Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake
A grain free lemon berry cake with a lemon citrus glaze. Paleo and Low Carb keto version.
Paleo Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake is a simple and easy to make cake, that everyone will love. Low carb, keto and sugar free version.
When I was growing up in the 70’s, my Mom used to make this cake called a Lemon Poke Cake. It was just the best cake ever. The name “poke” came from the holes you would poke in the cake before icing it. These holes let the icing get all throughout the cake. I have my Mom’s recipe, but it had white flour and tons of confectioner’s sugar, and fake lemon concentrate. So I gave her recipe a fabulous paleo and low carb make over! I also added some optional blueberries for extra antioxidants. You can also leave out the berries and just have lemon poke cake which is also amazing. Do you have any old family recipes that you wish were grain free or low carb?
RECIPE AND DIRECTIONS BELOW:
- Cake Ingredients:
- ½ cup coconut flour sifted, where to buy coconut flour
- 3 eggs beaten.
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk.
- 2 tbsp lemon juice I use this lemon squeezer
- 1 tbsp lemon zest I use this micro plane to zest
- 2 ½ tbsp . coconut oil melted or grass fed butter, melted, where to buy coconut oil
- Sweetener of choice: 1/3 cup Organic maple syrup or honey or for low carb use 1/3 cup low carb maple syrup + 1/3 tsp liquid stevia
- 1 tsp lemon extract . organic GF kind
- 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar mixed in separate pinch bowl (should be very fizzy)
- 1/2 cup blueberries * optional.
- Lemon Ice Glaze:
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter melted, where to buy coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut butter melted, where to buy coconut butter
- 1 ½ tbsp unsweetened coconut milk.
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice.
- ½ tsp lemon extract where to buy lemon extract, organic GF kind
- 2 tsp lemon zest.
- tbsp Sweetener of choice: 1 ½ to 2 honey for paleo or for low carb use 2 tbsp erythritol, or 1/3 tsp liquid stevia
- Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease or oil a 9” round cake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl combine: all the first 8 cake ingredients. Stir together thoroughly, breaking up any coconut flour clumps. Add in baking soda- vinegar mixture and stir.
- Gently add and mix in the blueberries.
- Spoon cake batter into prepared pan and spread around evenly.
- Bake in 350 F oven for 30 minutes or until center is firm.
- Remove cake from oven and let cool for 10 minutes while you make the lemon ice glaze.
- Heat a small sauce pan over low heat and melt: coconut oil or butter, and coconut butter. Stir the mixture as it melts and break up any coconut butter clumps.
- Once melted, remove from heat and add all the rest of the lemon ice glaze ingredients. Stir the glaze thoroughly until well mixed and set aside to cool.
- Use a metal or wooden skewer, or large toothpick to poke holes all over the cake. Be sure to poke all the way down to the bottom of cake.
- Spoon or pour lemon ice glaze all over the top of cake, making sure to cover well. Use the back of a spoon to spread around evenly.
- Let cake cool and glaze set awhile. Should only take 5 minutes or so for glaze to solidify a bit.
- Slice and serve. Unused portions should be stored in the fridge.
Nutritional Data for Low Carb Version including berries: Servings: 9 slices, Serving size: 1 slice, Cal: 130, Carbs: 7 g / Net Carbs: 4.4 g, Fiber: 2.6 g, Fat: 10 g, Protein: 3 g, Sugar: 1 g
Nutritional Data for Paleo Version; Servings: 9 slices, Serving size: 1 slice, cal: 165, Carbs: 16 g / Net Carbs: 13.4, Fiber: 2.6 g, Fat: 10 g, Protein: 3 g, Sugar: 11 g
*All nutritional data are estimates based on the products I used*
This looks amazing! Could you provide info on how to substitute almond flour for the coconut flour? I have IBS and coconut flour is high in FODMAPS so I can’t use it. Thanks in advance!
Carol, you can replace the coconut flour by using 4 times the amount with the almond flour.
Has anyone tried this with orange instead of lemon? I have an abundance of oranges.
Hi – Stacey, this sounds and looks amazing – I will be trying it shortly.
Just wondering if you think I could substitute the 1/3 cup of low carb maple syrup with only erythritol instead? Or is the syrup consistency necessary?
Thanks for sharing this.
Kenia, yes you can, but use 1/2 cup erythritol, and add a little more of the dairy free milk (1/2 to 2/3 cup instead of 1/3) so that the batter is fairly thick but not so thick you can’t spread it in the pan.
