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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Looking forward to trying this – I am curious, do you think monkfruit sweetener would work vs the Swerve? Thanks I’m advance!
As long as it’s simply erythritol with monk fruit, then yes.
is the powered egg whites as good in this recipe are the whey.
Thank you for this lovely recipe
Yes, it will be good.
Carolyn: I’ve come to trust your recipes, and am a fan. However, I just made this recipe, and am wondering if there would be a better place to position that 2/3 cup of water so that no one misses it. As it is (after the extracts) it is easy to miss. I just made the cake without it, and am not serving it until tomorrow, but have my doubts as to it’s success. I am sharper than the average 78 year old, but managed to miss that 2/3 cup of water until after the cake was cool and out of the oven and I was ready to make the glaze. Any thoughts? Also, maybe California lemons give more juice than the average, but it took waaaaay more powdered Swerve than you said to get the lemon juice to glaze consistency.
I am sorry that happened to you but ingredients need to be listed in the order in which they are added to the recipe. And it’s written clearly into the instructions as well, in Step 4. “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.”
Incredibly good. Tender crumb. Wouldn’t have known almond flour was involved! I cook/bake keto recipes regularly, and this recipe is one of the best I’ve tried. I added a little extra liquid Splenda, as I seem to like sweeter desserts than Carolyn. ???? Excellent recipe, and easy, as well.
So glad you liked it!
Have 3 of your cookbooks, big fan. Tell me, can I substitute Anthony’s Pea Protein for the other protein in the recipe, as I have it in my pantry for smoothies ???Thanks, Susan Jerome
As long as it’s not green, it should work! Some of the pea protein has a greenish tinge and may affect the color of your cake.
I have your cookbook series I purchased maybe 5 or 6 years ago and now I’m back to keto. Thank you so much for experimenting for me. You saved my bacon, so to speak.
Welcome back! 🙂
These are delicious! I have a very slow oven because of a sealing problem with the door. Everything takes too long at 325*. So I made muffins and baked at 350*. After 22 mins they came out perfect! My lemon was also larger than usual so gradually added in Swerv confectioners sugar and it took 2/3 of a cup for the perfect consistency. Ate one right away with a second cup of coffee and was in Heaven!
I haven’t made this recipe and have no experience using protein powders in baking. I have an unopened bag of unflavored whey protein isolate powder I would like to use for this recipe. I want the be results for my efforts. Can isolate whey protein powder be used instead of the whey with similar results?
Yes, in baking they work the same way.
Delicious and easy to make! Thank you!
Hi Carolyn. This cake looks beautiful. I’m allergic to gluten, corn and dairy. Can I use dairy free protein powder, instead of the Whey Protein Powder?
Yes, try egg white protein powder.
LOVE lemon poppy seed!! This cake is AMAZING! ????
Yes, I will be eating this for breakfast all the time!! The glaze is delicious & so creamy!
Delicious! Fluffy and flavorful.
Really good! Three thumbs up – me, my friend and my son all loved it! I made it in a loaf pan since my Bundt pan is 12 cups and the 9×5 loaf pan is 8 cups. It worked out well. I lined the pan with parchment paper, greased it, and baked it for about 60 minutes. Definitely a keeper.
Just finished baking these. Made them into a dozen muffins (my Bundt pan is in desperate need of replacing) and baked at 325 for 32 minutes in my electric oven. Very tasty, although I agree it’s a bit more dense than I would have liked. I did use the juice of one lemon for a portion of the water called for and Purecane (erythritol) sweetener. I will definitely make this again once I get a new Bundt pan, and try swerve instead to see if that had anything to do with the density. Thank you Carolyn!
The Purecane may be why it’s more dense. Not a great sweetener, when I tried it. My cookies came out like rocks!
Thanks Carolyn. That would explain it! Ugh…I hate Swerve but I’ve learned (more than once now!) that I really need to just trust you and use the darned stuff!! ????
I’m sorry! You can always try half Swerve and half another if you prefer! You just do risk changing the consistency… but that approach might help with any aftertaste or any such thing you experience.
Do you soak or crush the poppy seeds before adding to recipe to release the flavor?
No, I’ve never done that.
I have made this many times, with and without the glaze. So tasty. The non KETO eaters in my family liked it just as much as the KETO folks which says a lot. I have also recommended it to my friends who have gluten sensitivities. Thanks for making such dependable and tasty treats.
Carolyn, Carolyn, Carolyn! I have tried so hard to make a good Keto dessert and failed so many times. I can’t tell you how many Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes I tried and they were always sort of crumbly, tasteless wads. I gave up on Keto last year and gained another 15lbs. Then I saw this recipe and thought, I am trying it! I used EXACTLY the same brands as you.It came out perfection! I am so happy! My husband has eaten 3 pieces and I finally had to take it away from him. He usually scoffs at my Keto recipes. Well baby I am back!! I have taken off 9 pounds in 10 days and I am on a mission to get 25 off. I have all of your cookbooks now and I know that by using EXACTLY the brands you recommend, I can find some winning recipes. Thank you SO much!
HI Carolyn, Is there a particular line of extracts you like to use? Does the brand matter? I am trying this weekend to make these. Thanks! Susan
I like Frontier and Simply Organic, but they only make the basics (lemon, almond, vanilla, peppermint, etc). Olive Nation makes some more unusual ones like apple, caramel, that sort of thing. For lemon, though, go with Frontier is excellent https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00028QD1K/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00028QD1K&linkId=e51368204aae5836ab40ef9b3f58ade2
I haven’t tried this yet, but I am wondering if lemon juice could be substituted for some of the water? I don’t want to buy lemon extract just for this recipe, and fresh lemon juice appeals to me more–especially since there will be a denuded lemon from grating the zest! Would the lemon juice affect the baking powder or other aspects of this recipe? Grateful for any suggestions.
Yes, that’s fine but I would also do more zest to amp up the lemon flavor.