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Sugar Free Lemon Mug Cake (Low Carb Recipe)

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Big flavour, light texture: Try this easy, moist and sugar free lemon mug cake with a deliciously zingy lemon glaze. Low carb, gluten free, keto and suitable for diabetics.

A sliced sugar free lemon mug cake on a plate

We moved house a couple of months ago, and our new kitchen came with a fitted microwave. We’ve been using it every day. Sod the rays. Microwaves are so practical! We’re living with our mobile phones permanently attached to our ears. We’re breathing in the fumes of London. I drink wine. In the scheme of things, how much more damage are a few microwave rays really going to cause?

Especially when a microwave can produce such a wonderful thing as a sugar free lemon mug cake!

A sugar free lemon mug cake on a plate with a spoon and lemon slices

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This mug cake, my friends, is a revelation. To think that you can make a perfectly delicious, super easy lemon cake that’s ready in 3 minutes!

By the way, my first attempt at making a cake in the microwave was this divine Low Carb Christmas Pudding.

A sugar free lemon mug cake was a logical follow-up, because one cannot eat Christmas food in, say, July without it feeling a bit odd. Lemon cake, on the other hand, is an all-rounder. A bit like this keto chocolate chip mug cake, which is a must for chocolate lovers 😉

Let’s get right to it! This is how you make an easy lemon cake recipe in a mug: 

Stirring dry ingredients for sugar free lemon mug cake

1.) Mix your dry ingredients – almond flour, powdered sweetener and baking powder. Powdered sweetener works better than granulated sweetener in this recipe. You can make your own powdered sweetener by blending your granulated sweetener in a food processor or in the attachment of your stick blender.

adding wet ingredients for sugar free lemon mug cake

2.) Add your wet ingredients – lemon juice, cream and an egg and mix with a fork.

filling the dough for sugar free lemon mug cake into a greased bowl

3.) If you want to turn your lemon mug cake out onto a plate later, transfer the mixture into a bowl or ramekin which you have greased with melted butter. Or separate the mix into 2 mugs.

The microwaved sugar free mug cake in a bowl

4.) This is how your cake looks after it’s been microwaved on high for 90 seconds! It’s moist and spongy – perfect 🙂

Pouring the glaze on the sugar free mug cake on a plate

5.) Now you turn your lemon cake out onto a plate and top with your lemon drizzle glaze, which you have made with melted butter, cream, a squeeze of lemon juice and powdered sweetener.

Closeup of a sugar free lemon mug cake slice topped with lemon icing

6.) Serve and enjoy! Hard to believe this is a sugar free cake, right??? My kids, who are by default brutally honest, absolutely loved it. The cake I shot the recipe video of I shared with a diabetic neighbour who popped by. She also gave it a thumbs up 🙂 I think this is proof enough – lemon mug cake is officially a THING!

Baker’s notes

I think the portion size is quite generous. If you’re not ravenous, you could easily share this mug cake between 4 people, especially if you’re making it with the glaze. I have, however, calculated the nutrition for 2 servings.

You should definitely NOT skip the glaze, because it propels the cake from a delicious dessert into a decadently delicious dessert. If you wanted, you could even poke little holes into your lemon cake after you take it out of the microwave. That way, when you pour over the glaze it sinks into the holes and makes the cake even more moist and yum.

If you’re adventurous, you can even add some poppy seeds or grate some lemon zest into the batter.

I’ve made this cake with both fine almond flour and with ground almonds. If you use almond meal or ground almonds, which are coarser than fine almond flour, add 1-2 additional tablespoons of it so your batter isn’t too liquid.

A half-eaten sugar free lemon mug cake slice with a spoon

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Big flavour, light texture and ready in 3 minutes: Try this easy sugar free lemon mug cake with a deliciously zingy lemon glaze. Low carb, gluten free and keto-friendly. 
4.85 from 26 votes
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Sugar Free Lemon Mug Cake (Low Carb Recipe)

Big flavour, light texture and ready in 3 minutes: Try this easy sugar free lemon mug cake with a deliciously zingy lemon glaze. 

Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword lemon mug cake, low carb cake, sugar free cake
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 3 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 249 kcal
Author Katrin

Ingredients

For the cake

For the glaze

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp double/heavy cream
  • squeeze of lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp powdered sweetener

Instructions

  1. Grease the inside of a ramekin/2 mugs or microwave-safe bowl with melted butter. I used a glass dessert bowl.
  2. For the cake: Mix all dry ingredients - almond flour, sweetener and baking powder - in a separate bowl.
  3. Add all wet ingredients and mix thoroughly with a fork. If you find your dough is too liquid add a bit more almond flour.
  4. Transfer batter into your ramekin/small bowl and level the top.
  5. Microwave on high for ca 90 seconds. You can also bake the cake at 180 Celsius/360 Fahrenheit for ca 15 minutes.
  6. Remove from microwave and turn upside down onto a plate.
  7. For the glaze, melt the butter, then stir in the cream, lemon juice and sweetener.
  8. Let it cool until the glaze begins to thicken but can still be poured. Then spoon/pour over cake and serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

If you wish, you could add 1 tsp of poppy seeds.

For my UK readers: If you want to use ground almonds, you need to add 1-2 additional tablespoons as ground almonds are coarser than almond flour.

Nutrition Facts
Sugar Free Lemon Mug Cake (Low Carb Recipe)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 249 Calories from Fat 212
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23.5g 36%
Saturated Fat 10.1g 51%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 139mg 46%
Sodium 49mg 2%
Potassium 76mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 5.3g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1.6g 6%
Sugars 1.6g
Protein 6.8g 14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Big flavour, light texture and ready in minutes: Try this easy sugar free lemon mug cake with a deliciously zingy lemon glaze. Low carb, gluten free and keto-friendly. #lowcarb #keto #sugarfree #diabetic #glutenfree #LCHF 

Comments


  1. Hi!I’ve tried your recipe and it’s great!do you think I could add cream cheese here or sub the hc?will it ruin the cake?thanks a lot!love your recipes

    Reply


  2. Not usually a mug cake fan – they leave me a bit ‘meh’ – but fancied something lemony! Just made this, & as I fancied a big lemon hit, I doubled the lemon in the cake & sauce (will add zest next time, but my lemons were a bit aged!!) ….. so then I needed to add more almond flour to get it less runny…… cooked for about 3.5 mins in micro (coz it was maahhooosive!!) Turned it out into a bowl, stabbed it, & drizzled the sauce over…… lush!! It will make 12 servings for me, as it’s super filling….. but just served it with sour cream and a handful of blueberries & can honestly say it’s one of the tastiest sweet things I’ve eaten on keto…. So thank you very much!

    Reply


  3. This is delicious, Thank you! Mine was wet also, I nearly used less liquid but made it per recipe, except I added shredded lemon zest and used 1 TBSP of swerve. very tangy, delicious, just about perfect, even very moist.

    Reply

  4. I made this cake today. The lemon flavor is great! But mine was quite wet when it was still a batter. Since I had followed the directions completely I went ahead and cook it and it was of course quite soft. The cake itself turned out quite flat not nearly as beautiful as your picture. Like I said the flavor was good.

    Reply


  5. Awesome recipe!! The best Keto friendly mug cake I’ve made (and I’ve tried a few). I’ll try the lemon zest and poppy seeds next time! When I made mine, I sprinkled a little unsweetened medium coconut over top. It created a wonderful texture and just added a little extra to the look!

    Thanks for creating this recipe!!

