Healthy Lemon Bundt Cake

 
Throughout our childhood, my brother and I celebrated nearly every one of our birthdays with a pool party since we were both born during the summer. Back then, we belonged to a small pool club in a quiet neighborhood, which was the perfect place for a children’s birthday party.  

We kept those parties small, only inviting a handful of our closest friends, but we still loved every minute of the celebrations. For hours, we practiced cannonball jumps in the deep end and underwater somersaults in the shallow side, and we usually pulled out a set of neon plastic diving rings to play with, too.

Eventually, Mom called us all out of the water, and we eagerly obliged… Because that meant it was time for cake!
 

 
Two weeks earlier, Mom had taken us to the grocery store, and she let us slowly pore through the bakery’s big binder of birthday cake options. A beautiful color photograph of each confection filled every page, but after an eternity of flipping through the binder, I often picked out a chocolate cake with a Disney theme, while my brother generally chose a vanilla cake with race cars instead.

At our parties, Mom carefully opened the big bakery box to reveal the gorgeous cake we had ordered, which came with “Happy birthday!” scripted across in icing letters. After blowing out the candles, I always wanted the piece with my name on it… Or at least the slice with the most frosting!
 

 
Although I still love chocolate cake, my brother eventually gravitated towards lemon instead of vanilla, so I had him in mind when I baked this healthy lemon bundt cake! It’s really moist and full of bright citrus flavor, just the way my brother likes his lemon cakes, but unlike the multi-layered bakery birthday cakes of our childhood… This one is really easy to make. No need for frosting, decorating, or any assembly!

I can’t wait to bake it again for his birthday in August! ♡
 

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE A HEALTHY LEMON BUNDT CAKE

Let’s go over the key ingredients that you need to make this healthy lemon bundt cake — entirely from scratch! You’ll also need a few baking staples (like vanilla, salt, and milk!), but I have a sneaky suspicion that you’re familiar with those and already have them on hand… So we’ll focus on the more interesting ingredients instead!

Flour. You’ll start with white whole wheat flour. Yes, such a thing actually exists… And it’s not just a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and whole wheat flour!

Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour the same health benefits (like extra fiber!) as regular whole wheat flour, but it also has a lighter taste and texture — which lets the moist texture and lemon flavor truly shine in this healthy bundt cake!

Hint: The difference between white whole wheat flour and regular whole wheat flour is similar to the difference between red and green grapes. They both have the same nutrition benefits — just a different color and slightly different flavor!

Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy lemon bundt cake gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve shared how to do so there!
 

 
Lemon zest. You’ll mix lots of freshly grated lemon zest into the flour. (The lemon juice comes later!) The zest actually has a much stronger citrus taste than the juice, so it provides the majority of the lemon flavor. I’ve tested this healthy lemon bundt cake multiple times, and you need 4 full tablespoons of zest to get the best and brightest flavor. Don’t skimp!

Tip: Use pure yellow lemons without any green spots. They yield the best lemon taste!

Leavening agents. You also need both baking powder and baking soda for this healthy lemon bundt cake. Although some recipes just use baking powder, the baking soda helps this cake rise just as much — if not more! That’s because the baking soda is a strong base, so it reacts with the lemon juice (an acid!) to create air bubbles (carbon dioxide, to be exact!) that make your lemon cake rise… And that reaction also helps yield a more tender texture.

As an ex-chemist, I love nerdy baking science like this! 😉
 

 
Greek yogurt. With just 1 tablespoon of butter (or coconut oil!), as compared to traditional bundt cake recipes with ½ to 1 full cup… This low-calorie lemon bundt cake gets the rest of its tender texture from one of my favorite healthy baking ingredients: Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to your lemon cake batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your cake a big protein boost!

Egg whites. The whites contain the majority of eggs’ protein, and that comes in handy with cake recipes. The protein provides structure and helps your cake stay nice and tall while cooling, instead of collapsing or sinking!

Sweetener. Instead of refined granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten your healthy lemon cake with another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean-eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated. You just need 5 ½ teaspoons to sweeten the entire cake… Instead of 2 ¼ cups of granulated sugar! (That also helps keep this lemon cake low calorie!)

This is the liquid stevia that I use because I love its flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Tip: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best flavor and results, I highly recommend using the same one that I do!
 

 
Lemon juice. Now it’s time for the lemon juice — and another nerdy baking science lesson! Ready?

I specifically designed this recipe for Meyer lemons.

Meyer lemons are a special variety of lemons. They’re a hybrid of citron, mandarin, and pomelo. This blend gives them a fuller and sweeter flavor, and it also raises their pH level compared to regular lemons — meaning they’re less acidic. (Remember from basic chemistry? Higher pH = more basic and less acidic!)

