This Keto Lemon Pound Cake is going to knock your socks off! Seriously. It’s moist and tangy and has fantastic texture. I was blown away by how amazing it turned out, and you will be too!
I am a fan of all things lemon, and since starting keto I have missed all my favorite lemon baked goods. I set out to find a great keto lemon cake, and let me tell you – this one did not disappoint.
My seventeen son is extremely picky, so I always try to get his opinion on my keto recipes. The look on his face when he took a bite of this sugar free lemon cake was priceless; he was not expecting it to be so yummy. 🙂
THE BEST ALMOND FLOUR LEMON CAKE
This sugar free lemon cake calls for simple ingredients, but I assure you that it is out of this world!
The cake isn’t overly sweet, but paired with the lemon cream cheese frosting it is low carb dessert perfection. I’m already planning on buying more lemons so I can make this again.
Then there’s the lemon cream cheese frosting. Guys, I can’t even describe how delicious it is. You are going to want to eat it by the spoonful. I know I sure did!
Since it comes in at under 3 net carbs per slice, you can enjoy it without guilt. Keto baking at it’s finest!
HOW TO MAKE SUGAR FREE LEMON CAKE
- PREP – Let your cream cheese, butter, and eggs come to room temperature. Spray your 5 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ loaf pan with Baker’s Joy, or use cooking spray and parchment. Zest the lemon. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- DRY INGREDIENTS – In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, powdered Swerve, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- WET INGREDIENTS – Beat together cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl till smooth and creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest and beat till well blended. Stir in the dry ingredients.
- BAKE – Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325° for about 35 minutes or until the top is cracked and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove to wire rack and cool completely.
- FROST – Beat together cream cheese, Swerve confectioners and lemon zest in a small bowl till creamy. Spread over the top of the cooled cake. If you would like a runnier frosting, you can add lemon juice or cream.
Can I double the recipe? Yes, you can double the recipe and bake it in an 8×4″ loaf pan instead. It will not fill the pan very full, so your loaf will be shorter. You will have to adjust the baking time, so watch it closely.
Leftovers? You can store this cake at room temperature for about 2-3 days. Just make sure you keep it in an airtight container. You can also store it in the refrigerator, but I like the texture better when it isn’t cold.
Can I freeze this lemon keto cake? Yes, you can. I like to slice it before freezing so that I can just pull an individual serving out when I need it. It works best to freeze the slices between layers of waxed paper.
I recommend letting it thaw at room temperature. If you try to thaw it in the microwave, the frosting melts before the cake defrosts.
Can I make this low carb lemon pound cake into cupcakes?
Yes, you can. You will get 5-6 cupcakes out of the recipe, depending on size. You will need to decrease the baking time to 18-20 minutes.
If you will be piping the frosting on the cupcakes, you will need to double or triple the frosting recipe.
KETO LEMON CAKE PRO TIPS:
- Make sure your cream cheese, butter, and eggs are all at room temperature. If any of them are cold, your batter will be lumpy.
- To get eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes, changing the water out as it gets cold.
- For the best, freshest lemon flavor, you must use fresh lemon zest. Lemon extract just isn’t quite the same.
- The cake will be pretty fragile while it is warm, but it will firm up as it cools.
MORE KETO TREATS TO TRY:
- Blender Chocolate Mousse
- Keto Chocolate Coconut Clusters
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs
- Keto Chocolate Mousse (with peanut butter)
KETO LEMON CAKE RECIPE
Keto Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Batter:
- ¾ cup blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve
- ½ tsp baking powder
- dash of salt
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 Tbsp salted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp fresh lemon zest
Frosting:
- 1 ounce cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3 Tbsp powdered Swerve
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a small bread pan with Baker's Joy. (Mine is 5 3/4x 3 1/4".)
- Whisk together almond flour, Swerve, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- In another bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter till smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and zest and beat till smooth.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 5-10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Frost when cool.
- For frosting: Beat together the cream cheese, swerve, and zest till creamy. Spread over cooled pound cake.
Nutrition
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Hi Kara,
I triple this recipe as you suggested cooking in a 9.25 x 5.25 x 3 inch loaf pan. It turned out wonderful and lots of servings to go around. I cooked 325 degrees for 50 minutes. I took pictures of it to show you, put not sure how too send to you. You were saying it might turn out flat, and it is flatter than the small one, but looks perfect! I always slice before sharing anyway, so doesn’t matter. Thanks for creating this s amazing keto recipe. Oh, and it is best to keep in air tight container at room temperature. After putting some pieces in fridge, it wasn’t as tasty.
Michelle
Yay, I’m so glad it turned out Michelle! Thanks so much for letting me know that it can be tripled and bake in a large loaf pan, I’m sure other readers will find your information helpful!
Thank you so much Kara, I think I will triple the recipe and do 3 mini loaves. If I try a larger pan and if it turns out, I’ll let you know. Thanks so much for getting back to me.l!
Hi Kara, this recipe is AMAZING! THANK YOU! I want to use a bigger loaf pan so I will have enough to share with my whole family. I’m not a great cook so if I double the recipe what size loaf pan should I use, what temperature should I bake at and for how long? I sure would appreciate info on this. It is hard to find an almond flour recipe that holds together well and this one turned out PERFECT!!
I’ve never tried doubling an almond flour bread recipe, so I’m not sure how well it would work. But it’s definitely worth a try.
Usually a regular loaf pan makes about the same size as three mini loaf pans, so for the best results, triple the recipe and make 3 mini loaves.
You may be able to double it and use the 8×4″ pan, but I think if you use a larger pan your loaf will be really flat. It will probably need to bake for at least 50 minutes at 325 degrees.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
This Keto Lemon Pound cake is AMAZING! THANK YOU! It is SOOO good I want to double the recipe and put in larger loaf pan. If I do this, what oven temperature do I use and how long should I cook it. Thank you for help with this! I don’t want to mess it up. Just want to make more for my whole family.
Baker’s Joy contains wheat, so will make this recipe not gluten-free. 😔
Baker’s joy does work the best, but you can use shortening instead. I just haven’t had the best luck with cooking spray for this loaf.
Omg this lemon cake is so delicious!! & the cream cheese frosting?! AMAZING.
Thanks Jennifer! It was my first time using a sugar replacement for frosting, and I couldn’t believe how tasty it turned out. 🙂
Why is cream cheese icing sooo good on everything? Delicious recipe! The pound cake came out really moist. Bonus points for being keto!
Haha, I’m with you. Cream cheese icing is the bomb! Glad you enjoyed the cake. 🙂
What size pan do you use?
Sorry, I should have specified in the recipe card. Mine is 5 3/4 inches by 3 1/4 inches. I’ve updated the post with the information. 🙂