A lemon-scented low carb, grain-free layer cake with the most delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting. This sugar-free creation will win over your harshest critics.
Strawberry season is drawing closer and closer and I am so excited I can taste it. I can taste those sweet berries in my mind, freshly picked out of a sun-warmed New England field. I can smell the straw they put down around the beds, and hear the high-pitched lisping of little ones clamouring “I found one, Mummy. I found a big one!”. My own children come out of those fields weighing significantly more than they went into them, and I probably do too. Those pick-your-own strawberry farms must add a premium to the price per pound, knowing that people will eat their weight in berries before they ever fill up their green quart baskets. It’s hard to resist, there is nothing like a strawberry freshly picked and popped into one’s mouth.
But we still have a few months to go and until then, I suffer through the big, less flavourful store bought berries. I don’t actually buy fresh berries in the off-season much, because they just don’t live up to that dreamy berry flavour in my mind. We do usually keep a big wholesale-club sized bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer because my husband is a smoothie man. The man loves his smoothies and his “strawbs”, as we call them. So if I am inclined to make a strawberry recipe in the middle of winter, I am likely to skip the fresh and grab a few of the frozen kind. And I was very much inclined to make this recipe. In fact, from the moment I saw it, I knew I had to make it.
This, my friends, is my healthy low carb take on a gorgeous Strawberry Lemonade Cake I saw on the cover of Southern Living while visiting my parents in Florida. I hadn’t even opened the magazine to look at the details, I just held it up to my husband and said “I am going to make this”. His response: “No arguments from me!”. And I knew just exactly how I would make it too. I did actually refer to the article to see how the frosting was made. As I had hoped, it was cream cheese-based so I knew I could easily replicate it in low carb form. And let me tell you, it’s the frosting that made the cake, without question. The cake itself was good, but the frosting was absolutely divine. It wasn’t overly sweet and the lemon juice and zest gave it the perfect tang. I could have easily eaten a bowl of the frosting all by itself.
Low Carb Strawberry Lemonade Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup unflavoured whey protein powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅔ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener divided
- 1 cup frozen strawberries thawed and chopped, juices reserved
- OR 1 & ½ cups fresh strawberries chopped fine
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325F and grease three 9-inch cake pans well (line bottoms with parchment if you are worried about it sticking). You can also use 8-inch pans but your cakes will need to bake longer.
- In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein, and baking powder.
- In another large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Beat in granulated sweetener, lemon zest, and lemon extract until well combined.
- Beat in eggs, then half of almond flour mixture. Then beat in almond milk. Finally beat in remaining almond flour mixture.
- Divide batter between prepared baking pans and smooth the top with a knife or offset spatula. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan at least 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with ⅓ cup of the powdered sweetener until smooth. Beat in strawberries, lemon juice and lemon zest until combined.
- In another large bowl, beat whipping cream with remaining sweetener until stiff peaks form. Fold carefully into cream cheese until combined.
- To assemble the cake, place one layer on a serving platter and spread top with about ¼ of the frosting. Repeat with second and third layers, and then spread remaining frosting over sides of cake.
- Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
Cook’s Notes: Now, I will say that I recently bought some beautiful new round baking pans from USA Pans. They are amazingly non-stick but they are also 9 inches, instead of the old 8-inch pans I used to have. So my layers turned out lower and wider than I originally anticipated. In fact, I first only made enough batter for 2 layers and since I was bringing this to Easter brunch at some friends’ house, I felt it wouldn’t be enough. So I quickly whipped up batter for a 3rd layer. You could do this in 8-inch pans as well, but expect taller layers and longer baking time.
Jen says
This is such a fun flavor for summer! Love that I have eat it without any of the guilt.
Krissy Allori says
This looks so good! I love strawberry lemonade.
Michelle says
Have you ever used all coconut flour for this cake? I have an intolerance to the almond flour but this looks soooo yummy!!
