Keto Lemon Pound Cake

This keto lemon pound cake is incredibly moist and fluffy! It tastes zingy, fresh and fragrant and I've topped it with a rich coconut butter drizzle. Your family won't believe this cake is low carb, sugar free and only 3.6g net carbs per slice.

This post is sponsored by Lakanto. The recipe is 100% Sugar Free Londoner. 

There's nothing like a zingy, moist keto lemon cake! I'd say that it is the ultimate cake for lemon lovers. I've added both lemon juice and lemon zest to the batter, which gives it oodles of flavour.

I'm telling you, EVERYONE is going ask for seconds, whether they are on a low carb diet, the keto diet or neither!

The recipe is a nod to the humble pound cake.

What is a pound cake?

Traditionally, a basic pound cake has only 4 ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs and flour. And guess what? You're using a pound of each. It's a super simple cake with a buttery crumb.

Of course, we're tweaking things here and there to make this cake taste like heaven AND keep it low carb at the same time.

A keto pound cake recipe

When it comes to baking, low carb recipes call for different ingredient amounts than regular cake recipes. So, keeping EXACTLY to the idea of using the same amount of each does not work.

For example, you need to use more eggs with grain free flours to achieve a fluffy texture and good crumb structure as they lack gluten.

Yet, it lives up to is name because you're getting the same look, feel and taste of a real pound cake!

I decided to use both almond flour and coconut flour for this keto bundt cake - the two complement each other so well. And to increase the moisture and complement the zing of the lemon, I added plain full fat yoghurt. It adds a wonderful fresh dimension.

Check out all the ingredients below!

Now, let's talk sweetener.

Monk fruit sweetener

Regular readers will know that I've been using Lakanto monk fruit sweeteners for years.  I chose the classic sweetener for this recipe.

Monk fruit is a small, round fruit native in southeast Asia. Its extract is up to 250 times sweeter than table sugar. Studies show that it does not raise insulin and can even reduce blood sugar levels.

By mixing the monk fruit extract with erythritol, Lakanto classic can be used as a 1:1 sugar replacement. It is keto friendly, zero carb and best of all, it tastes just like sugar.

How to make a keto lemon pound cake

1.) Melt the butter in a saucepan or microwave until just warm. Don’t boil it. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and add the egg yolks.

Whisk with a balloon whisk or with an electric mixer to combine. Then whisk through the yoghurt and lemon juice.

2.) Place all the dry ingredients - blanched almond flour, coconut flour, gluten free baking powder, Lakanto Classic, lemon zest - in a clean mixing bowl and stir to combine. Keep 1 tsp of lemon zest back to sprinkle on top after the coconut butter drizzle.

3.) Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together with a spatula or blend with an electric mixer.

4.) Whisk the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

5.) Fold the egg whites through the batter until smooth using a spatula (no electric blenders here!). Don’t over-mix or you will deflate the eggs.

6.) Spoon the batter into your non-stick bundt tin and level. I used this 20 cm / 8 inch diameter tin. (Amazon aff link)

Note - I cannot stress enough how important it is to GREASE your tin GENEROUSLY!

Tip: If you're using a loaf pan, line it with baking paper. This way you'll have no issues removing the cake from the pan.

Spoon the mix into the mould and level the top with a spatula.

Baking tips

Bake the low carb pound cake in the oven for about 45 - 50 minutes until golden and you can insert and remove a skewer without crumbs sticking. Mine took 48 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the tin then allow to fully cool. DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE TIN.

I left mine overnight. You can also place it in the fridge. It needs to be fully cooled before you remove from the tin to prevent it sticking.

Coconut butter drizzle

7.) To make the coconut butter drizzle, melt the coconut butter and oil using the bain marie method - in a glass proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and stir through the vanilla.

Remove the keto lemon pound cake from the mould and drizzle with coconut butter. Option to top with lemon zest and slices for decoration.

Using different cake pans 

You don't have to use a bundt cake tin. This lemon cake recipe works just as as well in a full size rectangular cake pan (9x5 inch) like you would choose for a regular lemon loaf cake. Or you can use a springform tin.

Don't forget to line the bottom and sides of your pan with parchment paper so the cake does not stick.

One more thing about bundt pan: There are beautiful round gugelhupf tins out there with intricate swirled surfaces. Don't choose one of those! I recommend to use one with a very simple shape like mine.

Why? Almond flour cakes are more fragile than wheat cakes because they lack the gluten in wheat. And with a round cake we can't use parchment paper. You don't want your cake to break when you remove it from the pan!

Adjust baking times

The oven time the pound cake needed in my bundt cake tin was exactly 48 minutes. When I used my silicone loaf tin, I had to increase the baking time to 60 minutes.

Be sure to check the cake after 45 minutes. If the top has browned enough, cover it for the remainder of the baking time with an aluminium foil dome. This way it the pound cake can continue to bake but does not burn.

Alternative toppings for keto lemon cake

The coconut butter drizzle is delicious and works so well on this lemon cake. (Note: I tried to add lemon juice to the drizzle, but it made the coconut butter curdle. That's why I added vanilla).

If you prefer a simple lemon glaze or a creamy frosting, here are a couple of options:

Easy sugar free lemon drizzle: Mix 2 tbsp lemon juice with 4 tbsp powdered Lakanto (simply powder the Classic sweetener in a food processor for this).

Lemon glaze: Mix 4 tbsp melted butter, 4 tbsp heavy cream, 4 tbsp powdered sweetener and the juice of 1 lemon. Let the glaze cool and thicken, then spoon over the cake.

Low carb lemon cream cheese frosting: Mix 1 cup / 240g cream cheese, 4 tbsp powdered sweetener, juice of 1 lemon and grated lemon zest. Spread over the cooled sugar free lemon cake.

Keto lemon curd frosting: Make a batch of sugar free lemon curd and cool in the fridge. Whip 1 cup / 240ml of double / heavy cream until stiff and fold in the cold lemon curd.

Recipe variations

Increase lemon flavour

For a stronger lemon flavour, add 2 additional tbsp of lemon juice or 1 tsp lemon extract.

Almond flour vs coconut flour

It is possible to leave out the coconut flour and make an almond flour pound cake. In this case, use 3 cups / 300g of almond flour.

Note that I'm using what we in the UK call ground almonds. This is equivalent to regular / coarser almond flour in the US. If you use superfine almond flour, you may want to reduce the amount of almond flour by 2-3 tbsp. Check the images for batter consistency! You want it to be smooth and not firm.

Don't use fat-reduced almond flour for this recipe.

It's not possible to replace all of the almond flour with coconut flour. Coconut flour is very particular and you'd need more eggs for the recipe to work.

Can you make this cake dairy free?

Of course! Simply replace the butter with coconut oil and use coconut yoghurt instead of yoghurt.

Is it necessary to beat the egg whites?

The stiff egg whites are the secret to a supremely fluffy-airy cake. However, it will still work if you start the cake by beating the full eggs with an electric mixer until frothy.

How to store low carb lemon pound cake

This lemon cake is fine on the kitchen counter for 1-2 days, provided your kitchen is not hot. I prefer to store it in the fridge in an airtight container for 5-6 days. Alternatively, slice and freeze for up to 3 months.

Love sugar free lemon cake? Try these low carb recipes:

• Keto Lemon Bars
• Lemon Low Carb Cheesecake
• Sugar Free Lemon Mug Cake

Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!

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First published in June 2020. Updated with more details in January 2021.