This Lemoniest Low Carb Cake is moist, tangy and super easy to make. It's bursting with lemon flavours and dusted with powdered sweetener and lemon zest.
If you are a citrus lover like me, you will love this keto lemon cake. This sugar free lemon cake is low carb so you can enjoy a slice of lemon cake without the guilt.
If you love anything lemon you will also love these Low Carb Lemon Rosemary Scones.
🥘 Ingredients used for this recipe
I especially wanted to make this cake full of lemon flavour so I used a full lemon (zest and juice) for the batter. I also used only almond flour as I find it doesn't get as dry as other flours, so to hold in the moisture.
- Almond Flour: the base of this cake is made with almond flour, keeping it low carb and giving it a slight nutty flavour.
- Lemon: of course without lemon it would be very sad, using lemon zest and lemon juice
- Butter: adding just the right amount of butter to add moisture and richness to this low carb lemon cake
- Erythritol: I used granular for the batter and powdered for the topping. I sometimes prefer granular in cake batters as I enjoy that slight crystalized mouth feel. Powdered would work as well.
- Egg: Controlling the structure of this lemon cake recipe, keeping it all together
👨🏻🍳 Steps to make this recipe
How to make low carb lemon cake?
STEP 1: Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer cream the butter and erythritol in a large bowl until fluffy, about 1 minute. Then add the remaining ingredients except the lemon zest or juice and mix again. Scrape down sides of bowl if needed.
STEP 2: Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice into the same bowl and then mix again until well combined.
STEP 3: Transfer cake batter to an 8 or 9 inch generously greased cake pan and spread evenly.
- STEP 4: Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 35 minutes or until top of cake is lightly golden and poking with a toothpick comes out clean.
STEP 5: Remove cake from oven and allow to completely cool in the pan before removing. I flipped mine over onto a cutting board once cooled and then topped with a dusting of powdered erythritol and more lemon zest.
👨🏻🍳 Substitutions and Variations
I bet this cake would be just as good to replace the lemon with a lime. I will definitely try it soon. A quick google search will help you find some recipes for the suggestions below. Sadly I don't have all these recipes just yet but planning on it.
- Lemon Glaze - drizzle with a lemon glaze by mixing powdered erythritol with some lemon juice
- Double Layer - double the ingredients and make 2 cakes, layer them with a lemon curd filling
- Lemon Buttercream Frosting - mix some butter with lemon juice and powdered sweetener for a delicious buttercream frosting.
This cake is also gluten free.
Love lemons as much as I do? Check out this Lemon Focaccia recipe.
♨️ Top tips and serving suggestions
Top tip: generously grease the baking pan and allow the low carb lemon cake to completely cool in the pan before removing, otherwise it could break.
- Lemon juice: for best results use freshly squeezed lemon juice, don't use the store bought lemon juice from a container for this lemon cake
- Serving: serve the cake with a side of fresh berries or some low carb fruity ice cream
- Storage: this cake keeps well covered at room temperature for 3-4 days
- Berries: add some fresh berries on top for an extra layer of flavours
🥣 Tools used to make this lemon cake
This recipe was super easy and all I used were these few kitchen tools from start to finish.
- Hand mixer - to mix the batter well I used a hand mixer to get the job done quickly
- Stainless Steel Bowl - my preference is always to use a stainless steel bowl over glass bowls, although for some ingredients glass is better.
- Whisk - simply helps to mix the wet and dry ingredients
- Rubber Spatula - helps bring the batter together when adding the lemon juice before mixing with the handheld mixer.
💭 Frequently asked questions
You can but fresh is always better in my opinion.
A slice of this sugar free lemon cake contains about 1g of carbs. Therefore, depending on your daily macros and what else you eat in a day it could fit into a ketogenic, low carb or diabetic diet.
🍽 Other dessert recipes you may like
If you enjoyed this recipe I would love if you would share on social or pin on pinterest.
The Lemoniest Low Carb Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sweetener granular
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 zest from a lemon
- 1 juice from a lemon
Cake Topping
- 2 tablespoon powdered sweetener
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and the erythritol until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients except the lemon juice and zest. Combine with a hand mixer until well incorporated for another minute. Scraping down sides of bowl when needed.
- In the same bowl zest the lemon and then squeeze out the juice. Mix with a rubber spatula and then use the hand mixer to combine for a minute.
- Generously grease a 8-9 inch cake pan with butter and then transfer the batter to the pan. Spread evenly.
- Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until top of cake is lightly golden and a toothpick in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled carefully remove from pan by flipping it onto a flat surface like a cake plate or cutting board.
Cake Topping
- Dust the top of the cake with the powdered erythritol and sprinkle with lemon zest
Notes
This recipe card provides the basic details to make this recipe. For more information, questions or variations please review the content above the recipe card.
Updates and Revisions
If conflicting information between the video and recipe card, the recipe card will always have the most up to date information, ingredients and instructions.
Nutritional Information
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
🌡️ Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more food guidelines
Brian
I cannot get erythritol in my country. Can I use Splenda, Stevia, or Xylitol as a substitute? And if so, how much would I use as an equivalent to 1/2 cup granular erythritol and 2 Tablespoons of powdered erythritol
Oscar Chimenti
Yes, you can. I am linking to a sweetener conversion chart for you here.
Julie
Low carb and was perfect for my uncle who has diabetes! Thank you! He loved it!
Oscar Chimenti
Thank you, glad he enjoyed it.
Chef Dennis
what a delicious cake! everyone loved the cake! It was a bonus that it's low carb!
Toni
OMG! This is so good! I can't believe this is low carb!
Kayla DiMaggio
I love how great this low carb cake is! I made it for my mom who has diabetes and she loved it!