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Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowMy classic keto pound cake recipe is one of my most popular keto dessert recipes. But this lemon poppy seed version? It’s definitely a solid rival. Instead of a loaf like the original, I made this one into a keto lemon bundt cake instead. Not only does this easy keto lemon pound cake with almond flour look impressive on a cake stand, it’s moist and delicious (much like lemon blueberry zucchini bread!) and takes only 15 minutes of prep time.
Once the lemon poppy seed bundt cake comes out of the oven (and it’s had time to cool!), it’s topped with a bright and sweet lemon glaze.
This low carb lemon pound cake recipe was originally published on March 17, 2018, and the post was republished in September 2020 to add useful tips.
I first made this keto bundt cake with almond flour for my daughter’s 3rd birthday a couple of years ago. It was such a hit with everyone that I’ve made it again and again since then – and I bet you will too, once you try it!
If you prefer a more traditional cake with frosting, make my keto lemon cake recipe here.
How To Make Keto Lemon Pound Cake
Let’s make lemon poppy seed bundt cake!
- Prep bundt pan. Grease the bundt pan well.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together butter and Besti, until fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, lemon extract, and vanilla extract.
- Mix dry ingredients. In another bowl, stir together almond flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and sea salt.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Beat the dry ingredients into wet ones, 1 cup at a time.
- Bake lemon poppy seed bundt cake. Transfer batter to the pan and smooth the top. Bake until the top is golden brown, then loosely cover with foil and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
- Glaze. Whisk together Besti Powdered, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Drizzle glaze over your lemon poppy seed bundt cake and enjoy!
TIP: You can adjust the consistency of the glaze as needed. Just add more lemon juice if it’s too thick, or more sweetener if it’s too thin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of almond flour should I use?
It’s important to use super fine blanched almond flour for this keto pound cake recipe. Do not use almond meal or a coarse almond flour – both of these would yield a more grainy result.
Can I use coconut flour?
No, sorry, this gluten-free lemon poppy seed bundt cake recipe is designed to be with almond flour. Coconut flour won’t work. If you can’t have almond flour, you might want to try my coconut flour muffins and add some lemon zest or extract to them.
If you have a nut allergy, you could try sunflower seed flour, which would have a different flavor but could still work.
Can I use a different sweetener?
Yes, you can, as long as it’s the right kind. You definitely need granulated and powdered, respectively, for the right consistencies in the cake and filling.
I originally made this keto lemon pound cake with granulated erythritol for the cake and powdered erythritol for the glaze, but I now prefer Besti for the cake, which makes it more moist than other sweeteners, and Powdered Besti for the glaze, which makes it smoother and not gritty.
What is the difference between a pound cake and a bundt cake?
Technically, any cake made in a bundt pan is a bundt cake. But in most cases, the type of cake most often made in a bundt pan are pound cakes.
You can expect a gluten-free pound cake or bundt cake to have a moist, dense texture. Assuming that, the pan itself leads to two main differences:
- Moisture is especially important in a gluten-free bundt cake, because there is more surface area than a traditional loaf pan or cake pan. So, a moist batter ensures that it isn’t dry. The good news? Making pound cake in a bundt pan means you get more delicious crusty edges!
- Baking time varies depending on your pan. Shallower pans require less time in the oven, deeper ones mean longer baking time. I used a bundt pan, but will offer options below if you want to use some other type.
What kind of pan should I use?
The exact pan I used for this low carb lemon pound cake recipe is no longer available, but it’s pretty much identical in dimensions and volume to this 12-cup bundt pan. That’s the size I recommend.
A bundt pan is a certain type of tube pan. There are others that have flat, vertical sides, and typically larger capacity. These regular tube pans are best for a keto angel food cake, but would be too large for this keto bundt cake recipe.
If you don’t have a bundt pan, you can use two small rectangular loaf pans, two round cake pans, or a single 9×13 pan. The smaller pans will require reducing baking time, and the large 9×13 pan will require more time.
