Key Lime Cake Recipe (Rum-Soaked Bundt, No Frosting Needed)
Inside: The secret to this key lime cake’s ridiculously moist crumb, plus the reheating trick for a bundt that releases clean every time.
Craving a key lime cake? This is the one I make — I’ve been baking it for years, and it’s never failed me. It’s a rum bundt cake flavored with real key lime zest and juice. No frosting is required for this key lime bundt cake because it’s soaked in a rich rum-and-key lime syrup. Start a day ahead with this lime cake recipe, as it needs a rest period before serving.
Key limes are to Florida what apple pie is to America
If you’ve ever visited South Florida, the Florida Keys or Key West, you’ll know that we Floridians are obsessed with everything “key lime”. My folks live in Key Largo and there are multiple Key Lime stores and Key Lime Pie Factories within blocks of their house.
Even Oprah is captivated with key limes having named this special citrusy cake from Ft. Lauderdale’s, We Take The Cake as one of her Favorite Things.
Key limes are part of the landscape here and this humble looking, but decadent tasting key lime cake recipe is a natural extension of our devotion to this diminutive fruit.
I use this vibrant citrus fruit in lots of recipes, from savory to sweet, including my summery Key Lime Mango Crabcake Salad, perfectly balanced Blueberry Key Lime Ice Cream, luscious Whipped Key Lime Mousse Tart, melt-in-your-mouth Key Lime Cookies, and this brain-freeze-inducing Key Lime Colada and Mango Lime Cake.
Why this recipe works:
- Rum-infused key lime syrup–soaks in overnight to ensure it’s moist and boosts the flavor. It also means it doesn’t need any fussy frosting or decoration.
- Scroll through the cake recipes on my site, and you’ll notice a trend. I don’t do fancy. I’m not a pedigreed pastry chef, and I don’t attempt decoration gymnastics. I just want good, flavorful desserts that pass the taste test. This key lime cake does it in spades.
- One slice satisfies–you don’t need two or three slices to satisfy your sweet tooth. It’s rich.
- Bundt cakes feed more people–great for a crowd.
- Advance prep–Yes, it keeps well for several days and therefore can be made in advance— in fact, it should be assembled the day before for the syrup to fully absorb in the crumb.
- Rum for flavor–yes, it has alcohol in it, but not enough to get anyone tipsy. If you’d rather skip the alcohol, you can. Replace it with water in the cake and syrup.
Ingredients for key lime cake:
- All Purpose Flour–I use King Arthur’s unbleached AP flour.
- Granulated Sugar–don’t substitute brown sugar, it will darken the crumb of the cake.
- Baking Powder
- Salt–you can use iodized, fine sea salt or kosher salt. If using Morton’s kosher salt, note it’s saltier by volume and you may need to reduce the amount by ⅓.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding (not sugar-free)– The instant pudding mix keeps the crumb of this lime bundt cake very moist; it also enhances the flavor. Because it’s a dry mix, you need to add additional moisture, which comes in the form of vegetable oil and eggs in this recipe. The pudding mix also helps the lime cake stay soft for several days.
- Butter–Used for both the batter and the soaking syrup.
- Vegetable Oil–or Canola oil. Do not use olive oil.
- Eggs–large eggs at room temperature. (To speed up that process, place the eggs in a bowl and cover with slightly warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes before using).
- Whole Milk
- Vanilla Extract–I use Penzey’s Double Strength Vanilla.
- Rum–(Golden or Dark): I used Mount Gay, but Myers is good to. Look for a a mid-range Barbados or other Caribbean rum, but avoid white rums as they don’t have the rich caramelized flavor notes that aged rums do. Save your rum agricole for sipping.
- Key Limes–Persian limes work as a substitute if you can’t find key limes near you; you’ll just need fewer, since they’re bigger. (Full comparison in the FAQ below.)
Step-by-step directions:
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pudding, butter and oil in a large mixing bowl.
