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Mini Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cakes (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

I still consider myself pretty new to this blogging thing. So I am still very aware of what other bloggers are doing and getting a read on how things work. I’ve been struck by how food bloggers will use almost any occasion as inspiration for a particular dish or menu. There are, of course, the major holidays like Christmas,
Easter, Thanksgiving, Passover – weeks ahead of time, I will start seeing posts devoted to foods consumed on these special days. Even the “lesser” holidays, like St. Patrick’s Day (no offense to any Irish, I am of Irish descent myself!) are cause for special creations. And then there are the heretofore unknown “food holidays”, like World Nutella Day or National Grilled Cheese Day. I never knew these things existed and clearly I need to start keeping a date book of all these things so that I am well prepared for next year.

But I’ve been particularly impressed by how many food bloggers are creating dishes and menus devoted to the Royal Wedding. As someone who is still technically a part of the British Commonwealth (notice how I still spell certain words with a “u”?), you might think I would feel as if this event was cause for some sort of food celebration. But I don’t really. I am certainly not knocking my fellow foodbloggers for living it up, but I am too tired living my own life to care all that much about it. I feel little more than a passing interest and only the same mild excitement that I would experience for any two young persons in love starting their married life together. So I haven’t dreamed up any special Low Carb Gluten Free Royal Wedding Cakes for the occasion. Sorry if that disappoints you, but there you have it.

It did occur to me in passing, however, that these little bundt cakes would not be out of place at a luncheon or high tea in honour of the royal couple. Maybe not at the actual luncheon hosted by HRH Queen Elizabeth herself, but at a little event held by commoners in a private home to celebrate the event. Bundt cakes always look so elegant and lemon is a classic flavour for tea-time. I didn’t create them as such, but if you want them to be in honour of the royal couple, consider this my contribution. Cheers to the lovely young things who actually seem to be in love and who appear to have as much chance at happiness together as us commoners. I wish them joy.

Will I even watch the blessed event? Not sure. I will likely be up at that hour, I usually am. But I am far more likely to be found rushing around making breakfast for three kids and downing several cups of coffee before heading out to meet a running group. Maybe I will have the tv on as I do these things, or perhaps I will wait until later to watch the re-broadcasts. I know from past experience that the edited versions of these things are often far more enjoyable, as they include only the pomp and circumstance and cut out the boring bits. As a pre-teen, I was up early to watch the ill-fated Fergie and Andrew union many moons ago, and was bored out of my skull for much of it. What I remember most was that I was cuddled under a blanket on the couch of a friend’s cottage on Lake Simcoe. I called that friend today, my best childhood friend, just to reminisce. I haven’t talked to her in a long time and it felt really good. So maybe I’ve had my had my royal wedding celebration after all.

Mini Lemon Ricotta Bundt Cakes

Cakes:
1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk ricotta, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
16 drops stevia extract
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup almond milk

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered erythritol
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp lemon juice

For the cakes, preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 12-cup mini-bundt pan very well, making sure to grease center spoke. I found this easiest with softened butter and a pastry brush, working butter into all the crevasses.

In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, protein powder, erythritol, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, beat ricotta until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in lemon zest and stevia extract. Add almond flour mixture in two batches, alternating with lemon juice and almond milk.

Give batter a final stir with a rubber spatula, then divide evenly between prepared bundt molds. Bake 20-24 minutes, or until cakes are firm to the touch and light golden brown around edges. Let cool 5 minutes in pan and then flip out onto wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together powdered erythritol and lemon juice in small bowl until erythritol has dissolved. If too thick, add more juice, 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Linked this up on Cara’s Cravings for Stevia Recipes. She’s hosting a great giveaway over there if you want to try out Nu Naturals Stevia!

Serves 12.  Each serving has 7.3 g of carbs and 3.2 g of fiber.  Total NET CARBS = 4.1 g.

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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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Comments

    • I know this is a late response, but if you add a little bit of oil to the glaze it will make the glaze look thicker and add to to yumminess of you cakes.

