Lemon poppy seed cake is a classic dessert and perfect for Spring. This bundt cake recipe is low carb and grain free so it fits in well with your healthy keto diet. Now with an instructional video!
I first made this keto lemon poppy seed cake WAYYYYY back in 2013. It was delicious back then and has stood the test of time, with many copycat recipes. So I decided to give it a shiny new update, with brand new photo and a how-to video. Ready for one of the most delicious sugar-free cakes you will ever eat?
What do you think of when you think of lemon poppy seed muffins, or any poppyseed recipe really? I can’t help it, I instantly think of the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine tests positive for opium after eating poppy seed muffins.
In typical Seinfeld fashion, the scenario seems utterly ludicrous and you think it can’t possibly be true. But apparently it is actually possible to test for opiates from eating a few poppy seed-containing baked goods.
And people have been fired, suspended and denied employment because of it. So I suppose this low carb lemon poppy seed bundt cake recipe ought to come with a warning. Do not eat prior to taking a drug test! If your employment requires regular, surprise drug tests…well, I can’t help you there.
How to Make Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
I love bundt pans for their instant elegance. Bundt cakes hardly need any decoration at all, they look so perfect as is. A little drizzle of glaze or a sprinkling of powdered sweetener is all you need.
But it turns out that I have a very similar recipe in The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen. I did that one as a Lemon Poppy Seed Bread and you could easily bake this recipe in a loaf pan if you prefer. They really take about the same time to bake.
Almond flour is your best choice for a big bundt cake like this one, as it produces the finest results. You always want to choose finely ground blanched almond flour for keto cakes.
Why protein powder? I get this question all the time so I will just head it off at the pass and answer it here. Because gluten is a protein and in its absence, another dry protein helps keto baked goods rise and hold their shape. You can use egg white protein if you prefer.
If you really are in danger of having a drug test thrust upon you, try substituting chia seeds in place of the poppy seeds. The carb count will be roughly the same.
Lemon zest is vital to the flavor. The freshly grated zest of a lemon provides so much of that tart-sweet lemony flavor, so don’t skip it!
Vanilla extract and lemon extract together. Lemon extract can be a little harsh and have a bitter flavor, but it plays really nicely with vanilla, which tones it down a bit. I like to use both in this lemon poppy seed cake recipe.
Room temperature ingredients! Remember to let your butter, eggs and water all come to room temp before proceeding. It defeats the purpose of creaming softened butter with sweetener, if you then add cold eggs. All your lovely butter will clump up again!
What about Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins? Yes, friends, you can absolutely make muffins with this recipe. Just divvy it up into your muffin cups, and try to use parchment or silicone liners. Your bake time will probably be about 25 minutes but start watching them at 20, just in case.
If you’re a lemon dessert lover, you are going to adore this low carb Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, I assure you. It’s tender and sweet, with a spectacular lemon flavor. What could be better?
More Delicious Keto Lemon Recipes
Lemon is perfect for spring and Easter, and I’ve got quite a collection of low carb lemon recipes!
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup unflavoured whey protein powder
- 3 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ⅔ cup Swerve Sweetener or granulated erythritol
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract (up to 1 teaspoon if you like strong lemon flavor)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup water
Glaze:
- ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol
- Fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
Instructions
- For the cake, preheat the oven to 325F and grease a bundt pan very well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until well combined. Beat in the eggs, scraping down the beaters and the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla extract.
- Beat half of the almond mixture in, then beat in the water. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is deep golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, whisk together the powdered Swerve and lemon juice until smooth. If too thin, add a bit more powdered Swerve. If too thick, at a bit more liquid (water or lemon juice).
- Drizzle glaze over the cooled cake.
Notes
Angie says
hello, can I substitute whey protein powder with hemp heart seeds, say if I pulse in food processor till powder form? The hemp heart seeds are not green like hemp fiber powder which I also have. I do not have whey protein and rarely use it so I don’t want to buy it just for this recipe. Thank you!
Carolyn says
I haven’t tried it myself so I honestly can’t say if it will work.
Angie says
okay thanks. I guess I’ll have to get some whey protein!
Angela says
All I can say is wow! I’m pregnant and craving lemon poppyseed cake. This site is my “go to” to look for a recipe first. I really didn’t think there would be a recipe here for this cake.
So I made this last night, I was concerned that the batter was so thick—but fought my desire to add liquid. (Later read some comment about how too thin of a batter doesn’t cook in the center).
