Almond Flour Keto Lemon Cake Recipe

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This healthy keto lemon cake recipe is based on my popular keto chocolate cake… and it’s just as moist and decadent, with plenty of zing and fresh flavor. You might associate an almond flour lemon cake with a dense, dry cake, but this one is far from it. A few key ingredients make all the difference. And the result? Layers of fluffy sugar-free lemon cake, studded with lemon zest and topped with a lemon buttercream frosting. You’re going to love it!

What makes this the best keto lemon cake recipe? Besti sweetener! This blend of monk fruit and allulose makes a sweet, super moist cake, with no aftertaste. I use it for all my cakes now and it makes a huge difference in moisture and texture.

And, my Wholesome Yum Superfine Blanched Almond Flour makes the cake perfectly fluffy, not dense like some low carb cakes.

Keto Almond Lemon Cake Ingredients

This keto lemon cake recipe comes together with pretty basic low carb pantry staples, plus a few common items from the grocery store:

Low carb lemon cake ingredients

  • Butter – I prefer to use this grass-fed butter for best flavor and quality, but any unsalted kind will work. Be sure to soften the butter!
  • Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – A must for keto cakes, it makes them super moist and not dry! And of course, zero net carbs, sugar, or aftertaste.
  • Eggs – Use large eggs, not medium or jumbo.
  • Sour cream – Full-fat sour cream is best for keto and the best cake texture, but low-fat works too if that’s what you have.
  • Lemons – Look for a bright lemon that has a slight give to it when pressed.
  • Vanilla – Look for a high quality extract to make sure there aren’t any other added sugars.
  • Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – The superfine, blanched texture of my brand makes the lemon cake fluffy and not dense.
  • Baking powder – Make sure it’s fresh to avoid a dense cake.
  • Sea salt

Sugar-free lemon buttercream frosting ingredients

  • Butter – Same kind as above.
  • Lemons – We use both the juice and the zest in the frosting as well, but if you want your frosting ultra smooth, you can swap the lemon zest for lemon extract to taste.
  • Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – A powdered sweetener is crucial so that your frosting isn’t gritty, and this one has no aftertaste.
  • Heavy cream – This thins out the frosting to reach the right consistency. Almond milk will also work, but you’d need to use less.

Ingredient amounts are on the recipe card below.

Ingredients to make almond flour lemon cake

How To Make Keto Lemon Cake

  • Beat butter and Besti. In a large bowl, beat together Besti and butter, until fluffy.

Butter and sweetener whipped in a bowl

  • Beat in wet ingredients: eggs (one at a time!), sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.

TIP: Make sure your wet ingredients are at room temperature. This will keep the batter smooth.

Keto cake batter in glass bowl

Keto lemon cake batter in a glass bowl

  • Bake. Divide cake batter among 2 pans and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the top springs back and cool completely.

Sugar-free lemon cake batter in a pan before baking

  • Make frosting. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat butter and powdered Besti, until fluffy. Add the lemon juice and heavy cream and beat until smooth. If it’s too thick, add more cream as needed.

Keto lemon buttercream

  • Assemble. When cake layers are cooled, place one layer of cake onto cake stand and frost with 3/4 cup frosting. Place the second layer on top and frost with another 3/4 cup frosting. Frost the sides with remaining frosting.

TIP: If desired, decorate the top! I used twisted lemon slices and fresh mint leaves. You could also make additional frosting and pipe it onto the cake in patterns.

Keto lemon cake with buttercream frosting and decorations on top

Almond Flour Lemon Cake FAQs

How many carbs are in lemon cake?

Traditional lemon cake slices will have 50+ grams of carbohydrates. Because we’ve used almond flour and Besti sweeteners, this almond flour lemon cake has just 4.1 grams net carbs per slice!

Can I make it dairy-free?

You can make this cake dairy-free, but it will take a few adjustments:

  • Swap the butter for coconut oil.
  • Use dairy-free sour cream substitute. This is found at the grocery store, but note it does typically have more carbs. Alternatively, you could use coconut cream instead of the sour cream.
  • Use an alternative keto milk instead of heavy cream in the frosting. You may need a bit less if it’s thinner than heavy cream.

I haven’t personally tested these swaps in this recipe, but have done so in baking in the past, and it should work.

Can I use a different sweetener?

I highly recommend Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend for cakes, including this healthy almond flour lemon cake, because this sweetener makes them super moist and won’t crystallize if it sits.

However, allulose makes a very close substitute – it will have the same moist qualities. Another alternative is erythritol, which definitely makes a worse end result, but works okay if that’s all you can get. With both erythritol and allulose subs, use 30% more than the stated amount.

You’ll also need a powdered sweetener for the frosting. Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend is recommended, but you can also use powdered erythritol or powdered allulose.

Refer to my keto sweetener guide for conversions and differences among sweeteners.

Slice of almond flour lemon cake

Storage Instructions

Like most cakes, you can make this keto friendly lemon cake a couple of days in advance if needed.

Store covered at room temperature for about a day, or refrigerate for up to a week.

Can you freeze lemon cake made with almond flour?

Yes, you can freeze leftover sugar-free lemon cake for 2-3 months. Freeze uncovered first until the frosting solidifes, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil, to keep freezer burn at bay.

Another option would be to freeze individual pieces, but again, let them freeze uncovered before wrapping individually.

Almond flour lemon cake with lemon slices

More Keto Cake Recipes

If you like this low carb lemon cake with almond flour, you might also like some of these other keto cake recipes:

  • Keto Birthday Cake – One of the first keto cakes I made and still love. Simple vanilla flavor and yummy frosting!
  • Keto Red Velvet Cake – So luscious! This cake is naturally colored and ready in an hour.
  • Keto Angel Food Cake – The best light dessert! Made with almond flour and coconut flour, it’s light and fluffy.
  • Keto Lemon Pound Cake – Sweet, moist, and just 4 grams net carbs per slice.
  • Citrus Zester – Using a zester is the easiest and fastest way to get all the zest from lemons.
  • Hand Mixer – Mix up the cake and frosting with this easy-to-store mixer.
  • Springform Pans – You’ll need two pans for the two cake layers. I love springform pans for easy removal, and these are the perfect size.
  • Cake Stand – Put this cake on the stand… it’s easier to frost and makes it easy to display.
  • Icing Spatula – This simple little tool is the best way to get a smooth, even application of frosting on your cake.

Reader Favorite Recipes

The recipe card is below! Readers that made this also viewed these recipes:

Almond Flour Keto Lemon Cake Recipe

A moist, fluffy keto lemon cake recipe, with just 4g net carbs per slice! You’ll love the layers of sugar-free almond flour lemon cake + buttercream frosting.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 16 servings

Recipe Video

Click or tap on the image below to play the video. It’s the easiest way to learn how to make this recipe!

Ingredients

Click underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

Keto Sweeteners

Instructions

Get RECIPE TIPS in the post above, nutrition info + recipe notes below!

Click on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line the bottom of two 9″ round pans with parchment paper. (I prefer these springform pans for easy removal.)

  2. In a large bowl, beat together Besti and butter, until fluffy.

  3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla, if using.

  4. Beat in the almond flour, baking powder, and salt, until the batter is uniform.

  5. Divide the batter among the two pans and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the top springs back and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans, then run a knife along the sides and flip to release, or release the springform if using that type of pan.

  6. Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the butter and powdered Besti, until fluffy.

  7. Add the lemon juice, lemon juice, and heavy cream, and beat until smooth. If it’s too thick, add more cream as needed.

  8. When the cake layers are cooled, place one layer of cake onto a cake stand or platter. Frost the top with 3/4 cup frosting. Place the second layer on top and frost the top with another 3/4 cup frosting. Finally, frost the sides with the remaining frosting.

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/16 entire recipe

Video Showing How To Make Keto Lemon Cake:

Scroll up a bit to see the video for this recipe — it’s located directly above the ingredients list. It’s the easiest way to learn how to make Keto Lemon Cake!

Nutrition Information Per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 460

Fat 46.8g

Protein 7.6g

Total Carbs 6.8g

Net Carbs 4.1g

Fiber 2.7g

Sugar 1.7g

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List.

Net carb count excludes fiber, erythritol, and allulose, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. (Learn about net carbs here.) We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.

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Keto lemon cake recipe pin