This easy lemon-raspberry bundt cake is so moist and fluffy, you won’t believe it’s a sugar-free, gluten-free almond flour cake, with only 3g net carbs per slice. It’s made with fresh, juicy berries and drizzled with a sweet, creamy glaze – perfect for breakfast, brunch or as a show stopping keto-friendly dessert.
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Who doesn’t feel so proud of themselves when they bake a cake from scratch? Yes, I’m raising my hand. If you’re looking for a fancy cake without a lot of fuss, this is for you. Bundt cakes are such an easy dessert to make and this one is a total showstopper. It’s full of refreshing flavors baked into a rich, yet fluffy pound cake. Once this lemon raspberry cake comes out of the oven and cools, it’s topped with my keto-friendly Sugar-free Icing and Glaze. Like my Strawberry Clafoutis, it’s a perfect potluck or picnic recipe to feed a crowd or to have an easy holiday dessert. And, it’s delicious served with Sugar-free Whipped Cream!
This recipe is one of my favorite low-FODMAP desserts next to my Chocolate Almond Flour Mug Cake. It’s a low-FODMAP cake made with almond flour and just a hint of bright lemon flavor. Looking for more dessert recipe inspiration? Be sure to stop by my Desserts category.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Perfect keto dessert recipe – with only 3g net carbs per slice
- An elegant treat – for Easter brunch, Mother’s Day brunch or a summer dessert
- Breakfast cake – it’s gluten-free, sugar-free and made with healthy ingredients. You can have dessert for breakfast with no guilt.
- Birthday cake – top with candles to make a simple, keto birthday cake that’s sure to impress – it’s one of the easiest keto cake recipes around
- Best texture – I add a step to make the BEST, fluffy almond flour bundt cake ever. It’s so soft, with the best texture, no one will ever guess it’s not made with regular flour.
What is a bundt cake?
‘Bundt’ simply refers to the kind of pan this cake is baked in and has less to do with the ingredients used. The name is given to describe a type of cake that is baked in a round pan, with a hole in the center.
Bundt cakes are typically baked in a type of decorative pan. The batter used is often more dense than a sponge cake batter. It is the same kind of batter that is used for coffee or pound cakes, which helps to give it structure and to ensure it bakes well in the special pan.
Bundt comes from the German word ‘bundkuchen’, which means ‘a cake for gatherings’. As this is a perfect cake for a crowd, the name is fitting!
There are many different styles of pan – from simple to ornate. If you don’t have a bundt pan, you can use a loaf or cake pan.
Bundt cake vs pound cake
The two are very similar types of cakes. As I mentioned above, a bundt is simply a cake baked in a bundt pan. Pound cakes are traditionally made with a pound each of eggs, butter, sugar and flour, yielding a dense, soft cake. These cakes are great options for cooking in a bundt pan.
This recipe is a keto pound cake with almond flour, which requires a few alterations to the traditional ‘pound cake’ recipe. However, it yields a soft, fluffy delicious result!
Ingredients
Baking a perfect dessert requires simple, healthy ingredients you may already have handy in your keto pantry:
For the bundt
- Almond flour – fine ground flour is best
- Eggs – four eggs may seem like a lot, but I promise this doesn’t taste eggy in the slightest. They are critical for producing structure.
- Sweetener of choice – I like powdered stevia
- Sour cream – full fat is best to add amazing creamy texture
- Baking powder – for extra lift
- Vanilla extract – pure extract has the best flavor
- Fresh raspberries – fresh are best, but frozen work well, too
- Fresh squeezed lemon juice – adds a bright, mild lemon flavor that is so good with berries
- Lemon zest – the zest of 1 lemon is enough. However, if you have preserved lemon paste, omit the zest and use the paste instead (read more in my preserved lemon paste ingredient spotlight). Use the zest as a garnish before serving.
- Salt – omit this if using preserved lemon paste, as it’s naturally salty
- Xanthan gum (optional) – adds to the texture, but is optional (read more about this in my What is Xanthan Gum ingredient spotlight)
- Butter and extra almond flour or coconut flour – to prepare the pan
For the keto glaze
- Powdered sweetener of choice – I like Swerve Confectioners. It makes the perfect bundt cake frosting using a confectioners sugar substitute.
