Shop
My
Custom
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowAn easy keto pound cake might not be the first thing you envision when you picture keto dessert, but maybe you’ll do a double take after you try this one. 😉 My low carb pound cake takes just 10 minutes to prep, 7 ingredients, and has ALL the flavor of a classic pound cake. Serve almond flour pound cake with a touch of whipped cream and berries for a sweet summer dessert, or with coffee at breakfast – it’s healthy enough to do both!
I have a few cakes in my collection of almond flour recipes already, but realized that a keto pound cake was a big missing piece. Time to fix that!
I used my favorite monk fruit sweetener to keep it extra moist. It makes the perfect keto pound cake.
How To Make Keto Pound Cake
My low carb sugar-free pound cake takes just 10 minutes to prep! Here’s how we make it:
- Beat together butter and Besti using a hand mixer. It’s good to go when it’s nice and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Beat in vanilla. It might not be perfectly smooth, which is okay.
- Add dry ingredients. Lower the mixer speed and beat in almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Sprinkle (don’t dump!) xanthan gum over the batter and beat until just combined.
- Prepare for baking. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top, rounding slightly.
- Bake low carb almond pound cake. Start with 25-30 minutes, until golden, then tent the top with foil and bake for 20-30 more minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let bread cool. Allow the bread to cool completely before moving or slicing. You can use the edges of the parchment paper to transfer it to a cooling rack after 10-15 minutes out of the oven.
My Recipe Tips
- Use room-temperature eggs. If you don’t, the butter may solidify too much.
- Scrape the bowl with a spatula. This ensures you got all the ingredients incorporated.
- I round the top before baking, because keto pound cake doesn’t rise as much as the regular kind with wheat flour. But it will still rise some!
- Leave some room in your pan for the keto bundt cake to rise. If you have extra batter, you can easily make a few muffins to use up the remaining batter.
- Wet center or burnt top? This recipe uses a two-step bake: first until golden, then tent with foil and continue until a toothpick comes out clean. Skipping either step can lead to a soggy center or burned top.
- Cake wet in the middle? It needed more time in the oven. You can pop it back in if it hasn’t cooled yet.
- Burned on top? The foil needed to go on sooner. You can’t fix it, but the inside is usually still good—just skip the burnt part.
- Cracked top? Totally normal! Pound cakes (keto or not) often crack because the batter is dense. I think it looks pretty!
- Want to avoid cracks? Try a tube pan instead of a loaf pan. (See above for how to adjust the recipe.)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is it called pound cake? Traditionally, pound cake calls for a pound each of flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. I tweaked the amounts a bit for my keto version, since these ingredients work a little differently, to get a very close end result.
- Do you use baking powder? Traditional pound cake does not use any baking powder – the leavening comes from creaming the butter, beating the batter, and the eggs. However, since almond flour is already so dense to begin with and does not rise as easily as white flour, we do include baking powder in this low carb pound cake recipe. Trust me, you want it in there.
- Can I use a tube or bundt pan? Yes! I used a loaf pan, but both work well. For a 10″ tube pan, multiply the recipe by 2.5 (enter 30 servings on the card). For a 10″ bundt pan, double it (enter 24 servings). Baking time may vary based on pan shape and material.
- What kind of almond flour is okay to 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 result is a more grainy result.
- Can you use coconut flour? No, sorry. You’d need to make multiple other changes for the recipe to work. If you’re looking for something with coconut flour, try coconut flour blueberry muffins instead, or one of my other coconut flour recipes.
- Can I use a different sweetener? I highly recommend monk fruit allulose blend for the moistest sugar-free pound cake. If you don’t have it, my article on keto friendly sugar substitutes has some other options. Just know that the moisture and texture will be different if you use something else.
- Can you make almond flour pound cake dairy-free? Yes, swap out the butter for your favorite vegan butter alternative. (Check the labels on these to see if you’re okay with what they use instead.) You could use coconut oil, but this almond flour pound cake tastes best with butter flavor! While I haven’t tried it in this keto pound cake recipe, I’ve have had success with butter-flavored coconut oil for other recipes.
More Low Carb Keto Cake Recipes
If you like this keto almond flour pound cake, you might also like some of these other cakes:
- Keto Red Velvet Cake – This gorgeous cake is sure to impress – whether you’re keto or not!
- Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake – One of the first keto pound cakes I’ve made, and still one of my faves. This one is in a bundt pan.
- Keto Chocolate Cake – So rich and moist, and made with my favorite keto chocolate frosting.
- Keto Carrot Cake – The perfect spring cake for special occasions… or any day. 😉
Tools I Use For This Recipe
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Just two natural ingredients that taste and act like sugar. It’s the key to a super moist sugar-free pound cake.
- Hand Mixer – I love that this hand mixer can be stored all together – no more searching for missing pieces.
- Small Loaf Pan – This pan is the perfect size for this almond flour pound cake recipe, plus it never sticks. Many other loaf pans are actually too large.
Keto Pound Cake (Easy, Sweet, Buttery)
By
This easy low carb keto pound cake recipe with almond flour is moist, rich and buttery, with just 3g net carbs per slice and 7 ingredients.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line an 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, so that the paper hangs over the 2 long sides.
-
In a large, deep bowl, use a hand mixer at high speed to beat the butter and Besti together, until fluffy.
-
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
-
Lower the mixer speed to medium-low. Beat in the almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt. If using xanthan gum, sprinkle (don’t dump) it evenly over the batter and beat in at low speed until just combined.
-
Scrape the sides of the bowl. The batter will be thick and creamy. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and smooth the top, rounding slightly.
-
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Tent the top with foil, then continue baking for 20-30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan before moving or slicing.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya's Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice (between 1/2" and 3/4" thick), or 1/12 entire loaf
- Store: Keep it in an airtight container on the counter for 2–3 days, or wrap it up and refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freeze: Freeze slices (wrapped individually) for up to 6 months so you can grab one anytime. Or freeze the whole cake—it makes a great gift, so go ahead and double or triple the batch! 😉
- Thaw: Let it thaw while still wrapped, either in the fridge or on the counter.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We'd LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
The Best Low Carb Keto Pound Cake Recipe
134 Comments
Zoe
3I used this recipe as a base for my sugar free strawberry shortcake. It was perfect! My boyfriend was just recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, so our style of baking has changed to mostly sugar free and grain free. Maya’s recipes have been fabulous!💕
Wholesome Yum D
1I’m so glad my recipes have been helpful for you and your boyfriend, Zoe! Love that you turned this into a strawberry shortcake, sounds delicious.
Erica
2Very moist, no bad after taste. I made it for my brother who is type 1 diabetic he said it was great! My son and mom tried it and said it was just like eating a piece of cake that isn’t sugar free. I will be modifying but only adding fruit or chocolate chips, etc when I make more loaves. I usually have to try lots of recipes in order for them to turn out right especially with sugar free but this was the first recipe I found and I will not be looking for another. This one’s a keeper!
Wholesome Yum D
1I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Erica! It means so much to hear your brother, son, and mom all loved it, especially that it tasted just like a traditional cake. I love your idea of adding fruit or chocolate chips for different variations. I’m honored this recipe was a winner on the first try, and I hope you keep enjoying it!
LaurieJune
2I made this cake for a special friend’s birthday party. I did a test cake first to see how it turned out and it’s SO GOOD! I added lemon extract because I want to bring a spring feeling and I’m serving it with fruit and whipped cream. I’ve been serving up desserts from Wholesome Yum to my small group for years. Everyone is astonished when they find out there’s no sugar or wheat flour, as they reach out for seconds. This is my first review but not my first recipe. The ones I’ve found on Wholesome Yum are hands and feet down the very best.
Wholesome Yum D
0LaurieJune, this made my day…thank you so much for sharing this! Serving it with fruit and whipped cream sounds absolutely perfect. 😊 I’m especially honored you chose this as your first review.
Lili
2This is one of the first recipes l tried. I’m always on the search for the pound cake like my Belgium grandmother made. The last time I saw her was in the mid eighties. I left on the train back to Paris with her carefully packed pound cake which smelled heavenly.
Your recipe came very close, thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
1Awww, what a lovely memory, Lili! Thank you for sharing. I’m so honored that my recipe helped recreate that memory for you.
Liz
2Excellent taste. Topped with sugar free whip cream and a few berries.
Lili
2Turned out great! Delicious! Sharing it.
Teresa
2Just made this recipe and I have to tell you it turned out very good!! I made a few changes based on previews comments, about reducing the butter, and I’m gald I did, because it was already very oily (which I like!!!) but with all the butter with would’ve been too much! I understand this is a pound cake, and it does taste amazing with half the butter the recipe calls for! (I used 150g of butter) Thank you for this recipe, it will be my go to for when I’m craving cake!
Jenn
0Hello! If I wanted to add frozen raspberries to this, would it make it too mushy? If not, what amount would you suggest?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jenn, I think frozen raspberries would make the cake more wet, blueberries might work better. If you do want to try raspberries, I would definitely add them while still frozen – do not let them thaw at all. Let me know how it goes if you try!
Nicole
0Hi! Can I use maple syrup in place of the monk fruit? I don’t need keto per se, but I don’t want refined sugars.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Nicole, No, sorry, it’s never a good idea to replace granulated sweeteners with liquid ones in recipes. It would throw off the ratio of the batter. I do have an almond flour banana bread that uses honey and bananas to sweeten, and you should be able to use maple syrup instead of honey if you prefer.
Bob
0New to Keto baking and not much of a baker to start with. Not strict keto but trying for lower carbs and sugar to minimize impact on diabetes,
Tried this Keto Pound Cake because it sounded relatively simple and that is what we need. Used all recommended ingredients and cooking times as listed.
The cake looks great but is kind of bland and oily. Very dense and moist.
I suspect several problems in my preparation:
– butter was probably not softened enough?
– not sure eggs were to room temperature?
– probably did not cream the butter and sugar properly
– and from reading other comments, I suspect that overmixing might be an issue as well?
As to flavor – seems like increasing the amount of vanilla extract might be a help here?
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bob, Sorry to hear your cake didn’t turn out as expected. It’s a pound cake, so it’s normal for it to be fairly dense and buttery, but it shouldn’t be oily or SUPER dense. Was your baking powder fresh? Other than that, the problems you listed are probably the reasons for the other issues. Regarding the vanilla, the quality matters in the flavor and I love this brand, but you can try adding more next time if yours is weaker.
MissyWynn
0I made this keto pound cake today 5/16/2024, I added two tablespoons of bamboo fiber and 3 extra tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener. it was easy to make and the flavor was good. I tented at the beginning, half-way through, I removed the tent and just covered the edges with the same foil, so they wouldn’t get too brown. The cake browned beautifully all the way through and didn’t crack. But the cake was way too oily as the previous commenters stated. I think that the almond flour also has oil in it, and that contributed to the oiliness of the cake as opposed to wheat flour, which does not have additional oil. This is going to be my go to cake. Next time, I will only use one stick or 1/2 cup of butter, I’ll post when I make it again…MissyWynn.
Melanie Gondo
0I’ve been making this pound cake for over 9 months and it’s the perfect cake to crush my sweet tooth. I don’t use as much butter as I found it very oilly but other than that it my go to. It very easy to make and as someone who does keto, the ingredients are a staple in my cupboard. This recipe is a must have for anyone who misses cakes. Really good recipe.
Magid Shirzadegan
0Do you have recipe doe a keto Marble Cake? Thanks!!!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Magid, I don’t have a marble cake recipe, but I do have a chocolate cake and vanilla cake recipe.
Rabbitman
0There’s way too much butter in the recipe came out kind of like a Jell-O cake that was undercooked. My oven works perfectly I do believe the butter needs to be adjusted?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, Pound cake is a butter heavy recipe, so I don’t recommend changing the amount.
Kenna
0I won’t use almond flour because all my baking turns out greasy & oily from it. I think I’ll try the new tiger nut flour that’s out. I use monk fruit sweetener but the almond flour just makes everything oily & taste oily.
jeb
0Since the xantham gum must be distributed so carefully, is it possible to blend it with the flour first?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jeb, I have never tried that method.
luca
01 cup of butter is way too much, a couple of tbsp is enough.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
1Hi Luca, Pound cake recipes always have a lot of butter. A cake with just a couple tablespoons of butter would need other changes and would be a completely different kind of cake.
Marilyn D
0Thank you for this recipe. It’s easy to make and the cake taste good.
shannon jackson
0Can this be made in a kitchenaide stand mixer?
Wholesome Yum D
1Hi Shannon, Yes, you could use a stand mixer.
Linda Smith
0I’m afraid my cake didn’t turn out very well… it seemed very oily and even though I tented it half way thru, it got really brown on the ends. The only thing I did different was use just allulose that I had on hand instead of the blend… it also wasn’t sweet enough… don’t know if it was because I didn’t use the blend, but used the same amount. Ended up throwing it out… I’ll probably try it again in the future to see if it turns out better.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Linda, Allulose is not as sweet as Besti Monkfruit Allulose Blend. You will need to add more allulose to get the same results. You can use my keto sweeteners guide to get more info on this topic.
Kisha
0This is a great recipe. I have used it a few times now. I was using a different recipe for a while but I think this one yields more cake and I like how it actually has more butter like traditional pound cake. I used monkfruit sweetener and only used a 1/2 cup. It’s perfect for me! Thank you!