This is the best best best cake! Texture, taste, look! Thank you! I baked it in a beautiful fall themed bundt pan I picked up at Homegoods.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Heidi says
Want to pass a drug test? Simply substitute chia seeds for the poppy seeds. They’re cheaper. They’re also very nutritious, and contain a lot of fiber! Winner winner chicken dinner!
Now, a second question: I made your rhubarb coffee cake, and it tasted…like almond flour. It was definitely not sweet enough, and there was nowhere near enough vanilla for a full-sized cake. Certainly not enough for it to lose that almond flour taste. (I make a muffin recipe that uses 2 tsp. vanilla and 3/4 cup Swerve for 16 muffins!) This seems REALLY low on sweetener and lemon flavor for a cake, too. Does this have a heavy almond flour taste? I’d really rather avoid that.
Carolyn says
What almond flour are you using? None of my homemade goods taste like almond flour to me or my family. Or friends or neighbours, who are often the beneficiaries of my treats. And 3/4 cup almond flour for 16 muffins? Unless you are using some sort of dried almond flour that is similar to coconut flour, that seems like FAR too little to make 16 muffins.
Dawn says
Hello! I have a question: I know Stevia is pretty sweet tasting, so am wondering why is there stevia and Swerve sweetener in the recipe? I am asking only because I am a newbie to the keto diet and I have lots of questions. Is Swerve a natural sweetener or is it chemically made? I just found your blog today and am excited that I can make muffin/bread replacements!
Carolyn says
Swerve is natural but it’s expensive so using stevia helps cut down on the cost. You can use all Swerve though.
Dawn says
Carolyn,
Thank you for such a quick reply! Now I understand the reason and appreciate you adjusting recipes to help with costs! Eating cleaner diets can sometimes be tough on the wallet! Have a wonderful day!!
Cheryl Deger says
Hi, I have all the ingredients except the Stevia Extract… May I leave it “out” or is there something I can substitute for the stevia extract??? Thank You… P..S. I made the cake before with extract but today I’m out and we are getting a snow storm!!!
Carolyn says
Add more of your other sweetener.
Cheryl Deger says
Thank You…
Cassie says
As for poppy seeds causing positive blood tests, my brother had that problem once when applying for a job. He had managed to eat a whole loaf of lemon poppyseed bread in a matter of two days not thinking about it. When he tested positive, we were all crazy confused. The good news is that his new employer was also his old employer- he was a camp counselor for years but that summer he was being hired for a year round position. They decided to send him for a second urine screening two weeks later and it was fine.
Cassie says
First, a quick question- is there a valid substitute for the whey powder? I have zero use for it normwlly, and don’t want to waste a big bag of it.
This looks delicious! I’ve just been hired by my aunt J to make a bit batch of goodies to send to the convent a different aunt was a member of for over 35 years. Many of my nun-aunts old friends have no relatives in the country and/or they have no close living relatives, so they don’t get any gifts.
Easter means big boxes of sugar free chocolates for the Sisters. My aunt J has always bought them but she wants to mix it up some. I’ll be sending ganache dipped almond flour cookies (recipe from Swerve), possibly some kind of jam thumbprint almond flour cookie, and some molded, filled chcocolates. But I keep seeing these gorgeous mini bundt pans shaped like flowers and I’ve been dying to find the right recipe for them. This is it! I can thin the glaze a bit, too, so you’ll be able to see all of the details of the flowers. I’m excited to try them! I think I’ll try a mini batch tomorrow, I know my mom will happily be my test subject. 😉
Carolyn says
You can skip the whey but it does help hold things together better and help them rise a bit more.
Cassie says
I’ve just made a batch of this and it’s in the oven right now. But I noticed you provide the carb counts but not calories counts. Do you happen to know that, since you crunched the numbers once upon a time?
Carolyn says
Also, here’s a good jam thumbprint recipe! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-raspberry-almond-thumbprints/
Cassie says
Oh wow, thanks!! I was thinking I’d have to adapt a recipe I already had, but following an already tested recipe is much easier. And thanks for the prompt reply. If it helps with the rising, then I think I’ll see if anyone around here sells it in bulk so I can buy only what I need.
Cathy says
Carolyn, I keep my almond flour in the fridge. Should I be bringing it to room temperature, like the eggs, before I use it in recipes? I use Honeyville. Thank you.
Carolyn says
The only tricky part is that it’s hard to measure properly straight out of the fridge. It has a tendency to clump. so I would bring it room temp if you can.
Cathy says
Thank you.
Jenny D. says
Made these as muffins, and they turned out great! I subbed extra erythritol ilo stevia, and used whole milk ilo almond milk, since that’s what I had on hand Followed your suggestion to bake according to your Almond Raspberry Jam Muffins. Super moist and tasty, and perfect for breakfast in the car. Another winner, Carolyn!
Cindy from Texas says
Tried this tonight. Chia instead of poppy seeds and added a teaspoon of lemon bakers emulsion to the cake batter. It was awesome! And this lovely perfect simple glaze, oh my! It was a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Cake and glaze together is a complete marriage of flavor and texture. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Valerie Gillman says
You never have to buy poppy seeds if you have room to grow a small bed of poppies. Get some papaver somniferum seeds and follow directions. Beautiful and easy. When the seed pods dry out, carefully clip them from the stem and put in a paper bag or bowl. When you get into the house shake them gently(or they will go everywhere). Pour into a little glass jar. Some people say any kind of real poppy (papaver) would be good, but I make sure and just use the kind that bakers use-Poppy somniferum.
You can tell when the seed pods are ripe when they change from green to brown. There is a row of little holes like a salt shaker under the edge of the top cap. If you pick them ripe but still closed, they will open in a few days. If you want to do it again next summer, save some seed for planting.
Lisa says
I made this the other day and it’s honestly the best lo-carb bake I think I have ever tried. I defy anyone to tell it is not packed with carbs. I gave some to a friend of mine who really dislikes these sorts of “tastes-just-like-the-real-thing” lo-carb options, and she not only went back fro seconds, but took half of the cake home with her! I made it in a 8×8 cake tin though (reduced the baking time) as we don’t seem to have bundt tins in the UK… not that I can easily find anyway. Still tasted amazing. THANK YOU!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Rachel says
Can you use hemp protein powder in place of the whey? Thanks
Carolyn says
Yes, but most hemp protein is green. That will discolour your cake.
Rachel says
ok thanks
Lexi says
I made this cake last night and I love it! I substituted the poppy seeds for chia seeds, and a half cup of coconut flour fora cup of the almond flour. It came out wonderful!
I had some trouble with the glaze because I didn’t have confectioners zylitol. I used the granulated blend with lemon juice and it came out runny and not so good. I will be trying to create a lemon glaze to match this lovely cake. Nice recipe!
Christina S says
I just made this cake. SO GOOD. I melted some coconut oil and added lemon juice and the sugar substitute and simmered it a bit. Poured that on top so it’s slightly different from the glaze and still fantastic. Thanks for bringing a favorite flavour back to my life, grain-free.
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Sheena says
Hi, I just made this for my mother. But when I added the eggs it looked like all that beautiful creamed butter was separating. Should I have used room temp eggs? I hope it still comes out good and like a cake. What do you think?
Carolyn says
It’s always best to use room temp eggs, but don’t despair. As you beat in the almond flour mixture, it should help redistribute the butter.
Maureen says
This looks great! I prefer muffins. Any changes you would suggest?
Anita says
What is erythritol? who makes it? and where would I buy it?
Carolyn says
Erythritol is a naturally occurring substance found in fruits and fermented foods. There are a number of brand names for it and my favorite is Swerve. You can purchase it in many stores nationwide or online http://www.swervesweetener.com/103.html
Anita says
Thank you….I guess a brand name might help me find what I’m looking for….isn’t Swerve online only?
Carolyn says
No, it’s in many stores, including Whole Foods, HEB, and Stop & Shop. Check out their store locater, that might help.
Denise says
What the heck – I went ahead and did it. I used a half cup of the powdered erythritol. It didn’t really ‘cream’ with the butter, leaving a mixture that was pretty dry and granular, but I added the almond milk and the mixture creamed in the usual way. The cake turned out fine, aside from the fact that I didn’t grease the pan enough. A few chunks didn’t make it out, but hey, they have no calories when eaten above the sink, right?
Laura says
This is the best comment I’ve read all day. I will eat EVERYTHING above the sink from now on.
Denise says
Hi Carolyn,
I find myself out of erythritol crystals. Could I substitute with powdered? Could you give me some general guidance on this substitution, not just for this recipe? Thanks,