INGREDIENTS :
Layers of cherry chips
1 3/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
6 room temperature egg whites
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
1 teaspoon of pure almond extract
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of fine salt
1 drop of red soft gel food coloring
1 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries
Cherry Soaking Syrup
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
2 teaspoons of almond extract
Lime layers
4 large eggs room temperature
1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon) salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon fine lime zest
1 1/2 sticks softened unsalted butter
A few drops of lime green soft gel food coloring such as Chefmaster Neon Brite Green
Lime syrup
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1/4 cup lime juice
Lime buttercream and decorations
2 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
12 cups icing sugar
6 tablespoons of lime juice
Milk or cream to dilute
1/2 teaspoon of fine salt
A few drops of soft red gel food coloring like Chefmaster Super Red
8 maraschino cherries with stems
8 slices of fresh lime
2 tablespoons white nonpareils optional

INSTRUCTIONS :
Layers of cherry chips and cherry syrup
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat three 8-inch round pans with flour cooking spray.
In a large glass measure, whisk together the milk, egg whites, cherry juice and almond extract.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Set the mixer to medium speed and alternately add the flour mixture and the liquid mixture; start and end with flour. Scrape the bowl. Continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add a small drop of red gel food coloring; mix. Add the chopped cherries.
Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Leave to cool in the molds for 5 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the cherry syrup, heat the sugar and water in a microwave-safe glass measure for 2 minutes at 100% power. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Add cherry juice and almond extract; stir. Brush the cake layers on all sides using a pastry brush. Use all the liquid for moist breadcrumbs or use about half the syrup for drier breadcrumbs.
Key lime cake layers with lime syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat two 8-inch round pans with flour cooking spray.
In a large glass measure, combine eggs, milk, vegetable oil and lime juice. Whisk together until combined.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and lime zest. Whisk to combine.
Turn the mixer to medium speed and add the butter a little at a time. Increase speed to medium until the butter has coated the flour and the appearance resembles coarse wet sand.

Slowly add half of the wet ingredients until you have a thick paste. Mix for 1 minute and scrape down the bowl. Add 1 to 2 drops of lime gel food coloring; mix. Add the remaining wet ingredients and beat until incorporated. Divide the dough between the two molds.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the mold then turn them out onto a rack to cool completely.
For the lime syrup, heat the sugar and water in a microwave-safe glass measure for 2 minutes at 100% power. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Add lime juice; stir. Brush the cake layers on all sides using a pastry brush. Use all the liquid for moist breadcrumbs or use about half the syrup for drier breadcrumbs.
Buttercream and assembly
Cream the butter in the bowl of a large standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add half of the confectioners’ sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining sugar and mix over low heat. Pour in the lime juice one tablespoon at a time. Increase mixer speed. Add the milk or cream a little at a time to bring to a spreadable consistency. Beat in salt. Whip on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Remove 1 1/2 cups of frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip. Cover the tip with a damp paper towel so the icing doesn’t dry out.
Start with a layer of cherry chips placed on a cardboard cake serving plate. Do this carefully if you have used all of the soaking syrup, as the wet cake layers will be delicate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top. Repeat the process, alternating layers of lime and cherry cake. (Order: cherry, lime, cherry, lime, cherry.) Coat the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream (breadcrumbs). Refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes.

Tint the remaining icing with 1 small drop of red gel food coloring. Mix well. Increase the color intensity if desired with more food coloring (aim for a medium pinkish-red color). Cover the cooled cake with the tinted buttercream and smooth evenly with a cake smoother or scraper. Refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes.
Place a few dots of white icing from the piping bag on the outside of the cake onto the pink icing. Use a cake smoother or scraper to lightly scrape the white frosting off the first layer of frosting. Don’t aim for a perfectly smooth surface, the outer edge should look like accumulated frost (small accumulated ice crystals).
Use the bag of white buttercream to pipe 8 mounds of frosting around the top edge of the cake. Garnish each mound with a maraschino cherry. Add half a slice of fresh lime between each mound. Sprinkle with white sprinkles, if using.
Serve the cake slices at room temperature or refrigerated. Cakes with a moist crumb are especially good chilled and eaten on a hot day.

REMARKS :
This cake is more pleasant to make if you spread the work over two days. Bake the cake layers and refrigerate them. Also prepare the soaking syrups. The next day, water the cakes, make the buttercream then fill, ice and decorate the cake.
Return the soaked cake layers carefully. They will be tender and break apart if not handled gently.
Food coloring in the cake layers may be optional. If you choose to leave them out, the cherry layers will be mostly colorless with flecks of red throughout. The lime layers will be creamy light yellow.