Every time I make a lemony treat, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. Because every time I take that first bite, I remember exactly why I like it so much. I had that very reaction when I tasted this Keto Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake!
Lemon adds such a bright, refreshing flavor to just about anything. It can perk up savory dishes like Easy Baked Halibut, and it can sweeten treats like Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bars.
And wow, does it take keto coffee cake to the next level. It’s like a bite of buttery sunshine!
What readers are saying…
“We celebrated my aunt’s 76th birthday on Sat. Her favourite flavour is lemon anything, so I made this cake for her. It was absolutely amazing, so moist and tender with a wonderful lemon flavour. Everyone really enjoyed it and they would not believe it was sugar and flour free. My aunt was excited to take some home for the next few days!” — Gail
Why you will love this keto coffee cake
- Cream cheese center: Everything is better with a ribbon of cream cheese in the center. This easy lemon cake is loosely based on my popular Keto Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.
- Lemony goodness: It features a tender almond flour cake with plenty of lemony tang, and a sweet lemony drizzle.
- Beautiful presentation: Baking it in a springform pan allows for great presentation and easy release, so it’s perfect for a brunch or afternoon party.
- Low carb and gluten-free: Each slice has only 3.3g or carbs, so it fits well with all keto and low carb diets!
Ingredient Notes
- Cream cheese: Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before you beat it, to ensure a smooth consistency.
- Sweeteners: You will want a granular sweetener for the cake portion, and a powdered sweetener for the cream cheese filling. I used Swerve for both.
- Lemons: This recipe uses both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
- Almond flour: Finely ground almond flour is a must for the best consistency.
- Protein powder: As with many of my baked goods, I’ve added a little protein powder to this recipe for a lighter, fluffier cake. Both whey protein and egg white protein powders work well.
- Lemon extract: For additional lemon flavor, I use lemon extract.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, butter, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
How to Make Keto Lemon Coffee Cake
- Prepare the filling: Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a medium bowl. Then beat in the sweetener, egg, lemon zest, and lemon extract until well combined.
- Prepare the cake batter: Whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, and extracts, and mix together until well combined.
- 3. Make the bottom layer: Spread about two thirds of the batter into a greased 9-inch springform baking pan lined with greased parchment paper.
- 4. Add the filling: Dollop the cream cheese mixture overtop the batter and spread to the edges. Then dollop the remaining batter in small spoonfuls over the cream cheese.
- 5. Bake the cake: Bake at 325ºF for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set and the top is mostly firm, with a little bit of jiggle in the center.
- 6. Make the drizzle: Whisk together the powdered sweetener and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Expert tips
Take the time to beat the cream cheese until for a minute before adding any other ingredients. You will get a creamier quality if you do.
Lining the pan with parchment makes it that much easier to move the cake from the springform pan to a cake platter.
It can be a bit hard to tell when the cake is done, because the cream cheese filling will still be soft. Just touch some of the cake batter on top in the center, and if it feels firm but the filling still jiggles some, it’s ready. You don’t want to overcook the cheesecake portion.
Sweetener Options
The cake batter can be made with your sweetener of choice, but it’s important to remember that allulose will make it darken quite a bit faster. So keep your eye on it!
The filling should be made with a powdered sweetener. And the glaze absolutely needs a powdered sweetener to achieve the correct consistency.
More Popular Lemon Recipes
Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup (41.67 g) Swerve Confectioners
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
Coffee Cake
- 2 1/2 cups (280 g) almond flour
- 2/3 cup (121.33 g) Swerve Granular, (see Expert Tips for options)
- 1/3 cup (36 g) unflavored whey protein powder, (or egg white protein powder)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 tbsp (85.21 g) butter, melted
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/3 cup (81.33 g) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Drizzle (optional)
- 1/3 cup (41.67 g) Swerve Confectioners
- 1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minutes. Then beat in the sweetener, egg, lemon zest, and lemon extract until well combined. Set aside.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease a 9-inch springform baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the eggs, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, and extracts, and mix together until well combined. Spread about two thirds of the batter in the prepared pan.
