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!
Keto 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
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 can NOT have/eat almonds.
Will either Cashew flour or Lupin flour work in any of your almond flour recipes?
Almond seems to be a go-to for almost any flour-based recipe (except those with Coconut flour – which is a completely different chemistry and not interchangeable, mostly), but no one addresses a nut, specifically almond food sensitivity.
Cashew flour may work. I can’t guarantee it without testing it myself.
We loved this cake. Super moist!
I didn’t have powdered sugar, used regular, was still good.
As for whey protein powder, I finally saw some at grocery outlet and bought it only to realize that it’s sweetened with a fake sugar. I used it anyways and just cut back on the swerve. Turned out fluffy.
Is it possible to use pea protien powder instead of whey? I’m allergic to all cow dairy and use Ghee for the butter portion in all my recipes.
LOVE your recipes, by the way. Thanks for sharing them.
Patricia
Yes, that should work.
I have a lemon tree and since the fruit was ripe I decided to make this cake and it turned out awesome. Very flavorful and moist. I used butter to grease my bundt pan and it did not stick at all, came out perfect.
I just made this and it was so yummy!! I added the extra extract for a super lemony flavor. My only complaint was that I couldn’t get it to come out but I think I didn’t grease the pan well enough. Thank you for all your great recipes.
Bundt pans are notoriously tricky so you do need the extra greasing!
I’m not a fan of lemon extract. Can I use real lemon juice in this recipe instead?
Answered my own question – substituted lemon juice for the water and added more zest & sweetener, and it was delish!
Sooo good. Easy to make, tastes delicious and freezes well too! I cut the cake into pieces and wrapped them individually before throwing in the freezer so I can take out 1-2 at a time for a nice tea break in the afternoons while I’m working.
Carolyn, your Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake was very tasty, especially with the drizzle. How would you store this cake? Thank you
I love all your recipes, eat them everyday, 3 times a day. My husband is sooo glad he doesn’t have to make anything, ha-ha, just eat and lose weight.
I couldn’t do Keto if it wasn’t for all your great recipes, thanks again.
Sunny
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.