Lime Bundt Cake
Bright, zesty, and irresistibly moist, this lime bundt cake is pure sunshine in dessert form. A soft, tender crumb infused with lime juice and zest is soaked in a tangy lime syrup and finished with a creamy lime glaze that takes it over the top. It’s the kind of cake that works just as well for brunch as it does for a summer dinner party — fresh, flavorful, and easy to make ahead.
The Best Lime Bundt Cake Recipe
What makes this lime cake extra special? The triple lime treatment. The batter gets a boost from fresh zest and juice, a warm cake bathes in tangy lime syrup for moisture and flavor, and the final touch is a lush sweetened condensed milk glaze with even more zest. Soft, fluffy, and packed with citrus — it’s everything you want in a bundt cake. Trust me, you’ll want more than one slice because it tastes THAT good.
Full ingredients, prep times, and step by step instructions can be found at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
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Do I Need to Use Key Limes?
Nope — regular (Persian) limes work beautifully in this recipe. While key limes are smaller and have a slightly more floral, tart flavor, they can be harder to find and a bit tedious to juice since they’re tiny. If you do have access to fresh key limes and don’t mind the extra work, they’ll add a lovely aromatic brightness to both the syrup and glaze. But don’t worry — standard limes (the ones you’ll find at any grocery store) give this cake all the zing and flavor it needs. Use what you have, and it’ll still be delicious.
Lime Bundt Cake Batter
Start by greasing and flouring a 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly, making sure to get into every crevice if you’re using a detailed mold. Whisk together the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Then, in a separate bowl, combine sugar and lime zest by rubbing them together with your fingers to release the natural oils — this step makes all the difference in lime flavor.
Beat the softened butter until creamy, then mix in the lime sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by sour cream and lime juice. Alternate the dry ingredients with the milk, mixing just until everything is incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden and set, about 45–65 minutes depending on your oven.
Lime Syrup
While the cake bakes, prepare a quick syrup of lime juice, sugar, and zest.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, prick it all over with a fork and pour the syrup on top. Let it soak in for about 15 minutes before inverting the cake onto a cooling rack.
Lime Glaze
Whisk together sweetened condensed milk and fresh lime juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake and finish with a sprinkle of lime zest for a burst of color and citrus. This almost gives it a key lime pie feel! Prefer something lighter? A simple powdered sugar glaze or tangy cream cheese glaze are great alternatives.
Storage
Store the glazed cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Tips & Tricks for Lime Bundt Cake
- Room temperature ingredients make a big difference—let eggs, milk, and sour cream sit out for 20–30 minutes.
- Soften butter until it’s around 72ºF for the fluffiest texture.
- Make lime sugar by rubbing zest into sugar or pulsing in a food processor.
- If using a convection oven, bake at 325°F.
- Use foil to tent the cake if it browns too quickly before the center is set.
Variations on Lime Bundt Cake
- Add ¼ cup limoncello to the syrup for a boozy twist.
- Use a 9×13” pan instead of a bundt.
- Swap sour cream for full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Try a cream cheese glaze for a tangier topping.
Similar Recipes
If you love citrus-forward desserts, try these:
This cake is a citrus lover’s dream — if you make it, tag me on Instagram @piesandtacos so I can see your bright and beautiful lime creations! 🍋✨
Lime Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Lime Bundt Cake
- 2¾ cup all-purpose flour 350g, or cake flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400g
- 3 tbsp lime zest from about 3 limes
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226g plus more for greasing
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream 120 g
- ¼ cup lime juice 60ml
- 1/2 cup milk 120ml
Lime Syrup
- ½ cup lime juice 120 ml
- ½ cup sugar 100g
- 2 tbsp lime zest
Lime Glaze
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk alternatives in the notes
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 3 tbsp lime zest
Instructions
Lime Bundt Cake
- Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. If using convection oven set it to 325ºF.
- Grease a 12-cup bundt cake pan with butter. You will need about 1-2 tbsp of butter to grease the pan, make sure the butter is softened when you do this. Once the butter is evenly coating the pan, sprinkle flour all over making sure it's evenly distributed. If using a bundt pan with details, make sure to get the nooks and crannies well covered with butter and flour, or the cake might stick in those areas that aren’t nicely greased and floured.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Make the lime sugar. Zest the limes into a small bowl and add the sugar, rubbing everything between your fingers. The sugar crystals will help the lime release the natural oils that have so much flavor and aroma. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. You can use a stand mixer or a hand held mixer.
- Add the lime sugar and beat again until the mixture is fluffy and the butter is lightened in color, which should take about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well until incorporated before adding the next egg.
- Add the sour cream and lime juice and mix on low to combine.
- Now add half of the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix on low to combine.
- Once the dry ingredients are just incorporated, add the milk. Mix on low to combine.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
- Pour the batter in the prepared bundt pan. Make sure to spread it out with a spatula so it’s nice and evenly distributed.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 45 to 65 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on your oven. Convection ovens might bake faster.
- If the cake is browning too much but the inside isn’t cooked yet, cover with aluminum foil to help prevent the outsides of burning.
- The cake is done baking when it doesn’t feel jiggly when you touch the top. And also a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Lime Syrup & Cooling the Cake
- While the cake bakes, make the lime syrup, and have it ready for when the cake is done baking.
- Place the sugar, lime juice, and zest in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat off as soon as the sugar dissolves completely. Set aside.
- When you remove the cake from the oven, let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then prick holes on top of the cake with a fork and pour the lime syrup all over the cake.
- Let the cake cool down for another 15 minutes in the pan.
- Flip the cake over in a cooling wire rack. Let it cool down completely before adding the glaze, slicing, and serving.
Lime Glaze
- To make the Lime Glaze simply whisk the sweetened condensed milk and the lime juice in a small bowl.
- You can add the lime zest to the glaze, or sprinkle on top of the cake once it’s done being glazed.
- I left mine out, so once the glaze was ready, I drizzled it over the cake. Then, the lime zest gets sprinkled on top of the cake.
Very delicious cake. I made two cakes one for the kids regular and one for the adults with added alcohol in the syrup. We all enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the recipe I will be repeating this beautiful cake.
This cake is fantastic! I made it, and took to a birthday party. Everyone loved it!!! I made the cream cheese version of the glaze, it was great. I Will definitely make it again. It is definitely a keeper. Thank you for the recipe.
Sounds wonderful! Thank you Judy!