Keto Lemon Caprese Cake: How to Make an Italian Dessert Without Leaving Your Diet
The Caprese lemon cake is a traditional cake from the island of Capri that is naturally gluten-free. This version makes this delicious cake also suitable for the ketogenic diet, replacing the sugar with sweetener and using a few other small tricks.
Equipment
- 1 22 cm or 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
- 200 g almond flour (2 cups)
- 100 g erythritol or sugar-free sweetener (½ cup)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- grated peels of 2 fresh untreated lemons, washed well
- 100 g extra virgin olive oil (⅓ cup)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 eggs
- 70 g softened butter (½ stick plus 1 tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sweetener and lemon slices to decorate
Instructions
- Grease a 22 cm springform (9 inches) pan with butter and lightly coat with almond flour. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (392 °F).
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, salt and grated lemon zest.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and mix thoroughly with a spatula. Set aside.
- Whip the eggs, softened butter and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for approximately 5–6 minutes, until light and fluffy and tripled in volume.
- Gently fold the whipped egg mixture into the almond mixture, one spoonful at a time, mixing from the bottom of the bowl up to avoid deflating.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake at 200 °C (392 °F) for 5 minutes without opening the oven door. Then reduce the temperature to 165 °C (ca. 329 °F)and continue baking for an additional 45 minutes. Actual baking time may vary depending on oven type. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake — it should come out slightly moist but not wet. If the cake surface browns too quickly during baking, cover with parchment paper to finish cooking.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Invert onto a serving plate or rack and let cool completely for 4–5 hours, ideally overnight.
- Once cooled, decorate the cake with stencils by placing the stencil on top and sifting powdered sweetener through. Remove the stencil and the keto caprese cake is decorated.
- Garnish with fresh lemon slices and mint leaves for additional color and visual appeal.