2. Beat the ingredients until well blended and the mixture is soft and sandy-looking.
3. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla and beat until smooth.
4. Zest the limes on a microplane grater and add the zest to the cake batter.
5. Add the rum and beat on medium until the batter is evenly blended and smooth.
6. Generously spray a bundt pan with vegetable or nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle it with almond meal. Tilt the pan so the almond meal sticks to the spray and the entire interior of the pan is coated. Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for one hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.
7. While the cake bakes combine the sugar, butter, rum, lime zest, lime juice and salt in a saucepan.
8. Bring the ingredients to a boil to dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes until the key lime rum syrup has thickened and reduced.
9. When the cake is done baking, use a long skewer to poke holes all over the rum bundt and pour the key lime syrup over the top a little at a time. Don’t add more until the previous addition soaks into the crumb.
10. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 350°F and heat the lime cake for 10-12 minutes to melt the syrup and loosen it from the pan.
11. Use a thin knife to go around the edges and loosen any stuck portions, then invert the lime and rum bundt cake onto a serving platter to serve.
Pro-Tips:
- The lime and rum syrup is a real flavor booster and adds a wonderful moistness to the key lime bundt cake; however, it’s a syrup and, consequently, very sticky. It’s important to let the cake rest overnight to absorb the syrup evenly.
- Don’t flip the cake straight out of the pan after soaking it with syrup — even with the edges loosened, it’ll stick. Heat it in the oven first, then invert. If it’s stubborn, give it 5 more minutes and try again, jiggling the pan gently.
- Dust with almond flour, not flour — it coats the pan evenly without clumping and won’t leave the pasty white residue regular flour can, plus it adds a faint nutty crunch to the crust.
- Add the syrup gradually — pour it a quarter cup at a time and let each addition soak in before adding more, or it’ll pool instead of absorbing evenly.
Swaps and Variations:
- To serve the cake on the same day you make it, skip the lime rum syrup and serve the Key lime cake as is with a spoonful of whipped cream or ice cream. The flavor won’t be as deep, but still very good, especially with a spoonful of fruit served over the top.
- Use different spirits instead of rum. You can use cognac or brandy.
- Fresh berries elevate – a cup of fresh berries adds jammy pockets of fruit to the lime cake (blueberries, raspberries, or even chopped strawberries) are good options.
FAQs
Key limes are smaller, seedier and more aromatic than standard Persian limes. Their skins are more yellow than green and considerably thinner than those of regular limes. The flavor is distinctive and slightly less sour and bracing than standard limes. To taste them side by side, you can definitely tell the difference. See image above.
Yes, and I recommend Nellie and Joe’s (available in most markets). For the lime zest, if you can’t find Key limes, use the zest of regular Persian limes.
I use a 10-inch bundt pan. The batter won’t fill the pan, so you could theoretically use a smaller one for a higher cake.
It happens, but it’s not the end of the world. It’s cake. If possible, return the pan to the oven to heat the syrup through (that’s the likely culprit), then use a large spoon to gently dislodge the stuck part. Reassemble on the cake plate (and maybe add a few dollops of whipped cream or powdered sugar to hide it).
Of course. In that case, butter and flour the cake pan as you would any other cake. The exterior may have a few flecks of flour, but that’s better than a trip to the ER or a stick with an EpiPen.
Make ahead:
- This recipe should be made the day before you want to serve it, but not removed from the pan until the next day. See Pro-Tips (above) for how and why to wait, as well as the method for inverting it onto a plate (different from what you might think).
Storage:
- Store the bundt cake at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Beyond two days, cover and refrigerate so it doesn’t degrade.
Freezing:
- To freeze the key lime cake, wrap it in plastic wrap and again in freezer paper.
- If you have a smaller household, I recommend dividing the cake into quarters and freezing them separately so you can just take out a little at a time when you’re feeling that craving.
- The cake will last 2-3 months frozen.
