Key Lime Pie with Mango Lime Whipped Cream
I will go out on a limb and assume that National Key Lime Pie Day is in September because that’s generally the last month of the year that key limes are harvested. Sounds good, right? Let’s go with it. Honestly, I was a little surprised to find this out because key lime pie feels like a spring/summer dessert, but I will gladly eat key lime pie any time of the year.
I actually went to a restaurant and just so happened to order key lime pie a couple of weeks before creating and testing this key lime pie with mango lime whipped cream, and I came across some major pitfalls. No shade to the restaurant, but I will be making my own key lime pie from now on.
The first pitfall was that they didn’t use enough lime zest in the filling. The strongest flavor of any citrus comes from the zest (skin) of the fruit. The zest is where the oils live, and oil is more potent than water. That’s not to say that key lime or lime juice is bad. It’s wonderful and necessary, but to bring out the zing of lime flavor, you must include lime zest, especially when it’s diluted by sweetened condensed milk and eggs. Just make sure you are only passing the lime over the zester once so that you don’t end up with the white bitter part of the lime “skin.”
Another thing that makes my key lime pie better than what I recently had at a restaurant is using vanilla wafers for the crust instead of graham crackers. Don’t get me wrong. I love eating graham crackers as a snack, but I don’t love it as a crust. Graham crackers can occasionally take over the dessert flavor they are used for, so I like to go with a milder-flavored cookie. Vanilla wafers are perfect for this key lime pie with mango lime whipped cream because they complement the creamy vanilla flavor of the whipped cream. Paired with the butteriness of a macadamia nut to add a bit more texture and complexity, this is like an upgraded graham cracker crust fit for a key lime pie with mango lime whipped cream.
Creating a mango lime whipped cream was something I did on a whim, and I’m glad I did it. I knew I wanted to do something to this key lime pie to make it unique. I wanted to make sure that this recipe was attainable while leaving you feeling like you accomplished something fancy because key lime pie is fancy, and mango seemed like the right choice. Mainly because the juiciest, sweetest mangos I’ve ever tasted from a grocery store in the Midwest were on sale. It was a match made in heaven, but even without the sweetest and juiciest mango, folding in a velvety mango puree into whipped cream kissed with vanilla is the perfect pairing for key lime pie.
I’ve had quite a few key lime pies in my day, and there have been plenty that I really enjoyed. Key lime pie should be tart, tangy, sweet, and balanced. It should be creamy yet firm. Most importantly, it should be delicious and make you feel like sitting at the beach on the Florida Keys.
Key Lime Pie with Mango Lime Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup vanilla wafers
- ½ cup macadamia nuts
- 5 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 cup lime juice
- 28 ounces condensed milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp lime zest
- ¼ tsp salt in crust
- ⅛ tsp salt in filling
- Vanilla extract
- 1 large mango, cubed
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Juice of 1 lime, divided
- Zest of 1 lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Place vanilla wafers and macadamia nuts in a food processor and pulse until fine, resembling coarse sand. Add sugar and continue pulsing for another 30 seconds. Leave the food processor while streaming in melted butter. The crust mixture should hold together when you squeeze a small amount in the palm of your hand. Pack the crust into a 9” pie plate, being sure to bring the crust up on the sides of the pan as well. Place the pie crust into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the pie key lime filling by placing all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mixing with a whisk or hand mixer. Set mixture aside.
- Remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool. While cooling, prepare the mango puree by placing the cubed mango and sugar into a small pot on medium heat. Cook until the mango is tender. Allow the cooked mango to cool for 15-20 minutes before placing it into a food processor or blender with the juice of ½ of a lime. Once pureed, place the puree in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Pour the key lime filling into the cooled pie crust and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before placing in the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours up to overnight.
- Prepare the mango lime whipped cream by beating the heavy cream in a chilled bowl until it reaches stiff peaks. About 5 minutes. Fold in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lime zest and juice. Fold in ½ cup mango puree, careful not to lose any air whipped into the cream.
- Spread mango lime whipped cream over the chilled key lime pie, cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Keep key lime pie with mango lime whipped cream refrigerated.
Top key lime pie with regular whipped cream by leaving out the mango puree, lime juice, and zest.
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