More Keto Cake Recipes
If you love this keto bundt cake recipe, you might also like some of these other keto cake recipes:
- Vanilla Keto Birthday Cake – No one can ever tell that this rich and flavorful cake is also low carb and keto!
- Kentucky Butter Cake – Moist and buttery pound cake with a butter glaze.
- Low Carb Sugar-Free Carrot Cake – Surprisingly easy, and gluten-free and sugar-free, so perfect for almost everyone.
- Classic Keto Cheesecake – The most popular dessert on the blog! Just 10 minutes to prep and tastes like the real thing!
- Keto Chocolate Cake – Perfect for Valentine’s Day, a birthday, or just because.
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.Tools To Make Low Carb Bundt Cake
- Hand mixer – I actually prefer this over a stand mixer! Use it to cream butter and sweetener for this pound cake recipe with almond flour.
- Bundt pan – A bundt pan is a must for this keto lemon pound cake recipe!
- Cooling rack – This rack helps the pound cake with almond flour cool evenly. This one is oven-safe, so you can also use it for making super crispy bacon wrapped asparagus, too.
Keto Lemon Pound Cake (Bundt Cake)
Easy keto lemon pound cake with almond flour is moist and sweet - you won't believe it has 4g net carbs per slice! Plus, low carb keto lemon poppy seed bundt cake takes only 15 minutes to prep.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
Lemon Glaze
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease a bundt pan (this is the perfect size for this recipe) and set aside.
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In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and Besti, until fluffy.
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Beat in the eggs, sour cream, lemon extract and vanilla extract.
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In another bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and sea salt. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet, about a cup at a time.
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Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is dark golden brown. Cover loosely with foil and continue baking for 20-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
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To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered Besti, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Drizzle over the cake.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Maya's Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/16 of entire recipe
- Store: Keep in the fridge for up to a week. For the freshest taste, add the glaze the day you serve, but leftovers are great even with it on.
- Meal Prep: This cake is perfect for special occasions—feeds a crowd, looks impressive, and you can make it ahead!
- Freeze: Freeze for 2-3 months and thaw in the fridge. Reheating works, but the glaze will soak in. I like freezing slices and pulling out a couple at a time for an easy breakfast with my bulletproof coffee!
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Low Carb Holiday Cookbook!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Keto Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
254 Comments
Carol L
0Actually, I just did a search, and bundt pans are NOT measured by inches, but by CUPS and you find the size by filling it with water and measuring the CUPS. Could you please change (or add) the CUP size of your bundt pan? This might be why some are having issues with the extra time baking…..
Carol L
0Could you tell me how to measure a bundt pan? Not sure what size mine is…thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carol, The one I used doesn’t seem to be available anymore but it’s the same size as this one.
Sandra Vendetti
0Omg the batter its self is so good I could have just ate it alone to satisfy my sweet tooth. I am backing these in individual bunt cake molds so excited to see how they come out! Thank you for the recipe.
Wholesome Yum D
0Love that, Sandra! Those individual bundt cakes are such a fun idea!
Lynn
0Love this, easy to make, flavor is just right. Will be the family favorite, especially in the summer.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Lynn! Yes, the lemon flavor is perfect for summer.
Barbara Barstad
0Great cake. I really like this recipe. Just wish I could get the glaze to be a bit thicker without adding more sweetener. I came across this recipe in 2019 when it was still using erythritol. Do you have any alternative suggestion to thicken the glaze?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you like it, Barbara! You can add more sweetener to make the glaze as thick as you like, but since you mentioned not wanting to do that, another option would be to blend it with a little bit of softened cream cheese.
Jennifer Reese
0How do you keep it from being dry and crumbly? My batter seems thick when I put it in the pan, how do I make it thinner?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jennifer, This batter should be thick and be scooped into the pan.
Kris
0Want to add on, in case this is the problem for others, I used a monk fruit and erythritol blend, because I cannot tolerate allulose. Using allulose may keep it wet longer. ?
Kris
0I used a Bundt pan, and my cake was done at the 40 minute mark. Baking another 20 mins covered would have been a disaster. I am glad I tested it at that point. Flavor is delicious. Four stars since the baking directions seem to be a major issue for many.