- Defrost to serve.
What does key lime bundt cake taste like?
It tastes like “WOW!” This lime cake is super moist, tender, buttery and delicious. The rum is soft, but noticeable and there’s a perky lime flavor from the zest and juice. Most of all it’s a rich lime cake, I mean, hello… 2 sticks of butter.
What to serve with lime cake:
I like to keep it simple because this tropical dessert doesn’t need much embellishment. That said, you can’t go wrong with a little whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla. Fresh cut strawberries or a spoonful of this tropical fruit salad would also be a nice tie in.
More bundt cake recipes you’ll love:
Key Lime Cake
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- 1 bundt pan
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE KEY LIME CAKE:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3.4 ounce box Instant Vanilla Pudding
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup golden or dark rum I used Mount Gay
- 4-5 key limes zested (for about 2 tablespoons of zest)
- ⅓ cup almond meal (almond flour)
FOR THE SOAKING SYRUP:
- 1 cup sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup golden or dark rum I used Mount Gay
- ¼ cup key lime juice
- 2 teaspoons key lime zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
- Position the oven rack to the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Liberally spray the bundt cake pan with nonstick baking spray. Sprinkle the interior of the pan with ⅓ cup almond meal and tilt it so that the almond meal sticks and coats every part of the pan. This helps prevent sticking when turning out the bundt.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 3.4 ounce box Instant Vanilla Pudding, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, and ½ cup vegetable oil. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to combine the ingredients until well blended and resembles a sandy crumble.
- Add 4 large eggs, ½ cup whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, lime zest, and ½ cup golden or dark rum and blend until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Do NOT remove the cake from the pan (yet).
FOR THE LIME RUM SYRUP:
- While the cake bakes, make the lime rum soaking syrup by combining 1 cup sugar, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup golden or dark rum, ¼ cup key lime juice, 2 teaspoons key lime zest and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small saucepan.
- Heat over medium high heat, stirring regularly until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar dissolves. Simmer the mixture for 5-8 minutes until the sauce reduces to a syrupy consistency. Set aside.
SOAK THE CAKE WITH SYRUP:
- After baking and still warm from the oven, use a wooden skewer to poke holes in the crumb while it is still in the pan. Pour the key lime rum syrup evenly over the top, ¼ cup at a time, allowing each addition to soak in before adding more. Use all of the soaking syrup on the cake.
- Let it cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and rest overnight.
TO SERVE:
- Heat the oven to 350°. Place the cake, still in the bundt pan, in the oven for 10 minutes to heat the sticky syrup to a liquid form, allowing the bundt to release from the pan without breaking. Invert onto a cake plate to serve.
NOTES:
- Make the cake and soak it with the syrup the day before you plan on serving. It needs to rest overnight so the syrup infuses into the crumb.
- To serve, preheat the oven to 350°F and heat the cake in the warm oven for 10 minutes to melt the sticky syrup, which will hold the crumb in the bundt pan. Once sufficiently warmed, the cake should easily slip out of the pan.
- If it doesn’t release the first time, don’t force it; place it back in the oven for 5 minutes longer, then invert onto a cake plate.
- Store the bundt cake at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Beyond two days, cover and refrigerate so it doesn’t degrade.
- To freeze the key lime cake, wrap it in plastic wrap and again in freezer paper.
- The cake will last 2-3 months frozen.
- Defrost at room temperature to serve.
NUTRITION:
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate only and is provided as a courtesy. Values are calculated automatically based on the ingredients and quantities in each recipe and may vary depending on specific brands, exact measurements, and substitutions made. For precise nutritional guidance, especially if you have a medical condition or dietary restriction, please consult a registered dietitian or run the ingredients through your own nutrition calculator.Pin it for later!
You are so sick and I LOVE IT! I’m gonna combine this recipe with passion fruit recipe, but I’ll be sure to give you the credit when I post it. Thank you so much!