I found the recipe via Pinterest and her original frosting was a white chocolate frosting. But after ruining two batches of white chocolate (seriously!?) I decided to ditch the white chocolate and use my favorite cream cheese frosting instead. And I'm so glad I did! I like white chocolate but it often makes things too sweet for my taste and this frosting was the perfect accompaniment to this most perfect cake. Another bonus... it's just a doctored cake mix! Meaning no fail! And I've never tried baking a cake mix in a sheet cake pan (I figured it wasn't enough batter... I'm a little slow sometimes) but it's great in a sheet pan. It bakes in almost less than half the time and makes twice as much. It's great for when you're making cake for a crowd.
My husband asked if he could take the rest of it to work and then he offered to charge people for it. Seriously, guys. Go make this cake NOW.
Source: Adapted from Lauren's Latest
Feeds: 32 (although you could easily double that by cutting the pieces smaller)
1 Serving: 253 Calories
Cake:
18.25 oz. box French Vanilla Cake Mix
1 sm. instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
zest from 2-3 limes (depending on the size of your limes)
Juice from 2-3 limes
Lime Syrup:
1/2 cup Limeade concentrate, defrosted
1/3 + cup powdered sugar
Frosting:
10 oz. cream cheese, softened (NOT TOO SOFT!)
1 cup butter, softened (again, NOT TOO SOFT!)
1 lb. powdered sugar
pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease/spray a sheet pan. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix on low for about 30 seconds. Continue to mix on medium for about 2 minutes, until well mixed.
3. Pour into the sheet cake pan and bake for 15-23 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back when lightly touched. Set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the syrup ingredients and whisk until incorporated and there are no lumps. Using a skewer, poke holes all over the now slightly cooled cake. Using a pastry brush, brush the syrup over the top of the cake, being sure to cover every square inch of the cake! I let it sit for a few minutes and then brushed it several more times. I ended up brushing it about 3 times. You'll have leftover lime syrup. Set the cake aside.
5. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter. Mix until well incorporated. (Sidenote: I find frosting tricky. You have to mix it long enough to mix it well, but if you mix cream cheese too long, it starts to break down and you'll get runny frosting. Same thing will happen if your cream cheese or butter are too soft. When you touch the butter, it should leave a slight indentation on top, but your finger shouldn't be able to sink in.) Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and lime juice and continue to mix until well incorporated.
6. Using a long, offset spatula, frost your cake. How much frosting you use is up to you. I actually found that I only used about 2/3 of the frosting, but I haven't found a great way to halve the frosting recipe. Anyways, frost the cake and store it in the fridge. Enjoy!
