Sweet frosted healthy lemon cake…
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A soft and fluffy lemon cake that instantly melts as it touches your lips…
Sure, that irresistibly moist lemon cake from Starbucks is hard to resist. But with almost 500 calories, a staggering 9 grams saturated fat, and more than half the sugar limit you’re supposed to consume in an entire day, Starbucks’ famed lemon cake is not even close to a healthy breakfast!
To put things in perspective: You could actually eat seven frosted slices of today’s makeover healthy lemon cake and still not equal the calories and saturated fat in just one slice from Starbucks!
This recipe can be low-fat / low-sugar / whole-grain / under 100 calories per slice
So you could save the Starbucks lemon cake for a rare special occasion… or you could eat this homemade healthy lemon cake every single day.
And it’s so good you’ll probably want to do just that!
Healthy Lemon Cake
Starbucks Healthy Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup yogurt of choice
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 3 1/2 tbsp oil OR more yogurt of choice if oil-free is desired (35g)
- 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- zest one lemon
- 1 cup spelt or white flour (or bob’s gf + 1/2 tsp xanthan) (130g)
- scant 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup xylitol or sugar of choice (100g)
- Optional Powdered Sugar Glaze: 1/4 cup powdered sugar or sugar-free powdered sugar + 1 tsp lemon juice.
Instructions
*2019 Update: This makes a small (8×5) loaf. For a larger loaf, be sure to try this Vegan Lemon Bread!
Starbucks lemon cake healthy makeover: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8×5 loaf pan, and set aside. In a bowl, whisk the first 5 ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry, and stir just until evenly mixed. Smooth into the loaf pan, and bake 25 minutes or until loaf has risen and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool, then spread the glaze on top if a glaze is desired. Glaze hardens when it cools, and you can refrigerate to expedite the process if you wish. For optimum freshness, store leftover lemon cake slices in the fridge or even in the freezer.
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Oh my stars this is good! I went out today to Poundland and bought a loaf pan for £1 just to try this and it did not disappoint. I used wholemeal spelt flour and it came out lovely. I also added 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds because i happened to have some. Bliss! Thank you! I have just ordered your cookbook and cannot wait to try more recipes! Cheers!
I am a huge lemon poppyseed lover so I wish I had read this before I made mine. Mine was delicious but I only imagine it would even be better with the addition of poppyseeds, if that’s even possible!
I guess now I have an excuse to make another one 😉
I made this cake today using Greek yogurt and it was amazing!! So tasty, moist and the perfect amount of tart. I’m about to go out and get more lemons to make another loaf!
I just made this today, and it was delightful (as was the scent in my kitchen after baking it)!! I had never tried Starbucks’ version, mainly due to the nutritional info, but I am sure that this is far superior. I had completely forgotten to buy the Xylitol at the store, so I had to use some organic cane sugar, but I will definitely try to make it all the more healthy next time!! 🙂
I made this cake for a party last night and it turned out great! I used a little more yogurt (1/2 c) and a little less oil (2.5 T) than the recipe called for, plus doubled the glaze so I could get a good drizzle over the whole cake. I’m typically a good cook and not so great baker, but this cake was so easy, anyone could make it! Will definitely be making this again.
This cake looks so yummy, I would like to try it out as soon as possible!
Since I’m from Europe, could you please add the converted-in-grams measurements please? 🙂
I just posted a picture of my results to instagram. This cake turned out so well, and I agree with another person who commented that it is better than the Starbucks version. It really really is! 🙂 Great job, Katie!
Looks great. I love starbucks lemon cake, it’s always nice to see a healthier version of it.
I tried this recipe and it was a flop. I don’t blame the recipe…I live at high altitude, and I’ve about decided to give up baking 🙁 I’ll try it again and maybe add a “chia egg” and/or baking powder(?). Ugh! I love Colorado, but baking here is the pits!
What flour did you use? And what size loaf pan? I’ve never baked in high altitudes but hear it can be a pain!
I used Bob’s all purpose flour and a 5 x 8 loaf pan. I also cut the baking soda in half and increased the temp to 375 degrees (for high altitude baking). Maybe I should pretend I’m not at altitude and just follow the recipe and see how it works…;) Thanks for your help!
Hey I know this is kind of late, but I live in Colorado as well, after moving from Texas, and what I usually do is up the oven temperature 15-25 degrees (just depending on how hot it is already; I’d do this one at 375) and I never mess with the amount of baking soda. If there is a significant amount of baking powder, I might decrease it by 1/8 tsp per tsp of baking powder. Sometimes decreasing the sugar by just a bit, or increasing liquids by a tablespoon or two also helps. I hope this helps you or at least someone else reading it! 🙂
Wow, this was really lemony! I liked the tartness, but my family thought it was a little too sour. If I wanted to tinker the recipe to make it sweeter, should I add more sugar, or use less lemon juice, or both? Also, was it supposed to rise very much? My loaf was almost flat, but it still tasted great.
Thanks for the recipe, Katie! As always, this was so good I could hardly believe it is healthy. (And you are really good at food photography, by the way!)
Use more sugar if you wish for it to be sweeter, although I found this one plenty sweet! What size loaf pan did you use?
I agree. Too sour for my taste. (I don’t know how it supposed to be since I’ve never been to Starbucks). Next time I’m trying with 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup water instead. Maybe depends on what kind of lemons you use – our homegrown are small and very sour.
But the texture is great!
Your Are Awesome Katie! Every “unique” desert recipe I’ve tried to locate through Pinterest, keeps referring me to your amazing collection. Thank You Keep Up The great work!
(Wow: Strawberry Lemon Cake Healthy Make-Over, No Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Pie ….and the list of your recipes keeps growing-on! : )
My whole family loved this!
Does this recipe still work with a liquid sweetener like agave or maple syrup?
I am eating two slices of this moist lemon cake just out of the oven as I type this, and I can honestly say it’s one of the best recipes I’ve ever made from a blog. I’m just hoping it’s not all gone by tomorrow! 😉
This cake is really good! I frosted it with coconut butter and it was delicious! I bought your cookbook a couple weeks ago and can’t stop baking! Every recipe I have tried has been incredible! Thanks so much for sharing them 🙂
I made this for Easter and it was a big success! I really regret not making two loaves. Happy Easter, Katie and thank you for putting all of these delicious recipes out there for us! 🙂
This recipe is a keeper!
I served it to guests for Easter brunch this morning and it received rave reviews. Usually with blogs I might find one or two recipes I want to try, but with yours I’ve already bookmarked so many. And everything I’ve made has been terrific!