      Reply

  2. LOVE bundt cakes…especially lemon ones. I remember being woken up for Princess Diana's wedding – didn't get up for this one, but have it on now in the background – still going on! Fun to see folks so happy.

    Reply

  3. Carolyn, true that it's funny how many occasions there are for food and I never knew of so many national pancake days or nutella days, either. Just back from a wedding watching party and couldn't hear much of what was going on. That was half the fun: just an excuse to see a happy couple and have a good natter over a few cakes! Speaking of cakes, your bundt cakes look very like Kugelhopf cakes from Alsace in France. First time I've seen Bundt. they look just gorgeous; Love the lemon and the drizzle on them, too!

    Reply

  4. My take on the royal wedding is this… I didn't get an invite so my missing the televised event won't mean a thing to anyone. On the flip side if my sleep didn't mean so much to me than it would have been like watching a live History Channel program. The mini bundt cakes look like they would be perfect for an occasion such as the Royal Wedding though. Yummy!

    Reply

  5. I am watching the wedding right now and I sure wish I had one of these to eat right now! They look fantastic!

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  6. Loved this post! So true about blogging and these special events…I guess I'm not much of a planner.

    Reply

  7. These look so delicious!!

    I didn't intend to watch the wedding myself, but my son had put it on (I did allow TV this morning for that purpose) and then I got sucked in and made a stop in the living room from time to time throughout my morning routine. 🙂

    Reply

  8. Your bundt cakes look delicious. I have only seen commercial mini bundt cakes, never seen a home cook make them. Yours look absolutely delicious and insatiable. Wonderful!

    Reply

  10. I SO needed these mini bundt cakes at 3am this morning. One of my English friends forced me to watch the proceedings with her this morning. It turned out to be quite lovely 🙂 I especially liked the choir! Now, thanks to being an overseas British territory I'm laid out on the couch reading food blogs cause its a public holiday. Win!

    Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

  12. So many holidays/occasions so little time…Those Bundt cakes are looking fabulous. There is something in individual little cakes… they always look more tasty:))Awesome pictures and fantastic recipe!!!

    Reply

  13. I don't think I got the made up holiday schedule either, lol. I certainly wasn't getting up at 4 a.m. to watch the wedding, 6 is early enough for me. Love your little cakes, I've been wanting one of those mini bundt pans.
    -Gina-

    Reply

  14. These are so pretty and look so yummy. I've ordered the vanilla whey protein and it should be here today…I will have to try these this weekend. As always, you've outdone yourself!

    Reply

  16. added to my faves list! I love the ricotta and lemon – looks like it just melts in your mouth!

    Reply

  17. They look very regal! I taped the festivities and hope to zip through and see the highlights today.
    I didn't prepare anything to celebrate either but coincidentally my "photo friday" post today is mimosas, go figure!

    Reply

  18. Your cakes are absolutely stunning! 🙂

    I didn't watch the wedding either, of course not having cable was a bit of a barrier. Even if I could have watched it, sleep would have won! 🙂

    Reply

  19. i just got a new mini bundt pan… i will be making these without a doubt.

    i have been glued to the royal wedding so much i have neglected EVERYTHING… Including the kitchen!

    Reply

  20. Oh, yeah!!! One of these and a lemon martini and I'd be in lemon heaven. What gorgeous mini-cakes…with such a beautiful glaze 🙂

    Reply

  22. These are the most delicious looking mini bundt cakes Carolyn. I am trying to really cut down on my carbs so I will save your recipe. We caught the royal wedding and it was a really nice event to have witnessed. I echo your well wishes for the lovely couple. Have a great weekend!

    Reply

  25. These are beautiful!!! I would love them, and the addition of the ricotta cheese must make them really moist inside! A cake worthy of a royal wedding indeed!! 🙂

    Reply

  26. Wow! These are among the cutest bundt cakes I have ever seen.. honest! I love the glaze too… I could eat a few of these all by myself 🙂 especially considering they're citrus flavored! yummm!

