Key Lime "Pie" Layer Cake
What You Need:
For The Cake:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
For The Lime Curd:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice — or bottled Key Lime juice
Zest of 1 large or two small limes — or Key limes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
For The Cream Cheese Buttercream:
16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages) at room temp.
2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter at room temp.
2 cups confectioners sugar sifted
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
What You Do:
Prep and bake the cake:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans or three 6-inch and line the bottoms with parchment.
Add graham crackers to food processor and process until it resembles “flour”. Reserve some crumbs for decor at the end!
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, and baking powder and set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.
Mix in the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and the milk a little bit at a time, alternating between each. Mix thoroughly but be careful not to overbeat.
Divide the batter evenly between your two prepared pans. Bake for about 25 minutes (or until golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides of the pans).
Cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting and assembling.
Prep the Curd:
Place eggs, sugar, salt, juice, and zest in a medium saucepan. Do not put it over the heat yet. Whisk the ingredients together until smooth.
Place over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Turn all the way to low and add the butter. Stir until smooth.
Remove from heat and pour into bowl and let chill in the fridge
For the cream cheese butter cream:
1. Add cream cheese to bowl of mixer (or you can use a hand mixer) and beat on medium for about one minute to break it up.
2. Add butter in one stick at a time and beat until well combined.
3. Add sugar, salt and vanilla and beat until smooth (about 3 minutes).
To assemble the cake:
Make sure the cake is completely cool as well as the curd. To each layer pipe a “dam” of cream cheese buttercream around the edges and fill with lime curd. Once you’ve filled and stacked the layers let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Next do a crumb coat….then let chill in the fridge for another 20 or so minutes. Then finish with the rest of the icing and try realllllllll hard to make it look pretty. OR make it a key lime “slime” cake and make green ganache and attempt a drip cake ;).
