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.
There's nothing like a zingy, moist low carb 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.
Jump to:
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 lemon cake - the two complement each other so well.
To increase the moisture and complement the zing of the lemon, I added plain full-fat yoghurt. It adds a wonderful fresh dimension.
Ingredients
I am using:
- Butter - melted
- Eggs - large, separated, room temperature
- Yoghurt - plain natural, room temperature
- Lemon juice and zest
- Almond flour - Note that I'm using 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 tablespoons. Check the images for batter consistency! You want it to be smooth and not firm.
- Coconut flour
- Baking powder
- Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Sweetener - or any other 1:1 low-carb sugar substitute, such as allulose or Bocha Sweet.
- Salt
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
This section contains step by step instructions and photos that show how to make the recipe.
For detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
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 the juice of 2 lemons - approximately 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.
2.) Place all the dry ingredients - blanched almond flour, coconut flour, gluten-free baking powder, sweetener, lemon zest - in a clean mixing bowl and stir to combine. Keep 1 teaspoon 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.
7.) 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.
Expert Tips
#1 GREASE your tin GENEROUSLY with butter! This will help you remove the cake from the pan with ease.
#2 After baking, run a sharp knife around the edge of the tin. Then allow to fully cool. I left mine overnight. You can also place it in the fridge. It needs to be fully cooled before you remove it from the tin to prevent it from sticking.
Coconut Butter Drizzle
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
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 tablespoons lemon juice with 4 tablespoons powdered sweetener.
Lemon glaze: Mix 4 tablespoons each melted butter, heavy cream, powdered sweetener and the juice of 1 lemon. Let the glaze cool and thicken, then spoon over the cake.
Cream cheese frosting: Mix 1 cup / 240g cream cheese, 4 tablespoons powdered sweetener, juice of 1 lemon and grated lemon zest. Spread over the cooled cake.
Lemon curd frosting: Make a batch of sugar free lemon curd and cool in the fridge. Whip 1 cup / 240ml of heavy cream until stiff and fold in the cold lemon curd.
Recipe Variations
Increase lemon flavour: For a stronger lemon flavour, add ⅓ cup of lemon juice in total or add 1 teaspoon lemon extract.
Lemon poppy seed cake: Add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds to the batter!
Almond flour lemon cake: Leave out the coconut flour and use 3 cups / 300g of almond flour.
It's not possible to replace all of the almond flour with coconut flour.
Recipe FAQs
Of course! Simply replace the butter with coconut oil and use coconut yoghurt instead of yoghurt.
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.
Storage
This keto 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.
More Keto Lemon Cake Recipes
- Fail-safe Keto Coconut Cream Pie2 Hours 50 Minutes
- Keto Lemon Bars40 Minutes
- Low Carb Lemon Cheesecake30 Minutes
- Keto Lemon Mug Cake3 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Keto Lemon Pound Cake
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- ½ cup / 120g butter melted
- 5 eggs large, separated, room temperature
- ½ cup / 120g yoghurt room temperature
- 5 tablespoon lemon juice roughly 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest zest of 2 lemons
- 2 cups / 200 g almond flour or ground almonds
- ⅓ cup / 45g coconut flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅔ cup / 120g granulated sweetener
- pinch of salt optional
Coconut butter drizzle
- 3 tbsp / 35g coconut butter
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- optional - decorate with 1 teaspoon lemon zest and lemon slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C / 155fan. Generously grease a bundt tin with butter. If using a rectangular loaf pan or springform, line the bottom and sides with baking / parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan or microwave until just warm. 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.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a clean mixing bowl and stir to combine. Also add in the lemon zest, reserving 1 teaspoon for decorating the cake later.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together with a spatula or blend with an electric mixer.
- Whisk the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- 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.
- Spoon the batter into the bundt tin and level with a spatula.
- Bake 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. DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE TIN UNTIL FULLY COOLED.
- 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 extract. Remove the lemon cake from the mould and drizzle over the coconut butter. Option to top with lemon zest and slices for decoration.
cindy l salas
what size springform pan or bundt pan???
Kim
I have been looking for a good lemon pound cake recipe to replace my favorite Starbucks lemon loaf which is NOT low carb. I can’t wait to try! Thanks sooooo much for sharing.
Marisa
Have you or anyone else tried a different sweetener? I'm partial to sweetleaf stevia. I've tried the monkfruit in my coffee but not for baking yet. Wondering how it would measure instead.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Marisa,
I use either erythritol/monkfruit or erythritol/stevia blends, sometimes pure erythritol. They are all 1:1 sugar replacements.
Bethany
This is a great recipe! Made this cake for my family this afternoon and everybody loved it. I didn’t have a coconut butter so I made your simple lemon glaze. Thank you!
Tammy
Where did you find her lemon glaze recipe? Love ❤️ lemon the more the better. So I would love to use a lemon glaze in place of the coconut.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Tammy, I've given 4 options for different toppings in the post!
Yadira
Hi; what is a substitution for yoghurt? Could I use sour cream?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, sour cream could work. Though I would probably reduce the butter by 1/4 cup / 4 tbsp and replace that with almond milk. That way you're keeping to a similar fat content.
Dana Riffo
I have nut allergies. So what can I use instead of the almond flour?
Katrin Nürnberger
Sesame seed flour and sunflower seed flour work as a 1:1 replacement for almond flour. However, I think coconut flour would probably be more suitable for a cake. You would have to experiment using 2/3 cup / 65g of almond flour in coconut flour and probably one more egg. I have not given it as a substitution because I haven't tried it and I don't want you to be upset if it does not work out. But that would be my starting point. Then add 1-2 tsp xanthan gum and check the consisteny of your dough is "right".
Tvrtko Zelić
Hi, looking at your answer I don't quite understand this: "2/3 cup / 65g of almond flour in coconut flour". Do you mean to try and use 2/3 cup of coconut flour INSTEAD of 2 cups of almond flour from the original recipe?
I am not allergic to almonds, but almond flour is very har dto find (read: expensive) here in Croatia and coconut flour is way cheaper. Sometimes I blend the almonds in a blender but I never get the real flour.
Katrin Nürnberger
Basically, try using 1/3 the amount of coconut flour in place of the almond flour. So, 65 grams instead of 200 grams. Plus the coconut flour already in the recipe. Then, add an additional egg.
Fehmida
I have been substituting the same in Katrin recipes. I don't think it tastes as great as using almond flour, but it is also expensive where I live, even if I make my own.
Tasha
Yum! Can't wait to try this, it looks delish!
Addie
Can I use a different sweetener or does it have to be Lakanto?
Katrin Nürnberger
Any granulated 1:1 sugar replacement works.
Catherine
I recently bought erythritol having read it could be used as a 1:1 substitute but when I made a recipe for an ordinary sponge cake (gluten free and used many tumes before) it came out tasting delicious but wasn't cake texture... more like shortbread! The only thing I have done differently is not use ordinary sugar. Have you experienced this? I've made the cake twice now with erythritol and the same thing happened
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Catherine, you should be able to replace sugar with erythritol on a 1:1 basis. I don't know your recipe, but I would go by the texture of your batter. It should be soft and pourable or spoonable and settle when you gently pound the cake pan onto a surface.
Nicola
Your link to Monkfruit sweetener takes me to a US website, as a UK resident Im surprised you do not have a link to a supplier in UK. You say you have been using this sweetener for years, please can you advise where I can get it in UK?
I would love to try your recipes but cannot until i can get the right ingredients.
Sue
You never disappoint, Katrin! This cake looks scrumptious. Getting all the ingredients now!