Soft and moist homemade yellow cake, topped with exhilarating mixture of cherries cooked in lime juice and finished with lime flavored light whipped topping!
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 baking pan. Prepare your ingredients so you don't scramble for them and over-mix the cake.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on medium high speed for about a minute and slowly add sugar. Beat until light and smooth.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla. Scrape the sides and mix until combined.
Stir in lime zest.
Lower the speed to low. Add your flour mixture and buttermilk in two parts. Start by adding half the flour and mix until just combined. Add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined, then remaining buttermilk and mix until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix until just combined.
Spread the batter in the baking dish evenly and bake for 25-28 minutes. Make sure to do the toothpick test in the middle to make sure that cake is done. (If needed, bake for another 3-5 minutes.)
Let the cake cool and then poke holes all over it.
Cherry Lime:
While cake is baking, combine cherries, lime juice, vanilla and sugar in a sauce pot over medium heat and stir well. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for another 15 minutes, covered and stirring occasionally. Take off heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Scoop cooked cherries with a slotted spoon and spread them all over the cake, evenly. Set aside 2 Tbsp of juice for the whipped topping (place it in the fridge). Pour the remaining juice slowly and evenly over the cake (try to hit the holes).
Cool completely before topping with whipped topping.
Whipped Topping:
Place your metal bowl from the electric mixer and the whisk attachment (or a regular metal bowl and the beaters) in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Make sure that your heavy whipping cream and juice are cold.
Add the heavy whipping cream to the cold mixing bowl. Starting on low speed, start whipping, gradually raise to speed to high. Slowly, add sugar. Beat until stiff peaks appear (don't walk away far.) Slowly stir in juice and lime zest on low speed.
Make sure the cake is completely cooled or your frosting will melt!
Frost the cake generously.
If you want, decorate the cake with some fresh cherries and lime slices.