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Key lime pie

17/11/2023

The Key lime pie is a classic American dessert from the Florida Keys. I will show you the traditional recipe, but with a small Italian touch to make it unique.

Ingredients

  • 200g digestive biscuits (alternatively, you can use “Graham crackers” type biscuits if you can find them)
  • 100g unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 can (about 400g) condensed milk
  • 120ml fresh lime juice (Key limes are ideal, but you can use regular limes)
  • The grated zest of 2 limes
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 250ml whipping cream (for decoration)
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar (for the whipped cream)

For an Italian touch, you can add grated lemon zest or a little orange liqueur like Cointreau to the whipped cream to flavour it.

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
  2. Finely crush the biscuits in a food processor. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
  3. Press the biscuit mixture into the bottom and sides of a 23 cm springform cake tin, creating an even layer.
  4. Bake the base in the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden. Then let it cool.
  5. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and add the condensed milk, lime juice, grated zest and the pinch of salt. Stir until the mixture is homogeneous.
  6. Pour the filling into the cooled biscuit base and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the filling has set but is still slightly wobbly in the centre.
  7. Let the cake cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

For the decoration, whip the cream with the icing sugar until firm and forming soft peaks. If desired, flavour with lemon zest or orange liqueur. Spread the whipped cream over the cake before serving.

Fun Facts

Tradition says that the real Key lime pie should never be green in colour, but rather a pale yellow. This is due to the natural colour of Key lime juice, very different from the bright green often associated with industrial limes.

The Key lime pie is perfect to serve on a warm summer day or as a dessert after a fish or seafood dinner, following some of Florida’s culinary traditions. Enjoy your pie!