Name: Keto Lemon Cake Balls
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 1/2 bag keto lemon cake mix (5 ounces) ((see recipe notes for other options)); 2 large eggs; 3 tbsp melted butter; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 6 keto lemon cupcakes; 2 ounces cream cheese, softened; 3 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp lemon zest; 3 ounces sugar-free white chocolate chips; 1/4 ounce cocoa butter; Yellow sanding "sugar"; Lemon zest

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Delicious keto lemon truffles made with lemon cupcakes! These sugar-free cake balls are a fun and easy dessert. Dip in white chocolate for an extra special treat.

Titled image of keto lemon cake balls in a bowl, with two in front. One has a bite taken out of it.

It’s that time of year again, when the dreary winter weather seems to drag on forever and spring seems a million years away.

Which clearly means we all need more keto lemon recipes in our lives! Bring on the bright, tangy flavors of Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bars, or some Keto Lemon Sugar Cookies. And you can’t go wrong with this easy Keto Lemon Curd.

We all seem to associate lemon with springtime and warming temperatures, although it’s actually a winter time fruit. I find myself craving it in the dark days of February.

So I whipped up these Keto Lemon Cake Balls to brighten my spirits. I think they will brighten yours too.

Keto cake balls are fun and easy

One of my biggest pet peeves is food waste. Whenever someone says a cake didn’t turn out perfectly so they threw it away, I nearly have a conniption. There is simply no excuse for that, and there is almost always a way to rescue a baking mistake.

Cake balls are a great way to use up some cake that didn’t come out of the pan properly or didn’t rise well. All you need to do is crumble it up into a bowl, add some softened cream cheese, and roll into balls.

Then you can roll in sprinkles or dip in chocolate. You can even stick them on lollipop sticks for cake pops. My kids love it when I do that.

Lemon cake balls on a white plate with a lemon and a lemon half beside them.

What cake to use?

For this recipe, you have some great options for the keto lemon cake itself. You can make the lemon cake from scratch, or you can use one of the many wonderful keto bake mixes that are out now.

I happened to have a bag of the Low Carb Lemon Cake Mix from High Key, so I made a half batch as cupcakes.

Other options include using a keto vanilla cake mix like Swerve or Good Dee’s, and adding some additional lemon extract to increase the lemon flavor.

If you would like to make the cake from scratch, I recommend my Keto Lemon Poppyseed Cake. Just leave out the poppyseeds!

You really only need a half batch of cake to make 24 truffles, so you can either bake a whole cake and freeze the rest for later, or make a half batch as 6 cupcakes.

A photo collage showing how to make keto lemon cake balls.

How to dip cake balls

For decorating, you have a couple of fun options.

White chocolate and lemon go so well together, so dipping them in sugar free white chocolate like ChocZero or Lily’s is absolutely delicious. And so very pretty.

Another option is to roll them in sugar-free sprinkles or “sanding sugar”. I happened to have a bag of yellow “glitter” from Good Dee’s, which is just granulated erythritol with some natural yellow food coloring.

A bowl of keto lemon truffles on a blue napkin, with lemons in the background

Tips for making Keto Cake Balls

These little lemon truffles are a fun project. Here are some additional tips for getting it right:

When working with any recipe that calls for both zest and juice, zest the lemons first. It’s much easier to zest a whole lemon than one that’s been cut up and squeezed already (I’ve made this mistake before!).
Making the cake as cupcakes saves time, since they bake more quickly than a full cake. Use silicone or parchment liners to keep the cupcakes from sticking.
Taste the cake ball mixture before rolling into balls. If you want more lemon flavor, add more zest or a bit of lemon extract.
Freeze the balls before dipping or rolling. They are pretty soft and tender at room temperature, but much easier to handle when frozen. Freezing them also helps set the chocolate coating faster.
When melting any sugar free chocolate for coating, I always recommend using some cocoa butter. It helps the chocolate melt more smoothly and keep from seizing.
Sprinkle the tops of the cake balls with zest or any other decoration right after they’ve been dipped. The chocolate sets quickly so decorations won’t stick if you wait.

Two keto lemon cake balls in front of a bowl of more truffles, with a lemon half beside the bowl.

How to store keto lemon cake balls

These delicious keto truffles are best stored in the fridge, to keep them from becoming too soft. Simply pop them into an airtight container.

They can easily be made ahead and will be fine for up to a week.

More delicious keto lemon recipes