key lime Archives - Wood & Spoon

Creamy Key Lime Pie

A Treat Yourself Mother’s Day Gift Guide

After I bought the rug, I figured some of you may be in similar boats- looking to treat yourself or someone you love to a little happy in honor of Mother’s Day. So today, in addition to a seriously delightful and fresh creamy key lime pie, I have a mini gift guide. A treat yourself Mother’s Day gift guide, if you will. Take a peek below!

1. Printed Linen Napkins Soft cloth napkins in beautiful J.Crew prints? Yes, pls.
2. Brass Frames Frame those special memories in these timeless frames.
3. Her Daily Bread I might be biased, but this devotion/cookbook is a winning gift.
4. Cloud X Shoes My favorite shoes, in a brand new beautiful hue!
5. Floral Tablecloth These block print cloths have a one-of-a-kind feel!
6. Mineral Powder Sunscreen Powder (and protect!) your skin with this lightweight mineral screen!
7. Aesop Handwash This soap gently exfoliates and smells great too.
8. Stoneware Casserole Dish I love having pretty versions of very practical things. This casserole dish is just the thing.
9. Short Sleeve Cardigan Hot? Cold? Somewhere in-between? This sweater works for it all.
10. Lululemon Hi-Rise Shorts Proof that exercise clothes can be cute too.
11. Clare V. Charm Bracelet Pick charms to attach to these gold plated bracelets for a personalized gift.
12. Leather Crossbody This buttery-soft leather purse comes at the best price point.
13. Morris & Co. Art Print Timeless yet affordable? I love prints like this for an office or powder room.

Creamy Key Lime Pie

Coincidentally, I got to share a slice of this creamy key lime pie with my own mom a few weeks ago. There were a few lone slices in my fridge a few days after I photographed the recipe, and mom was in the right place a the right time. We ate up the last pieces together, and it was lovely. This pie is all of the things: a buttery, slightly salty and crisp crust with a creamy and tart key lime filling, all topped with a cloud of whipped cream. It’s refreshing, balanced, and perfect for the warmer weather we’re seeing this season.

How to Make Key Lime Pie

Traditional key lime pie features more of a custardy filling made with whipped egg yolks and sugar. While I love traditional key lime pie (and have even bruleed ones here!), I wanted something that wasn’t so tart. I took a note from my lemon icebox pie and opted to make a no-bake filling with cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. The end result is a fluffy cream pie with the bright, nostalgic flavor you know and love.

To make this creamy key lime pie, we start with the crust. Graham crackers, butter, brown sugar, and salt come together and press into a pie dish. Although we don’t HAVE to bake this kind of crust, I opted for a short stint in the oven so that the crust would have some texture to it. Allow the crust to cool before making the filling.

For the filling, cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk stir together in a bowl. Add the zest of a few key limes and the juice of even more to the mix along with sour cream. Stir and spoon the mixture into the prepared crust. Allow the filling to set up before topping it with dollops of whipped cream.

Can I Use Regular Lime Juice Instead of Key Limes?

In short, absolutely. I am rarely able to get my hands on key limes in my grocery story, so I know it’s tricky. Try regular limes if your budget or grocery store selection prevents your from key limes. While there is a small flavor difference, I don’t think it’s much to notice. I do, however, recommend using FRESH lime juice. Avoid the bottled juice at all cost.

What About a No-Bake Crust for This Key Lime Pie?

You want an even easier pie? I don’t blame you! You can use the recipe below and omit baking if desired. Alternatively, you can try out this no-bake crust too.

More Lime Recipe Ideas?

Coconut Key Lime Cake
Cherry Lime Hand Pies
Bruleed Key Lime Pies
Vegan Coconut Lime Ice Cream Pie

Creamy Key Lime Pie

Print Recipe

This creamy key lime pie is a simple, make-ahead dessert with a fluffy filling, salted graham cracker crust, and a whipped cream topping!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 9 Servings
Category: Pie

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 11 full graham crackers)
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed

For the pie:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ teaspoons key lime zest
½ cup key lime juice
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar

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Instructions

To make the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pulse graham crackers in a food processor to crumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom of a deep-dish pie pan using your fingers. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is set. Set aside to cool slightly.

To make the pie filling:

In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk using a hand mixer set at medium speed, beating until smooth. Add in the zest, juice, and sour cream, stirring on low to combine. Spoon the filling into the prepared cooled crust. Cover the pan with a sheet of plastic wrap and place in the fridge to firm up, about 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream topping. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the heavy whipping cream on medium speed until frothy and slightly thickened. Add the sugar and continue whisking until thickened to a fluffy cloudlike consistency. Spoon on top of the pie and serve.

