This easy, gluten-free bundt cake with lemon and raspberries is so moist and fluffy, you won’t believe it’s actually a sugar-free, gluten-free almond flour cake. It’s made with fresh, juicy berries and drizzled with a sweet, creamy icing – perfect for breakfast, brunch or as a decadent dessert. And, it's a keto cake with only 3g net carbs per slice.
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Who doesn’t feel so proud of themselves when they bake a cake from scratch? If you’re looking for a fancy cake without a lot of fuss, this lemon raspberry bundt cake 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, fluffy pound cake. It’s a simple almond flour cake recipe with just a hint of bright lemon flavor.
Once it comes out of the oven and cools, it’s topped with my keto-friendly, low-carb 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. Try it with a dollop of Sugar-free Whipped Cream!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Special diet friendly – it's a perfect keto cake recipe with only 3g net carbs per slice and is also a divine low-FODMAP dessert. Try this as your next keto birthday cake!
- Elegant brunch recipe – it's a delightful addition to Easter or Mother’s Day brunch recipes
- Breakfast cake – it’s made with healthy ingredients, so you can have dessert for breakfast with no guilt
- Best texture – I add a step to make the BEST, fluffy almond flour bundt cake ever. It’s so soft, with a delicious, soft texture. No one will 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 essentially a keto lemon 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. You can find measurements and complete instructions in the recipe card, below.
- 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 or monkfruit sweetener
- 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. Read more about this in my What is Xanthan Gum ingredient spotlight.
- Butter and extra almond flour or coconut flour – to prepare the pan. Use almond flour for low-FODMAP.
- Sugar-free Icing and Glaze – this easy recipe can be made in just minutes. It adds an extra layer of decadent sweetness
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. Make 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 all of the butter or shortening with flour.
- 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.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest (if using) and sweetener to the bowl of yolks
- 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).
TIP: Whipping the egg whites is my secret to producing a fluffy, soft cake. Whipping to soft peaks incorporates extra air into the batter, providing lift, and giving a soft, delecate texture.
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 or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool, remove from the pan and drizzle with glaze.
Make the icing and glaze the cake
See my detailed recipe for Sugar-free Icing and Glaze to create this delicious drizzled topping. It comes together in just minutes.
Drizzle the bundt cake glaze over the cake and let sit for about 30 minutes or until set.
Love the pedestal I feature in these photos? Me too! Sweese makes this pedestal in several colors at a good price. Here is where you can find a Sweese cake pedestal.
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 or consider freezing.
Variations
- 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 – use 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.
Almond flour cannot be replaced with coconut flour in this recipe. Coconut flour is too absorbent and will make the batter very dry and heavy.
You can freeze in large pieces or individual slices and frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap them well in freezer-safe bags or plastic wrap.
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
Gluten-free Bundt Cake with Lemon and Raspberries
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 - read more in my Xanthan gum spotlight)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- butter (or shortening to grease the cake pan)
- sugar-free icing and glaze
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 °F.
Prepare the bundt pan
- 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. See Notes for Expert Tips.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of almond flour or coconut flour to the pan and tilt, turn and tap for a fine coating of the entire surface, ensuring 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.
To make the cake
- In a large bowl, add the almond flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Mix well.
- Separate the egg whites from yolks into two medium bowls.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and sweetener to the bowl of egg yolks and mix well.
- Whip the egg whites on high speed, to 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 a half inch of batter to the prepared bundt pan, then layer in half 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 and remove from pan.
Make the icing and glaze the cake
- Make the Sugar-free Icing and Glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake and let sit for about 30 minutes or until the glaze has set.
Notes
Expert tips for preparing the bundt pan
- Butter is fine to grease the pan, 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 will get goopy with the flour and will make your cake stick.
Nutrition
*Net carbs = carbohydrates - fiber
Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools and does not include optional ingredients unless otherwise indicated.
Tracey Hatch-Rizzi says
One of the things I love most about this cake is that it has a mild, natural lemon flavor - not too overpowering. I've never been a big fan of lemon, but I really enjoy the fresh citrus with a slightly sweet cake. It's actually really good with ice cream! I look forward to freezing small portions for quick weeknight desserts.