Keto Pound Cake
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This keto pound cake recipe makes for a moist, tender cake with the perfect crumb. I love having a slice with my afternoon coffee- or for dessert!
When the dreaded 3 PM slump hits, I like to wake myself up with a little sweet treat, and my keto pound cake is the perfect antidote. I’ve tested this recipe countless times to ensure it replicates a classic pound cake to the T, and I must say, it’s even better!
The trick to making a low carb pound cake taste like a traditional pound cake is to add several forms of moisture to the dough. I found that using both eggs and full-fat Greek yogurt kept the middle moist and the crumb tender.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Made in one bowl. So prep time and cleanup take minutes.
- You can use any frosting you like. I prefer a simple lemon glaze, but you can use any kind of frosting.
- The perfect texture. The combination of almond and coconut flour gives the cake its signature “cakey” texture, with a perfect crumb and subtle nuttiness laced throughout.
- Diet-friendly. It’s naturally gluten-free and has only 3 grams of net carbs per slice.
What people are saying
★★★★★ – “This cake is delicious. It turned out really well. Moist but with a fluffy sponge, and as an added bonu,s it had no impact on blood glucose levels.” – Janet
Key Ingredients
Step-by-step instructions and measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs.
- Full-fat Greek yogurt. Gives the cake extra moisture and a tender crumb. You can also use sour cream.
- Butter. Softened unsalted butter.
- Milk. I used unsweetened coconut milk, but other kinds of milk can be used, too (like almond or whole milk).
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good pound cake!
- Almond flour. Blanched almond flour, not almond meal. The lighter texture and flavor of the blanched variety make it perfect for the pound cake.
- Coconut flour. Another low-carb flour I used to give stability and a lovely cakey texture.
- Granulated sweetener. I like allulose since it has the closest texture to sugar, but monk fruit sweetener is a good replacement.
- Salt. Just a pinch to elevate the rest of the ingredients.
- Baking powder. Gives the cake some rise and fluffiness.
- Frosting. You can make a simple glaze by combining keto powdered sugar with vanilla extract and milk until smooth and combined, or use my keto frosting.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Trust me, it’ll make combining the batter go way more smoothly–no pun intended!
- Use a hand mixer or stand mixer. The batter will be quite thick, so I like to whisk it together with a hand mixer whenever possible.
- Make a lemon pound cake. Fold in one teaspoon of lemon extract (or lemon juice) and two tablespoons of lemon zest, or make my keto lemon pound cake.
- Bake it in a bundt pan. To make a bundt cake, pour the batter into a generously greased bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before inverting it onto a cooling rack.
- Serve the pound cake with fresh berries and keto whipped cream for a more decadent treat.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. Any longer, and the pound cake will become too crumbly.
To freeze: Place cake slices in a ziplock bag or container, then store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
“For clients who miss bakery-style desserts, this keto pound cake is a favorite. Swapping refined flour and sugar for keto-friendly ingredients creates a fluffy, satisfying treat that supports blood sugar levels.” – Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Easy Keto Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt can use sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk I used unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sweetener of choice monk fruit sweetener or allulose
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup keto vanilla frosting * See notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your eggs, Greek yogurt, softened butter, milk of choice, and vanilla extract, until combined. Gently fold through your dry ingredients and mix well until combined.
- Transfer your cake batter into the lined pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely, before frosting. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, for the frosting to firm up, before slicing.
Notes
- Glaze: If you’d like to glaze the cake instead, combine keto powdered sugar with vanilla extract and milk until the desired texture is achieved. Drizzle over the top of them.
- Leftovers: Keep in the fridge for up to one week or the freezer for 6 months.
Nutrition
More simple keto cakes
- Keto flourless chocolate cake– Rich, fudgy, and each mouthful melts in your mouth.
- Keto bundt cake– This is my low carb spin on a classic chocolatr bundt cake.
- Keto chocolate cake– The classic rich and moist chocolate cake without all the carbs.
- keto red velvet cake– I love this red velvet cake for Valentine’s day or special occassions.
- keto carrot cake– Three layers and a rich cream cheese frosting- my mouth is watering!
I bake exclusively with Ancient Grain Kamut flour. Kamut White Whole Wheat and/or 100% Whole Wheat Kamut. Is there a way to replace the Almond Flour AND Coconut Flour with either one, or a combination of the Kamut flours mentioned above for this recipe?
Thank you for your time.
