Julie Clark
Posted:
Key Lime Sheet Cake
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Key Lime Sheet Cake is a citrus take on buttermilk sheet cake, with a light frosting with a hint of lime, this cake is great for summertime gatherings.
Key lime juice, buttermilk, oil and butter make this the most moist sheet cake you’ll have all summer! Many key lime cakes are made with a white cake mix, but this key lime sheet cake is 100% from scratch, mixes easily by hand, bakes in an 11×17″ sheet pan and is full of fresh lime flavor.
About this Key Lime Sheet Cake recipe:
I am on a dessert kick lately. I’ve been sharing all the summer cakes. Have you seen our banana split cake, tres leches cake, no bake cheesecake and strawberry cupcakes? They’re amazing and I can’t wait to hear what you think about them.
During the summer I crave ALL the fresh citrus flavors. Key lime pie, key lime cookies and lemon squares are always on my list to make. The tart, bright flavors just goes well with the warm weather. This key lime sheet cake has quickly become my favorite lime dessert. A yummy combination of tart and sweet.
Sheet cakes are simple to make and I love that they feed a crowd, like our chocolate sheet cake. Sheet cakes are thinner than regular cake baked in a 9 x 13-inch, but that just means its a light dessert for those warm summer days.
Enjoy! -Julie
Key Lime Sheet Cake
Key Lime Sheet Cake is our citrus take on a buttermilk sheet cake, with a light lime frosting. It's the perfect cake is great for summer picnics.
Servings 15
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 fresh limes zest of 3 limes and ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice
- lime zest for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray an 11×17" rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Whisk in the melted butter, oil, lime zest and lime juice, and boiling water. ½ cup salted butter, ½ cup vegetable oil, 3 fresh limes, ¾ cup boiling water
- Whisk in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Whisk just until smooth. 2 large eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 11-13 minutes. The top should spring back when you touch it, or a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs. .
- In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and lime juice. Stir until smooth, adding more lime juice as needed to thin the icing to the desired consistency. Spread frosting on the warm cake. Top with extra lime zest and lime slices for garnish.
Notes
- Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. This cake also freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks. The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 44mg | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Ingredients
If you’ve ever made a buttermilk sheet cake, this recipe is similar, with a few small changes to accommodate that lime flavor.
- Limes. Key limes will give you the best flavor in this key lime cake, but if you can’t find them, use regular limes. You’ll need both the lime juice and the lime zest, so use whole limes.
- Oil and Butter. Using both oil and butter in the cake batter gives great flavor, but also keeps the cake extra moist. I tested it with only butter and preferred the cake with oil, too.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and amounts.
How to Make Key Lime Sheet Cake
This lime sheet cake is easy to make and you don’t even need an electric mixer.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray an 11×17″ rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk in the melted butter, oil, lime zest and lime juice, and boiling water.
- Whisk in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Whisk just until smooth.
- Pour lime cake batter into prepared pan and bake for 11-13 minutes. The top should spring back when you touch it, or a toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and lime juice. Stir until smooth, adding more lime juice as needed to thin the icing to the desired consistency. Spread frosting on the warm cake. Top with extra lime zest and lime slices for garnish.
Variations
Honestly, this cake is delicious enough to eat on its own, even without the frosting. Try it with a cup of coffee in the morning! We make it pretty for a summer bbq with a sprinkle of lime zest and fresh lime slices. A topping of cool homemade whipping cream is always welcome.
- Add coconut. Toast coconut in the oven until it is golden brown, then sprinkle that on the top of the cake. Coconut and lime go well together, even in our coconut lime chicken recipe.
- Add graham cracker crumbs. If you love key lime mini pies in a graham cracker pie shell, add a sprinkle of graham crackers to the top of the pie to mimic that same flavor. That’s especially good with whipped cream!
- Love cream cheese? Try making our creamy lime pie recipe and using that as a frosting for this key lime sheet cake.
Can you give an approximation of how much zest? Like 2 tablespoons?
Could I bake this in a 9×13 pan? If so, for how long? Thank you.
In the actual instructions for the cake it doesn’t mention the lime zest but it’s listed as an ingredient for the cake mix.
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk? I hate it.
How much is a serving???
I crave citrus a lot too! Sadly, no one else in my family likes it so I don’t have an excuse to make this cake. I suppose I could just eat the whole thing myself? 😉
Please tell what size shert pan to use