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.
Terrie WilbornHalverson
Followed directions with all ingredients. Texture too thick and even though cooled completely cake broke apart from bundt cake pan.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Terrie, I am sorry that the recipe did not turn out as expected. Here are my thoughts: If the texture is too thick it could mean that the ratio of wet and dry ingredients is off. Either you used too little wet or too much dry ingredients. I always recommend measuring in grams where possible. If you do use cups, scoop and level with a knife so the dry ingredients do not compact. Next, it is important to beat the eggs until they are very fluffy. This helps with a lighter texture. And finally, if the ingredients are room temperature and you use fresh baking powder, you'll help the cake rise in the oven.
The second issue you had was the bundt pan. It is absolutely essential that you grease the pan very, very well because low carb flour makes for more delicate bakes since they are gluten-free. Alternatively, using a springform or a rectangular pan next time can solve that issue, since you can line it with parchment paper.
Maristela Caldeira
Hi Katrin. I live in UK and cannot find Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener. Could I substitute with erythritol or xylitol? What proportion?
Many thanks
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Maristela, you can order Lakanto online. Just type "buy Lakanto UK" into google, which will give you websites to purchase it. However, you can also use either erythritol or xylitol. All sweetener that are a 1:1 sugar alternative work in the recipe.
Sybille Seidel
What can I use instead of Yogurt in this recipe
Katrin Nürnberger
Hello Sybille, the yoghurt helps with a better rise. You can use a dairy-free yoghurt such as coconut or almond. Sour cream is also a replacement worth considering. However, this would increase the fat content, which means the texture may be richer.
Will
What? No lemon extract like all these other recipes?? Fantastic cause I don’t have any!
It seems like a lot of work though.
I don’t have coconut butter, only oil.
What else can I use please?
Can I use Swerve granular instead of that Lakanto sweetener? I assume it’s granular and not confectioners?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, this is a granular sweetener; you can use Swerve. There are other topping options in the post to choose from if you don't want to use the coconut butter glaze. .
Pauline Schack
Dear Katrin,
This recipe is a game changer! I could not believe how moist and flavorful it was. My husband and I are trying to reduce our sugar intake in this “sweet tooth” household and your recipes have given me renewed hope that it is not only possible …but that the journey can be joyful!
I’m excited to try your other recipes. So glad I found you!
Julia
Hello, I would like to make this cake but my bunt cake tin is 9 1/2" and where I stay in yoghurt is not available - the closest options I think would be curd or sour cream. What would you suggest? Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger
I think sour cream would work as well. Your bundt tin size is fine. Just grease it very well and don't remove the cake until it has fully, fully cooled.
Stacy
Hi there, If I don't have a bundt cake pan can I use a loaf pan instead? Thank you so much!
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, absolutely. The oven time will likely increase. Be sure to check for done-ness with a skewer and place aluminium foil over the top once it is golden to prevent burning.
Amanda
I had some soured cream to use up, so used it in place of greek yogurt, it was lovely. Im not sure about the cooling effect of the erythritol icing, that was a bit odd. I had to use the NKDliving one, as Swerve too expensive for me
Katrin Nürnberger
If you find the cooling effect of the NKD living erythritol too strong, try a different sweetener brand such as Bocha Sweet or allulose.
Elois
Could 1 cup of the almond flour be subbed with 1 cup sprouted soft wheat flour?
Katrin Nürnberger
The honest answer is I am not sure. You would have to try it out. The key is to stick with the same dry / wet balance. You can check the texture of the batter in the video and in the image. Hope this helps!
Natalie
This looks so delicious! To make dairyfree could I substitute mayonnaise or coconut cream for the Yoghurt? Which is better
Katrin Nürnberger
I would actually go for coconut yoghurt, otherwise you're adding too much fat which will change the texture of the cake.
Mona
Hi can I use stevia instead of monkfruit sweetener? And in what quantities? Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger
You would have to work out how much stevia drops you need. Normally, 4-5 drops are equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. And 3 teaspoons are 1 tablespoon. 4 tablespoons are 1/4 cup. However, do check if you need to use more dry ingredients - low carb flour - to get the same dough consistency.