Keto Lemon Pound Cake Recipe (Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free)

This gluten-free pound cake uses a combination of butter and cream cheese to make a rich, moist loaf cake. Lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract give it a triple dose of lemon flavor. The recipe mixes up in one bowl with a ready made gluten-free flour blend.

• 1 lemon
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 oz (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¾ c + 2 Tbsp sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• ⅓ c oil – avocado, sunflower, canola or other neutral flavored vegetable oil
• 2 tsp lemon extract or lemon flavor
• ½ tsp salt
• 1¾ c gluten-free flour blend – King Arthur Measure for Measure recommended
• 1 tsp baking powder

1 Preheat the oven to 325℉ and grease and line an 8½ x 4½” loaf pan.

2 Important Notes: In order to create a smooth batter it is very important that the butter and cream cheese are very soft. In addition, the eggs need to be almost lukewarm. If your kitchen is on the cooler side, room temperature may be too cool.

For the cream cheese, I recommend placing it on a small plate and spreading it out in an even layer. Microwave it in 5 second increments until it is very soft but not melting.

For the butter, cut it into six pieces, place it on a small plate and microwave in 5 to 7 second increments until it is very soft but not melting.Place the uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.

3 This recipe works best when mixed with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer.

4 Use a microplane or the finest surface of a grater to zest the lemon. Zest it right into a medium sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Into a small bowl, juice the lemon to get 2 tablespoons of juice. Set aside the juice for later.

5 Add the soft butter and cream cheese to the bowl with the lemon zest and mix on medium high for about 1 minute.

6 Add the sugar and mix for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix another 45 seconds or until smooth.

7 Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each one in before adding the next.

8 Add the oil, lemon juice, lemon extract and salt. Mix on medium high until combined.

9 Add the flour and baking powder. Mix on low for 10 seconds, then scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium high for another 15 seconds or until the mixture is smooth.

10 Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Level the batter using a rubber spatula.

11 Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the top is set and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

NOTE: The top will brown a little less than an all butter pound cake.

12 Cool the pound cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

13 Top with a simple, quick lemon icing for a pretty presentation. The 3 ingredient recipe is just above this recipe card.

Quick Lemon Icing

This pound cake is moist and yummy enough to serve with no topping. But I love a a little icing. Use a lemon icing to bring even more lemon flavor to this breakfast treat. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of corn syrup (optional) and drizzle over the cooled pound cake,

Baking Temperature

Most cakes, muffins, cookies and quick breads are baked at 350°F. But this pound cake does best at 325°F. It’s a large amount of batter in a deeper pan (than a cake) and if baked at too high a temp, the outside will burn before the inside of the cake is set.

This keto lemon pound cake recipe creates a sweet treat with a tart lemon flavor and an optional sour cream glaze. It is a lemon loaf to love. And it will disappear quickly, too, since a slice of keto lemon pound cake is appropriate at just about any time of day.

A few simple ingredients and just minutes of prep time come together to create a marvelous treat that’s sure to become one of those easy keto recipes you’ll revisit time and time again.

This keto lemon pound cake recipe makes a sweet, tart and tender lemon loaf that’s also gluten-free, grain-free, dairy optional and packed with intense lemon flavor (all from real lemons, no lemon extract!).

I am a sucker for any kind of lemon-y dessert and I LOVE this lemon pound cake recipe.

Since I first posted it a couple of years ago, I’ve adapted it a bit to create a slightly larger loaf (more servings!) as well as a sweet lemon glaze to go on top.

Think of it as the low-carb version of a Starbucks lemon loaf– that’s the inspiration.

With each keto lemon pound cake I bake, I find even more versatility in how to enjoy it. A few options for you:

• dress up a piece with lemon curd (or may I suggest lime curd for an extra tart treat), coconut whipped cream and fresh berries because layers always bring a good dessert to the next level
• top it with strawberries and whipped cream for an easy, lemon version of keto strawberry shortcake
• serve up a slice for breakfast (my kids are all about this one, and can you really beat breakfast cake?!)

This keto lemon pound cake is so tasty and tender, and it’s a lemon pound cake recipe you’ll make over and over again.

I use a combination of almond flour and coconut flour which results in the perfect texture: moist but not too crumbly, dense and flavorful as any good pound cake should be.

As for the fat content, I’ve found that I like it best with grass-fed butter or extra virgin olive oil (opt for that if you’re dairy-free).

