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My keto lemon cake recipe is light and fluffy, with a gorgeous citrus flavor, tender crumb, and tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. Naturally gluten-free and 2 grams of net carbs!
Need more low carb lemon desserts? Try my keto lemon pound cake, keto lemon bars, or keto lemon meringue pie next.
Growing up with a lemon tree in my backyard was something I used to take for granted–until I started baking.
Now, my mom would tell you I visit her on the regular JUST to snag some lemons off the tree. She may have a point, but I pay her back with her favorite lemon desserts…like my keto lemon cake!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- A no-fuss cake recipe. The cake batter and frosting come together in minutes, and I made sure the ingredient list was short and manageable.
- Diet-friendly. It’s gluten and grain-free, and you can easily make it dairy-free by using vegan cream cheese.
- No one would guess it’s keto. I’ve brought this cake to more friends’ homes than I can remember, and no one has ever suspected it’s keto-friendly.
Ingredients needed
- Blanched almond flour. Also known as superfine almond flour. Avoid using almond meal as it’s too coarse and will yield a crumbly cake.
- Baking powder. Gives the cake some fluffiness.
- Coconut oil. Measured in its melted state. Use refined coconut oil to avoid any potential coconut flavor.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs are preferred.
- Granulated sweetener. I use monk fruit sweetener or allulose since they look and taste exactly like sugar, but if you have a sweetener you prefer, go ahead and use it.
- Lemon extract. I tested extract and pure lemon juice, and I preferred the extract. Lemon juice will dry out the cake since the batter has no added liquid. Feel free to also add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to bring out the natural lemon flavor.
- Yellow food coloring. Optional, but it gives the cake a vibrant color. If you omit it, the cake will be white.
For the lemon frosting:
- Cream cheese. I prefer the texture of full-fat cream cheese.
- Lemon juice. Adds some extra lemon flavor without being overpowering.
- Sugar-free powdered sugar. Also known as keto powdered sweetener.
How to make a keto lemon cake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven, line a cake pan with parchment paper, and spray it with cooking spray.
Step 2- Mix. Combine the flour and baking powder. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the cake batter into the lined pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool on a cooling rack.
Step 4- Frost. Use a hand mixer to beat the frosting ingredients until smooth, then frost over the cooled cake.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Make a double or triple-tiered cake. Just double or triple the ingredients!
- Add more lemon flavor. If you’re a lemon fiend like I am, feel free to add an extra teaspoon of lemon extract or lemon zest from fresh lemons.
- Make cupcakes. Pour the batter into a lined cupcake tin and bake the cupcakes for 17-20 minutes. This recipe will yield a dozen cupcakes.
- Add a splash of milk. Depending on the absorbency of your almond flour, you may find the cake batter is quite thick. Add a splash of unsweetened almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix until you have a proper cake batter consistency.
Storage instructions
To store: Store the leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for 1 week.
To freeze: Place cake slices in a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if you’d prefer to make a keto lemon loaf instead of a cake, you can bake this in a greased loaf pan. Increase the bake time by at least 5 minutes since loaf cakes are more dense.
Yes, real lemon juice is keto, as it contains very few carbohydrates.
I wouldn’t swap almond flour for coconut flour in this recipe, as the two yield a very different texture once baked.
Yes! To make this cake in advance, simply bake it, then store it (unfrosted) for up to 2 days in advance. I suggest making the frosting fresh and frosting the cake a few hours before serving.
More keto cake recipes to try
Keto Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour superfine almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener of choice monk fruit sweetener or erythritol
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1-2 drops yellow food coloring Optional
For the frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar free powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the almond flour and baking powder and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients until completely combined.
- Gently add in the dry ingredients and mix well. Transfer the batter into the lined cake pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting
- In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and beat together until combined. If too thin, add more sugar free powdered sugar.
Thank you for a great lemon keto cake. I made it for a friend’s birthday. Everyone loved it.
The first go, I decided to make it with coconut and almond flour, it was just crumbly. I may not have mixed it in slowly enuf and made a double batch of it. I kept the crumbs and have used them. But I decided to following the recipe exactly and it came out like cake batter and the finished cake was scrumptious. Suggestion: say on the picture 3X’s the recipe for the 3 layer cake. Then it is clearly evident that the recipe needs to be doubled or tripled to make the desired cake height.
I bought an organic lemon extract that had oil in it–that seemed strange.
My bad, I didn’t realize the lemon juice said lemon extract. That explains it lol
The cake turned out tasty! I doubled the lemon juice and still could not taste the lemon flavor that well, so I recommend tripling the amount unless you have a sensitive taste. I also added some vanilla to both the cake and frosting. Consistency of cake turned out like a sponge cake, which I like.
The cake turned out tasty! I doubled the lemon juice and still could not taste the lemon flavor that well, so I recommend tripling the amount unless you have a sensitive taste. I also added some vanilla to both the cake and frosting. Consistency of cake turned out like a sponge cake, which I like.
It was not pretty but it tastes pretty fabulous.
Can you bake it in a sheet pan? It looks really good, but I need it in a sheet pan.
Yes you can (square pan).
Hi
Thank you for your website. It is really lovely and I am excited about trying your Keto recipes.
My only concern are the portion sizes.
It would be nice to know the size of the pan that you are using. Also it would be nice to know how many slices each cake yields. As I am watching my carbs this information is naturally important.
Thanks again.
Hi there- all of this is included in the recipe card 🙂