Where are my lemon loving friends? I know you’re out there, and you will swoon over this luscious Keto Lemon Poke Cake! It’s everything you want in a lemon dessert. Sweet and tangy, moist and tender, and bursting with fresh citrus flavor.
I may have developed something of a poke cake obsession. It started with Keto Coconut Cream Poke Cake, and continued with Keto Boston Cream Poke Cake. Would you believe that this sweet lemon treat is now the seventh such cake I have created?
Conventional poke cakes usually take boxed cake mix and pudding mix. But making them from scratch isn’t difficult and it’s a whole lot healthier. For this keto recipe, I used a basic almond flour cake with a little lemon zest and juice for flavor. I skipped the pudding and used easy keto lemon curd, which sank into the holes to make it ultra moist. And then I topped it all off with sugar-free whipped cream for an easy, airy frosting.
I served it to friends after dinner and they were over the moon. One of my guests started eating it right out of the pan with a fork. Now that’s a successful dessert recipe!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Simple to make: There are a number of layers to this cake, but each one is simple and straightforward.
- Luscious lemon flavor: The lemon curd sinks in the lemon cake for a blast of sunshine.
- Moist and tender: Poke cakes always have a wonderful moist texture from the filling that soaks down into the holes.
- Beautiful presentation: The cake and the lemon curd give the cake a lovely yellow color that contrasts with the white whipped cream. Lemon slices cut into quarters rest on top of each slice.
- Great for parties: This cake serves 16, so it’s perfect for spring holidays and get togethers.
- Gluten-free and Keto: With no flour or grains, and less than 5 grams of carbs per serving, it’s perfect for low carb and keto diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: This is an almond flour based recipe. Please see the Tips section for alternatives.
- Sweetener: You will need granular and powdered sweetener for this cake. Please be sure to read the Tips section for a more detailed discussion of sweetener options.
- Protein powder: A little whey or egg white protein makes the cake lighter and fluffier.
- Lemons: You will need both the zest and juice for the cake. I also garnish the cake with lemon slices.
- Keto lemon curd: I recommend making this after you’ve baked the cake. You want it still warm and loose so it can sink down into the cake properly.
- Heavy whipping cream: The topping for this poke cake is a classic whipped cream frosting.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
How to Make Keto Lemon Poke Cake
- Prepare the batter: Whisk together the dry ingredients then stir in the eggs, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Bake the cake: Spread the batter evenly into a greased 9×9 inch metal baking pan and bake until edges are golden brown.
- Poke the cake: Remove and let cool in the pan. Once cool, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake.
- Make the lemon curd: Prepare the lemon curd as directed. Let cool a few minutes, then pour all over the top of the cake, allowing it to sink down into the holes. Refrigerate the cake to help set the curd.
- Prepare the topping: Combine the cream and powdered sweetener and whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Spread evenly over the chilled cake.
- Garnish and serve: Top each slice with a quarter lemon slice. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Tips for Success
Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes into the cooled cake. You want the holes big enough to allow the lemon curd to sink into them. Tiny holes made with a skewer won’t work!
This cake is easier to cut when cold. I recommend warming up your knife so it makes cleaner cuts through the topping. I like using a bench knife like this one so I can cut straight down into the cake, and I warm it up over the flame of my gas stove. You can also pour boiling water over it.
If you need to make a nut-free cake, you can use the batter from my Keto Coconut Cake instead. If you want the cake to look more yellow, use 5 large eggs instead of a mix of egg whites and whole eggs.
Sweetener Options
For the cake, I recommend using an erythritol based sweetener. Any amount of allulose will cause the cake to brown a lot more. If you do choose to use allulose, I recommend dropping the oven temperature to 325ºF and keeping a close eye on it in the oven.
The curd and frosting should be made with powdered sweeteners, but it can be erythritol, allulose, or a mix of the two. You can even use pure stevia or monk fruit extract for the whipped cream topping.
More Delicious Keto Poke Cakes
Keto Lemon Poke Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/4 cups (252 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (95 g) granular sweetener
- ⅓ cup (36 g) unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (113.5 g) butter melted
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice
Filling
- 1 recipe keto lemon curd
Topping
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 3 tbsp (30.43 g) powdered sweetener
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Lemon slices, cut into quarters
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9×9 inch metal baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice until well combined.
