Key Lime Pound Cake

Prepare your keyboards because today's recipe for Key Lime Pound Cake might make you drool a little bit! Joking aside, this would be the perfect easy recipe to try for a Mother's Day get-together or a brunch with friends. I shared this as a guest post for another blog last year, and I can't believe I haven't posted it here yet!

I come from a long and proud line of chocolate addicts. Our motto is "it's not really dessert unless there's chocolate in it."

I surprised myself when my mouth watered a little bit as I read Southern Living's recipe for Key Lime Pound Cake. It's a well-known fact that just about any recipe you find in that magazine's pages will be delectable, so I took the time to document my first try with this recipe. I'm so glad I did!

Key Lime Pound Cake
adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup milk (I used whole because that's what my girls drink, and I had it on hand)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lime zest
1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice (as you can see, I used bottled lime juice)
--Key Lime Glaze

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a heavy duty electric stand mixer until creamy. (This was interesting. I seldom use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer because I have a delusional fear of losing a finger in the attachments)

Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just blended after each addition.

2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until just blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice.

3. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10 inch (12 cup) tube pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack (I moved mine to the cake plate so it would hold more glaze)

4. Prepare Key Lime Glaze (whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. fresh Key lime juice, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract until smooth. Use immediately). Immediately brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely. (About 1 hour)

I doubled the Glaze recipe (and added extra lime juice) because what I first prepared didn't look like enough to cover the cake. I was so pleased with the results! (And please, no critical comments about using real key limes instead of the key lime juice. I am aware that real key limes enhance the flavor, but I needed to use what I had, and this is a pretty darn tasty cake.)

The cake was moist, dense, and had the perfect mix of sweet and tart.

I guess the photo speaks for itself? Easy to make, and even easier to gobble up.

Happy Baking!

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Linking to Home Stories A to Z, Positively Splendid, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam