A whole new take on Gooey Butter Cake! This healthier keto blueberry lemon butter cake has a buttery crust and a rich cheesecake filling. It’s the perfect way to celebrate blueberry season.
As I do every year, I am trying to make the most of fresh summer produce. And this Keto Blueberry Lemon Butter Cake is off-the-charts delicious. I may have swooned a little at that first bite.
Gooey butter cake isn’t really cake in the regular sense of the word. It’s more akin to cheesecake bars, but with a buttery, cake-based crust. I have a classic Keto Gooey Butter Cake that pays homage to the original. I also have a keto pumpkin gooey butter cake that is extremely popular in the fall.
But the fresh blueberries were calling my name and I had to heed that call. And you will be so glad I did!
Why you will love this recipe
Really, this keto cake recipe is the ideal way to let your fresh berries shine this summer. The blueberry lemon flavor is so zingy and delicious!
One thing I did differently with this cake was cut it down in size. I didn’t want a dessert that served 16 or 18 people. So I modified it to fit an 8×8 inch pan and serve just 9 people. Nine lovely, large squares of gooey butter cake!
It’s also incredibly easy to make. The crust is based on my almond flour cake recipe, with fewer eggs. You just press it into the pan, whip up the keto cheesecake filling, stir in some fresh blueberries, and bake.
The results are unbelievably moist and rich, but they have only 4.6g of carbs per serving. That’s my kind of healthier dessert.
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: Finely ground almond flour is a must for the best consistency.
- Coconut flour: A little coconut flour in the crust mixture helps offset the moisture in the egg and butter.
- Sweetener: I recommend an erythritol based sweetener for the crust, so it isn’t too soft. The filling can be made with any powdered sweetener you like best.
- Butter: It’s not called gooey butter cake for nothing!
- Lemon: This recipe uses both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
- Cream cheese: The filling is a little like cheesecake, except softer and gooier because you add some butter.
- Lemon extract: This is a great way to add lemon flavor without more carbs. (optional)
- Blueberries
- Kitchen staples: Egg, baking powder and salt
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the cake batter: In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the butter, egg, and lemon zest until well combined.
2. Press into the pan: Lightly grease an 8×8 glass or ceramic baking dish. Press the cake mixture into the bottom and partway up the sides of the prepared baking pan.
3. Beat the cream cheese: In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Beat in the sweetener until well combined.
4. Add the remaining ingredients: Beat in the egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Stir in the blueberries by hand.
5. Bake the cake: Pour the filling over the crust. Bake at 325ºF for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is mostly set, but the center still jiggles, and the edges are just golden brown. Remove and let cool, then dust with powdered sweetener and cut into bars.
Tips for Success
The trick to getting a truly gooey butter cake is to not over-bake it. That means taking it out of the oven before the filling is completely set. The edges should be set but the center should still have a little jiggle to it.
I recommend a ceramic baking pan for this recipe so that it get over-baked. You can use metal, but I recommend lining with parchment paper to help protect this tender cake. It may bake a little faster so keep your eye on it.
You have multiple sweetener options for this recipe. I do find that allulose makes the crust too soft, so I recommend Swerve or another erythritol based sweetener. But the filling should work with allulose, erythritol, or any other sweetener. Do note that using allulose means it may take longer to set after you remove it from the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cake, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months.
Lemons are a relatively low carb citrus fruit and can be used in keto recipes. Half a cup of fresh lemon juice has 10 g of carbs and 3g of fiber. But one rarely consumes half a cup of lemon juice in one sitting, so the carbs are much lower when spread out over a number of servings.
This keto gooey butter cake recipe has 6.8g of carbs and 2.2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.6g net carbs per slice.
More delicious blueberry recipes
Blueberry Lemon Keto Gooey Butter Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup Swerve Granular
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Filling
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ⅓ cup Swerve Confectioners
- 1 large large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
- ¾ cup blueberries
- Powdered Swerve for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and lightly grease an 8×8 glass or ceramic baking dish. (see Tip for Success).
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the butter, egg, and lemon zest until well combined.
- Press this mixture into the bottom and partway up the sides of the prepared baking pan.
- In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Beat in the sweetener until well combined.
- Beat in the egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Stir in the blueberries by hand.
- Pour the filling over the crust. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is mostly set, but the center still jiggles, and the edges are just golden brown.
- Remove and let cool, then dust with powdered sweetener and cut into bars.
Marlin says
Thank you for this amazing recipe .. I love it. I made it twice, but unfortunately, the crust separated from the filling, so I could not get it bars like in photos, and it fell apart… I followed your measurements and your steps ..can you please tell me what’s wrong with mine?
Joseph B says
Love blueberries. Love lemon. Gotta make it. I had bb from last year in the freezer.
I thawed them and made bb syrup, spread. They were on sale so out with the old
and in with the new. You gotta be ready when Carolyn gets busy baking!
I thought, why don’t i up the yum factor with the bb syrup! 😲 Oh my! I am a
genius. The yum is over the top. I am sure it did not come out as intended.
But it is so good. 😃
Marlin says
Hello dear
Thank you for this amazing recipe..I love it.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t cut it to bars as in your photos; the crust is separated from the filling ..do you know what the wrong one made ?? I followed your steps with the same measurements
Carolyn says
Did you let it cool properly? If so… then you need to make sure to cut straight down through it and get a spatula right underneath easy slice.
Fonda Carver says
I would like to make this but I don’t have a lemon for the zest. Could I use extra lemon juice instead? If so how much for the two teaspoons of zest?
Carolyn says
Unfortunately, too much lemon juice will make it pretty liquid. How about using lemon extract?
Nevalee Y Stone says
OMG, This is the best EVER! My son, who is not Keto, loved it and is begging me to make it again. 🙂
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Lee says
Hi. Can i use honey instead of swerve sweetener? If yes how much honey?
Carolyn says
I have no idea, I cannot use honey.
Lorraine Palladino says
Made this delicious blueberry treat today ! Loved it so easy to make .. I had just the right amount all the ingredients .. (clean out the fridge Monday ..lol)
Thank you Carolyn you are always my go to chef for creative ideas always find perfect keto recipe !
Thanks
Lorraine
Sherry Corry says
Thank you so Koch for this recipe. I have frozen blueberries dined to thaw them first?
Carolyn says
Yes, you should.
Gayle Kliemann says
I’m going to make these today but am curious. Is the bottom layer really like cake? It looks more like a bar
Carolyn says
It’s not like cake… So traditional gooey butter cake is made with a cake MIX. But you add fewer eggs and more butter… it becomes more like a soft crust.
Lori says
This is incredibly delicious. I had already eaten my fresh blueberries, but found some in my freezer. They worked well in this recipe. I loved the surprize texture, like cake tpped with hidden creaminess. Super Yum! Thank you!
Carolyn says
Glad you liked it!
Sherry says
What if I don’t have coconut flour? Can I use a little extra almond flour?
Carolyn says
Yes, try another 1/4 cup.
Karen says
I cannot use almond flour which has such a lovely texture 🙁 Any other suggestions?
Carolyn says
Try sunflower seed flour!
Kathi says
Can I use regular sugar?
Carolyn says
You are asking the wrong person as I haven’t baked with sugar in over 14 years.
Joanne Hopkins says
You might want to amend your description instructions here as you said:
“I recommend a ceramic baking pan for this recipe so that it get over-baked.”
I believe you wanted to say that “it Wont get over baked” but that depends still if you take it out of oven on time so it still jiggles.
Michael says
I wonder if you could use different fruit too like raspberries or chopped strawberries.
Vicki K says
i’m sure you can. I plan to use raspberries since I have them in the house.