Coconut Key Lime Cake

11 Comments / Cakes, Uncategorized

I’m going to be honest- this cake makes me want an adult beverage. At nearly 7 months into this pregnancy and with summer just around the corner, just about any lime or coconut flavored food makes me think of margaritas and pina coladas. This coconut key lime cake, with its zesty key lime layers and sticky sweet coconut frosting, has me seeing mirages of boozy frozen treats at every bite, and I am just not even a bit ashamed of that.

I imagine that being huge-pregnant in the summer is one of the least glamorous things ever. It’s not just the lack of adult beverages or the repetitive nature of saying, “I’ll just have water, thanks.” It’s lots of things. For example, have you ever considered how a pregnant woman is to tan the backside of her body? When you’re third-trimestering with a watermelon-sized gut, you can’t just flip over to sun your rear. As a result, it’s only April and I already have golden shins, bronzed kneecaps, and some hindparts that are hovering around a shade that I would best describe as translucent. #sexy

Maternity Clothing Woes

Clothing is hard too. I find myself wearing baggy gym clothes and shapeless sundresses nearly 100% of the time, because otherwise I’m stuck with all those additional layers of mesh and support that comes permanently attached to the waistband of maternity shorts. As if I wasn’t already in a perpetual state of pig-like sweating, just add extra nylon casing around my midsection and just see what happens. FULL ON MAN-SWEATING. I was lucky enough to land a maternity bathing suit that is pretty cute, so at least I’m no longer sporting my yoga pants at the pool. My friend’s tween-age daughter told me (with a shocked look on her face) that she thought it was decent, so I’m going to take that as a compliment and win.

Truly, there is nothing better than being pregnant with a third baby. I’m so incredibly grateful, and the gift here is not lost on me. But come July, when this baby is in my arms and I have a shot at wearing normal clothes and drinking basically anything with tequila in it, I will be in heaven. Seriously.

Coconut Key Lime Cake

This coconut key lime cake is an ode to the pending summer. With sweet and tart lime-scented layers and a marshmallow frosting coated in loads of toasted coconut, it’s basically summer in a dessert. I opted to make and share the recipe now because I had a hunch you all may be looking for some alternative treats on these spring days that feel like mid-July. If you’re as ready for sunshine as I am, lets grab our forks and chat the ins and outs of this cake!

The layers of this coconut key lime cake are scented in two ways. The zest of key limes contributes that notably lime flavor while the juice of the limes add a tart punch and acidity. The cake layers bake up moist and fluffy, slightly more dense than a white cake but with a fine crumb. The frosting here is an old fashioned 7 minute frosting. Not familiar? Egg whites and sugar whip up into a fluffy, marshmallow-esque frosting that is ultra-white, super sticky, and kinda cloud-like. The coconut flavor comes from the smidgen of coconut extract before it’s slathered on the layers of cake. To keep the cake from sticking to everything in its path (and to add a ton of extra coconut flavor!) are coat the whole thing in toasted coconut flakes. DIVINE.

A Few Notes:

So a few questions you may be asking about this coconut key lime cake. Like, what if I can’t find key limes? Totally reasonable. Substitute in the same amount of regular lime juice and zest and the cake will still be fab. Scout’s honor. And what if you’re not into the 7 minute frosting? Also understandable. I’m not always game for the marshmallow flavor, and if that’s you too, try out this buttercream from another favorite cake of mine. Just substitute some coconut extract for the almond extract.

If you need more intel on properly whipping egg whites for the frosting on this coconut key lime cake, you should revisit my last “You Need to Know” post! I chat all the ins and outs of whipping egg whites, so if you’re in the dark, start here! I hope you all get around to making this coconut key lime cake ASAP. It’s sure to get you in the mood for summer. Happy Hump Day and Happy Baking!

If you like this coconut key lime cake you should check out:

Almond Coconut Cake

Bruleed Key Lime Pies

Vegan Coconut Lime Ice Cream Pie

Lemon Olive Oil Pie

Coconut Key Lime Cake

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This coconut key lime cake has zesty key lime layers, a 7 minute marshmallow coconut frosting, and it topped with toasted coconut!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 25
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 10
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup (230 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2–1/4 cups (450 gm) sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (240 gm) buttermilk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons key lime zest
6 tablespoons key lime juice
3 cups (420 gm) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder

For the frosting (Adapted from Sarah Kieffer):

5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1–2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon coconut extract
3 cups toasted coconut

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Instructions

To prepare the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 3-8” pans, lining the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating for an additional minute afterward. Combine the buttermilk, zest, and juice, and add half of this mixture to the butter mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder stirring on low speed. Once almost combined add the remaining milk mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and fold in any unincorporated bits into the batter. Divide the batter among the three pans and bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

To prepare the frosting:

Bring an inch of water to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepan on the stove.
Meanwhile, in a large clean bowl or clean bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Put the bowl over the pot of gently simmering water and stir with a spatula until the sugar has melted. You can test this by carefully rubbing the mixture between two fingers. It should feel smooth. Once the mixture reaches about 165 degrees (about 6 minutes on the stove) remove the bowl from the heat and and being whipping the mixture on medium-high speed with a hand mixer or on your stand mixer until stiff peaks have formed, about 8-10 minutes. Add the vanilla and coconut extract and stir in.

