KEY LIME BUNDT CAKE

Key Lime Bundt Cake image

This Bundt cake takes its flavor cues from Key lime pie and fuses it with the best part of a coffee cake: the streusel, of course! The cinnamon-scented nubbins get scattered in the pan, layered in the middle, and sprinkled on top before baking. As for the lime, a full cup of juice flavors the batter, the syrup that infuses the cake, and makes an appearance in the sweet and tart glaze.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes Bundt Cake Recipes

Time 4h

Yield Serves 16 to 20

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

9 sheets graham crackers (1 sleeve from a 14.4-ounce box)
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 stick plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup fresh lime or Key-lime juice, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons grated zest (from 4 to 6 limes)
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), whisked
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/2 cup fresh lime or Key-lime juice (from 8 to 10 limes)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime or Key-lime juice

Steps:

For the Streusel: Preheat oven to 325°F. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine (you should have 1 heaping cup); transfer to a large bowl and whisk in flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add brown sugar; whisk to combine. Using your fingers, work in butter until mixture is evenly moistened (you should have 3 1/4 cups). Brush a 10-to-15-cup Bundt pan with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Sprinkle 1 cup streusel evenly into bottom of pan.
For the Cake: Beat butter with granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and lime zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, to combine. Beat in flour in three additions, alternating with milk and then lime juice, beginning and ending with flour.
Dollop half of batter over streusel in prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup streusel; top with remaining batter. Spread with a spatula to cover streusel. Gather remaining streusel in your hands and press into large clumps before sprinkling over top to cover.
Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove cake from oven (leaving oven on) and let cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Turn out of pan onto a small baking sheet or pan large enough to hold cake; let cool 10 minutes.
For the Syrup: Meanwhile, combine lime juice and granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved, then continue cooking until thickened slightly, 1 minute. Brush cake all over with syrup, continuing to brush until all of syrup is used and absorbed. Return cake to oven and bake just until syrup is set, 5 minutes.
For the Glaze: Meanwhile, whisk together confectioners' sugar and lime juice. Immediately after removing cake from oven, use a large spatula to transfer it to rack. Let stand 5 minutes, then brush all over with glaze, dabbing top so as not to displace streusel. Let cool completely before serving. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely tented with foil, up to 3 days.