My husband has been so good with his weight loss (90lbs) that I didn’t want to make a traditional birthday cake. But I did want something special. He loves lemon and I have some huckleberries that I am using instead of blueberries. This recipe should be perfect for his celebration. Thank you.
Marla, Thank you for trying the recipe and taking the time to comment. Hope your Hubby had a wonderful Birthday, and congratulations on his amazing weight loss 🙂 Wow!
So does the coconut flavor really strong? I don’t like coconut so I’m afraid to give this a try and reading thru the comments it seems as though you use coconut flour in your baking?
Jenny, I have Celiac disease, so I mostly use coconut or almond flour in most baking recipes. The cake has more of a lemon flavor, but if you dislike coconut, you would probably be able to detect a slight aftertaste.
I don’t have coconut butter. Can I substitute additional butter for the coconut butter?
Margery, in this one you can sub butter for coconut butter.
Hi. For this poke cake without the blueberries, is that 7 carbs per slice or 7 for the whole cake? And I used stevia thanks!
Shantel, The data is for the blueberry version and it is per slice. The cake made without blueberries is 5 g total carbs and 2.4 g net carbs per slice.
Can I turn it out of the pan after it’s cooked or will it fall apart?
Molly, It depends on your pan and how non-stick it is. My pan is not non stick, so it was pretty difficult to get it out of the pan. But if your pan is non-stick and has been greased well, then after it cools off, you may be able to turn it over.
Hi Stacey,
I cant wait to try your cake, it looks delicious. I have one question. I cant find lemon extract, is it possible to use organic lemon essential oil instead? I have never used it in cooking, but I have heard that it is very healthy and tasty when added to food.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you!
Cathy
Cathy, I buy lemon extract in the spice section of most stores. I know people do use lemon essential oil in cooking and baking. I have not tried it yet, but it may be a good substitute.
~ Stacey
Stacey, Thanks for your reply!, I am currently living in Greece and I can’t find a lot of things here 🙁 I will keep on looking for it though. I will try to make the cake with the lemon essential oil and I’ll l let you know how it turned out! Thanks again, Cathy
Cathy, I have always wanted to go to Greece! It must be beautiful there. Let me know how it goes, keeping my fingers crossed. 🙂
can i make the cake ahead of time and freeze it? i have a lot to bake for the holidays. also, can i use more lemon juice if i don’t have the extract?
Sarah, I would think you could make ahead and freeze this. Not sure about more lemon juice, as it might be too much liquids.
~Stacey
I was so excited to try this. I didn’t have lemon extract so that may have made it less-lemony than it should have been. However, I think I took it out too early and then glazed it too soon? The glaze never really hardened up and the whole cake is almost wet. However, I will try again!!
Laura, I hope it goes better next time. Don’t take it out until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. If the glaze does not harden then it may need more oil or butter in it or need to be refrigerated to harden if it is too warm in your house.
~Stacey
My sister and I saw this recipe posted on Facebook yesterday. I went over to her house today and she made it. YAY!!! It was delicious!! We had a small slice shortly after it came out of the oven…nice and warm!!! We ate a sugar-free, carb-free lunch – which was incredible…Anyway, I was stuffed, but I somehow managed to eat another small slice with sugar-free, carb-free, made from coconut milk, ice cream. WOW! Delicious!! Thank you for the recipe! I hope to make it on my own soon! 🙂
Teressa,
Awe, thanks for your very kind words and making my day! Very nice of you and your sister to try this and let me know your results. So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
~Stacey
Is the one half cup of coconut flour correct?
Suz, yes you are correct it is 1/2 cup coconut flour.
~stacey
Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it! I remember the poke cake my mom made with jello. How would I substitute that recipe? Also how do you know what measurements for thing when you’re substituting coconut flour in things?
Hi Melanie, my Mom’s version had Jello too. I remade hers but had to leave out the jello. You can leave out the blueberries and it would be very much like the old school lemon poke cake. Coconut flour is tricky, but it is about 1/3 cup coconut flour to 1 cup standard flour. But it always requires more eggs to bind it, and more liquids as, it absorbs much liquid. It does take some experimenting to get it at the right consistency and sometimes it just won’t work in some recipes.
Sincerely,
Stacey
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! It took me back to my childhood, as well, when my mom would make poke cakes. This was a huge hit with the kids, too!
