Lime Cake-Pie

I got my hands on some limes recently, and needed something to put them in.  I came across an interesting recipe in an old Sunset Pies and Pastries cookbook, and put my spin on it by changing the crust and the flavor from lemon to lime.  This Pake, Cie, Cake-Pie, is a combination of a sweet/tart lime custard pie with a spongey cake-like layer that forms over the top of the pie.  It is a simple yet tasty recipe with a bit of an old school flair.


Lime Cake-Pie


Pastry Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter


Lime Filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups milk


Preheat the oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a 9 inch pie plate.


For the pastry crust, in a small bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs.  Press the crumb mixture firmly onto the bottom and sides of the prepared pie plate.  Place in the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack.


While the crust is baking, prepare the lime filling.  In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, butter, and lime peel.  Add the flour, salt and lime juice and stir until combined.  In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks and milk, then add to the lime mixture and stir well.In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the to lime filling.  


Pour the lime filling into the still warm pastry crust.  In an oven preheated to 350F, bake the pie on the lowest rack until the top is a deep golden brown and feels set when touched lightly, about 45 minutes.  Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.  Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve cold.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.


Enjoy!  -Cardamommy