Sugar-Free Lemon Cake

Written by
Anna Rosales
Anna Rosales is a professionally trained chef, chef instructor, and registered dietitian.
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Anna Rosales
Updated 09/29/20
Strawberry lemon cake

John E. Kelly / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 16 to 24 servings
Yields: 16 mini cakes

This semi-homemade sugar-free lemon cake is simple, delicious, and comes together in all of about 40 minutes. Make sure you hide the cake box—everyone will think it took you hours to make, 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. To add a finishing touch that's pleasing to both the eye and tongue, top the cooled lemon cakes with sugar-free strawberry sauce when serving. It's a simple berry sauce that has lots of fresh berry flavor. It pairs wonderfully with this lemon cake, an angel food cake, or key lime pie.

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 lemons (zested and juiced)
  • For the Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup sugar-free strawberry preserves
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries (sliced)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

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

  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.

  4. Divide the batter evenly among the greased mini bundt pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. If you are baking in greased muffin tins, bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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

  6. To make the sauce, add the sugar-free strawberry preserves to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the preserves turn to a liquid consistency.

  7. 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.

  8. Cool the sauce for several minutes. Top each cake with a little sauce and serve.

Tips

  • 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.
  • The strawberry sauce recipe makes about one cup of sauce.
  • 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 firm pressure to roll a room-temperature lemon 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.

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