- Dollop the cream cheese mixture overtop the batter and spread to the edges. Then dollop the remaining batter in small spoonfuls over the cream cheese.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set and the top is mostly firm, with a little bit of jiggle in the center. Remove and let cool completely, then refrigerate for an hour or so to firm up.
Drizzle
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sweetener and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The best way to freeze leftovers is to wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap or foil. You can also cut it up into individual portions and freeze each of those separately. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Because this coffee cake has a cream cheese filling, leftovers should be covered and refrigerated. It will last like this for up to a week.
This keto lemon cream cheese coffee cake recipe has 5.2g of carbs and 1.9g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs per slice.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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We celebrated my aunt’s 76th birthday on Sat. Her favourite flavour is lemon anything, so I made this cake for her. It was absolutely amazing, so moist and tender with a wonderful lemon flavour. Everyone really enjoyed it (btw…no one other than me eats Keto/low carb) and they would not believe it was sugar and flour free. My aunt was excited to take some home for the next few days!
I love how moist and creamy this cake is. My husband couldn’t believe that it was keto. I made ours without the icing, and it was plenty lemony and sweet without it.
Just perfect!!
The cake tasted great but I noticed there was an undercooked layer, which I think was the dolloped rest of the batter on top that didn’t cook through. I baked it for 30 minutes until the sides were very golden. What went wrong? Did I have too much dollop on top? I added 2/3 to the bottom and the 1/3 dollop over the cheesecake layer.
It sounds like you didn’t bake it long enough. I can’t say why that was an issue because it hasn’t been an issue for me or for other readers.
I made this in a nine inch square pan with parchment and they came out perfect
This is delicious and perfect for Mother’s Day. The drizzle puts it over the top. Also made the Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins (one of my faves…).
Wow! Everytime I think *this is your best recipe* I try another and think THIS is your best recipe! I am still working on my 30 pound box of lemons so making all the lemon recipes. This is DIVINE! So darn good. The coffee cake has a nice crumb to it and the cream cheese filling takes it to the next level. Wonderful lemon flavor and the drizzle on top just adds another layer of lemon flavor. You have outdone yourself, Carolyn!Joy
Thanks so much!
Loved this recipe. Next time I’m going to try to bake the almond crust first for a little bit and then add the cream cheese mixture on top and bake the rest of the time.
Sounds good!
I made the cheese coffee cake. .. it is absolutely heaven . I could eat the cake by myself but have to share.. my husband complained about how the cost but I said look at how many calories your eating without all that sugar and still enjoying two pieces of this wonderful cake I made
I have made this before and everyone loved it! I am going to make it again and I would like to add in some blueberries. Is it possible for me to add them and which step would you add it to? Thanks!
Delightful cake! My mother and her sister were craving a lemon dessert. They aren’t used to keto desserts, but they loved it & so did my husband. Thank you!
A real winner! This cake turned out perfectly. It is attractive and flavourful.
Perfect for Easter!
Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I have a question about the new granularr swerve sweetener with allulose. Does this affect the recipes?
Yes, if you are trying to get a crispy cookie, it won’t work.
I’m in lemony heaven!
Mine turned out exactly like the picture and it tastes like something I’d find at a high-end bakery.
I used King Arthur Keto Sweetener so I watched it like hawk while baking to make sure it didn’t brown too quickly. It turned out perfectly.
Thank you for such a fun recipe.
Glad you like it! good for you for keeping an eye on it.
I did the cake yesterday, the flavor is delicious but the center past of the cake was perhaps too soft maybe I should’ve left it for more time. But thinking would be overcooked. Will try again since I love lemons.
This was so good and perfect for the beginning of Spring. I just took it step by step. My husband benefits when I use keto recipes because it helps him control his blood sugar and I get to satisfy my sweet tooth without sugsr.
Do you think this could be made with dairy-free cream cheese?
Probably but… I find that it tends to disappear a little into things when baked. So you may not get a clear ribbon of cream cheese.