- Liquid of choice – there are many options for creating a perfect sugar-free glaze. Use more lemon juice, nut milk, coconut milk, water or half and half. You can use heavy whipping cream, but it’s best to only use 1 tablespoon and use 1 tablespoon of another type of liquid. Speaking from experience, if you use 100% heavy whipping cream, as you whisk it together, it will actually become whipped cream. This could be okay if you want a spreadable icing, but it doesn’t work for a glaze unless you very gently stir the cream into the sugar and vanilla.
- Vanilla extract – use real extract if you can, over vanilla flavoring
Instructions
Bundts are very easy to prepare. Below are step-by-step instructions to make the best gluten-free pound cake:
How to prepare a bundt pan
It is SO important to prepare the pan properly to ensure your cake will release!
Thoroughly coat the inside of the pan with butter or shortening, making sure to get in all of the nooks and crannies.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of almond or coconut flour to the pan and tilt, turn and tap to coat the entire surface, making sure all of the butter or shortening is covered with flour
- Then gently tap the pan against the side of your sink to knock out any excess flour. You want just a fine coating over the greased pan.
TIP: I find using butter is just fine to grease the pan. Some folks say that it doesn’t work well, but I’ve always had success with it as a cake release agent.
TIP: Do not use cooking spray. It tends to be too thin and will run down the sides of the pan and pool at the bottom. It’s also not viscous enough, will get goopy with the flour and it will make your cake stick. I’ve ended up with a very tasty cake that I’ve had to dig out of the pan when I used cooking spray.
To make the cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the almond flour, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum in a large bowl and mix well.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks into two medium bowls.
To the bowl of egg yolks, add the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest (if using) and sweetener and mix well to thoroughly combine.
Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer or a stand mixer on high speed, until they form soft peaks (3-5 minutes).
Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.
Then add the lemon juice and stir well.
TIP: Adding the lemon juice while mixing the wet and dry ingredients together ensures the lemon juice doesn’t curdle the sour cream.
Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Add about a half inch of batter to the bottom of the prepared pan, then layer in half of the berries
- Spoon in more batter and layer in the remaining berries
TIP: Layering the berries into the pan ensures they stay whole. Adding them to the batter and stirring them in can cause raspberries to fall apart, especially if they’re very soft and ripe. However, you can add them to the batter and mix them in if they’re firm.
Add the remaining batter, smooth out the top and bake for 30 minutes.
Let cool, remove from the pan and drizzle with glaze.
Preparing the sugar-free icing
Whisk together the sugar-free powdered sugar, vanilla and keto glaze liquid. Add the liquid one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. It should be thin enough to easily fall off the whisk in ribbons, but should hold some shape before it melts back into the bowl. See my detailed recipe for Sugar-free Icing and Glaze to create this delicous drizzled topping.
Glazing the cake
Drizzle the bundt cake glaze over the cake and let sit for about 30 minutes or until set.
Love the pedestal I use in this post? Me too! It's made by Sweese and is not only beautiful, but comes in a few colors and is quite affordable. Here is where you can find a Sweese cake pedestal.
Why whipped egg whites?
Whipping the egg whites is my secret to producing a fluffy, soft cake. When the whites are whipped to soft peaks, it incorporates extra air into the batter, providing lift, and giving it a soft, delicate texture.
How to store
You can leave the cake at room temperature for up to a day, but I recommend refrigerating it. Low-carb and keto-friendly baked goods keep best under refrigeration. Store in a sealed container (I love this cake saver) for up to 5 days.
Variations and add-ins
- Add preserved lemon paste – I love using preserved lemon paste in almost all of my lemon recipes. Simply eliminate the lemon zest and salt and add 1 tablespoon of preserved lemon paste to the batter. Read more about preserved lemon paste.
- Substitute the vanilla extract – for almond or maple extract
- Use different berries – use blueberries, marionberries, blackberries or strawberries
- Make mini-bundts – these are so fun and are perfect for single servings
- Lemon glaze – add a teaspoon or two of preserved lemon paste to the glaze for an amazing lemon glaze for bundt cakes
- Create a lemon drizzle icing – by using only lemon juice to make the glaze
FAQ
Yes – they’re considered a FODMAP-friendly berry in servings of up to about 15-20 berries, depending on the size of the berry. Larger servings contain higher amounts of fructans.
While there are coconut flour cake recipes available, the almond flour in this recipe cannot be replaced with coconut flour. Coconut flour is too absorbent and will make the batter very dry and heavy.