That acidity, or pH level, plays a huge role in the texture of your cake.

If you use Meyer lemon juice, your cake turns out perfectly moist and tender inside. It rises nicely in the oven, maintains its height and structure while cooling, and looks like a normal lemon cake when you slice into it.

If you use regular lemon juice, that adds WAY too much acid. It substantially lowers the pH level of the batter and results in a cake that barely rises, looks raw inside (even though it’s fully baked all the way through — I promise!), and turns out with an incredibly dense and almost brick-like structure.

So if you can find Meyer lemons, please use them! However, if you can only find regular lemons, that’s okay too. I know many grocery stores don’t stock Meyer lemons, so it’s not always the easiest thing to locate them.

If you can only find regular lemons, you’ll use less lemon juice — just enough to add the same amount of acid and create the correct pH level in the cake batter! — and substitute milk for the rest. This yields a cake with the exact same moist and tender texture, and because the zest provides the majority of the citrus flavor, your bundt cake will still taste bright, sunshiny, and perfectly lemony… Just like if you had used Meyer lemons!

Whew! You made it through! That wasn’t too hard, was it? The rest of this is as easy as pie — or, well, cake!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY LEMON BUNDT CAKE

Time to pull out your mixing bowls and start making the batter! Here are my tips about how to make the best lemon bundt cake…

Measure correctly. Yes, I probably sound like a broken record — but it’s incredibly important to measure the ingredients correctly! This is especially true for the flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice in this particular recipe.

For the flour, use this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Do not dip your measuring cups directly into the flour container. This often results in adding up to 1 ½ times as much flour… Which dries out the batter, makes it more like stiff cookie dough, and can result in a crumbly cake. Take the time to measure properly, and you’ll end up with a beautifully moist and tender cake!

For the lemon zest and juice, measure by tablespoons or grams for the zest and tablespoons or mL for the juice. Do not measure by number of lemons! That will throw off the flavor of your cake, resulting in something that’s either bland (aka not enough zest) or sour (too much!). It can also ruin the texture by either adding too much acid from the lemon juice… Or not enough. (See the “Lemon juice” header in the “Key Ingredients to Make a Healthy Lemon Bundt Cake” section above for a detailed explanation of this last bit!)

Alternating additions. This is a popular technique for making cake batter. In a nutshell (or would that be a lemon wedge?), you’ll alternate between folding in part of the flour mixture, then switching to a splash of milk, and going back and forth between the two until you run out of each. This approach helps guard against overmixing (which makes a cake tough, gummy, or rubbery!). Just remember to gently stir in each one by hand, and you’ll end up with a perfectly moist and tender cake!

Prepare the bundt pan. Before you spread your healthy lemon cake batter into your bundt pan, remember to generously coat your bundt cake pan with cooking spray. If you have cooking spray with flour, that’s even better! Bundt cake pans have lots more nooks and crannies than traditional round cake pans, so it’s much easier for the batter to get stuck… Which means your cake won’t want to slide out of the pan when you invert it. As long as you’re generous with the cooking spray, your healthy lemon bundt cake should pop right out of the pan!
 

 
Bake. Pop your batter-filled bundt pan in the oven, and set a timer! The cake will be done when the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with some crumbs attached.

Cool completely. Yes, completely. Not mostly, not partially, and definitely not just a bit. Your cake must fully reach room temperature before you do anything else with it! The inside structure doesn’t finish setting until the cake is completely cool, so you’ll disrupt that process if you try to slice and serve it while it’s still warm. Also…

Glaze (optional!). One last thing! Once your healthy lemon cake has fully cooled, you can drizzle a little glaze on top. Following the theme from above, it must completely reach room temperature before you do this. If your cake is warm, it’ll melt the glaze… So the glaze would dissolve right into the cake!

This optional glaze is super simple to make! Just stir together confectioners’ style erythritol and a bit of lemon juice in a small bowl, transfer that to a zip-topped bag, and snip off a tiny piece of one corner to drizzle it all over your bundt cake.
 

 
Lemon bundt cake perfection! It’s truly the best lemon cake I’ve ever had! ♡ And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy lemon bundt cake!

