Easy, delicious, and fluffy Key Lime Cake with cream cheese frosting is guaranteed to become a favorite recipe for all celebrations! This creamy and soft cake is going to satisfy your sweet craving and keep you chilled. Without any effort, make this easy citrus cake and enjoy your tasty treat!
Key Lime Cake is absolutely perfect for any party or holiday gathering, any time of year! It’s fresh, homemade, and well-balanced with the chilliness of lime flavor and sweetness of cream cheese frosting ingredients!
Fluffy and Soft Key Lime Cake

This cake is the perfect balance of sweetness and smoothness! The cake layers are tender and moist and absolutely a must-make recipe for your next celebration… or no special occasion at all. This is a refreshing and moist citrus cake that’s sure to become a crowd-pleaser!
Make it in the heat of summer to chill you and satisfy your sweet tooth. Make it in the chill of winter to transfer you into a delicious tropical atmosphere. Either way, one bite of this key lime cake will grant you a perfect amount of sweet taste that’s deliciously moist throughout!
Four Reasons to Love This Cake
It needs no special equipment, and all the ingredients are affordable and easy to find! This fruity and citrus key lime cake is perfect for serving indoors and outdoors.
This cake makes a great springtime dessert! St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Mother’s Day would be the ideal time to enjoy this cake. This delicious, moist, and easy key lime cake is bursting with fresh lime flavor and topped with cream cheese frosting.
Beautiful mint-green cake perfectly goes with a color scheme for celebrations! This cake will be the centerpiece for the celebration of Christmas desserts, wedding/baby showers, and green color thematic birthdays!
You can bake your cake layers in advance! Frozen cake layers stay fresh for up to three months in the freezer. You just have to thaw the layers and add cream frosting or whipped cream! This way the layers are less fragile and can be easily handed.
A Bright and Flavorful Key Lime Cake

Top Ideas to Decorate Lime Key Cake
To add an elegant touch, thinly slice a few key limes and decorate the top of your cake. It adds a fresh and citrusy element to the cake. Dip some slices in sugar syrup or powdered sugar for an extra sweet touch.
Zest some key lime and sprinkle them on top of the cake and around the edges. The vibrant green zest enhances the colors and adds a beautiful touch to your presentation. Sprinkle the zest right upon serving to keep it fresh.
For an extra creamy touch, add a dollop of whipped cream on top of the cake It provides a creamy and luxurious contrast to the tangy lime flavor. Use a pipe with a star tip for a decorative design.
Use a cake stand to present the key lime cake to enhance its visual appeal. If you have a special occasion, choose a stand that complements the colors and the theme you choose.
Tips for the Best Key Lime Cake
The minimum freezing time is 2 hours. If the pie stays overnight in the fridge, the perfectly smooth aromatic flavors will be totally guaranteed! A fabulous cake will be a delicious treat for everyone.
It is important to grease the cake pans with the cooking spray! This way the cake layers will come out easily out of the pans. You may even put a baking sheet inside the pan to guarantee a good result.
I would highly suggest using fresh lime juice for this cake! It makes such a difference in the flavor.
Use a sharp, clean knife to cut clean slices when serving lime key cake. Place each slice on a decorative plate and then dust it with some powdered sugar.
Here is a very useful tip for unexpected guests! Cut a frozen pie into individual slices and wrap each piece in a separate zipping bag. This way you can pull a few pieces out of the freezer and serve the guests anytime!
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days, or store it tightly covered in the freezer for weeks.
Wrap cake layers tightly in plastic zipping bags and store them for three months.
If you can’t find key limes, regular limes would be just fine.
It is better to serve the firm and cold cake for the most delicious taste.
The Best Key Lime Cake Ever
Key Lime Cake
Simple Ingredients That You Need
For the cake mix
- Lemon cake mix
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Orange juice
- Fresh lemon juice
- Fresh key lime juice
- Lime Jell-O
For the cream cheese frosting
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Powder sugar
- Vanilla flavor or lemon/lime flavor
Easy Instructions to Follow
To make the cake base
First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, add lemon cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, orange juice, fresh lemon juice, fresh key lime juice, and Lime Jell-O. Whisk these ingredients for around one minute to combine.
