Is Lemon Cake Acidic or Alkaline?
Lemon cake (baked) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Lemon cake comes in at +4.0 and is acid-forming because eggs, flour and butter supply protein and phosphorus. The lemon juice and zest (−4.0) make up only a tiny share of the batter. An 80 g slice adds about +3.2 and a good 350 kilocalories. The PRAL says nothing about the sugar in the glaze; it only accounts for minerals.
In the Sweets & Snacks category, lemon cake (baked) ranks #72 of 91, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Linzer torte (+3.9), Madeleines (+3.9), Butter cake (sugar cake) (+3.7). More acid-forming are Vanilla crescent cookies (+4.6), Carrot cake (+4.6), Crackers (salty) (+4.8).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
What balances lemon cake
A small serving (40 g) of lemon cake adds +1.6 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is lemon cake acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Lemon cake (baked) has a PRAL of +4.0 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a small serving (40 g) of lemon cake?
A small serving (40 g) of lemon cake adds +1.6 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 20 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid lemon cake on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Lemon cake is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Lemon Cake logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Sweets & Snacks: Sweets & Snacks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.