key lime juice | EASYBAKED

Key Lime Layer Cake

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Ruthanne

Moist cake layered with buttercream and tart key lime filling. A perfect summer treat!

Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts. It’s just so refreshing and fun! Whenever I am pondering the question of what dessert to try in a restaurant I am always caught between chocolate and anything key lime.

I’ve already done a few key lime recipes here on Easybaked, but never a cake. Until today…..

The key lime filling is tart, but the sweet buttercream layered with it makes each bite a refreshing treat!

Here’s how to make it: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed yellow cake mix (with eggs, oil and water to make according to package)
1 cup of key lime juice
1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 sticks (8 oz.) of salted butter
2 sticks (8 oz.) of unsalted butter
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of clear vanilla
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers

DIRECTIONS: (make filling 1st to save time)

Cake:

Make cake mix according to package and bake in two 8 or 9 inch round pans.
Turn cakes out of pans onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Filling:

In a medium mixing bowl blend together key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg until combined.
Pour into a small casserole dish and bake at 325F degrees for 15-20 minutes until center is set.
Cool completely (I make this 1st and place it in the fridge while I make the cake and frosting)

Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, add softened butters, powdered sugar and vanilla.
Beat on high for several minutes until frosting is light and very fluffy.

Putting the cake together:

Trim the tops of cakes to make them flat using a large serrated knife.
Cut each cake into 2 layers using the same serrated knife.
Place 1st layer on a serving plate and lightly layer with frosting.
Spread 1/3 of the cooled key lime filling over layer
Place 2nd layer on top and repeat until last layer has been placed on top.
Frost entire cake (top and sides) with buttercream frosting.
Crush a few graham crackers and gently press the crumbs along the sides of the cake.
Decorate as desired. I used little dollops of extra frosting and little lime green chocolates.

(Aren’t they cute?!?)

My thoughts: I love this cake so much! It’s not only one of my favorite flavors, but it’s pretty and it holds together so well and cuts beautifully! If you love key lime like I do, this is the cake for you! I hope you get a chance to try it!!! Enjoy! ~r

Other layer cake recipes you might enjoy:

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Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, buttercream, cake, cake mix, dessert, easy cake, food, frosting, key lime, key lime filling, key lime juice, key lime pie, key lime recipes, layer cake, recipe, sweetened condensed milk, sweets, yellow cake, yellow cake mix. Bookmark the permalink.

Key Lime Cupcakes

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Ruthanne

These cupcakes are filled with a sweet key lime filling and topped with key lime buttercream…what could be better than that? Oh, how about a graham cracker crust on the bottom of the cupcake? This dessert is as close to key lime pie as you can get…without it being a pie! (printer friendly recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 24 cupcakes)

Filling:

1 cup key lime juice (a labor of love….!)
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 egg

Cupcakes:

2 cups of graham crackers (finely crushed)
3 Tablespoons of butter (melted)
1 boxed yellow cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package)

Frosting:

2 sticks (8 oz) salted butter (at room temp)
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter (at room temp)
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons of key lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

Filling:

Mix together key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg and pour into a small casserole.
Bake at 325F degrees for 15-20 minutes (until center is set)
Cool completely.

Cupcakes:

Mix crushed graham crackers with melted butter.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of this mixture into 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins (you’ll have a little left to garnish with at the end)
Press crumbs firmly into bottom of cup (I find my Mini Tart Shaper to be very useful for this)
Make cake mix according to box, and divide batter equally between the 24 cupcake liners.
Bake according to directions on box
Remove from oven and cool completely.
Core cupcakes (I love my Cupcake Plunger– it is so quick to use and saves the core to place back on top of the filling- to see a picture of how it works, click here).
Spoon cooled filling into a zip top bag and clip a corner off.

Pipe filling evenly into each cupcake, saving about 1/4 of a cup of filling to drizzle on the top at the end.
Place top of core back in place (you can trim some of the bottom off to make room for the filling if you need to)

Frosting:

Place butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of key lime juice into a large bowl.
Using a mixer, beat on high until light and fluffy.
Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes and drizzle remaining filling on top.
Sprinkle with remaining graham crust crumbs and ENJOY!!!!

My thoughts: I created these for a graduation party. The challenge was to create a key lime cupcake for someone who LOVES key lime pie. Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts, so it was a fun task. These were a big hit. I love the balance between the tart center and the sweet cupcake and frosting.