Next. spray two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Place batter into baking pans.
Then, bake for 20-26 minutes. Check the cake’s readiness with a toothpick: if it comes out clean, turn off the oven.
Cool down the cake layers for 5-10 minutes. Take the layers out of the pans.
To make cream cheese frosting
In a large mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla flavor or lemon/lime flavor for 4-5 minutes. Stop to whisk if the mixture becomes extremely light and fluffy.
To assemble the key lime cake
First, remove the cake layers from both pans.
Then, spread cream cheese frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place the other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over.
For that special touch, add slices of fresh key lime to the top of the cake, and sprinkle the top with the lime zest.
Enjoy the most delicious and flavorful key lime cake!
Other Easy and Sweet Recipes for You
- Oreo Dirt Pudding
- Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake
- Red Velvet Cookies
- Butter Pecan Bundt Cake
- Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake
- Homemade Cake Release
- No-Bake Graham Cracker Crust Strawberry Pie
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Chip Cookies
- How to Make a Box Cake Taste Homemade
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Key Lime Cake
Equipment
- 2 of 8-inch pans
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cake mix:
- 1 box of lemon cake mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
- ¾ cup of fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of fresh key lime juice
- 1 box of Lime Jell-O
Ingredients for the cream cheese icing:
- 1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese
- ½ cup of butter (1 stick)
- 4 cups of powder sugar
- 3 tablespoons of vanilla flavor or lemon/lime flavor
Instructions
Step 1: How to make the cake base:
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add lemon cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, orange juice, fresh lemon juice, fresh key lime juice, and Lime Jell-O. Whisk these ingredients for around one minute to combine.
- Spray two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Place batter into baking pans.
- Bake for 20-26 minutes. Check the cake's readiness with a toothpick: if it comes out clean, turn off the oven.
- Cool down the cake layers for 5-10 minutes. Take the layers out of the pans.
Step 2: How to make cream cheese frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, powder sugar, and vanilla flavor or lemon/lime flavor for 4-5 minutes. Stop to whisk if the mixture becomes extremely light and fluffy.
Step 3: How to assemble the key lime cake:
- Remove cake layers from both pans.
- Spread cream cheese frosting on top of one cooled cake layer. Place the other cooled cake layer on top and spread frosting all over.
- For that special touch, add slices of fresh key lime to the top of the cake, and sprinkle the top with the lime zest.
- Enjoy the most delicious and flavorful key lime cake!
Notes
Nutrition Facts:
Important Tips:
- Minimum freezing time is 2 hours. If the pie stays overnight in the fridge, the perfectly smooth aromatic flavors will be totally guaranteed! A fabulous cake will be a delicious treat for everyone.
- It is important to grease the cake pans with the cooking spray! This way the cake layers will come out easily out of the pans. You may even put baking sheet inside the pan to guarantee the good result.
- I would highly suggest using fresh lime juice for this cake! It makes such a difference in the flavor.
- A very useful tip for unexpected guests! Cut a frozen pie into individual slices and wrap each piece in a separate zipping bag. This way you can pull a few pieces out of the freezer and serve the guests anytime!
I love key lime so much! Now that summer is gone, I’m going to make this to bring back a little sunshine!
This cake looks delicious and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
This is great recipe for St. Patty’s day. My daughter loves all things green too. This will be bookmarked!
I have never tried key lime cake, but I love key lime pie! This is a great recipe.
This looks SO delicious! Thank you for sharing this with us <3
I’ve never thought about key lime flavors in a cake. This sounds fab!
Thank you Jazz!!
My daughter would love this! She likes key lime everything.
I hope you try it Kenya!!
I never heard of key lime cake before, but Im curious to try!