    Annette
    Victoria BC, Canada

    Reply


  7. Made this and did very little tweaking – it came out wonderfully! I did 70 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave to make sure it did not overcook. LEMON YUM! An bit of extract and 1 teaspoon of chia seeds 🙂

    Reply

  8. Hi I have made this cake 4 times now and each time it either falls apart when I turn cup upside down or the top sticks to th3 bottom of the cup…what am I doing wrong. The cake tastes delicious but is really a mess

    Reply

    • I use a lot of melted butter to grease the bowl I use. It may be that you need to use some more butter. Or maybe it has to do with the shape of the cup/ramekin you use. My bowl is fairly flat. It may be harder to release the cake if you used a regular cup, for example (less diameter. The third thing that comes to mind is that you may try to release the cake while it’s still warm? It firms up as it cools down and would be less crumbly. Also, a container with a very smooth surface, such as glass. I hope this helps 🙂

      Reply


  9. I figured this would be like all the mug cakes I’ve made before, decent but nothing to rave about. I was so WRONG! This was sooo delicious.

    Reply


  10. I made a banana variation of this, substituting banana extract and almond extract for the lemon juice. Amazing!!!

    Reply

    • Hey, you can replace the cream with coconut cream (if you use coconut milk from a can, only use the firm part) and the butter with coconut oil

      Reply


  12. Just made this. Absolutely lovely!! I’m such a citrus freak and have been missing a good lemon cake. This hit the spot.
    Just one question. Is this reciipe a single serving? I split it into 2 mugs and it baked halfway up. Sorry not a great baker or cook

    Reply

    • You should be fine using granulated sweetener too. Because it’s heavier, you might need a little less of it. Just try your batter and see what you think!

      Reply


    • If you run your granulated sweetener in a food processor for a few minutes in pulse position it turns into a powder.

      Reply


  14. Absolutely delicious, I’m on a keto diet and was craving for a cake, I made it and it was gone in seconds. Thank you.

    Reply

  15. this was great..and I mean great!..made it tonight. Company worthy to make! added the poppy seeds..elegant look..so fast to make…..

    Reply


  18. Oh my goodness this was delicious. My husband and I shared it but I think next time we will each have one. I might use some lemon zest to add a zing. Couldn’t post a picture because it didn’t last long enough lol. Enjoyed it with a cup of Lady Grey tea. Thank you!

    Reply

    • You’re welcome! We also found it hard to share, haha 🙂 I agree adding lemon zest would be great here. I might add that as a suggestion in the recipe. Thank you for your comment!

      Reply


  19. Added poppy seeds and followed the recipe step by step. This cake is really moist and so easy to make. A keeper!

    Reply

  21. This looks delicious! And I use powered swerve instead of erythritol? Swerve is the only powdered sweetener I have right now my erythritol is granulated. Can I use regular butter for the glaze? Or will it mess it up? I only have regular butter right now. I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply

    • Hi Sarah, any powdered sweetener would work fine. As for the butter, do you mean salted butter? If so, then I’m not sure – I can imagine salted butter with chocolate, but not with lemon 🙂 Maybe use more cream instead?

      Reply


  22. I tried this out got the first time tonight. It also turned out wet and crumbly but on reading the author’s comments about the almond flour, I realized mine was quite coarse – not fine and dry. It was delicious all the same. I didn’t even wait for the glaze to cool down… but I will try this again until I get it perfect!

    Reply

    • I love eating my cakes straight out of the oven… Glad you liked it, even if it was crumbly. Almond flour can differ so much in texture. Fingers crossed next time you’ll nail it!

      Reply

  23. I also had the problem of it coming out too wet. I tried putting it in the microwave a bit longer and it didn’t really seem to help. I wondered if it had anything to do with size of egg maybe? I used a large egg. Do you think that would make a significant difference? The flavor is still really nice. I loved how simple and quick it was to make as well.

    Reply

    • Hello Holli, I think it cannot really have anything to do with the egg, because if you’d microwave it for long enough it would set eventually. If the recipe contained too much egg if would taste eggy, that’s the only disadvantage I can think of. I think it may have something to do with the almond flour you used. Brands can vary quite a bit in texture. The one I used is super fine. If you used almond flour that is ground coarsely it would absorb less moisture and your cake might end up soggy. Next time you use the almond flour you have in this recipe, try reducing the amount of liquid (a bit less cream, a bit less lemon juice).That should do the trick. Or try out the almond flour I used (Sukrin) – you can get it on Amazon. I hope this helps.

