How is it already Thursday?! This week has flown by for me after getting back Monday night from a whirlwind trip to the Midwest. We had a great time seeing family and going to a beautiful outdoor wedding in Minnesota!

I’ve had my eye on this recipe for Key Lime Pie Cake Bites for a few months now and finally got around to making them! The recipe reminds me of the Cake Batter Truffles I made back in January so I couldn’t resist this summery take on the bite-sized treats. They are delicious, fresh, and sweet…they have the taste of a key lime pie rolled into a cake all in one (huge) fantastic bite! A great summer treat that doesn’t leave you feeling weighed down!

Key Lime Pie Cake Bites Print Recipe Here

From realmomkitchen

Makes about 24 cake bites

Ingredients

Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
½ tbsp. grated lime zest
1/3 cup key lime juice
¾ cup half and half
2 eggs

Cake Bites

¼ cup Lime Butter Cream Frosting (ingredients & recipe below)
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp. grated lime zest

Lime Butter Cream Frosting

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted
3-4 tbsp. milk or cream
2 tsp. lime extract or lime juice
2 tbsp. lime zest

Coating & topping

16 oz. white melting chocolate
2-3 crushed graham crackers, for garnish.

Cake Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan, set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, lime zest, lime juice, half and half, and eggs. Mix until combined and thick. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 28-32 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and allow the cake to cool completely. After the cake is cooled, crumble into small pieces in a large bowl.

Lime Butter Cream Frosting (Makes 3 cups, you will only need 1/4 cup, but the leftover frosting is great on white cupcakes)

Beat the butter with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, around 30 seconds. With the mixer off, add the sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, lime juice, and lime zest. Turn the mixer back on and beat (going from low speed to high speed) until the mixture is creamy. Add up to 1 tablespoon of milk if the frosting is too thick.

To finish the Cake Balls

To the large bowl of cake crumbs, add 1/4 cup of the frosting, 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk, and 2 tablespoons of lime zest. Use the back of a spoon to mix together until the mixture becomes thick and dough-like. Shape into balls and place on a lined baking sheet. Place in fridge for 1-2 hours (or freeze for 20 minutes to speed things up) to chill.

Melt the chocolate according to package directions and coat the chilled balls in it. Top immediately with crushed graham crackers. Enjoy!

Place cake mix, lime zest, lime juice, half and half, and eggs in a large bowl.

Mix well, there may be a few clumps and the batter will be thick.

Pour batter into a greased 9×13 baking pan.

After baking at 350 degrees for 28-32 minutes the cake should be ready. Remove
from the oven and cool completely.

After the cake is cooled, break into smaller pieces….

and crumble into a bowl.

Moving onto the Lime Butter Cream Frosting, place one stick of room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl.

Beat until light and fluffy.

Sift in 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar.

All sifted.

Add 3-4 tablespoons of milk.

Add 2 teaspoons of lime juice.

Grate in 2 tablespoons of lime zest.

I used regular limes because I couldn’t find key limes in the grocery store…it still works, you just won’t end up with quite as strong of a lime flavor.

Beat until the frosting is nice and creamy. Remember, this makes 3 cups of frosting and you only need 1/4 cup. The leftover frosting would be great on cupcakes or spread on graham crackers.

Add 1/4 cup of the frosting to the cake crumbs.

Add 2 tablespoons of lime zest.

Add 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk.

Stir gently with the back of a spoon until a thick dough-like consistency forms.

I used my handy-dandy cookie scoop to gather the cake

and form into a ball with your hands.

Once all of the balls are formed, let them chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Place white melting chocolate in a bowl.

What is that?! Gasp! I’m using a microwave!

After about a minute in the microwave (see package directions) the chocolate is ready for the cake bites.

Dunk the bite into the chocolate. I like to use 2 forks for coating the bites…

and let the excess chocolate drip off in between the tines of the fork.

Place a few of graham crackers in a plastic bag.

Smash them up!

Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs on top of the freshly dipped cake bites. If you wait too long, the graham crackers won’t stick. Let the chocolate harden and then clean up the excess chocolate that has dripped around the cake bites. Now they are ready to eat!