DFB guest chef Carol E. returns today with a traditional recipe for the Key Lime Pie from Olivia’s Café at Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Get your baking supplies ready!
Being a Florida native (Yes, native!! I was one of about 7 people actually born here…everyone else is a transplant. Ha!), I was excited to dive into this recipe!
Key Lime pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts! Did you know that Key lime pie is the official pie of the state of Florida? That’s right, not only are we awesome because we have Walt Disney World in our state, but we also have our own official pie! Florida rocks! 🙂
Even better, you can get our official state pie at Walt Disney World — and this is one of the best versions of it on property! This Florida tradition is served perfectly chilled every day at Olivia’s Café!
Olivia's Cafe.
Olivia Cafe's Dining Room.
Key Lime Pie Recipe
While there are a lot of different recipes for Key lime pie, the traditional one is the best! It only takes three ingredients to make the pie filling. If you make it right, it will be pale yellow in color and it will have the perfect balance of creamy sweet and tart goodness.
Key Lime Pie at Olivia's Cafe.
I was excited to find the traditional Key lime pie recipe from Olivia’s Café in the Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs cookbook to share with you!
While Olivia’s Café has taken the pie to the gourmet side now by making it in an individual “tart” style and adding a meringue topping with dollops of raspberry and mango purees, we’ll be sticking to their original recipe from the cookbook — topped off with whipped cream.
Key Lime Pie Cross-Section.
So let’s get baking! But before we get started, I do want to warn you that this is a plan ahead recipe. You need at least 3-4 hours in the fridge, but better if left in overnight before serving!
It’s actually a super quick and easy recipe to make. It will take you more time to cool and chill the pie than it will to actually make it!
Ingredients.
Ingredients
-5 large egg yolks-1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk-2/3 cup Key lime juice-1 prepared 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
(be fancy and make your own, or pick one up at the store)
-1 can of whipped cream
-1 lime to use as garnish
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Step 2: The Filling
– Separate egg yolks into a mixing bowl. (Save the whites to use later… like in a dreamy egg white omelet. Yum! Or, if you feel like getting a little bit more gourmet, make a meringue for the top like Olivia’s Café now serves it!)
Starting to separate egg yolks.
Egg yolks separated.
-Now it’s time to make the filling. I found it easier to use a hand mixer on low to mix the ingredients for the filling, but you can also use a whisk if you don’t have a hand mixer. Just get ready to work those biceps!
Hey, a workout isn’t such a bad idea before enjoying a piece of this pie! 😉
Filling Ingredients.
– Gently whisk the yolks together in a bowl; do not let them foam.
– Stirring constantly, slowly blend in the sweetened condensed milk.
Mixing eggs with sweetened condensed milk.
– Keep stirring as you add the Key lime juice.
Pouring in key lime juice.
Step 3: Assemble the Pie
– Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust. The filling is already super thick and creamy thanks to your egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk! You might want to use a spatula to scrape the bowl…you won’t want to miss an ounce of this pie filling!
Filling in mixing bowl next to empty crust.
Uncooked filling in crust.
– Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set.
Step 4: Chilling the Pie
– Remove the pie from the oven. It will look golden and yummy, but it’s not quite ready, yet! Trust me, it’s way worth the wait!
Cooked Pie.
– Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. This part is really important! If you don’t let the pie completely cool to room temperature before you refrigerate, your pie will crack! Think of it this way, if you take a burning hot glass dish and throw it under cold water, what will it do? Yep, it will crack. The same thing will happen to your pie if you don’t let it cool before putting it in the fridge.
-Chill, covered, until very cold. You can use the plastic cover that your pie crust came with to cover for the fridge!
Cooked pie -- covered and in fridge.
Step 5: Serve!
-Serve chilled, cut into wedges. Cut up cute lil pieces of lime and place them on top of the whipped cream for an ooh la la presentation!
Perfect slice of pie!
Key Lime pie slice.
This is a great dessert to make in bulk! Make 2 or 3 at a time. That way you have a pie for your family, one to win brownie points with the boss at the office, and one to show a friend how much you love them! Or feel free to enjoy them all yourself as you dream about your next trip to Florida.
Aw, can’t you just picture the palm trees at your favorite Disney resort pool and Cinderella Castle calling your name? 😉
Now it’s time to enjoy a little slice of Florida! You’ve earned it!
A Few Lessons I Learned…
As with all recipes, you usually find helpful ways to make it easier to make them during the process. This section is filled with helpful hints that I learned while making this recipe and doing research on some of the ingredients! I hope they help you, too!
–Key lime juice can usually be found in the juice aisle of your local grocery store. Look for a plastic bottle of it close to the bottles of lemon and lime juices.
-Do not substitute regular lime juice for this recipe. It is not the same thing! You want to make sure you are using Key lime juice!
–Make sure you are buying a 9 inch pre-made crust. Keebler has been making a larger crust giving you 2 extra servings. Your filling from this recipe won’t be enough to fill this extra-large crust. If it’s the only thing you can find, no worries, just plan to fill the difference with more whipped cream when you are ready to serve!
-Do not spray whipped cream over the whole pie to serve. It gets messy when trying to cut and doesn’t hold together long. While you’re at it, don’t do the whipped cream ahead of time! Only put whipped cream on individual slices as you are ready to serve them. Trust me, you’ll have a better presentation!:)
Check out even more DIY Disney Recipes here!
Have you tried the Key Lime Pie at Olivia’s Cafe? If you make this traditional recipe, let us know!
