Name: Healthy Cranberry Lemon Loaf Pound Cake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: ½ cup coconut flour; ¾ cup all purpose gluten free flour; ¼ cup tapioca flour; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; 1 tsp vanilla; ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons honey; ¼ cup applesauce; 3 eggs; 1 cup almond milk; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons lemon zest; ¼ cup frozen cranberries; 1 cup sugar-free powdered sugar (such as Swerve) or regular powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 tablespoon almond milk

Jump to Recipe

This healthy cranberry lemon loaf is bright, tender, and topped with a simple lemon sugar glaze. It’s dairy free, gluten free, and made entirely in the Crock-Pot 6 QT Express Pressure Cooker, so you don’t even need to turn on the oven.

The holidays always bring a burst of seasonal baking, and this recipe fits right into that spirit. The combination of sweet lemon and tart cranberries creates a festive flavor that feels perfect for Christmas but still works well beyond the season. It’s an easy, reliable recipe that delivers a moist loaf without traditional baking.

What makes this loaf especially versatile is how easily the fruit can be swapped. Use raspberries or blueberries in summer, blackberries in early fall, or even rhubarb for something a little different. The base recipe stays simple, bright, and delicious year-round.

What You’ll Need For The Healthy Lemon Loaf Pound Cake

To make this simple lemon loaf you’ll need a few gluten free flours to as well as typical baking supplies and the Crock-Pot 6 QT Express or a pressure cooker:

Pressure Cooker
8” Glass or Metal Loaf Pan (I used this one without the lid)
Tin Foil
Flours: Coconut Flour, Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, Tapioca Flour
Baking Soda & Baking Powder
Honey, Applesauce, Vanilla
Eggs
Almond Milk
Lemons
Cranberries (frozen)
Powdered Sugar (optional, for the glaze)

If you’ve ever tried the traditional lemon loaf at a popular coffee shop, you might know which one I’m referring to, you’ll understand the draw to this delicious dessert. The loaf is dense and moist, but still melts in your mouth like cake. The perfect blend of a loaf and a pound cake. The dessert is sweet, but not too sweet, has a perfect amount of lemon flavour and is truly a crowd favorite. Unfortunately when it comes to “healthy”…it has none of that!

My take on this tasty lemon loaf is naturally sweetened with honey and has only a touch of refined sugar in the glaze (which is optional), is made with gluten free flours for those who might prefer or need to avoid gluten, and contains no dairy products which can also be a problem for many people. There are no artificial lemon flavours but rather pure, whole, fresh lemon that creates a wonderful natural lemony taste. The frozen cranberries bring in that festive flavour and a nice touch of tartness, not to mention cranberries are a great source of antioxidants!

Using The Express-Crock For Desserts

If you would have asked me a few years ago how to bake a delicious healthy lemon loaf pound cake without using the oven I would have been slightly confused. Pressure cooking is relatively new to me but I am so impressed with the capabilities and versatility of this great way of cooking. The Crock–Pot® Express happens to be a pressure-cooker and a slow-cooker in one as well as a browning function and a steaming function. This means you can literally whip up everything from meats and stews, beans and chili, rice and risotto, poultry, desserts, soups, yogurts, to grains in this one handy Crock-Pot.

For desserts like this lemon loaf pound cake you can simply add a pan with your batter to the express crock (placed on the trivet with some water underneath for moisture) and press the dessert function to set the time and desired pressure (high or low). I used high pressure and cooked this loaf for 35 minutes then let it sit for another 10 minutes in the express crock on warm. While each loaf or dessert may need a different amount of time, you can always start with a lower time, such as 20-minutes and add more if needed.

If you are looking for a tasty, festive and healthier loaf or pound cake, definitely give this recipe a try and be sure to check out the the Crock–Pot® Express as it would make a great Christmas gift for that special someone (even if that special someone is you…treat yourself right?!).

Have you made any desserts in a pressure cooker? I’d love to read about it in the comments! Be sure to pin the photo below to save this recipe for later and of course, share the love!