Key Lime Pounder: A Piece of Cake #26

Major Key (lime) alert.

Ah, the month of June. It has been said, “June is bustin out all over, all over the meadow and the hill. All the bugs’n out of bushes, and the rum an’ river rishes, all the little wheels that wheel beside a bill, June is bustin out all over, a @#$%&#@!#@$$*#@#$ tens. All the lidda bidda dridges, and they hucka the bejeepers, out of all the morning glories, or the fez! Because it’s June! June, June, June. Just because it’s June, June, Joooooan!” And you know what? I agree.

Hello from our P-Town cottage!

While I’m extremely happy to be spending this summer on Cape Cod, I’m still fighting off a teeny bit of homesickness for summer in New York. I will admit that I’ll take the low tide in the bay smell over sidewalk trash braising in the July sun any day. But I sure do miss spending my days off at Riis Beach, hosting impromptu dinner parties in our garden, and closing out balmy nights in the backyard of Metro. And being in P-Town means missing one of my favorite NYC summer treats: The Swingle, from Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie in Red Hook. It’s a tiny Key lime pie on a stick, dipped in dark chocolate and frozen. I’d like to pair that with a sunset by the IKEA, a drink at Sunny’s, and a bike ride home. 

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But missing The Swingle reminded me that I’ve got a favorite Key lime treat right here in Provincetown, too. You can find it right in the center of town, in a tiny shack, shellacked in years of blue paint layers, whose windows are covered in progressive handbills. I’m talking about the Key lime at Bliss! P’town Frozen Yogurt. They serve the best frozen yogurt I’ve ever had. The proprietor makes the frozen yogurt herself, and only makes the Key lime flavor when she has real Key limes brought up from Florida by a friend. Well, at least that's how the legend goes, and it’s a rumor I’ll happily spread. 

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This tart little pound cake is an ode to my favorite Key lime treats, and you don’t need to wait for a friend to bring you real Key limes. The glaze tastes like sour candy and the cake will stay moist for days. Eat it for breakfast, preferably sitting in a sunny spot—whether that be a fire escape, garden, or stoop. It’s a true snack cake: it’s just what you want waiting for you on the counter.

Key Lime Pounder

For the cake

1 ½ cups flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt

½ cup, 1 stick, unsalted butter, room temp

1 ½ cup granulated sugar

Zest of three limes

3 eggs

½ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon vanilla

For the glaze

¾ cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon lime juice

Zest of one lime

½ teaspoon salt 

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. 

2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. While the butter is beating, rub the lime zest into the granulated sugar to release all the oils. 

3. Cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. 

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in between. The mixture should be thick, fluffy, and beautiful. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.  

5. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla. 

6. Add the flour all at once, mix on low until almost completely incorporated. Remove from the mixer and finish by hand with a rubber spatula to avoid overmixing. 

7. Grease and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment. 

8. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean. 

9. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then finish cooling on a rack. 

10. While the cake cools, whisk together all ingredients for the glaze until fully combined. 

11. Place the cake on the desired serving plate and pour over the glaze. Let the glaze set up for a bit for the best results. You’ll get that sugary crust which I love.

    

Quick Bites: 

• My friend (and former fellow co-owner of MeMe’s) Libby Willis spoke to the Kitchn about why pavlova is her favorite way to end a dinner party. She makes a really great pavlova—and she shared her recipe! Get the recipe and interview here. 

• Eater brought back their “Queer Table” series for a second year, and just posted pieces featuring two of my faves: Gay Beer and Lil’ Deb’s Oasis. We had such a great time filming season one with the Eater crew at MeMe’s (and seems like a lifetime ago!). I can’t wait to see the rest of this series. 

• I love, love Leslie Uggams’ explanation of the iconic video that opened this week’s newsletter.

  

  Here’s what you might have been missin’.

If you don’t have a paid subscription, here are a few things you missed in the last couple of months! 

• I sang the praises of the big supper salad and shared my favorite trick for crispy potatoes. 

• Here’s my play on a Finger Lakes regional fave, Chicken French, turned into the sandwich of my dreams. It also happens to be a great beach sandwich (or lake sandwich).

• This is one helluva layer cake from last week, featuring crunchy sesame seeds, creamy tahini, and my go-to chocolate buttercream. 

  A Piece of Cake is written by Bill Clark and edited by Andrew Spena. Photography by Hunter Abrams. Logo design by Brett LaBauve.