Key Lime Poke Cake
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Key Lime Poke Cake is filled with refreshing lime zest, fresh raspberries and key lime juice to make it tangy and perfectly sweet. It's a great cake for spring picnics, summer barbecues, and family celebrations!
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Recipe at a Glance
- Easy Recipe: a simple poke cake that's loaded with flavor
- Make it Ahead: store it in the refrigerator up to 3 days ahead of serving
- Party Perfect: great dessert for baby showers, bridal luncheons and birthday parties!
Notes From My Kitchen
Poke cakes take me back to the days when I used to jab holes in Granny Tag's Prune Cake. It's still one of my favorite things to do! The trick to poking this cake is to use the end of a wooden spoon that will make holes big enough to hold the pudding.
Key Lime Poke Cake is so light and moist, I won't tell if you eat more than one slice! If you love citrus desserts, you might also try my No Bake Key Lime Pie, or this delicious Lemon Olive Oil Cake. Since this recipe uses a cake mix, the preparation is super easy and comes together in minutes.
Ingredient Notes
- For the batter, you'll need a yellow cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, milk, fresh raspberries and a lime.
- The filling is made with sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, key lime juice and lime zest. Make sure you purchase condensed milk and not evaporated.
- Top the cake with homemade whipped cream made with heavy cream, powdered sugar, cream cheese and lime zest. If desired, garnish Key Lime Poke Cake with fresh lime slices, lime zest and raspberries.
How to Make Key Lime Poke Cake
STEP 1 - To make the batter, blend cake mix with oil, milk and eggs on medium speed. Stir in the raspberries and lime zest. Pour batter into a 13 x 9 inch dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
STEP 2 - In a separate bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, lime juice and lime zest together to make the filling.
STEP 3 - Whip heavy cream with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar, then spoon whipped cream into a separate bowl. Whip cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add whipped cream to cream cheese and blend well with mixer. Refrigerate topping until ready to serve.
How to Poke the Cake
STEP 4 - Once the cake has baked, poke lots of holes in it with the end of a wooden spoon or other round object. Don't be afraid to really get in there and push the end of the spoon down into the bottom.
STEP 5- Pour filling on top of warm cake. Push filling into holes with a spatula. Not all the filling will go into the cake. It's okay if some stays on top. Cover cake and refrigerate overnight in the refrigerator. The filling will set after refrigeration.
STEP 6 - The next day, spread whipped topping over cake and garnish as desired with lime slices, lime zest and raspberries. (optional)
Recipe FAQs
A poke cake gets its name from poking holes in it after baking. This allows the filling or icing to seep into the cake, creating a moist and flavorful crumb.
To save time, use Cool Whip instead of making homemade whipped cream for the topping. I prefer the taste of homemade whipped cream.
Yes, that's one of the best features of this cake! It can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Add the garnishes right before serving.
It's much better if you use freshly squeezed lime juice in this recipe.
Debi's Top Tips
- The filling is thick, so not all of it will seep into the holes. Don't be afraid to poke a bunch of holes with the end of a wooden spoon or something else that is ½ inch round. A fork or knife won't work.
- Refrigerating the cake overnight is necessary to help the filling ease into the cake. If you skip this step, the cake may not be as moist.
- Don't stress about the decorations. You can simply spread the whipped cream on top and add a little lime zest. Or, if you're feeling fancy, you can pipe topping around the edges and add lime slices with raspberries as a garnish.
Storage Guide
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- This recipe does not freeze well due to its high dairy content.
More Southern Desserts
Key Lime Poke Cake is a versatile dessert that is perfect for any occasion! If you love this recipe, try my other sweet treats...
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Recipe Card
Key Lime Poke Cake
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Equipment
- baking dish (13 x 9 inch)
Ingredients
CAKE
- 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 fresh lime zested
FILLING
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (use the 3 limes after they are zested to squeeze the juice)
- 1 fresh lime zested
TOPPING
- 16 ounce carton heavy cream
- 4 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 fresh lime zested
GARNISH
- fresh limes and raspberries
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- With a mixer, blend cake mix with oil, milk and eggs on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Fold in raspberries and zest of 1 lime.
- Pour batter into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean in the middle.
FILLING
- In a separate bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, lime juice and lime zest together by hand. Mixture will be thick. Set aside.
TOPPING
- Whip cream with a mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Add powdered sugar, then spoon whipped cream into a separate bowl.
- Whip cream cheese with a mixer until smooth.
- Add whipped cream to cream cheese and blend well with mixer.
- Refrigerate topping until ready to serve.
ASSEMBLY
- After cake is baked, poke a bunch of holes in it with the end of a wooden spoon. The more holes, the better.
- Pour filling on top of warm cake. Push filling into holes with a spatula. Not all the filling will go into the cake. It's okay if some stays on top.
- Cover cake and refrigerate overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next day, spread whipped topping over cake and garnish as desired with lime slices, lime zest and raspberries.
Notes
- The filling is thick, so not all of it will seep into the holes.
- Don't be afraid to poke a bunch of holes with the end of a wooden spoon or something else that is ½ inch round. A fork or knife won't let the filling go through.
- Refrigerating the cake overnight is necessary to help the filling ease into the cake. If you skip this step, the cake may not be as moist.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
Would it be ok to make this 2 days ahead of time?
Absolutely!
My husband LOVES key lime desserts, so I will have to give this poke cake a try for sure! Thank you for sharing, I'm pinning it too 🙂
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Michelle!
Truly wonderful!
Thank you so much Rick! So happy you loved my Key Lime Poke Cake!
Can’t wait to try this! Easy and scrumptious!
Thanks Lorna. I love this key lime cake. It's so refreshing!
Simply delicious!
I would give this 10 stars if possible. The flavors and texture makes your recipe scrumptious! Moist, easy, delightful. My husband and I loved it!!
Thanks, Jane! You are so sweet to say that! 🙂
Wow! This cake is gorgeous! I used to make poke cakes with my grandma. This brought back lots of memories. Can’t wait to try the key lime version.