Lime Drizzle Cake

Name: Lime Drizzle Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 118 ml soy milk; 15 ml lemon juice (freshly squeezed); 15 ml lime juice (freshly squeezed); 2 tablespoons lime zest (freshly grated); 200 g granulated sugar (use organic if in the US); 75 g vegan butter (room temperature); 60 ml olive oil ( or light-tasting oil such as rapeseed or sunflower); 140 g vegan Greek-style yogurt or Skyr (or plain soy or coconut yogurt); 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract); 240 g all-purpose flour ((plain flour), sifted); 2 teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; 100 g granulated sugar (use organic if in the US); 40 ml lime juice (freshly squeezed); 50 g powdered sugar ((confectioner's/icing sugar)); 10 ml lime juice (freshly squeezed)

Indulge your taste buds with the delightful flavors of my tantalizingly simple plant-based Lemon and Lime Drizzle Cake.

It has a luscious lime-infused drizzle that cascades down the velvety cake, adding a burst of refreshing tanginess and full-on real lime flavor.

Just like my lemon drizzle cake, this easy-to-make vegan Key Lime Pound Cake recipe will transport you to a world of pure citrus bliss. It's the perfect dessert choice any time of the year.

Slice of lime drizzle cake on an earthenware dessert plate with a bite removed.

Jump to:

📖 Recipe Overview
🧾 Ingredients Needed
🥣 How To Make Lime Drizzle Cake
🍋 Optional Variations
📝 Recipe Tips
💬 FAQs
🍞 More Vegan Loaf Cakes
Lime Drizzle Cake

📖 Recipe Overview

Punchy Lime Flavor -Prepare your tastebuds for bright, zesty citrus flavor - each slice of this easy lime cake is like a little sunshine on your plate.
Easy Preparation & Common Ingredients - The simple preparation method makes this recipe for key lime cake ideal for even novice bakers. Better yet, it’s made with only basic, easy-to-find ingredients, many of which you probably already have on hand.
Versatile - This humble lime loaf cake is unfussy enough to be considered an “everyday” cake. Having said that it’s tasty enough to serve as a dinner party dessert.
Perfect All Year Round - Whether you're hosting a summer gathering, celebrating a special occasion, or simply treating yourself to a moment of pure indulgence, my vegan key lime pound cake recipe is the ideal choice.

If you have an abundance of tangy, juicy green citrus to use, make sure to check out my vegan recipes for Lime Popsicles, Key Lime Cookies, and Key Lime Pie next!

🧾 Ingredients Needed

As promised, you only need a few simple ingredients to make this delectable recipe for key lime pound cake from scratch. Here’s what to grab:

Ingredient Notes

While most of the ingredients are pretty straightforward, make sure to keep the following notes in mind as you shop:

Soy Milk - After experimenting with 3 different types of plant-based milk, I’ve decided that soy milk is the reigning champion for making vegan buttermilk. Opt for unsweetened plain or vanilla varieties.
Lemon & Lime - Bottled citrus juice can’t hold a candle to the fresh kind, plus you miss out on the magic of the essential oil-packed zest. If possible, opt for key limes which are smaller, sweeter, and more floral than conventional Persian limes.
Olive Oil - If the thought of adding slightly savory EVOO to your baked goods seems off-putting, feel free to swap in any light-tasting oil such as rapeseed or sunflower instead.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda - These two leaveners work differently, so make sure you use both for the perfect texture. If you haven’t purchased new tins of either in awhile, make sure to test their freshness.
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.

🥣 How To Make Lime Drizzle Cake

Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

First, add the soy milk, lemon juice, 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 makes a fluffy cake!

Lime zest and sugar rubbed together in a small mixing bowl.

Step 1: Make lime sugar. In a large mixing bowl, rub the freshly grated lime zest into the sugar using the tips of your fingers.

Vegan butter and lime sugar whipped together until it looks like fluffy wet sand.

Step 2: Cream butter & lime sugar. Add the room-temperature butter and use an electric whisk or stand mixer to whisk for 2-3 minutes until light and airy.

Lime cake batter after adding the wet ingredients to the lime-sugar-butter mixture.

Step 3: Add wet ingredients. Whisk in the olive oil, followed by the yogurt, and vanilla. Then add the vegan buttermilk mixture, and whisk again - the mixture will appear quite runny at this stage.

Key lime pound cake batter after folding in the dry ingredients.

Step 4: Fold in dry ingredients. Add the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients in 2-3 parts - use a spatula to carefully fold through each increment until just combined.

Lime cake batter added to a parchment lined loaf tin and studded with thin pads of butter down the middle length.

Step 5: Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and stud with butter. Cut thin strips of chilled vegan butter and place them down the center of the loaf. This helps the loaf to crack in the center once it bakes. Bake for 40-45 mins in an oven preheated to 175°C (350°F).

Lime glaze ingredients whisked together in a white bowl.

Step 6: Make lime syrup/glaze. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar and lime juice until smooth.

Baked key lime loaf cake being poked with a wooden skewer while still warm from the oven.

Step 7: Poke baked cake. To check if the cake is done, insert a knife or toothpick into it, which should come out clean. Once baked, immediately pierce the loaf several times with a bamboo skewer while still hot.

Action shot of lime glaze being poured over the warm cake in the tin.

Step 8: Add lime syrup/glaze. Drizzle the lime syrup all over the surface of the cake.

The glaze on the key lime pound cake has firmed up over the 1-hour cooling period, leaving a slightly opaque white color on top of the cake in the pan.

Step 9: Cool. Let it cool in the tin completely for an hour. Once the cake has cooled, run a knife around the edges to loosen the edges. Then carefully lift it out of the tin.

The lime cake has been removed from the tin and neatly drizzled with stripes of lime icing.

Step 10: Drizzle on the lime icing. Place a sheet of parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch any icing. Either pour the glaze on top of the cake as is or transfer the glaze to a piping bag and neatly drizzle it over the top.

🍋 Optional Variations

Prefer lemon to lime? Check out my recipe for lemon drizzle cake instead!
Feel free to mix it up with different glazes like lemon glaze, or blueberry glaze.
Add a tropical flair with some toasted coconut. You can use either shredded coconut or toasted coconut flakes as a topping on top of the lime glaze.

📝 Recipe Tips

Waste not, want not. While we aren’t using the lemon zest in this lime cake recipe, use a rasp to grate it off before juicing your lemons. If you don’t have an immediate use for it, rub it into sugar or salt to help preserve it and add a boost of citrusy flavor to any of your favorite recipes!

Prepare your loaf pan. Lightly grease an 8" loaf tin 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.

Poke & drizzle while the lime cake is still warm. It’ll soak up the first lime glaze much more evenly if you do. Just make sure to let the cake cool completely in the tin after adding the glaze, or you’ll risk it falling apart.

💬 FAQs

Does key lime cake need to be refrigerated?

Nope! This glazed lime pound cake should keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. That said, you’re welcome to refrigerate it to extend the shelf life to about 7 days. Alternatively, feel free to wrap it well and freeze it for up to a month.

Can you make lemon cake with lime?

Generally speaking, I don’t recommend that you swap different varieties of citrus. They have different levels of acidity that can affect the end results.

What does this easy key lime cake recipe taste like?

What does this easy key lime cake recipe taste like?
Picture this: a moist and tender pound cake infused with the zesty essence of freshly squeezed limes. With every blissful bite, your palate will be invigorated by the vibrant tang of citrus, awakening your senses and leaving you craving more.