    Reply

  27. Whatever the occasion, these look lovely 🙂 I confess I did record the wedding (we were out at the crucial time) and have been reading relevant news articles today, but I wasn't inspired enough to make an edible ode to the couple. I do wish them well though!

    Reply

  28. Like you, I'm always up at that hour anyway so I caught a lot of the wedding as it was broadcasting live. And I have to agree that the followup coverage was more exciting! A four-minute walk down the aisle?! I was good with about 30 seconds! I can't even imagine the pressure.

    These little cakes look amazing. I'm going to have to go out and get mini Bundt cake pans. My da is coming to visit in about four weeks and he just loves lemon desserts. I think these would be perfect to serve him! Thank you!

    Reply

  29. Being new to bogging myself, I also had no idea of these national food days. Its wild really. As for the royal wedding, I feel the same way. Especially living in Israel, we really dont have much coverage here and I have so many other things going on to give much thought to it. Anyway, these little bundt cakes look absolutely perfect!!

    Reply

  30. Morning Carolyn! Ahh. An excuse to make food. I have been blown away watching the photos of so many people joining I'm celebration with the new couple. Kudos to you on your gluten-free cakes. They look delicious. I am finally freeing up some of my time as I am not in the throws of chocolate school. I will be passing by much more often. Foodie love – Megan

    Reply

  31. Hi 🙂
    LOVE this recipe! Was wondering if there was a nutritional value listed? Or am I missing it?

    Thanks!!

    Reply

  32. These little bundt cakes would be wonderful with a spot of tea. Need to get some of those mini pans!

    I did watch the wedding, and it was beautiful!

    Reply

  33. Hi Carolyn, these bundt cakes look so dangerous. I think they won't last for first 30 minutes in our household. Your pictures are too beautifully delicious! Low carb, check! Sounds great to me. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  34. Mini Bundts are such fun to make for inidividual desserts. Kids always get a kick out of seeing the cakes that are just their size. These are perfect for the little princes and princesses in your house.

    Reply

  36. Carolyn, these lemon bundts look incredible! Seriously, I woke up late today and the coffee is brewing and I wish I had a couple of these to nosh on. So, so good.

    Reply

  39. Whoops, someone rightly pointed out that i forgot to do a carb count on this one. Will work that out as soon as I get a chance!

    Reply

  40. First of all erythritol is truly the best sweetener out there! My husband always complains that he can taste the splenda or powdered stevia. I purchased erythritol shortly after reading the grasshopper bars post and have been using it ever since for baking.

    I made these on Saturday for some friends. I did not have mini-bundts so I used silicon muffin cups. They came out fabulous. All thought they were wonderful and said they never would have known cakes were made without sugar and white flour.

    Thank you!

    Reply

  41. I love these little cakes!! I went to the health food store and looked for erythritol. That stuff is not cheap! I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get some. I would love to try these cakes!

    Reply

  42. I really did not care much for the wedding of my royal European neighbours but I do care for these bundt cakes. The size itself, you should know by now, brought me here. But that combo, lemon and ricotta…..I don't know if there is anything that I like more than this. I need to try out this recipe. Hubby would love it too!

    Reply

  43. I think you have created the perfect Royal Wedding tribute! And I'm with you on the edited version. My neighbor just dropped of the People Magazine with the couple on the cover and I'm eager to dive in!

    Reply

  44. Oh well I love to bake cakes and this one looks fantastic and delicious. Wish I could eat that one now but I will try to bake some other time since you have posted also the ingredients and the procedures on how to bake it. Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  45. Lovely photos, and it seems like a delicious recipe. I've never seen almond or coconut flour at a store, nor do I have a clue what erythritol is. I'll have to go a googling.

    Reply

  46. Some days I hate dietary restrictions, like today when I found your site. So many recipes I want to try, but my kids have nut allergies so I'll have to make some substitutions. I hope you don't mind if I use what you have posted as inspiration…I'll try not to prepare it for minor celebrations. 😉

    Reply

  47. These sound wonderful! I find that erithrytol and stevia work best with fruity flavors, so I bet they are just perfect here. I just got my hands on some coconut flour finally, so I'm putting this on the list to try!

