For Easter weekend, I wanted to do something a little sweet and special and because dyeing eggs didn’t quite do it for me, I decided to make a pound cake. When I was a kid, I adored Sara Lee pound cakes. My mom would keep them in the fridge and every slice was like a rich, dense, sweet, buttery dream you could sink your teeth into. My favorite part was the soft crust on top that almost acted like a frosting.
Unfortunately, Sara Lee doesn’t taste like it used to and since I’m on keto, I couldn’t eat one anyhow . . . but I can make my own version! I looked up recipes online and attempted one which ended up being a slop fest. Such a waste of expensive ingredients (almond flour and sugar substitutes ain’t cheap!), and since I rarely experience baking mishaps, it was also a huge blow to my ego. Instead of flying off the handle, I put my head down and set to trying again, this time making my own adjustments to what I believed to be a flawed recipe, and do you know what? It worked beautifully! So, I am sharing my success with you below, but I would like to add that this cake, in both taste and texture, was a million times better after it sat in the fridge for a few hours. You be the judge!
Keto Lemon Pound Cake
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
Cake
1/2 C butter, softened
1/3 C Swerve Granulated
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 C sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C heavy whipping cream (or coconut milk)
Juice of one lemon, about 2 Tbsp.
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 C superfine blanched almond flour
1/4 C coconut flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
*1/4 tsp. xantham gum, optional but good for texture
Glaze
1/3 C Swerve Confectioners
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. water
Method:
Prehead the oven to 350. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Cream the butter and Swerve Granulated together until smooth. Add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, milk, lemon, and zest and mix until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and xantham gum and whisk to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until well combined. Transfer the thick batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately 60-70 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside on a cooling rack. When almost cool, remove from pan and remove the parchment paper before glazing.
Mix the ingredients for the glaze, add the water one teaspoon at a time, and when you get it to the right consistency, pour over the cake when it’s almost completely cool, but still a little warm. Let the glaze set or harden completely before refrigerating.
Don’t forget, this cake is (in my opinion) way more fabulous after it’s chilled in the fridge for at least 2 hours. It’s excellent served with fresh berries, a scoop of keto vanilla ice cream or just plain — sliced in the middle of the night and devoured shamelessly right from your hand. Enjoy!
