Easy Key Lime Cake {With Cake Mix}

Easy lime cake recipe, which starts off with cake mix. This pound cake is homemade with simple ingredients. Soft, moist, rich, firm and better than any scratch recipe out there!

For today's recipe, we are going to take that classic key lime pie flavor and turn it into a cake! With a tangy yet sweet taste and strong aroma, this will join the ranks of my Key Lime Cookies and Raspberry Lime Cupcakes.

Due to its stunning green color, it's also a perfect green dessert for St.Patrick's Day.

How to make key lime cake recipe?

1. Mix dry ingredients- Whisk together cake mix and pudding mix and keep aside.
2. Mix wet ingredients- In another mixing bowl, add eggs, oil, water, lime zest, lime extract, sour cream and mix until smooth.
3. Combine wet and dry mixtures- Dump the dry mixture with the wet mixture and mix just until combined.
4. Pour into pan- Pour batter in loaf pans.
5. Spread batter- Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly.
6. Bake- At 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes.
7. Enjoy- Let it cool and then cut slices.

How to make glaze for key lime pound cake?

I didn't add it because my family didn't care for it but it really enhances the lime flavor.

Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar with 3-4 tablespoon lime juice and 1 teaspoon lime zest (optional) until smooth. To make a thick glaze, mix in more powdered sugar. To make a thinner glaze, mix in additional lime juice or water. Drizzle this over the cake once it has fully cooled down.

Variations

Add coconut- You can add ¼ cup shredded coconut in the batter. The other option would be to glaze or frost a cake and decorate it heavily with shredded toasted coconut.

Add glaze- Make a lime or lemon, or orange glaze to enhance the tanginess and citrus flavor.

Add chopped nuts- Such as roasted almonds, walnuts or pecans for some crunch and earthy flavors.

Add frosting- Some great choices would be Cream Cheese Frosting or Lemon Frosting. Both of them have a subtle tanginess that would compliment the flavors of this cake perfectly.

Key lime bundt cake- Spoon the batter in a greased and floured bundt pan. The baking time may be a little different though.

Key lime poke cake- Bake the cake in a rectangle pan. Once it is done baking, let it cool completely. Then, poke holes in the cake with a bubble tea straw. Spread lime pudding. Then, chill in the fridge. Finally, frost it in icing of your choice.

Make it a layer cake- Bake the cake in 2 round pans. You can also double the recipe to make more cakes. The, stack them with layers of frosting.

Lemon Lime cake- Add some lemon zest and lemon extract to enhance the citrus flavor.

Decorate cake- Glaze the cake and decorate with sprinkles, coconut, chopped nuts or thinly sliced limes.

Storage

Room temperature- Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Refrigerate- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Freeze- Unglazed and unfrosted cake can be wrapped tightly in saran and stored in the fridge for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy it, thaw in the fridge overnight.

Tips and Techniques

What flavor of cake mix to use? Yellow cake mix or butter cake mix or golden cake mix all work well. The brand of cake mix does not matter. If you really want to enhance the citrus flavor, you can use lemon cake mix and you will end up with a refreshing lemon lime flavor.

Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? Yes, it is a healthier alternative to sour cream. Make sure to use full-fat Greek yogurt and drain the liquid (if any) before adding it to the batter.

Use the best key limes- Make sure they are less green ones, no discoloration, and are juicy.

Do not use low-fat or non-fat ingredients- The cake will not turn out moist or rich. Make sure you use full-fat ingredients.

Do not use sugar-free ingredients- This will give the cake an odd after-taste. Make sure to buy regular pudding mix and cake mix for the best flavors.

Water must be warm- Warm tap water is preferred. It should not be boiling hot water. This allows all the ingredients to blend together smoothly.

Key limes vs. Regular limes- Key limes are preferred because they have a stronger flavor and aroma but regular limes are a good substitute.

Don't over-bake- Because that discolors and browns the top and sides of the cake. It also make the cake dry.

Don't over-mix cake batter- Because it can cause the cake to collapse during baking. It will also yield a very dense and tough cake.

Lime extract is optional- But I highly recommend it because it enhances the lime flavor.

More Doctored Cake Mix Recipes

• Lemon Pound Cake {With Cake Mix)
• Pineapple Cake (w/Cake Mix)
• Chocolate Pound Cake (w/Cake Mix)
• 7 UP Cake (With Cake Mix)
• Sock it to Me Cake (With Cake Mix)
• Black Forest Cake (With Cake Mix)

Recipe