Becky, thank you for your most kind words. My mom made a lot of poke cakes for us in the 70’s. So, there will be more flavors of poke cakes I will be making for the blog soon.
Sincerely,
Stacey
Love the looks of this recipe! Have you tried it with a chia or flax egg? I’m allergic to eggs and with all my food allergies am having a difficult time finding recipes! Thanks!
In place of the syrup as the cake sweetener, could I substitute an equal amount of Swerve? Made your Texas Sheet Cake Brownies today. They were the first dessert I’ve had since going low carb. Absolutely fantastic, even our non low Carvers enjoyed them. Thank you.
Tess, you could use Swerve, just use a little more, maybe a 1/2 cup and be sure to add more milk of choice to balance the recipe. I would double the the milk of choice amount.
Not an exact science but that is what I would try.
~Stacey
YUM-O! My first paleo dessert and I am hooked!! Great treat…I haven’t had cake in a long, long time (without paying consequences lol) Some one asked about using a 9″ glass pie plate which I also used but didn’t read your advice frist to maybe cook a little longer. Mine is a wee bit soggy in the center but the edges were so beautifully browned I didn’t want to overdo it but next time I will add 5 min longer baking time. And besides, the glaze makes it very moist anyway, so I am happy. I also added about 1 t. fresh thyme leaves to the warm melted butters of the glaze before mixing in the rest. One question please… I have noticed many recipes using the term 1 1/2 Tablespoons. Is there a new measuring spoon I am not aware of for 1/2 T? Or are they just eyeballing an approximate 1/2 of one tablespoon? Thanks:)
Hi Kim, thank you for the great feedback! My oven seems to bake a bit quicker than most too, so most baked goods will probably need extra time. Yes, my measuring spoons do have 1/2 Tbsp on them. But if yours do not then 1/2 Tbsp is actually equal to 1 1/2 Tsp (hoping you have the 1/2 Tsp spoon). The Thyme leaves sounds yummy, great idea!
Sincerely,
Stacey
This recipe looks great, I want to split the flours between almond & coconut, how much of each do I need?
Rebekah, this is not an exact science but you could try 1/3 cup coconut flour and 1/2 cup almond flour. Can’t guarantee the results, but that is the ratio I would try.
~Stacey
OMG! This looks amazing! I love lemon and blueberries together! I was looking for something to make to take to my Granny’s and this is it! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Sherri @overthrowmartha, I love your recipes and all the awesome DIY projects on your site! Hope your Granny likes it!
Stacey:)
I love that you use maple syrup to sweeten this cake. I can’t wait to try it. My husband is going more paleo because we think he may be reacting to other grains besides gluten.
Thank you!
Thank you Sandi, I was still having reactions too after going gluten free. I think some of the other grains do get cross contaminated. I have been really enjoying reading your helpful articles on your fantastic blog. I do have much fear when dining out especially. Your site is a great find for me!!
Do you think I could use a 9″ glass pie dish for this recipe instead of a cake pan? I don’t own one, and prefer to bake in glass.
Ronna, you could use glass pie dish, but the cooking time may need to be adjusted a little. Glass might take just a tad longer. The shape will be a little different too.
Stacey~
Do you think this recipe could be made in a 9″ glass pie dish? I don’t own a round baking pan & I prefer to use glass.
Do you have a substitute for the coconut butter? I am having a hard time finding it and can’t easily make it myself. Thanks!
Elizabeth, you can substitute 1 extra Tbsp coconut oil, or butter, or ghee for the coconut butter. It is fine without the coconut butter. I am not good at making it either.
Sincerely,
Stacey
Your recipes rock!!!
Anya, your whole site rocks hard!!!
Stacey~
My mom made that too!! I’ve asked for her recipe but she has lost it somehow. She thinks hers had pudding in it…Does yours? Would you be able to send me the one you have, I would be ever so appreciative 🙂 Now then, I’ve been wanting that cake for so long but I eat Keto so I’m looking forward to trying your made-over version! Yay, making it now. 🙂
Cathy, thanks for trying the recipe, and yes my Mom’s did involve instant lemon pudding. I will email you the recipe. I would still sneak some of it if I was not Celiac. Hope you enjoy the healthier version.
Sincerely,
Stacey
Hi, I really love your recipes!, but lately I haven’t been getting your newsletter/blog. I really want to get your new recipes!.