Sugar-Free Lemon Cake

Written by
Anna Rosales
Anna Rosales is a professionally trained chef, chef instructor, and registered dietitian.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Anna Rosales
Updated 05/05/21
Sugar-Free Lemon Cake

The Spruce / Yana Karin
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 16 mini cakes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
298 Calories
7g Fat
59g Carbs
3g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 298
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 35mg 12%
Sodium 253mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 59g 21%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 44g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 22mg 108%
Calcium 82mg 6%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 85mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This semi-homemade sugar-free lemon cake is simple, delicious, and comes together in all of about 40 minutes. Make sure you hide the box of cake mix—everyone will think it was completely made from scratch, and no one will notice the missing sugar.

For better portion control, divide the batter among 16 mini bundt pans. If you don't have bundt pans available, you can bake them in muffin tins or use cake pans. The sugar-free strawberry sauce adds a finishing touch that's pleasing to both the eye and taste buds. It's a simple berry sauce that has lots of fresh berry flavor and pairs wonderfully with this lemon cake, an angel food cake, or key lime pie.

Featured Video

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1 (16-ounce) box sugar-free yellow cake mix

  • 3/4 cup water

  • 3 large eggs, room temperature

  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

  • 2 medium lemons, zested and juiced

For the Sauce:

Steps to Make It

Make the Cakes

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Sugar-Free Lemon Cake ingredients

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease or lightly coat 16 mini bundt pans with cooking spray and set aside.

    butter the bundt pans

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

  3. To a medium mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, add the yellow cake mix, water, eggs, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set the mixer to medium speed and beat for about 2 minutes or until smooth.

    add the yellow cake mix, water, eggs, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest to bowl

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

  4. Divide the batter evenly among the greased mini bundt pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

    batter poured into mini bundt pans

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

  5. Cool for a few minutes before turning the cakes out of the pans and cooling completely.

    baked cakes in mini bundt pans

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

Make the Sauce

  1. Add the sugar-free strawberry preserves to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the preserves turn to a liquid consistency.

    add the sugar-free strawberry preserves to a small saucepan

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

  2. Stir in the sliced fresh strawberries and continue to stir over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Simmer the strawberries and preserves, while stirring, until they break down to form a sauce. Cool the sauce for several minutes.

    add fresh strawberries to the preserves in the saucepan

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

Finish the Cakes

  1. Top each cake with a little sauce.

    Sugar-Free Lemon Cake with strawberry sauce on top

    The Spruce / Yana Karin

  2. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

  • Food seems to taste better with fresh-squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled lemon juice. Remember to wash and thoroughly dry the lemons before zesting.
  • To juice the lemon, use a room-temperature lemon; apply firm pressure and roll it on a counter several times before slicing in half and squeezing out the juice with a reamer, by hand, or with an electric juicer, making sure no seeds get in the juice.
  • Microwave a room-temperature lemon on high for 25 to 30 seconds before slicing and extracting the juice.
  • The strawberry sauce recipe makes about one cup of sauce.
  • The sauce can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated. It will thicken up, so you may need to cook it for a few minutes on the stovetop to thin it out.

Recipe Variation

  • Use other fruits and fruit preserves, such as blueberries, raspberries, or make a combination of berries for a different flavor and look.
  • You can use two 12-cup greased muffin tins to make 24 cupcakes. Fill each cupcake well in the pan 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full with the batter. Bake for 15 to 22 minutes at 350 F. Make sure to test the centers with a toothpick to ensure they are baked all the way through.
  • You can also use 2 (9-inch) cake rounds and bake them for 29 to 33 minutes at 325 F. When a toothpick inserted comes out clean, your cakes are done.

Helpful Links

Recipe Tags: