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
- 1/3 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
- 3 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup Swerve Sweetener, or granulated erythritol
- 3 large eggs, (room temperature)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract , (up to 1 tsp if you like strong lemon flavor)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup water
Glaze:
- 1/3 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
Nutrition
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Hi . Your original recipe for Lemon Poppyseed Bundt cake is a favorite in our house. I would like to try this updated version but do not have lemon extract. Would lemon juice still work at 1/4 cup, as in your 2013 recipe? Thank you. I have all of your books and love your recipes !!
Yes, feel free to use that and cut back on other liquid by 1/4 cup to offset it!
Hi! I don’t have any whey protein powder but I do have vital wheat gluten. (I use it to make the keto bread recipe from Diedre’s Kitchen) Could I use that instead? Thanks for all your awesome recipes!
I don’t really know, as I don’t use it. It probably works.
Loved this recipe! I made it last week for my friend’s birthday. It can be a good go to dessert. I am ready to make my second attempt of it for myself this Christmas.
This is amazing! I made it today and everyone in my family thought it was tasty, even my 15 year old daughter who eats all “regular” food told me that she woudn’t have known that it was low carb. I used Trader Joe’s Almond Flour as well as Bob’s and the cake held together well (just FYI). I didn’t buy the lemon extract so instead I used the zest of another lemon. My family isn’t into the glaze, so we ate it without, still tasty! The only problem is that I’m afraid I will eat it all!! Thanks for making so many tasty recipes. I love to bake, but was feeling that my baking habit was long gone since I’m trying to cut back on carbs, but NO…. your recipes make me smile. 😉
The one thing I might try next time is to add 1/4 cup sour cream, that seems to make my other old fashioned cakes a bit more moist, or maybe I will just keep everything exactly the same. THANK YOU…. When the world gives you lemons… make this lemon poppyseed cake!
Glad you liked it so much!
This is my first attempt at baking low carb desserts. I really loved the taste. I think my almond flour was not fine enough and the cake fell apart. I think I may try making muffins with the balance of the almond flour that I currently have and experiment with a different brand for my next cake. Even though it fell apart, it didn’t stop my family from eating it as it was very good. Thank you for the recipe.
Cindy
What brand of almond flour do you have?
Baker’s Corner. I purchased from Aldi’s
I’ve never heard of that one. It might be the issue.
I don’t have whey protein powder but I do have collagen power. Do you think that my work instead?
No, I’ve tried it and it makes things very gummy and hard to cook through.
please take me off your site. thank you
You’re not on my site. If you’re referring to my newsletter, this is an unsubscribe button at the bottom of each email.
Carolyn,
I’ve chosen to use this recipe for my first product review. I always have good results with your recipes, and I need the recipe part to be flawless. I’m testing out a 7 inch bundt pan, and will give a fair review based on my experience with the product. My question is, how full should I fill the pan? Should I be able to use all of the batter and cook it longer? It’s a bit smaller than a typical bundt pan (9 inches). Any suggestions? Also, I’ll make sure I reference your blog and recipe in my product review. People need to know how great low carb cooking can be!
Hard for me to know without seeing the pan. I might make the whole thing and fill about 3/4 full and then put any remaining amounts in a muffin cup or two.
The texture and flavor of this cake are absolutely DIVINE!
My new favorite keto cake. So tasty.
Bundt cake makes everything better! This recipe looks perfect! Thank you!
This is one of our favorite low carb desserts! The lemon is so refreshing.
This cake is so good, we make it on the regular now!
Why not sub some of the water for lemon juice in this recipie ???? Going to try that tonight!!
Do the carbs in Swerve count towards total net carbs in the daily allowance for Keto, or are they considered zero?
They have zero impact on blood glucose so you shouldn’t count them.
Can blueberries be added without any issues?
Sure. use fresh because they bleed less than the frozen ones.
Excellent as usual Carolyn! I was going to skip the glaze so glade I did not it totally finished it off! I have been experiencing “ cake batter” extract, wonder if that could have been added instead of vanilla!
Glad you liked it!
how much egg white oiwder would you sub for the whey protein?
They are equivalent in amounts.
I made this into muffins. At 324, they took 35 minutes to bake,
325
That’s very good to know, thank you!
Please tell me the amount of xanthum gum in this recipe. It is not listed in the ingredients
Sorry… no need for it (if you watch the video). That was from the older recipe and I thought i had corrected it all. Fixing now.
For some reason I am unable to access your videos. I do see the words My Latest Videos but there are no links to anything.
I think that might be my video player having issues so let me check with my ad network (it’s hosted through them). I get that sometimes and other times I don’t.
Okay, I am not sure where you are even seeing it? I don’t see it at all, even in my instructions.
Now that I’ve searched the whole blog post, I think you’re seeing it in the comments. Remember, this is an older recipe that has been updated. Those comments no longer apply.