Best Key Lime Meringue Cake Recipes

KEY LIME MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• For Cake:
• Heat oven to 350°F. with rack in middle. Butter cake pans, then line bottoms with rounds of parchment. Dust pans with additional flour, knocking out excess.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in zest and vanilla and continue beating until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes more. At low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
• Divide batter between cake pans, spreading it evenly. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool for 15 minutes in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around sides of pans, invert cake layers onto racks, and cool completely.
• For Filling:
• Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan, then whisk in 3/4 cup water and juice until smooth. Whisk together eggs in a medium heat-proof bowl until well combined.
• Bring juice mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring with whisk, then reduce heat and continue to cook at a slow boil, stirring with whisk, 1 minute (mixture will be thick). Remove pan from heat.
• Add half of hot juice mixture to eggs in a slow stream, stirring with whisk. Stir egg mixture into juice in pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, just until it reaches a simmer. Remove pan from heat and add butter and zest, stirring until butter is melted.
• Cover filling with a buttered round of wax paper or parchment paper and chill until cold, about 1 hour.
• For Frosting:
• Combine frosting ingredients in a large bowl with electric mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment). Beat at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Assemble Cake:
• Halve each cake horizontally with a long serrated knife. Put 1 layer on a cake stand or a large plate and spread with one-third of filling (about 2/3 cup).
• Stack remaining cake layers using half of remaining filling between each layer.
• Spread top and side of cake generously with frosting.

KEY LIME MERINGUE CAKE

Steps:

• To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray with flour; alternatively, coat the pans with cooking spray, line them with parchment paper & spray the paper. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour & salt in a medium bowl. Beat 4 eggs and 2/3 c sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale yellow & doubled in volume, 5 to 10 minutes. Beat in vanilla and 1 tspn lime zest. With a rubber spatula, gently fold almond (or canola) oil into the egg mixture, using long, even strokes, until just incorporated. Add the flour mixture; gently stir until just incorporated. Divide the batter between the pans; spread to the edges and gently rap the pans against the counter once or twice to settle the batter. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert the layers onto the rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, if using, and let cool completely, about 45 minutes. To prepare lime filling: Whisk condensed milk, lime juice & 1 tspn lime zest in a medium bowl until combined. Refrigerate until thickened, at least 30 minutes or overnight. To prepare meringue: Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 c sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Position oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source; preheat broiler. Transfer one layer, bottom-side down, to a large baking sheet. Spread the meringue on top of the cake, creating decorative peaks & valleys in the meringue with a rubber spatula. Broil until lightly browned, watching carefully to prevent burning, 30 seconds to 1 minute. To assemble cake: Place the plain layer, top-side down, on a serving plate; spread the lime filling on top. Cover with the meringue-topped layer.