Olive oil cakes are delightful, and the flavor of extra virgin olive oil is extra nice with lemon. I especially love Olio Piro extra virgin olive oil, an award-winning olive oil with high antioxidants that is made in Italy (affiliate).

Overall, oil will make the cake a bit less dense compared to butter, but the differences are pretty subtle. I haven’t tried it with avocado oil but I’m sure it will also work out just fine.

This keto lemon pound cake is:

• easy to make
• low-carb with only 3 net carbs per serving
• gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy optional
• super versatile

Lemon is a wonderful flavor to incorporate into keto baking as it adds a delicious tartness without the carbs.

I have always loved lemon-y treats and this keto lemon loaf strikes the perfect balance between dessert and snack, without any guilt. 😉

To make it, you will need:

• extra virgin olive oil or grass-fed butter
• granulated monk fruit sweetener (I use Lakanto which is my favorite keto sweetener for baking)
• vanilla extract
• large eggs
• sour cream (or unsweetened coconut cream if dairy-free)
• fresh lemon juice and lemon zest
• almond flour
• coconut flour
• baking powder
• salt
• xanthan gum (optional)

keto lemon pound cake recipe

This lemon cake recipe is so simple, you can easily whip one up in no time! Take a look at the process (for all the details, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page):

1. Mix the oil/butter and sweetener: Cream together the melted butter or oil and the sweetener in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer (or using an standup mixer). Add in the rest of the wet ingredients: fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, eggs and sour cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed and mix until well combined.
2. Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. This helps break up the almond flour to prevent any lumps.
3. Stir the batter: Pour the egg mixture into the almond flour mixture and mix until it is incorporated and there are no streaks of flour.
4. Bake the keto lemon pound cake: Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and transfer it to the oven. Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, or until done. If the top of the pound cake begins to brown around 30-45 minutes into the baking time and the center isn’t done yet, place a sheet of parchment paper over the loaf to protect the top from getting too dark.
5. Cool and serve: Allow the low carb lemon cake to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Let it cool completely. If desired, make a glaze and pour it on top of the cake. Place it in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the glaze.

tips for the best keto lemon pound cake

• Please, please, PLEASE do not substitute the flours. The almond flour and coconut flour combine well to create a specific texture, and they cannot be substituted 1:1 for each other.
• Almond meal cannot be substituted for almond flour. Almond meal is ground, whole almonds while blanched almond flour has the skins removed and is ground super fine.
• Granulated monk fruit is often found as a blend of monk fruit and erythritol. If you don’t have granulated monk fruit, you can substitute plain erythritol (like Swerve), but you might find it has more of a cooling aftertaste.
• Parchment paper is your friend! Line baking dishes with parchment paper to easily remove the bread after baking. For this keto pound cake recipe, I leave paper hanging over the sides of the pan which I then use to lift the loaf out after it has cooled.
• Using butter will create an extra dense texture in this lemon pound cake, a bit more true to a traditional pound cake. A few different oil varieties that will work include olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil.
• If you’re using coconut oil, be sure to let the eggs and sour cream come to room temperature. Cold eggs and cold sour cream will harden the melted coconut oil and make the cake batter lumpy.

keto lemon loaf: frequently asked questions

How many carbs are in a keto lemon pound cake?

This low-carb lemon loaf is such a great treat if you’re following a keto diet because one slice contains only 3 grams of net carbs.

How do you make keto lemon glaze?

You can make a simple keto lemon glaze by mixing fresh lemon juice with powdered monk fruit sweetener and a tiny amount of vanilla extract. I like to take it a step further and mix in a couple of tablespoons of sour cream to create a creamy, tangy, lemony glaze that’s irresistible.

Can you make a sugar free pound cake?

Absolutely! This keto lemon pound cake is sugar-free in the sense that it contains zero added sugar and is instead sweetened with a granulated monk fruit sweetener (like every single one of the keto cake recipes on the blog!).

How do I store keto lemon pound cake?

You can keep any extra, un-glazed pound cake in an airtight container at room temperature. If you do add the sour cream glaze, it’s best to store the pound cake in the refrigerator.

Enjoy this keto pound cake recipe, friends! And as always, if you make it and love it and feel like giving it five stars in the recipe card below, I’d be so grateful!

Nutrition Information:

 Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260 Total Fat: 23g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 74mg Sodium: 39mg Carbohydrates: 7g Net Carbohydrates: 3g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 1g Protein: 8g