Tom Laskowski
0I made the Bundt cake I bake it for 40 minutes and covered it for 20 minutes and it came out burnt!
Carol L
0Could be because you didn’t use a 12 cup bundt pan. Different sizes of bundt pans require different baking times.
Bundt pans are sized according to amount of cups of water they hold. She mentioned it was a 12 cup bundt pan.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carol, That’s correct, you need a 12-cup pan. Thanks for mentioning this!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Tom, Sorry this recipe didn’t meet your expectations. Did you follow the recipe as written?
JSF
0Replacement:
Used McCormick Lemon Extract (2 tsp)/Used Loaf Pan/Used Lakanto sugar/powdered sugar
Came out very greasy (too much butter?). The taste was chemical-like from the lemon extract and the glaze was too sour. I had to throw out the entire cake as it was uneatable from that chemical like taste. The lemon extract was over a year old, but these extract should be good for couple of years. It was disappointing as I was looking forward to it. But wasting all that ingredients make me hesitant to retry.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, Your issues most likely stem from not using the recommended ingredients. I suggest using the recommended products to get a better result.
Mary Borntreger
0Your link for lemon extract takes me to dill pickles. I really want to know your brand. I have made this before and my extract was too much alcohol flavor.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Mary, Here is the lemon extract I recommend.
Patricia
0Wouldn’t unmold, broke in half, seemed overbaked, not sure what happened. But tasted good.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Patricia, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. Did you grease the bundt pan well?
Jackie B. Vaughan
0The inside of the cake and the frosting were great. I cooked it a few minutes less than the directions said to both before the additional foil and after and the outside of the cake was very dark and not tasty. I cooked it at 350 per directions. I used canola spray in the pan. I don’t know why it was so dark brown. My oven is less than 3 years old so I don’t get it.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jackie, I suggest covering with foil earlier in the baking process.
Teri
0I made muffins after seeing your email (showing someone made muffins from your recipe). We LOVE poppyseed, so I added 2 more tablespoons!❤️ BUT, they are a bit tooo greasy for me, so next time, I’ll cut back on the butter a bit. Nice recipe!
patash
0How much Swerve should I use to replace the Besti?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Patash, I can’t guarantee the results will be the same if you use a different sweetener, but if you do use a different sweetener you can use my Keto Sweetener Guide to get the correct amount.
Toni
0How long should this be cooked in a 9 x 13 pan?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Toni, I don’t have an exact time for a 9×13 because I tested this recipe in a bundt pan, but you will have to increase the bake time.
Sherry
0Hi! Love your recipes! I made the Keto Cheesecake and it was amazing! Thank you. Question: Is there a substitution chart or guide for using ground psyllium husk or ground flaxseed as a thickener instead of xanthan gum? Thanks so much.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sherry, I do not currently have a conversion chart for psyllium husk or flaxseed.
Jackie
0I really want to make this recipe, but I can’t have dairy. Is it possible to make it dairy free?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jackie, You could use dairy-free alternatives for the butter and sour cream.
Ana E.
0I’m on the same boat! I’ve been using Lactose free for most recipes that call for butter/sour cream and it has turned out great! Including this recipe!
Cheryl Albanese
0Amazing, I used almond flavoring instead of vanilla and put lemon zest and lemon cello in cake batter.
Karen
0Love this recipe. It was easy and so tasty!
Mary Schneider
0Great recipe one of my favorite cakes. Just made it for the third time
I found I needed to grease and Flour the pan to avoid sticking.
Danielle Fields
0Could I substitute the erythritol for your monkfruit alluose blend? Would it be the same amount?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Danielle, You can use my Keto Sweetener Guide to get the correct conversion.
Sandy
0Should I store it in the fridge until ready to serve next day?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sandy, Yes this should be stored in the refrigerator.
Sherry
0Why does the cake use lemon flavoring instead of zest and juice?