Dy
I made this yesterday, I topped it with a lemon glaze, excellent recipe, will be making again!!!
I really like some of your recipes 🙂. But for this 80 year old woman 🙂. Eating low carb for health reasons 😏. Especially CKD …….so many of your recipes that I would love to try have normal ingredients that’s not suitable for sugar free, flour free, oats free, gluten free 😟
Along with some other ingredients…….i will say that a friend sent me your recipe for a pound cake and I hope to try making it today. Thank you so much for the recipes that you share which are low cab and I can have 🙂. Blessings
I hope this is a recipe you can enjoy Nancy- please feel free to email me anytime and I can find something more suitable or delicious that fits your dietary requirements.
I really wanted to like this recipe because it seemed straightforward. I just didn’t like the taste. It was still too artificial. I think maybe I didn’t use the right combination of ingredients. I used monk fruit, Greek yogurt and vanilla oat milk. I have not have success in keto desserts. I plan to try the lemon version of this with sour cream instead of Greek yogurt and almond milk.
Appreciate the honest review, Stephanie. It does sound like the vanilla oat milk and monk fruit are the issues here. Vanilla oat milk has tons of added sugar in it, which would make the loaf even sweeter. I don’t really like all monk fruit brands, as, as you’ve stated, some have an artificial taste. I do recommend using allulose, which dissolves and tastes like sugar 🙂
Thanks for the lovely comment and star rating, Donna!
4 th time making this cake, it’s delicious . Guilt free delight. I added a splash of lemon in the icing but followed the recipe exact. Used monk fruit for sweetener. Love the texture it’s really spot on. Suzy from South Australia
4th time? Suzy, you are wonderful!! Love that you added some lemon to the icing- it would be like my keto lemon pound cake. Thanks for sharing that monk fruit worked for you, too!
Amazing and so easy. Making it lemon today.
Thank you for being here for delicious recipes.
You are are so welcome, Linn- I appreciate your kind words and for making my recipes!
This turned out sensational and I love how moist and rich it was.
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback and review, Ron!
I generally liked this pound cake. Taste and structure was reasonably good. But for me it was a bit oily and over moist. Used 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 pan @ 350. Tented at 35 min because it was already quite brown and then cooked to a full 50 min. Did not cook longer because it was already a fairly dark brown all over. Any suggestion to reduce oiliness and moisture? Reduce a little of the yogurt or butter?
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Bob- I appreciate it. The baking dish is ideal and tenting it if it browns too fast is good, too. I wonder if it is the sweetener you used that caused it to be too oily?
This cake is delicious. It turned out really well. Moist but with a fluffy sponge and as an added bonus it had no impact on blood glucose levels.:)
I cannot find Greek youghurt. In my country there is only “Greek type of youghurt”. But its not the same…
Can I use avacodo oil instead of butter
Hi G- I’d start with coconut oil first as a replacement, and only avocado oil if you don’t have any on hand. It bakes best with butter or coconut oil.
I think it has way too much butter.
Sorry to hear that, Susan- In testing, I found that the amount used was ideal for the best texture. Did you change any ingredients out?
Do you know if this recipe would work to use cashew yogurt?
Hi Lisa- I don’t see why not. I checked the nutritional content of it, and it’s high in fat, which is the main need for the yogurt. I’d be wary of any of the flavored ones, as they’d add additional carbs.
I’ve tried hundreds of recipes but this is my first time ever commenting on one. My husband hates keto sweets, but he loved this recipe. He said it’s very moist, and I agree. I used almond milk, added a bit of almond extract, and topped it with the keto cream cheese frosting recipe (linked on this page). If you’re thinking of trying it, this is your sign to go for it!
In your hints you say you use a hand or stand mixer. Yet in the recipe itself you
Say to gently fold in your dry ingredients. You can’t gently fold with a mixer.
Which is correct?
I am going to make this recipe tomorrow. Looks delicious.
Do you think I could successfully replace the sour cream with ricotta?
I’m not sure, ricotta is a little bit wet and thin.
Made this today omitted the milk and substituted ricotta for the sour cream. Added in a tbsp black sesame seeds. Was delicious! Had it with blackberries and lemon ricotta whipped cream.
Love those substitutions 🙂
Can a box of instant pudding mix be added to the almond flour cake recipe?
Oh wow, I can’t say I’ve tried that Ana- if you do, please let me know how it goes!