    Reply

  49. I made these and they are really tasty. I liked that they have a light texture and the ricotta cheese keeps them moist. The lemon really comes through. Excellent recipe!

    Reply

  50. I appreciate all of these "low carb" recipes very much! They all sound very appetizing, however, the nutritional content is rarely published. Does anyone know, particularly, the carb content.

    Reply

  51. I am sorry if I forgot to publish carb counts for this particular recipe, but to say that my nutritional content is rarely published is blatantly untrue. I almost always publish carb counts for my recipes. Thanks!

    Reply

  52. I made these tonight and my Husband and I really loved them. The texture is fabulous- I’d love to see more variations of the base recipe (the way you did with your almond cake).

    One question; (I hope you can help!) I had trouble getting the cakes out of the pan. The pan is non-stick, but I still sprayed the heck out of it with cooking spray. In the past I’ve also tried coconut oil. Do you have any suggestions?

    Thanks for all your hard work and wonderful treats Carolyn!

    Reply

  53. Why does protein powder get used in so many recipes? I’m curious if it helps with the structure or…? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Gluten is a protein, and in it’s absence, the baked goods need additional protein to rise properly. A single scoop of protein powder can help the structure immensely.

      Reply

  54. Where is a good place to buy erythritol? And, do you powder it yourself? If so, how? It costs a lot. I bought some non GMO erythritol and a 5 lb. bag was 35 dollars.

    Reply

  55. Carolyn, all I can say is wow! I saw the picture on your post about almond flour. I was diagnosed T2 in February. I have always loved to bake – and cook – but baking is first. I ran across your site – maybe because of the name – and subscribed right away. I made these tonight and they are great! I can’t wait to see what friends think tomorrow. I was worried how I would convert my lemon pound cake and now there is no need to. Thank you so much for what you do!

    Reply

  56. Thank you for this recipe! I’m trying it now as we speak – I didn’t have a mini bundt cake pan, so I substituted a muffin pan, I hope it works. I also had to substitute whole ricotta for low fat, as I couldn’t find the whole! (weird, I’ve seen it everywhere in the past. . .) Also, I think my almond flour must be different from yours, because I have more and darker flecks in mine – what brand do you use? One last thing – my cakes are taking longer to cook – so far almost 30 minutes, but the tops are still really really soft/squishy. Any ideas why? Thanks! 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Pam,

      I think you must have almond meal, if it has darker flecks in it, which means it was made from whole almonds, not blanched. That will make a huge difference to the outcome of your cakes, and is likely the culprit behind the fact that they took longer to bake and weren’t quite done. Also, if you had to make them in muffin pans, it may affect the cooking time as well, since bundt pans have that center metal part that helps things cook. Hope they were good anyway! In future, I recommend honeyville or Oh nuts brand of almond flour.

      Reply

  57. I’m drooling because of this recipe. I’m so excited to try it. what is the Ricotta cheese for? I am trying to be as diary free as possible so I was wondering if there was a substitute for the ricotta?

    Reply

    • The same temperature and I imagine it would bake for at least 30 minutes, but you will have to check it every few minutes to be sure.

      Reply

  60. I have to tell you that we are addicted to this lemon cakes, I made mine on regular cupcakes pan and they came out perfect, my husband told me not to make them at first when I told him because he doesn’t like lemon flavor desserts and now he can’t stop eating them and told me to never listen to him again, lol.
    Thank you so much for sharing, this one is going to be a staple in my house now.
    I do have to ask you if you know anyone trying them with can coconut milk instead of the ricotta cheese? I’m trying to stay away from dairy since I confirm that dairy makes my joints hurt 🙁 Specially my knees. I made mine with 1/2 cup of Xylitol and it was perfect.

    Reply

    • I would do 1 cup of the thick coconut cream at the top of the can, not the liquidy milk part. I think that would work. So glad everyone loves the cakes, even the non-lemon lover!