Healthy Lemon Bundt Cake

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 1 bundt cake, 16 slices

My brother’s favorite cake is a lemon bundt cake, and he gave this one three thumbs up! It’s really moist and tender with lots of bright citrus flavor, and he loves that it isn’t overly sweet like many store-bought lemon cakes. It’s the perfect birthday cake for him! Leftovers will keep for at least 3 days, if not longer, if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

4 from 8 votes

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Ingredients 

FOR THE CAKE

• 3 ¾ cups (450g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp (20g) lemon zest (about 3 extra-large — see Notes!)
• 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
• ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• ¾ cup (210mL) freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (about 3 extra-large — see Notes before beginning!)
• 1 ¼ cups (300mL) nonfat milk, divided

FOR THE DRIZZLE (OPTIONAL)

• 3 tbsp (45g) confectioners’ style erythritol
• 2 ½ - 2 ¾ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and generously coat a 12-cup bundt pan with  nonstick cooking spray or nonstick cooking spray with flour.
• To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Once thoroughly combined, whisk in the lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla extract, and stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the lemon juice and ¼ cup of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 55-65 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature and just before serving, prepare the drizzle. Stir together the erythritol and lemon juice in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped plastic bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

IMPORTANT LEMON NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: This recipe was specifically designed for Meyer Lemons, so I highly recommend using them, if you can! Meyer lemons are sweeter, less acidic, and have a higher pH compared to regular lemons. When made with Meyer lemons, this cake has a lovely moist and soft texture. When the batter is too acidic (aka if you use ½ cup of regular lemon juice instead of Meyer lemon juice!), then your cake will fail to rise properly, turn out denser, and almost look "raw" on the inside (even when it's 100% fully baked all the way through!).

 

So if you only have regular lemons, then use 2 ½ tablespoons of regular lemon juice AND ½ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons of milk in place of the Meyer lemon juice. That ratio prevents the batter from being too acidic, so your cake will turn out with the same texture as when made with Meyer lemons. Because the zest provides the majority of the lemon flavor, rather than the juice, it'll taste almost exactly the same too! (See the "Lemon juice" header in the "Key Ingredients to Make a Healthy Lemon Bundt Cake" section in my blog post above for more info!)

 

For the best results, use lemons that are pure yellow, without any green spots. Lemon zest that's pure yellow provides the brightest citrus flavor.

 

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out your cake and give it a crumbly texture, instead of having it turn out moist and tender. Too much flour can also make your cake taste bland.

 

IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter. This will result in a dense, tough, rubbery, or gummy cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

 

IMPORTANT BUNDT PAN NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Make sure you coat your bundt pan really well with cooking spray! (This is the bundt pan that I use.) With so many nooks and crannies, compared to traditional round or rectangular cake pans, the batter has more chances to stick to the sides, so a generous coating of cooking spray will ensure your bundt cake slides right out of the pan.

 

IMPORTANT DRIZZLE NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I prefer a minimalistic drizzle, but it's easy to add more! For more drizzle (and a sweeter cake!), double the drizzle. You can even triple or quadruple it, if you'd like!

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, although the cake will be less tender and have a subtle wheat-y flavor.

 

EGG WHITES NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: The cake requires 4 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the cake maintains its shape and texture while cooling. Without all 4 egg whites, the cake will collapse while cooling and turn out denser.

 

If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 4 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 2 tablespoons to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I recommend using the same one I do. I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)

 

If you really prefer not to use liquid stevia, substitute 2 ¼ cups (432g) granulated sugar AND reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons (30mL), but the cake will no longer be clean-eating friendly. You may substitute 2 ¼ cups (432g) coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons (30mL) to keep the cake clean eating friendly, but it will be much darker in color. The baking time may vary slightly with either of those substitutions as well.

 

Do not substitute honey, pure maple syrup, or agave because the cake batter will be much too liquidy with any of those.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

ERYTHRITOL NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: This is the confectioners' style erythritol that I use. Regular confectioners’ style (powdered) sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol in the drizzle. Regular powdered sugar is much more absorbent, so start with just 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 2 cups (240g) millet flour, 1 cup (120g) tapioca flour, ¾ cup (90g) brown rice flour, and 3 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

HALF-BATCH OPTION: If you have a 6-cup bundt pan, you can make a half-recipe and bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes instead.

 

HOW TO STORE: This cake is best if eaten the same day it’s drizzled, but leftover cake will keep for at least three days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

When refrigerating leftover slices of already drizzled bundt cake, the drizzle will turn brittle and crack if made with erythritol, or it will dissolve into the cake if made with powdered sugar. Neither will affect the flavor — only the appearance!

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar, higher protein}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Orange Bundt Cake
♡  Healthy Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
♡  Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
♡  Healthy Strawberry Lemon Cake
♡  Healthy Raspberry Lemon Cake
♡  Healthy Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy bundt cake recipes and healthy cake recipes!