It is best frozen in large pieces or individual slices. If the pieces are wrapped well, they can be frozen for up to 3 months.
For this recipe, I used a 6 cup pan. For small individual cakes, try using a mini-bundt pan.
If you have a larger bundt pan, such as a 12 cup pan, simply double the recipe and increase baking time to between 40-50 minutes (approximately).
For keto and gluten-free baking, using fine or super-fine blanched almond flour is very important. These provide the best texture for baked goods. Using almond meal or coarse flour will lead to a grainy texture.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how you liked it by giving a star rating and leaving a comment!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake (gluten-free)
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups almond flour (plus 2 tablespoons to prepare the bundt pan)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup raspberries (about 6 ounces of berries)
- 1 cup powdered stevia (or use sweetener of choice)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup lemon juice (fresh - juice of about 1 large lemon)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (optional - learn all about this ingredient in my Xanthan gum spotlight)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- butter (or shortening to grease the cake pan)
For the glaze
- 1 cup Swerve Confectioners sweetener (or powdered sweetener of choice)
- 2 tablespoons liquid of choice (see Notes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 °F.
Prepare the bundt pan (see notes)
- It is SO important to prepare the pan properly to ensure your cake will release!Thoroughly coat the inside of the bundt pan with butter or shortening, making sure to get in all of the nooks and crannies.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of almond flour or coconut flour to the pan and tilt, turn and tap to coat the entire surface, making sure all of the butter or shortening is covered with flour. Then gently tap the pan against the side of your sink to knock out any excess flour. You want just a fine coating over the greased pan.
To make the cake
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Separate the egg whites from yolks into two medium bowls.
- To the bowl of egg yolks, add the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest and sweetener. Mix well to thoroughly combine.
- Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer or a stand mixer on high speed, until they form soft peaks (3-5 minutes).
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.
- Add the lemon juice and stir well again.
- Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Add about a half inch of batter to the bottom of the prepared bundt pan, then layer in half of the berries.
- Spoon in more batter and add the remaining berries.
- Add the remaining batter and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let cool, remove from pan and drizzle with glaze.
For the glaze
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the sweetener, liquid of choice (see Notes about liquid for the glaze) and vanilla and mix well. The glaze should be fairly thick. If still too thin or watery, add a little more sweetener. If not thin enough, add more liquid.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake and let sit for about 30 minutes or until the glaze has set.
Notes
Liquids to use for the glaze
There are many options for creating a perfect glaze. Use more lemon juice, nut milk, coconut milk, water or half and half. You can use heavy whipping cream, but it’s best to only use 1 tablespoon and use 1 tablespoon of another type of liquid. Speaking from experience, if you use 100% heavy whipping cream, as you whisk it together, it will actually become whipped cream. This could be okay if you want a spreadable icing, but it doesn’t work for a glaze unless you very gently stir the cream into the sweetener and vanilla.Tips for preparing the bundt pan
- I find using butter is just fine to grease the pan. Some folks say that it doesn’t work well, but I’ve always had success with it as a cake release agent.
- Do not use cooking spray. It tends to be too thin and will run down the sides of the pan and pool at the bottom. It’s also not viscous enough, will get goopy with the flour and it will make your cake stick. I’ve ended up with a very tasty cake that I’ve had to dig out of the pan.
Additional Notes
TIP: Adding the lemon juice while mixing the wet and dry ingredients together ensures the lemon juice doesn’t curdle the sour cream. TIP: When making the glaze, add the liquid one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. It should be thin enough to easily fall off the whisk in ribbons, but should hold some shape before it melts back into the bowl. TIP: Layering the berries into the pan ensures they stay whole. Adding them to the batter and stirring them in can cause raspberries to fall apart, especially if they’re very soft and ripe. However, you can add them to the batter and mix them in if they’re firm.Variations and add-ins
- Add preserved lemon paste - I love using preserved lemon paste in almost all of my lemon recipes. You can read more about this ingredient in my preserved lemon paste ingredient spotlight.
- Substitute the vanilla extract for almond or maple extract
- Use different berries
- Make individual cakes by using a mini-bundt pan
- Add a teaspoon or two of preserved lemon paste to the glaze for an amazing lemon glaze for cake
- Create a lemon drizzle icing by using only lemon juice to make the glaze
Nutrition
*Net carbs = carbohydrates - fiber
Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools and does not include optional ingredients unless otherwise indicated.
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