      Reply

  61. Your recipe sounds great, however, there are several odd ingredients . . . I can find almond flour, but , for instance, where do you mind vanilla something or other powder? Is the coconut milk an absolute ingredient or can one use a substitute? Thanks, Brooke

    Reply

    • These aren’t particularly odd ingredients, when you need to be low carb. Whey protein powder is available in many stores, often in the health aisle. You could sub the coconut milk with almond milk, regular milk (but that adds carbs) or even just water if you prefer.

      Reply

  62. Carolyn,
    I had tried another low-carb lemon cake and it was an unmitigated disaster. Horrible texture, taste, glaze, you name it. Then I tried YOUR recipe this morning and I am absolutely thrilled with these cakes. I could eat one of these everyday! I can’t think of enough positive things to say about this recipe!! My mini-bundt pan makes six cakes, not twelve, but the recipe fit perfectly and they baked in the same amount of time. Moist, soft texture, delicious!!

    A question: my husband can really sense the aftertaste if I use Swerve alone for the glaze. Is there any glaze that you know of that doesn’t use Swerve alone so any aftertaste is minimal? If not, for him, I might just mix the Swerve half-and-half with regular powered sugar, as he doesn’t need the low carb diet.

    Thank you for this recipe! Thanks to people like you, I am mastering and learning to love low-carb cooking!

    Reply

  63. I simply adore these little cakes and the last time I made them, they came out of the pan beautifully. I was wondering if this batter could be adjusted to make a soft lemon ricotta cookie? That’s my daughter’s favorite “real” cookie! Thanks for all that you do for the rest of us, Carolyn!

    Reply

  64. Delightful! The mini lemon ricotta bundt cakes were on the menu today. I thought they might have something like a cheese cake density because of the ricotta. Not at all. They were light, had a fresh taste from the lemon juice, and looked beautiful. Very nice. I reduce the powdered erythritol to ¼ cup for the glaze but used the full amount of lemon juice. I tested the glaze on one cake first to make sure it was right for my tastes. It was delightful and fresh tasting. The glaze dripped down the sides of the cakes beautifully too.

    Baking tip: I used a mini Wilton mini fluted bundt pan. It makes 12 cakes. When filling the cups I worked very hard to keep the batter off the top of the tube in the middle of each cavity. That was wasted effort. The cakes rose up and covered the top of the tubes anyway. Fortunately when I had brushed the softened butter in the cups before baking I brushed the top of the tube too. (The cups were so small I couldn’t avoid it.) When they came out of the oven I was afraid the cake on the top of the tube might stick. No worries after cooling 5 minutes in the pan I turned them out and every one of them slipped out with ease. Every one of them was perfect and beautiful! That sweet little perfection just adds to the fun of this lovely dessert.

    Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  66. Hi, these mini lemon cakes look awesome. I’m always looking for good low carb recipes. I notice that you are using a sugar alcohol (erythritol) can I ask why? Sugar alcohols tear my stomach up (and they are known for that) and for the life of me I don’t understand why so many people and manufacturers use it? Just wondering your thoughts? Thanks

    Reply

    • Not all sugar alcohols are created equal. Erythritol typically does not upset people’s stomachs. I don’t have any issues with it and for me it is much preferable to artificial sweeteners like Splenda.

      Reply

  67. These look so delicious! I love lemon and really want to try them. Do you think they would turn out well using all Swerve for sweetener and how much do you think I would use. I have not had much luck with Stevia. Thanks for any suggestions!!

    Reply

  68. These are SO delicious!! I am thrilled with how they came out! I did make a few swaps. I did not have ricotta or lemons at home. I used the cream from the top of a can of full fat coconut milk in place of the ricotta. I also used unsweetened coconut milk instead of almond milk. I used dried lemon peel in place of the zest. Next time I might try just using the entire can of full fat coconut milk in place of both the ricotta cheese and almond milk. I will update how it turns out!

    Reply

  69. Just made this last night. Came out amazing. I didn’t add protein powder and used keto lemon curd (homemade) instead of glazing. Wish I could post a pic. Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

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