This delightful lime and yogurt bundt cake offers a refreshing twist with its citrusy flavor and tender crumb. The cake’s bright finish comes from a fresh lime syrup, while a simple homemade cake-release mixture ensures it slides effortlessly from the bundt tin. By combining butter, yogurt, and lime, this cake achieves a moist texture and robust taste.
To prepare the cake-release mixture, blend equal parts of plain flour, vegetable oil, and softened unsalted butter until it forms a smooth paste. Use a pastry brush to coat every part of the bundt tin, ensuring you reach all the grooves and detailed edges. For the cake batter, start by zesting six juicy limes and rubbing the zest into caster sugar to release the lime oils. This lime-infused sugar is then mixed with softened butter in a stand mixer until the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
Meanwhile, warm the eggs by placing them in hot tap water for about five minutes before cracking them into a bowl. You’ll need 250g of lightly whisked eggs, added to the butter mixture in batches. In a separate bowl, combine soft plain flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt. Gently fold half of this flour mixture into the batter, followed by half of the room-temperature plain yogurt, repeating until all the ingredients are incorporated smoothly with no visible streaks. Transfer the batter into the prepared bundt tin and smooth the surface.
Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 170C/150C fan for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the cake forms a golden-brown crust. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean, or use a thermometer to ensure the center reaches approximately 95C. While the cake bakes, prepare the lime syrup by whisking icing sugar with fresh lime juice until smooth. Once the cake is out of the oven, pierce its surface with a metal skewer and spoon half of the lime syrup over it, allowing it to soak in for about 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a serving plate.
After turning the cake out, make additional holes across the top and inner ring, brushing on more lime syrup as desired. Allow the cake to cool for around 30 minutes before slicing and adding another layer of syrup if a more intensely soaked cake is desired. This delicious cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to three days or frozen for up to three months, making it a versatile dessert option for any occasion.