This moist pound cake is a riff on my popular vegan lemon loaf cake which gets rave reviews year round. Packed with lots of zippy lime flavor, this is truly the best cake for lime lovers!
Note: This recipe was originally written as a poke cake, but after more testing, I've kept the lime drizzle as an optional extra step, as it truly doesn't need it! You can find it in the notes of the printable recipe card at the end of this page.
🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this key lime pound cake from scratch:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Non-Dairy Milk: This will be mixed with fresh lime juice to make vegan buttermilk. I prefer soy milk, but you can use oat milk or almond milk.
- Fresh Limes: You'll need the zest of 4 regular limes (usually labeled as Persian or Tahitian limes) or 8 Key limes which are smaller and a tad sweeter with a floral flavor. This recipe also calls for freshly squeezed lime juice, but you will have some leftovers from the zested limes which you can use in recipes like lime curd or Key lime pie.
- Olive Oil: If you don't like the taste of EVOO in your baked goods feel free to swap in any light-tasting oil such as sunflower or canola oil instead.
- Vegan Unsalted Butter: This adds to the richness of the cake while olive oil helps to keep it moist for days. Make sure you let the melted butter cool to room temperature before adding it to the batter.
- Dairy-Free Greek Yogurt: Reach for vegan Greek-style yogurt, vegan sour cream, or thick coconut yogurt. This packs so much moisture into the cake.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, this powdery white sweetener is the key to making a satiny smooth glaze. If you’re out, you can easily make your own using granulated sugar, cornstarch or potato starch, and your food processor.
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🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images showing a visual of how to make this delicious key lime pound cake. As always, please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
First, add the dairy-free milk and lime juice to a small bowl, stir, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. This will create a lovely vegan buttermilk swap and make a fluffy cake!
Step 1: In a large bowl, rub the freshly grated lime zest into the sugar using the tips of your fingers. The mixture should almost feel wet as the natural oils are released from the limes.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients (melted butter, olive oil, and vanilla extract) and whisk until combined. Then stir in the lime buttermilk mixture.
Step 3: Fold the dry ingredients into the batter in 2 parts (all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt). Mix until just combined.
Step 4: Pour batter into a prepared pan lined with parchment paper, then add a thin strip of cold butter to encourage a crack down the center of the cake during baking.
Step 5: Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown, then let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring it to a wire rack to cool further.
Step 6: In a medium bowl, mix more lime zest, yogurt, and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread it over the cooled cake and decorate the top with fresh lime slices.
💭 Recipe Tips
Prepare your loaf pan. Lightly grease an 8-inch loaf pan with some oil or vegan butter and place a sling of parchment paper inside it. The butter helps the parchment to stay in place and the parchment helps you to easily lift the cake out once baked.
Don’t overmix the batter. As soon as there are no visible streaks of the dry ingredients, STOP. This will help ensure your cake comes out light and fluffy.
Let the glaze set before slicing. Wait 30 minutes to an hour (if you can!) to let the sugar glaze harden, giving you nice clean cake slices.
💬 FAQs
Nope! This glazed lime pound can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you don't have a suitable container, wrap it well in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can extend the shelf life slightly to about 7 days in the fridge. Alternatively, feel free to wrap it well and freeze it for up to a month.
Key lime season runs from June through September, while Persian limes are generally available year-round. If you prefer the more floral key lime flavor I say go for fresh key limes, otherwise, regular limes will work beautifully!
Absolutely, when I originally wrote this recipe it was a drizzle cake, but I decided to keep that step optional, seeing as the cake is already incredibly moist and flavorful without it.
Simply combine 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar with 40 ml (2½ tablespoons) of freshly squeezed lime juice. Once the cake is baked, immediately poke holes with a bamboo skewer while still hot. Then drizzle the lime syrup all over the surface of the cake.
This part is important, allow the cake to cool in the tin completely for an hour before removing it from the pan.
🍞 More Vegan Loaf Cakes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Lime Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 120 ml (½ cup) soy milk *note 1
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) lime juice freshly squeezed *note 2
- Zest of 4 limes freshly grated (approx 4 regular/8 key limes) *note 2
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 75 g (2.6 oz) vegan butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil *note 3
- 140 g (⅗ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt *note 4
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour (plain flour), sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Lime Glaze (optional)
- 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar (confectioner's/icing sugar)
- Zest of 1 lime or 2 key limes *note 2
- 1 tablespoon vegan Greek-style yogurt *note 4
- 1 teaspoon lime juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C/320°F or conventional 180°C/356°F. Lightly grease an 8" loaf tin and place a sling of parchment paper into it to help lift the cake out once baked.
- Make "buttermilk": Add the soy milk and lime juice to a jug, stir, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Flavor the sugar: Add the lime zest and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until it feels "wet".
- Wet ingredients: Add the melted butter, olive oil, vegan yogurt, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Then add the vegan buttermilk (milk and lime juice mixture), and whisk again.
- Dry ingredients: Add the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients in 2 parts, and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined and there aren't any visible pockets of flour - be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Bake: Transfer the cake batter to the prepared loaf pan. Place thin strips of vegan butter or a knife dipped in olive oil down the center of the loaf, this will help the loaf crack in the center once it bakes. Bake on the middle shelf for 50 minutes. Check the cake is ready by inserting a knife or toothpick into it, which should come out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. (see note 5 for drizzle cake option)
- Make the glaze: Meanwhile, add the powdered sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and yogurt to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Once the cake has cooled, place a sheet of parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch any icing. Pour the glaze on top of the cake, you can add more or less depending on your taste. Decorate with fresh lime slices.
Notes
- Soy Milk: Swap for almond milk or oat milk.
- Limes: Use organic if possible, and wash thoroughly before use. Zest the limes before you juice them.
- Olive Oil: Or neutral oil like canola (rapeseed) or sunflower oil.
- Greek-Style Yogurt: I use Alpro Greek-style plain yogurt (soy-based) sometimes labeled as Skyr or protein yogurt. Swap for thick coconut yogurt or vegan sour cream.
- Drizzle Cake: Combine 100 g (½ cup) sugar with 2 ½ tablespoons of lime juice. Once the cake is baked, immediately poke holes with a bamboo skewer while still hot. Then drizzle the lime syrup over the cake and let it cool in the tin for an hour.
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