Key Lime Cake

Serving a slice of cake with whipped cream and a lime wheel.

5 from 3 votes

This key lime cake is no ordinary bundt — rich, moist and soaked through with a key lime rum syrup that does the work frosting usually does. No decorating required, and it only gets better with a day to rest.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake

Dietary Restrictions Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Resting Time 12

Total Time 13 25

Servings

Calories 359kcal

Author Lisa Lotts

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

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