Key Lime Poundcake

As with many others my age who grew up in the 80s, we were inundated with offers of meals that were faster and easier to make. Microwaves could cook entire meals, and nearly everything came from a box. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I've learned lately, that it really isn't THAT much harder to make things from scratch. I had never had homemade pound cake until a couple of years ago. All I had ever had was Duncan Hines pound cake, and while it is tasty, it is only good until you have the real thing. I no longer buy it, because pound cake is so easy to make. I also never knew that there were so many varieties of pound cake. The past year I've made about five or six different kinds of pound cake, and I haven't been disappointed in a single one. 

This one for Key Lime Pound Cake, I came across on Pinterest while searching for recipes that use fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice. This cake is so fresh and flavorful and moist. The bad thing though is that key limes only produce about a teaspoon or two of fresh juice each, so I had to juice a lot of key limes and then still had to use some regular limes to make up the difference. Still, I highly recommend this recipe.

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lime zest
1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice

Key Lime Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp fresh Key lime juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy.

 Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

 

Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice.

 

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. 

To prepare Key Lime Glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, fresh Key lime juice, and vanilla until smooth. Brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely (about 1 hour).