Easy Peezy Keto Lemon Pound Cake

Introduction

A pound cake is supposed to be dense. Close-grained and buttery, a slice that holds its shape when you pick it up rather than crumbling apart. That is the texture this one is after.

Almond flour and a sugar substitute stand in for the flour and sugar a pound cake normally runs on. And then there is the glaze — powdered sweetener, lemon extract and a splash of almond milk, drizzled over the loaf once it has cooled.

If lemon is your thing, this is the one to make. A third of a cup of zest goes into the batter — three or four lemons’ worth — so it comes out of the pan smelling like it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Make This Keto Lemon Pound Cake Into Cupcakes?

Nothing about the batter rules it out — it is poured, not spooned, so a lined muffin tin takes it as readily as a loaf pan does.

What changes with the pan is time in the oven, and that is the part you will have to judge. A muffin cup holds a fraction of what a 9x5 loaf does, so they will be done well before the 60–65 minutes a loaf takes. We have not worked out a cupcake time, so start checking early and go by the toothpick: into the center, and out clean.

How To Make Keto Lemon Glaze

The glaze is lemon extract, a powdered sugar alternative and almond milk. The sweetener needs to be the powdered kind rather than granulated — that is what dissolves into a glaze instead of staying gritty. Lakanto’s powdered monk fruit is the one this is built on. Our guide to choosing a monk fruit sweetener covers why the powdered and granulated versions are not interchangeable here.

Pro Tip: Make as much or as little as you want — how heavily you glaze a cake is a matter of taste. Loosen it with a little more almond milk if it is too thick to drizzle, or more powdered sweetener if it runs straight off. Those are the two things already in it — there is no lemon juice in this glaze, so almond milk is the liquid to thin it with.

If you would rather have a non-lemon icing, give this Dairy Free Keto Icing a try!

Does The Keto Lemon Pound Cake Need To Be Refrigerated?

It does not have to go straight into the fridge. Past the day you bake it, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it within three days.

Can I Freeze This Lemon Pound Cake For Later?

It freezes. Wrap it well and thaw it in the fridge. In a freezer held at 0°F it stays safe indefinitely, though the quality slowly drops. We do not have a reliable answer on how long this loaf stays at its best in there.

The glaze goes on a cake that has cooled completely — that is the only point in the method where it is applied. Whether it survives being frozen already glazed is not something we have tried.

What Kind of Almond Flour Should I Use?

This loaf is written for super-fine blanched almond flour, and coarser grinds are not interchangeable with it by volume. We have not worked out an almond-meal version of it.

What matters is the grind rather than the brand: look for one sold as super fine and blanched, which means the skins are off and it has been milled fine enough to behave like a cake flour here. Four cups of it go into this loaf, so it is doing the structural work.

Wrap Up

That is the whole of it — one loaf, one bowl of glaze, and a kitchen that smells of lemon for the rest of the afternoon.

Have you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog? Please rate it below and let us know your thoughts in the comments! We love hearing from you!