      Reply


  24. This was delicious! My favorite mug cake so far. I made it in two ramekins and the only problem I had was that it came out quite wet and fell apart a little BUT it may have been my fault because I didn’t have heavy cream and had to use 1/2 & 1/2. It was still absolutely delicious and held its shape well enough, was just very soft. For the glaze, because I didn’t have powdered sweetener I used stevia drops and to keep it from being even thinner (due to using liquid), I subbed lemon essential oil drops for the lemon juice. It was a thin glaze, but very delicious. Can’t wait to make this again. I topped it with a little bit of whipped cream and shared it with my non-low carbing husband and he said it was very good and he’d love to have it again. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

  27. Delicious! It turned out perfectly. I am happy to have this sweet treat.

    One question: is the fat content correct in the nutrition section? It looks off to me.

    Reply

    • Glad you like it! I’ll double-check when I have a minute regarding the fat content. I use a free website called sparkrecipes to calculate the nutrition. Do bear in mind though that almond flour is relatively high in fat – unless you use a reduced fat version like the Sukrin almond flour. If you add the butter and double cream…

      Reply

  28. Lemony, buttery, light and moist!! Delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I did use 1 tbsp coconut flour in place of one of almond flour. I find that it gives it a better flavor.

    Reply

    • Almond flour is a bit more grainy than regular (wheat) flour. That said, brands differ a lot. Some are ground coarser than others. From my experience, the finest flours are the ones that are cold pressed, i.e. where the fat has been extracted. It is lighter in colour and very fine.

      Reply


  30. 1/13/18 QUESTION… I LOVE this Lemon Mug Cake recipe. I’ve made it three times already. It’s turning out very acidic for me. I don’t want to lose the lovely texture of this cake, so how can I lighten up on the lemon juice but keep the cake the same? Maybe minus 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and add 1 Tbsp half-and-half/cream? For sugar I am using Swerve brand confectioners sugar (sugar-free sugar).

    Reply

    • Of course, you can try that. A long as the dry/wet ratio remains the same, it would turn out the same texture. Everybody has different preferences, so it’s always great to experiment with recipes a bit until you figure out exactly how they work best for you. I’m glad you like the cake!!

      Reply

  31. Oh, my. I just tried this and followed the recipe to a “t.” It was very mushy and fell apart when I tried to remove it from the bowl, so I scooped everything back in and microwaved it another 30 seconds for a total of two minutes. I have a large, powerful microwave, so it’s not that. Any ideas as to what I can do to fix this?

    Reply

    • Hi Deborah, I’m sorry to hear this. It must have something to do with either the quantities (did you use measuring spoons to measure the almond flour/cream) or the type of almond flour? The almond flour I used for this recipe is very fine, so if you were to use regular ground almonds like the ones you can buy in the supermarket baking section, for example, you would end up with a grainier texture that might tend to fall apart. I hope this helps?

      Reply

  33. Hello from Paris, France!
    I had a craving for it as soon as I saw it! But no almond flour so I used chesnut flour… amazing! So subtle… thanks for the recipe!

    Reply


  35. Another great recipe, Katrin. Thank you so much. I never thought I’d get into mug cakes, but you have certainly changed my mind!!!

    Reply


  36. I made this cake this afternoon when my mum came over and we loved it! She’s a type 2 and still loves her sweets.It was great to be able to serve her something that’s good for her AND tastes great.

    Reply

    • How wonderful! What I love about these mug cakes is that you can make them with minimal effort and at short notice (provided you have the right ingredients). If you see her again during the Christmas season, you could try my Low Carb Christmas Pudding, which is also a mug cake!

      Reply

    • Yes you can! I haven’t tried it but would go with 180 Celsius (nut flours bake at lower temperatures than wheat flour) for ca 15 minutes, maybe a little longer. Check if it looks nicely browned and if it’s done inside!

      Reply

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