To assemble the cake:

Cut the domes off the baked cake layers. Use a bit of frosting to adhere one layer to an 8” cake board or serving plate. Spoon ¾-1 cup of frosting on top of the layer and spread it flat. Repeat this process with the remaining two cake layers and then use the remaining frosting to frost the cake. If desired, you can coat the cake with the toasted coconut flakes, or you can use a torch to carefully toast the meringue frosting. Cake is best served the day it is assembled.

Bruleed Key Lime Pies

2 Comments / Pies and Tarts

Sometimes life is easy. Life gives us new friends, or a promotion at work, or time for an extra cup of coffee in the morning, and somehow, all feels right in the world. Sometimes life gives us a surprise sale at our favorite store, or a long-awaited answer to prayer, or extra caramel drizzled in the bottom of our Starbucks cup, and everything in us shouts, “YES! Thank you! Hooray!” But sometimes life gives us illness. Sometimes life gives us broken relationships, or a flat tire, or a feeling that you’re two steps behind of where you should be. Sometimes it feels like life dumped a bunch of garbage on us and the answer to all of our dreams is “NO!” One those days, I need an extra helping of grace… and these bruleed key lime pies.

These past couple of weeks have been hard. Life just feels off. But we’ve all been there, right? We’ve all felt at the end of our rope. Out of gas, out of time, out of luck. We’ve all been tired.

These bruleed key lime pies make me happy. A simple dessert, with minimal ingredients and effort, that yields a whole lot of goodness and reward. A buttery, salty crust, filled with a creamy, mouth-puckering key lime filling, all resting perfectly content underneath a sheet of bruleed sugar. Every flavor profile and multiple textures all baked into one perfect little, palm-sized dessert.

We start by stirring together a simple graham cracker crust that gets pressed into the bottom of mini tart pans. While those bake, we whisk together the most basic of key lime pie fillings. Once poured into the baked crusts, the pies are sent for another round in the oven. From there, the tarts are left to chill briefly before a sugar crust is bruleed on top.

Whipping up these bruleed key lime pies makes me feel like a boss. They feel like an easy dose of fancy and delicious, particularly on these days that can sometimes seriously suck. Bruleed key lime pies make me feel like I’m doing something right.

I hope life is giving you all kinds of goodness right now and that you’re breezing through this week like you were made for it. But if life is giving you all kinds of lemons and limes, then I hope you’ll use those fruits to make bruleed key lime pies.

Bruleed Key Lime Pies

Print Recipe

Bruleed key lime pies have a buttery graham cracker crust, with a tart, creamy key lime filling, topped with a sheet of bruleed sugar.

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust

1 sleeve of graham crackers
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons of brown sugar

For the key lime pie

4 egg yolks
1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
1–1/2 teaspoons key lime zest
1/4 cup granulated sugar

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Instructions

To prepare the crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 4 (4-1/2 inch) tart pans with removable bottoms with baking spray.
Pulse graham crackers in a food processor to crumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Divide the crust mixture among the 4 pans and press into the bottoms of the pans with your fingers. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is set. Set aside to cool slightly.

To prepare the key lime pie

In a medium sized glass bowl, whip the egg yolk for about 1 minute with a wire whisk. Add the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and zest. Whisk to combine.
Divide the mixture between the 4 tart pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the outer edges of the tart have set. Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then chill in the refrigerator until cold, or at least an hour.
When ready to eat, unmold tarts by turning upside down on a piece of wax paper and pressing gently on the removable bottom with your fingers. Once removed, flip out on to a plate. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on each tart and caramelize using a kitchen torch. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes and then serve.

Notes

You can prepare these in a muffin tin, however, be mindful to use liners. Baking time will differ.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 4

Recipe Adapted from: Gourmet Magazine

key lime

A Treat Yourself Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Creamy Key Lime Pie

How to Make Key Lime Pie

Can I Use Regular Lime Juice Instead of Key Limes?

What About a No-Bake Crust for This Key Lime Pie?

More Lime Recipe Ideas?

Creamy Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

For the crust:

For the pie:

Instructions

To make the crust:

To make the pie filling:

Maternity Clothing Woes

Coconut Key Lime Cake

A Few Notes:

If you like this coconut key lime cake you should check out:

Coconut Key Lime Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

For the frosting (Adapted from Sarah Kieffer):

Instructions

To prepare the cake:

To prepare the frosting:

To assemble the cake:

Bruleed Key Lime Pies

Ingredients

For the crust

For the key lime pie

Instructions

To prepare the crust

To prepare the key lime pie

Notes

Nutrition

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