Since lemons are so tart, it can be difficult to find a cake recipe that features their flavor and doesn't include much sugar. But if you're diabetic or simply trying to cut back on refined sugar, you have a few choices when baking at home, and you can still successfully highlight the bright color and clean natural flavor of fresh lemons.
Benefits
There are plenty of benefits to following a low-sugar recipe and choosing low-sugar foods. Baked goods that contain hefty amounts of sugar are high in calories, and they also often contain a lot of butter and other full-fat ingredients. Since refined sugar contains very few essential vitamins and minerals, it's not as satiating or nutritious as whole foods.
Artificial Sweeteners
One way to make a cake taste sweet without using much sugar is to substitute or add an artificial sweetener. Such sweeteners often taste much more "sugary" than sugar itself, so you can use them in smaller amounts to get the same effect. Artificial sweeteners may also be suitable choices if you have diabetes, since they don't always raise blood sugar levels in the same way that refined sugar does. The Mayo Clinic notes that, although some artificial sweeteners have been linked to cancer development and other health problems, those currently sold in stores in the U.S. are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are considered to be safe.
Sugar Substitutes
You can reduce the sugar in a lemon cake recipe by using a natural sweetener instead of refined granulated sugar. Although natural sweeteners don't always cut the calorie count of the final product, they may ease the glycemic load, which measures the speed at which sugar enters the bloodstream. Choices include date paste, agave nectar, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, honey and molasses. When substituting a liquid sweetener such as honey or maple syrup for table sugar, start with ¾ cup in place of 1 cup sugar. Instead of using a sugar-rich glaze or frosting on your cake, top it with a sweet compote. "Cooking Light" magazine suggests using a mixture of unsweetened apple juice, golden raisins, cranberries, pear pieces and lemon juice.
Considerations
There's no universal definition of "low sugar" in a cake recipe, so lemon cakes that use sugar substitutes, contain a reduced amount of sugar, or use natural sweeteners may all qualify. You could also try cutting down on sugar and using Meyer lemons, which tend to be sweeter, in place of traditional lemons in a recipe. It may take some trial and error to come up with the best combination of ingredients, but with some experimentation you can come up with a recipe that doesn't rely heavily on sugar to make a superb lemon cake.