Carolyn says
No but I think you could. This recipe for vanilla cupcakes uses all coconut flour and you could adapt it to be lemon flavoured. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/vanilla-bean-coconut-flour-cupcakes-and-teaching-children-about-kindness/
Sara Pomish says
Just put this cake in the oven using 3 9 inch pans. Wish I’d made more batter, I fear they’re going to be too thin.
Anna C. says
Does it matter if I leave out the whey protein powder? Thanks in advance!
Carolyn says
It does, because it helps it rise properly.
Janice says
Wow! Thanks for such a quick response! Went grocery shopping tonight to pick up a couple of the ingredients I didn’t have and I’m going to make it on the weekend. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks again.
Janice says
Just found this recipe and want to make it for my daughter’s birthday. Wanted to clarify the reserved juice from the frozen strawberries… do I use that when I make the frosting, or do you just mean to reserve it and use in something else? Thanks. Your recipes are some of my favourites, so hoping this cake turns out as good as yours!
Carolyn says
No, use the juice in the frosting. I just mean don’t let them drain in a colander and waste all that lovely juice!
Melissa says
Thanks Carolyn for sharing!
Looks Amazing! Am going to make this for my Father’s birthday next week!
Can I use powdered stevia here?
Any idea if I can use Strawberry Protein Powder (for shakes) for the strawberry frosting instead? I am hoping to make the frosting and keep it frozen; how many days can it last?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Powdered stevia would be fine in the cake but I am really not sure if the frosting will work with protein powder.
Aggie says
Could I use coconut cream instead of regular whipping cream in the frosting? Want to make for my birthday, but I am also dairy free. Can get by with a little cream cheese.
Carolyn says
Yes, I think you could. And Kite Hill makes a delightful almond milk cream cheese!
Susie Solis says
Ok this is the second recipe that I have commented on in all of internet land. I just had to say something about this cake. It is amazeballs. Like absolutely freaking delish! I made it for my birthday because I wanted some damn cake like normal people but didnt want to break my diet. This cake was moist and I couldn’t even tell it was grain free. The icing was light and fluffy and so sweet. Just perfection. Since its my birthday week and I can do what I want, I had a slice everyday for breakfast because life is too short to wait to have it after dinner. No regrets! Best cake ever!
Ps. All my friends loved it.
Carolyn says
I love comments like this and I am so flattered you took the time to write it!
Shayna says
How many cupcakes would this recipe make?
Carolyn says
Not positive but at least 12.
Alicea says
Making this tonight for the second time in two weeks!! It was such a hit at my sisters bridal shower she requested it for her friend bridal shower tomorrow. It is one of the tastiest cakes I’ve ever had.
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Denise says
Carolyn, thanks so much for this recipe. This cake turned out fabulously! I think this would be an excellent blank canvas cake that can easily be adapted with other flavours. With 8 inch pans, it really wasn’t necessary to add a third layer, so I’ve got a spare cake to boot!
Katy says
I made this for dessert on Easter, so good! The family liked it as well. The only thing I would do differently would be to make a double batch of frosting, so good! Thank you for sharing this with all of us! 🙂
Alexandria says
I made this cake for Easter. Neither the cake nor the icing were sweet. 🙁 I followed the recipe faithfully, except I did not add the strawberries. We threw the cake out.
Kate says
Made this for Easter. I reduced the recipe to 2/3 to fit a 9″x13″ pan. Baked at 325ºF for 22 minutes in my oven. I made the full amount of frosting, but had about a cup or so left over 😀 Absolutely delicious…and my grain and sugar eating relatives all loved it with many going back for seconds.
Carolyn says
So glad!
Sue says
Recipe looks so yummy. Your site is my go to always for desserts. Question on frosting, can I make this the day before and does this frosting freeze well?
Cynthia Litchfield says
Thank you for making this a printable recipe.
Joy says
woukd it be okay if I used vanilla protein powder?
Carolyn says
Yes but it will definitely have more vanilla flavour…you may need to up the lemon in the cake to get it to stand out a bit more.
BethH says
Looks like I’m going to have to try this one out. I’m not into chocolate and love love love lemon… thanks for the recipe.