Key lime pie
Baked Lime and Condensed Milk Pie
Key lime pie is lime juice, condensed milk and egg yolks in a crumb crust, topped with whipped cream. The acid in the lime sets the milk, and this version also bakes the filling briefly, so that the egg is cooked.
Key lime pie is the Florida dessert named in regional lists of classics.
One recipe beats lime zest and 3 egg yolks with a 397 g tin of condensed milk and 160 ml of lime juice, bakes the filling for 8 to 10 minutes at 175°C and chills for 2 to 3 hours. The other beats 4 egg yolks with 120 ml of lime juice and the milk for 5 minutes and sets it in the fridge for 6 hours without baking.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 150 g digestive biscuit crumbs
- 65 g caster sugar
- 70 g unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
- 1 1/2 tbsp lime zest
- 3 egg yolks
- 397 g tin sweetened condensed milk
- 160 ml fresh lime juice (Key limes if you can find them)
For the topping
- 240 ml double cream, chilled
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
Method
- Make the crust Heat the oven to 175°C. Blitz the biscuits, sugar and melted butter in a food processor, press into a 23 cm pie dish and bake for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool completely. Keep the oven on.
- Make the filling Beat the lime zest and egg yolks for about 5 minutes until pale. Add the condensed milk and beat for 3 to 4 minutes more, then mix in the lime juice until smooth.
- Bake Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until just set. Cool, then chill.
- Top and serve Whisk the cream with the icing sugar to stiff peaks, spread over the cooled pie and chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
Food safety
This version bakes the filling so the yolks are cooked. The unbaked classic version uses raw egg yolks and is not suitable for anyone who is pregnant, elderly, very young or unwell.
Do not over-bake the filling.
Chill well before slicing.