It's time for a Gin & Key Lime Pie!
Jul 3, 2023
Whether you’re celebrating July 4th (American Independence Day) or simply looking for a great classic American pie recipe to bake this weekend, our boozy take on the Key Lime Pie never fails to hit the spot.
This mouthwatering dessert pie is zesty, creamy and biscuity in all the right places and once you have mastered the lime juice, egg and sweetened condensed milk filling it can be so versatile - it’s just as good with no topping at all, a whipped egg white meringue topping or the gin-spiked cream topping in our recipe.
Sweet and sour, this recipe is an easy-to-make treat that needs to be in your repertoire. That mix of gin and lime always to makes us smile and, with its association with the Florida Keys, every bite fills us with that tropical Floridan sunshine.
This classic American Key Lime Pie recipe is traditionally made with Key limes, but if you can’t find them in your local supermarket then any standard fresh lime juice will be just as delicious. Mixed with condensed milk and topped with gin-spiked whipped cream, the lime flavours in this baking recipe are sublime and utterly refreshing on a hot summer’s day or at any other time of year, in fact.
For the biscuit base, we like combining Digestive biscuits with Gingernuts - ginger and lime are a match made in heaven. The traditional American Key Lime Pie base is usually made with Graham Crackers though, so if you can get your hands on those, give them a go in this recipe too.
This recipe easily fills a deep 10-inch tart tin or pie dish
For the base:
125g digestive biscuits
125g gingernut biscuits
75g golden caster sugar
75g melted butter
For the filling:
Zest and juice of 6 fresh limes
397g can condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
For the topping:
150ml double cream
150ml crème fraiche
2 heaped tbsp icing sugar
2 generous tbsp gin (try Batch Lime Leaf Gin for an extra hit of lime flavour)
1. Preheat your oven to 150°C/gas mark 2.
2. Blend in a food processor or bash your biscuits into fine crumbs and then mix with the sugar and butter.
3. Firmly pack the biscuit crumbs into the base and up the sides of a lightly greased pie or tart tin, forming an even pie crust in the shape of the tin. Top tip: Using the bottom and sides of a clean pint glass is a great way to press the crumbs evenly into the shape of the tin.
4. Bake the biscuit crust for 15 minutes and then leave to cool. It may feel soft when it comes out of the oven, but it will soon firm up as it cools down.
5. For the filling, add the lime zest (hold back a little to garnish your pie if you so wish) and juice to a mixing bowl. Stir in the condensed milk and egg yolks until everything is fully combined.
6. Once the pie crust has cooled, pour in the condensed milk mixture and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Allow the pie to cool on a worktop and then place in the fridge to finish setting for at least four hours (or ideally overnight).
7. For the topping, combine the cream, crème fraiche, icing sugar and gin. Whisk the ingredients together until the mixture is voluptuous and can just hold its shape.
8. Add the cream to the top of the pie and garnish with grated lime zest. This dish is best served cold, straight out of the fridge.
