Felicity Cloake’s Key Lime Pie Recipe

The Guardian published a make-ahead key lime pie recipe authored by food writer Felicity Cloake. Designed for bank-holiday gatherings, the dessert combines a buttery biscuit crust, a tangy lime-flavored filling, and an optional cream or meringue topping. The method emphasizes straightforward preparation, a long chill time, and flexibility in ingredient substitutions.

The Guardian

• Crust: 75 g butter or coconut oil, 200 g digestive biscuits (about 13 biscuits), a pinch of salt.

The Guardian

• Filling: 4–5 limes (zested and juiced to yield roughly 120 ml juice), 4 egg yolks, 400 g tin of condensed milk.

The Guardian

• Optional Topping: 300 ml whipping or double cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar, or a meringue made from the egg whites, 115 g sugar, and a half-teaspoon of vinegar or citrus juice.

The Guardian

All measurements are given in metric units, matching the UK-centric audience of the source.

The Guardian

1. Crust: Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). Crush the biscuits into fine crumbs, mix with melted butter (or coconut oil) and a pinch of salt, then press into a 20 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Bake for about 15 minutes until dry to the touch; allow to cool.

The Guardian

2. Lime Prep: Zest the limes, then juice them, straining out any seeds. Combine the zest, juice, egg yolks, and condensed milk, beating until the mixture turns pale green and thickens.

The Guardian

3. Filling: Pour the lime mixture into the cooled crust and chill for at least three hours until set.

The Guardian

4. Topping (optional): Whisk cream with icing sugar to soft peaks and dollop over the set filling, or prepare a meringue by beating the reserved egg whites to soft peaks, gradually adding sugar, then a splash of vinegar or citrus juice. Lightly brown the meringue with a blowtorch or grill before serving.

The Guardian

The recipe notes that while authentic key limes are thin-skinned and aromatic, standard limes work well when both zest and juice are used.

The Guardian

Cloake recommends serving the pie chilled, garnished with extra lime slices or zest. The dessert’s bright citrus flavor and make-ahead nature make it suitable for temperate-climate celebrations, offering a “cool and creamy” alternative to heavier holiday sweets. The optional meringue topping adds a “sweet-toothed” twist for those who prefer a lighter finish.

The Guardian