- If the batter is very thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. It shouldn’t be pourable, but you should be able to scoop and spread it easily.
- Spread evenly in the prepared pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown on the edges and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool in the pan.
- Once cool, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake.
Filling
- Prepare the lemon curd as directed. Let cool a few minutes, then pour all over the top of the cake, allowing it to sink down into the holes. Give the cake a few gentle taps on the counter to help the filling sink in.
- Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours to help set the curd.
Topping
- In a large bowl, combine the cream, powdered sweetener, and vanilla extract. Whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
- Spread evenly over the chilled cake. Top each slice with a quarter lemon slice.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Many lemon poke cake recipes call for boxed pudding or jello to pour over the cake. However, this keto lemon poke cake takes homemade sugar-free lemon curd, which has incredibly flavor without the questionable ingredients.
Because of the lemon curd and whipped cream topping, this cake should be refrigerated at all times. Store in a covered container and they last up to 5 days in the fridge.
Freezing this cake will likely cause the lemon curd and the whipped topping to become a little gritty. I recommend it only as a last resort.
This Keto Lemon Poke Cake recipe has 4.7g of carbs and 1.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.0g net carbs per serving.
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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I am NOT a baker!! Lol! I had committed to this cake before seeing the double boiler part for the Lemon curd. I nearly panicked!! Lol! However, the detailed instructions got me through it, easier than I ever expected! It’s in the fridge now chilling and I know the whipped cream frosting will finish it beautifully! Thanks!!
So glad it worked out!
This is a delicious fresh Spring cake. The lemon crud is amazing! I would suggest making a double batch of the lemon crud just to eat by itself!! Thank you for a wonderful Keto lemon cake option!!
Lemon crud or lemon curd? 😉
OMG how did I not see this sooner?!!? I love love LOVE lemon and I love your recipes. I made this and was planning on sharing it at a family dinner. However, it was soooo good and I ended up eating more of it than I had planned. Making another one for dinner to share! I love all your recipes, I know I can count on you for something great to make that everyone will enjoy.
Glad you enjoyed it!
My husband said he wanted a lemon cake. I told him Carolyn (we’re on a first-name basis in our house) has a lemon poke cake recipe. He said if it’s from Carolyn, it must be good. I made it. It is delicious! Just what we need in early Spring! Thank you, Carolyn, for your recipes and your hard work with your website and cookbooks.
JANET….
Yay!!!
I’m making this in a glass pan, do i have to adjust the baking time?
I served this to guests yesterday. It was a delicious breath of spring sunshine. Everyone asked for the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is lemon heaven. Nobody knew it was low carb or was made with almond flour. The cake is moist, the lemon curd is creamy, luscious, and divine. The fresh lemon juice and zest takes it to another level. Thank you as always!!! I’m very grateful.
Hooray!
Hi Carolyn! Have been a long time baker of many of your dessert recipes and this one sounds amazing!!
I want to make this for my mom’s birthday, as she loves everything with lemon curd! I’m curious if I could add blueberries to the cake, if frozen or fresh would work better, or if I should just make a blueberry sauce to serve alongside?
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Always add fresh blueberries to cakes… frozen berries bleed into the batter and streak it with blue. my personal preference would be that you make the blueberry sauce instead, though. I am not sure whole berries work well in a poke cake. You can use my blueberry syrup: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-blueberry-syrup/
I just madeThe Keto Lemon Poke Cake, and Wow!! It is sooo delicious! The coarse texture of the almond flour cake goes so well with the smooth, rich fresh lemon curd. I will be making this on a regular basis. Thank you Carolyn!
fresh Great lemon flavor, simply wonderful!
Yay!!!
where is the lemon curd recipe?
It’s linked right in the recipe and in the blog post. You can also always use the search box on my site.
Great flavor and easy to make!
I am so glad you tried it!
hello can you please explain if a keto diet recipe is the same as a diabetic friendly recipe?
Hi there… yes, it does. My recipes are very low in carbs, so if you have diabetes (or pre-diabetes, as I do), it’s appropriate.