Best Healthy Lemon Cake Recipes

NOT-SO HEALTHY - HEALTHIER BLUEBERRY LEMON POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Grease and flour a loaf pan.
• In a large bowl combine the flours, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Using an electric mixer, mix for one minute at low speed to combine.
• Combine eggs, yogurt, vanilla and lemon extract in a medium bowl. Lightly whisk to combine. It will look like a creamy yellow yogurt.
• Add butter and half of the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix at high speed for one minute.
• Add remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, mixing 30 seconds after each addition. Batter should be light and fairly fluffy.
• Gently fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.
• Remove from oven and run sharp knife around edges of cake. Let rest 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

HEALTHY LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 10-inch tube cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Dust with flour, shaking off excess. Place poppy seeds in baking pan and cook until lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. 2. On sheet of waxed paper, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. In small bowl, whisk together whole eggs and egg white. 3. In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat butter, 1-1/2 cups of sugar, and lemon zest until creamy. Gradually beat in egg mixture, 1 teaspoon at a time, until light in texture. With rubber spatula, alternately fold in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just blended. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. 4. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. 5. In small saucepan, stir together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. 6. With a fork, prick holes in top of cake and pour hot syrup over cake. Transfer to wire rack and cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. 7. Run metal spatula around sides and center of cake, invert onto rack and cool before serving.

HEART-HEALTHY LEMON POPPY-SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan, preferably nonstick, with cooking spray and dust with flour (or use cooking spray with flour).
• Toast poppy seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
• Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice in a glass measuring cup.
• Beat eggs, egg whites and sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until thickened and pale, about 5 minutes.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture with a rubber spatula, a third at a time, alternating with 2 additions of the buttermilk mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
• Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
• To prepare the glaze: Sift 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar into a small bowl; mix with lemon juice and water to create a thin glaze. Poke 1-inch deep holes all over the cake with a skewer. Coat the warm cake with glaze using a pastry brush. Let cook completely. To serve, set the cake on a serving plate and dust with confectioner's sugar.

HEALTHY LEMON CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Coat a 10-in. fluted tube pan with cooking spray and dust with flour; add the batter. , Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. With a meat fork or wooden skewer, poke holes in cake., Set aside 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar. In a small bowl, combine the remaining confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Gradually pour over warm cake. Cool completely. Dust with reserved confectioners' sugar.,