit! The cake was very moist and the frosting was the BEST I’ve ever had. The cream cheese makes it extra creamy and cuts the sugary sweetness a bit. My daughter loved it so much she requested the frosting for her strawberry birthday cupcakes. 🙂

  37. Natalie@ABungalowProject

    I made this cake for Father’s Day… sort of… I grabbed everything I needed from the store except for the lime jello! 🙁 So, I had a box of fat free, sugar free vanilla jello pudding mix in the pantry, and tossed it in place of the jello mix. I used more fresh key limes and even put a teeny tiny, little bit of the rinds in the food processer and tossed a pinch of them in the cake mix. The finished product was awesome! I did not taste a lot of lime, it was definitely a lemon-lime flavor. Can’t wait to try the real thing! Please tell your mother-in law how well it baked, smelled, and tasted! It was such a hit!

    ps… has anyone ever tried this with margartia mix? 🙂

  39. Deb

    HI, I made this cake this weekend to take to a 4th of July Church Social and it was the “Belle of the Ball”.

    Thank you for sharing it.

    Deb July 2011

  40. Lisa

    I tried this recipe yesterday. It was amazing!
    Thank you for posting the recipe, and making it so easy to follow. I’ve never really baked anything before, and it still came out perfect.

  41. Angela B

    I made this cake for my significant other as he LOVES key lime pie! I served it to him and several of our friends and it was GONE in no time! We were fighting over the last piece! I can’t wait to make it again!! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe with the rest of us!!

  42. Kerri

    I really want to make this for my boyfriends birthday. But I have no idea how much icing sugar is in a box. Here in canada you can buy it in boxes, bags and in bulk! Also, how much margarine is equal to one stick? Cake looks wonderful and can’t wait to try it!!

    thanks!!

    • markita

      I made one for thanks giving. Delicious!!! I have to make 2 for Christmas. The family demands it.

  43. Sunny Jane

    Just made this cake for the second time, and it was a HUGE hit. For the second time:) I love it. And I don’t even like cake!

  44. Autumn

    I absolutely adore this recipe. It was so easy to follow with the numbered steps and pictures! My boyfriend and I just made the cake not even 5 minutes ago and it’s a major hit! Thanks so much for sharing, can’t wait to see what Katie cooks up next!

  45. Adele Forbes

    What a beautiful mother you have. I am saving this recipe to make for the family that I cook for when they return to the mountains of NC for the summer. They simply adore anything made from key limes. Thank you so very much for sharing. Love your site.

  46. hannah singer

    oh my heck.
    katie, i love you.
    this looks amazingly delicious AND pretty!
    can’t wait to try this, it’ll be like summer…
    which i need with a blizzard on the way 😉

    thank y’all! xo

  47. Christine

    I made this recipe this weekend for a birthday boy whose favorite dessert is key lime pie! I’ve been saving the link for months waiting! He loved the twist on birthday cake, and I loved seeing him happy. Thanks for sharing!

  48. Cheryl

    I’m going to try this and then try this to change it up a bit and make a strawberry cake.

  49. Liz

    I just made this! As a cupcake! AH MAZE ING!!! I have a syringe I uSed to pump the glaze inside each cupcake, perfect combo of tart and sweet! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing! Will definetly make these again!

  50. Lois

    Great photos, love it when recipes are photographed from start to bite! Cake looks lovely.