Colleen
0Yummy but I followed directions and cooked covered longer. Next time 40 min and it’s coming out. The flavor still is good just a browner crumb. Directions should be to temp cake at 40 then decide to be done or cook longer
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Colleen, Sorry to hear yours browned too much. It could be that you used a larger pan than mine, which would cause the cake to be less tall and bake faster, or possibly your oven bakes differently. Yes, I always recommend checking on foods as every oven is different. I’m glad it still tasted good!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sherry, I find the extract gives more of a bold lemon flavor.
Karen
0Hi there, would this work in a loaf tin instead of a bundt tin? thanks!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Karen, Yes, that would work.
Jaine
0I only had 2/3 c of sour cream so amended with a little Two Good vanilla yogurt. It came out beautifully. Delicious and easy. I didn’t need to cook it the extra 20 minutes.
C
0Lactose free – can I use lactose free cream? It’s not as thick? Can’t get lactose free sour cream in London.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi C, Yes you could use lactose free cream.
Lynn
0Hi Maya, Could a silicone bundt pan, be used for this recipe? Thanks so much!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lynn, Yes you can use a silicone pan.
B. Kennedy
0Great recipe! I used Olive Nation lemon emulsion instead of lemon extract. The taste is wonderful.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you! Enjoy!
Lauren
0Is the batter supposed to be pourable like a traditional cake?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lauren, The batter for the pound cake is thicker, you can watch the video at the top of the recipe card for reference.
Rosina Villella
0What size bundt pan, please?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Rosina, I used a bundt pan this size.
Carol L
0Bundt pans are NOT measured by inches. They are measured by CUPS. How many cups of water they hold. Many bundt pans only give the size in inches, but that can be totally misleading, a taller, narrower pan may only have 9 cups whereas a shorter one may hold 10. The difference is in the baking time and would result in a burnt cake or undone cake.
Janel
0Can this be made without poppyseed?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Janel, Yes, you can omit the poppy seeds.
Erica
0I love this recipe. My cake turned out perfectly. I have made it a few times and sometimes replace some of the butter with avocado – it still tastes amazing. I’ve also experimented with replacing the sour cream with yogurt – works too but changes the texture a bit.
LaWanda
0Is it possible to cut the recipe in half? I want to make this in my DASH mini bundt pan, but I do not want a lot of extra cakes. Thanks.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi LaWanda, Yes, you can halve the recipe. Change the number of servings on the recipe card to adjust.
Marlene
0Excellent… I made this for our craft ladies’ Christmas coffee and it was a huge hit. ❤ Question … can you leave out the poppyseeds or is there a substitute.? My daughter can’t handle poppyseeds.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Marlene, You can omit the poppy seeds.
Lisa
0Can allulose be used in place of Erythritol?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lisa, Yes, absolutely! I actually prefer Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend for this recipe now; if you use that instead of erythritol, use 2/3 the amount compared to the amount of erythritol.
Jessica
0You really outdid yourself with this one! So so good! I baked mine for an hour in 2 bread tins and used 2 tsp lemon extract since it was a different kind than yours.
Teresa
0Would it tastes equally as good if I didn’t use the poppy seeds? I worry about using poppy seeds and then my husband having a drug test at work and failing it. I don’t know how much poppy seeds you’d need to eat before failing a test but don’t really want to find out either! LOL
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Teresa, You can omit the poppy seeds in this recipe.
Joan
0Can this be made in a different pan if you don’t have a bundt one?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Joan, Yes, this cake will still turn out nicely in a round cake pan. Just be aware of the size of pan you are using, if it’s a small cake round, then you may need to split your cake batter into 2 layers.
Wholesome Yum A
0Made this today for the second time. It’s absolutely delicious! Great recipe. No one could tell it was keto.
Marcia Ohler
0Very good. Served with whipping cream and berries. We all had a second serving!
Cristina
0Verry tasty…. and guilt free, thank you!
