When it comes to the best lime tree cake recipe, I have fond memories of a particular person — and of course, it dates back to middle school. The Olive Garden is the place where the peak passions of my young self are kept. Dinner was fine for sure, but what I can’t wait for is dessert: a slice of black-tie mousse and a slice of lemon cake. High quality with whipped cream, the latter is a true treat! While I can’t tell you what actually Having gone into the delicious cakes of my youth, there is one thing I know for sure: My taste dessert palette has only grown in recent years.
With the hectic summer, my dessert cravings become bright, delicious, and full of zest. Light sweet dish at the end of the meal but still meets the need to enjoy a little. The best key lime pie recipe checks all the boxes of a great summer dessert. It’s the event that celebrates the season and will keep everyone at the table a little longer. To confirm once and for all what makes the best lime pie (among the best), I’m excited to offer a few recipes to make. baking test.
Rules of the road
Usually, this is where I tell you that all recipes are followed exactly as written without any adjustments for personal taste or taste. This is still true, but for this particular baking, I made half a serving of each recipe instead of a full cake (my cake-loving heart). do has its limits!). I used a scale to measure the halves of the cake to ensure accuracy when baking. Just trying to minimize food waste here, friends! All cakes are baked the night before and tasted the next day.
Ranking principles
My team of seven taste testers all followed the following guidelines when rating each baked goods.
- Filled with flavor. Bright and delicious without being too sour or sweet. Lime should be forward but not overwhelming.
- Fill texture. The cream is smooth, not too thick but firm enough to hold the shape.
- Shell texture. Should create a nice crispness without sacrificing the quality of the cake.
Most lemon cake recipes require only a handful of ingredients. Limestone, condensed milk and egg yolks. Therefore, seeing the slight variation in the amount or extra ingredients added to make a subtle difference has made each formula stand out.
Now the most important part! Keep scrolling to discover which recipe reigns supreme in our Key Lime Pie Bake-Off.
#5 Frozen Key Lemon Cake from Barefoot Contessa
When I first tried this recipe, I had to go back and double-check to see if I missed something, which is usually not a great start. The good part about the candidate for the best key lime pie recipe is that it’s almost completely no-bake. The graham cracker crust is baked, then filled and frozen. The rest of it, however, we ran into some problems.
First, I have a few taste testers who don’t care much about the raw egg yolk situation. While there are some traditionalists who insist that lemon scones are made with undercooked fillings, my group is unanimously against raw eggs. This also affects the taste as some note it’s a bit raw.
However, the biggest problem is texture. The recipe notes placing the cake before slicing so you can slice it, but the cake will essentially melt within 30 minutes (not ideal!). Overall, I like the novelty of a frozen cake, but we had some structural apprehensions with this one. If you do try it, eat it right out of the freezer to ensure a solid cake.
Get the recipe for Frozen Key Lime Pie.
#4 Key Lime Meringue Pie From Petra Paredez
Our notes on this cake are actually pretty positive and everyone loves their slices. The filling is well balanced without being too sweet, and the lemon flavor is great too. There has been some debate as to whether the top layer of the meringue is really necessary. While the vanilla custard is delicious, most taste testers prefer a layer of whipped cream on top of the meringue.
As someone who compiles each recipe, I think it takes a lot of work and that the meringue treats when whipped will be perfectly fine. (Although it’s a great way to use up leftover egg whites from using only the yolks in the filling!) In the end, this cake recipe is good, but some of the other recipes get it wrong. on technique.
Get the recipe for Key Lime Meringue Pie.
#3 Key Lime Pie From Grandbaby Cakes
This is a really good key lime pie recipe. However, I must admit I was very skeptical when I discovered that it doesn’t use lemon zest and includes vanilla in the filling. But upon closer inspection (and more deliberate tasting), I found that vanilla adds an aromatic, almost floral flavor to the filling.
Taste testers note that this leans towards the slightly sweeter side, but it did please the sweets lovers of the group. My testers who are not fans of key lime pie also enjoyed this the best. However, I think the lack of lemon zest makes a difference in taste. If you really want to make the lime scum, mix it in the filling. The texture is incredibly smooth and overall, this makes for a pretty tasty cake.
Get the recipe for Key Lime Pie.
#2 Key Lime Pie From Hummingbird High
This key lime pie has all the strokes of a classic and earns a very high score. This recipe combines Miette’s homemade graham crackers with Martha Stewart’s lemon tart filling mixed together in a cake pan. I admit, here are my first thoughts: Do we really need to make our own graham crackers when buying a box is so easy (and convenient!)? However, the homemade crackers give the crust a noticeable difference in texture. Yes, that’s extra effort, so you have my permission to use store-bought crackers. When it comes to the final review, we love the tangy, lemony flavor of the filling. And given the creamy texture of this cake, we’re all quick fans.
Get the recipe for Key Lime Pie.
#1 Key Lime Pie With Coconut from a cozy kitchen
Please knock… this might be one of the best passion fruit pies I’ve ever eaten. At first, I was also skeptical because of the coconut milk added to the cake. I know the flavor will work well, but I don’t know if it’s too strong when combined with lemon. However, the coconut milk acts as a sweet substrate that helps to soften the lime and keep it from getting too sour.
Some tasters can’t even tell there’s coconut milk in the filling! The lemon flavor is very pleasant, and one thing I noticed after baking each cake is that Adriana’s recipe is the only one that requires salt in the filling. That makes a difference in terms of delivering flavor. The texture is absolute perfection with its thick creaminess, and it is a cake that all my taste testers have eaten whole. Run, not walk to make this cake.
Get the recipe for Key Lemon Pie with Coconut.
