Prep Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2-1/3 cups flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
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- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- juice and zest from 4 key limes
- 1/2 teaspoon green food coloring, optional*
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- 1 cup buttermilk**
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- cream cheese frosting***
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9 x 1-1/2-inch round cake pans.In a medium bowl, with a wire whisk combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar with stand or electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Mixing well after each addition. Mix in key lime juice. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Mix on low after each addition until just combined. Hand stir in key lime zest. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans. Allow cakes to completely cool on wire racks.
Frost with cream cheese frosting. Use toasted pecans to decorate sides of cake.
Notes in the Margin
*Although, the Key Lime Cake in the photo has the green food coloring added, most Key Lime purists will tell you that key limes are not green, they are yellow. It’s up to you.**Buttermilk can be substituted with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup.
***Recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting
