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My 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.
Keto Bundt Cake FAQs
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 you make pound cake with 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 you make lemon poppy seed bundt cake with 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 particular low carb lemon pound cake recipe I’m sharing is made in this 12-cup bundt pan. They call it a fluted tube pan.
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.
Low Carb Lemon Pound Cake Storage Instructions
Can you make it ahead?
Yes, you can! It’s one of the reasons that keto lemon pound cake with almond flour is perfect for special occasions. It’s large enough to feed a crowd, convenient to make in advance, and looks impressive without a lot of work.
How to store keto lemon pound cake
Store this keto lemon poppy seed pound cake gluten-free bundt cake in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you’re making it for an occasion, it’s best to put on the glaze fresh (the day-of), but for leftovers it’ll be fine even if the glaze is already on it.
Can you freeze low carb keto pound cake?
Yes, you can freeze the keto friendly lemon pound cake for 2-3 months. Thaw it in the fridge before serving. Reheating works okay, but the glaze will soak into the cake.
When I first tested this keto pound cake recipe, I didn’t have a specific occasion for it. So, I sliced it and stuck it in the freezer. Now, I take out a couple slices at a time, put them in the fridge, and have a yummy breakfast to enjoy with my bulletproof coffee in the morning.
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 Recipe
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.
Recipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
Lemon Glaze
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease a bundt pan 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.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our free low carb support group, too - I'd love to see it!
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/16 of entire recipe
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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225 Comments
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.
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?
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.
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, A 9in bundt pan.
Janel
0Can this be made without poppyseed?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Janel, Yes, you can omit the poppy seeds.