Sharon Reum
0I just ordered the ingredients from amazon.com and I must say that I absolutely love this cake. Someone at my church made it last year for a women’s tea and everyone was raving about it. I couldn’t believe that it was gluten and sugar free. Anyway, I finally bought the ingredients to make it myself and am so glad I did. I like to put fresh strawberries and blueberries around the bottom of the plate for a lovely garnish that people can also eat. The cake is a bit pricey at $52.00 but certainly worth it if you have someone in your family that cannot have gluten or sugar. I will only be making this once or twice a year and there are enough ingredients to make the cake more than once. You must try making this recipe for someone you love and believe me, they will love it!
Janet
0You can make this delicious cake for way less than $52. I get erythritol at my supermarket on sale and almond flour at Walmart. The Walmart flour is not as refined as premium brands but worked just fine with this recipe. The cake might have been lighter with another brand, but we loved it the way it turned out. I’m pretty sure it cost me between $10-12. And the other person who thought 3 T of poppy seed was too much–well, I thought it was barely enough. This cake was absolutely delicious! Thanks, Maya.
Lisa
0My cake was quite brown at 20 minutes, so loosely covered with foil. Set timer for another 20 minutes to check on it. What internal temp should it be when done, since we can’t go by how it looks?
Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lisa, Browning can vary depending on the pan you use, and it’s fine to cover with foil if it’s not done yet. Use a toothpick to check if it’s done – it’s ready when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Hope this helps!
Vicky
0This is a wonderful recipe. My mom says it’s one of her favorites.
Debi
0I followed the recipe word for word, even used suggested brands for the flour and sugar. Cake was dry and crumbly. The cake did not rise as other bundt cakes. Lastly, 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds is way too much… all seeds no cake.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Debi, Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as expected. This cake shouldn’t be dry. Did you make any substitutions?
Cathy Aitmoussa
0was great , hubby kept taking more little slices. wonderful lemon taste . I had two small slices, yummy. Is there anyway to make it fluffier, it only came to be half the bundt pan,
Maybe my pan is larger, maybe could I add more baking powder?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Cathy, I wouldn’t add more baking powder. Using too much may give you cake a bitter aftertaste and could possibly cause the cake to collapse in the middle. If you prefer, you can bake this cake in a cake round or square pan and skip the bundt pan.
James
0I up the recipe to 1and a half times the ingredients rises all the way to top and makes a whole bundt cake ..takes 5 to 6 more minutes baking time ..cake is delicious
Amanda S.
0This sounds incredible! Can I use egg replacer?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Amanda, I have not personally tested this recipe with egg replacer, although, it should work.
Dana
0Looks amazing but I don’t like erythritol. Can I use a monk fruit/stevia blend or just monk fruit instead? Also, I don’t have poppy seeds. Can I omit them?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Dana, I have not tried this recipe with a different sweetener. It would likely need the bulk from the sweetener for the recipe to work, so maybe a baking stevia blend could be used. Here is a handy sweetener calculator to help you determine the amount you would need when subbing for a different type of sweetener. Oh, and yes, you can omit the poppy seeds if you don’t have any on hand.
Tiffany
0I made this last year as a cake and we loved it. This Christmas I was thinking of trying it as muffins; anyone tried this???
J
0I prefer to make this as muffins. It is a wonderful recipe! I bake mine ~20 minutes, then cover with a foil sheet and bake an additional ~10 minutes or so. They freeze well.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tiffany, So glad you loved it! A muffin pan should work just fine.
Joan Ben David
0Hi! I don’t have lemon extract on hand, would it be possible to just use fresh lemon juice and zest? If yes, how much should I use? Excited to try this for my mom’s bday tomorrow.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Joan, Yes, but your flavor may not be as predominant. I would start with the 2 tablespoons of juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and then adjust from there to taste.
Gloria Canchola
0I love this cake have made it so many times the only thing is that it sometimes get stuck to the bundt pan.
If I don’t put the glaze how many carbs would the cake itself be?
Lena Farrow
0I sprinkle flour in the pan lightly over the grease and it comes out perfectly
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Gloria, I am so glad you love this recipe! Be sure to grease well, as a bundt cake does tend to stick in those creases in the pan. I am not sure exactly how much the glaze would change the overall carb count. Feel free to enter the recipe into an online recipe calculator (minus the glaze ingredients) to get an accurate updated carb count.