Give yourself a treat with this easy keto chocolate cake. This cake has a lovely moisture texture, is gluten-free and sugar-free, and contains just 5 g net carbs per serving!
One of life's guilty pleasures has to be a decadent chocolate cake. From the soft, chocolatey cake to the rich chocolate frosting, chocolate cake is something to behold.
However, if you're on the keto diet, you likely feel like you can enjoy special treats like this anymore. But don't fear; this keto chocolate cake is a crowd favorite and will be a perfect addition to your next special occasion.
Jump to:
❤️ Why You'll Love It
Let's face it: not all keto cake recipes are good. Some are bland and dry, requiring a cup of coffee to choke them down.
This keto chocolate cake isn't like that. It's the best keto chocolate cake recipe I've tried!
It's soft and tender with a rich, creamy frosting. It's so good that even family members not on the keto diet enjoy it with me! That says everything, right?
💭 What Is Keto Chocolate Cake?
Unlike regular chocolate cake, keto chocolate cake must be low in carbohydrates and sugars to fit within the keto diet. That eliminates the sugar and flour commonly used in regular cake layers.
We combine almond flour and coconut flour for this chocolate keto cake recipe. Instead of sugar, we'll use monk fruit sweetener. These two swaps will result in a delicious low carb cake recipe suitable for people on the ketogenic diet.
🥘 Equipment
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Stand mixer
- 9-inch cake pan
- Offset spatula
🧾 Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- Flours: This recipe calls for a combination of almond flour and coconut flour. It is crucial to use both flours because they respond to wet ingredients differently. Coconut flour is much more absorbent than almond flour.
- Monk fruit sweetener: This is my low carb sweetener of choice, but another good sugar substitute is Swerve or allulose.
- Cocoa (cacao) powder: What is a keto chocolate cake without unsweetened cocoa powder? You can use any brand you like, but I swear by Viva Cacao powder. It is by far the least bitter brand I have ever tasted.
- Salt: Salt not only brings out the flavor of the cake, but it also helps to cut down the bitterness from the cocoa powder.
- Baking powder: This is a crucial raising agent that will help your cake rise.
Wet Ingredients
- Unsweetened Almond milk: This helps to increase the moisture content in the cake. Feel free to substitute your favorite low carb milk.
- Butter & cream cheese: Gives the chocolate cake a creamy texture and moisture.
- Eggs: This helps to bind the ingredients together and to produce that airy texture found in cakes.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds a depth of flavor that makes this low-carb cake delicious!
🔪 How To Make This Recipe
- Set out your eggs and butter and bring them to room temperature. The butter needs to be softened but not melted.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl - almond flour, coconut flour, monk fruit sweetener, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Whisk these ingredients together so everything is properly integrated.
- Add all the wet ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl (butter, almond milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and cream cheese).
- Begin mixing your wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Then, carefully add the dry ingredients. Start with a low speed and work your way up. You can also use a hand mixer or mix it by hand, but make sure that all the ingredients are well combined.
- Grease a 9-inch cake pan with a little butter or oil spray. Spread the batter around as evenly as possible so your cake will cook evenly. Place it on a rack in the middle to the lower half of the oven to bake.
- Set a timer for 25 minutes. Since oven times may vary, you can check it at the 25-minute mark. If your keto chocolate cake isn't fully set, put it in the oven for up to 5 more minutes. Check for doneness with a clean toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake.
- Once done, let the cake sit out and naturally cool down for about 20 minutes. You can let it cool slightly until the top feels firm, and then take it out of the pan to let it cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack.
- I use this Keto Cream Cheese Frosting recipe to frost my cake. Use an offset spatula to spread your frosting evenly across the top of your cake and chill for a few minutes so the frosting can harden. If making a layered cake, bake a second cake following this recipe. Add some frosting on the first layer and then the second layer. Frost the entire cake to your liking. Serve and enjoy!
🥫 Storing And Reheating
A frosted uncut chocolate cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 5 days and remain fresh. All you have to do is cover it with a large bowl or cake keeper container. You can also store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
The frosting will protect the cake from any air or moisture around it. If you have frosted cake leftover, use plastic wrap to cover the cut ends and keep it inside a cake cover at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or you can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you are baking your chocolate cake a few days in advance, frost the outside and let it set in the fridge for about 15 minutes before loosely covering it with plastic wrap or storing it inside the fridge in a cake keeper.
On the day you serve this cake, bring it out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to bring it to room temperature before serving.
💭 Tips And Variations
- Start slow: Starting an electric mixer at high speed will cause the dry ingredients to go everywhere and leave you with a mess to clean up. Always start it on a low setting as you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Don't overbake your cake: When checking the cake's doneness, do not wait until the middle is completely firm to the touch. If you bake until the top is completely firm, you may overbake or even burn the cake.
- Cool down gradually: Never try to speed up the cooling process. Putting a cake in a fridge immediately after it bakes may cause the cake to dry up, making the texture crumbly. This mistake could cause the top of the cake to collapse, leaving you with an uneven surface to frost.
- Bake as many layers as you need: You can easily make just one layer and leave out the frosting for a quick and easy dessert. You can also make multiple layers and completely deck it out with frosting for a lovely keto birthday cake perfect for the chocolate lover in your life!
🍽️ What Can I Eat With Keto Chocolate Cake?
A good chocolate cake is delicious all by itself. I love to use my Keto Chocolate Frosting for this recipe. It's creamy and full of flavor!
I love to enjoy a slice of this low-carb chocolate cake with a beverage. For a double dose of chocolate, pair this cake with my Sugar Free Keto Hot Chocolate. In the summer, I prefer this Keto Iced Coffee.
If you need something extra for your sweet tooth, don't miss these Low Carb Keto Cinnamon Pecan Cookies!
👩🍳 Frequently Asked Questions
Cocoa powder does not contain added sugars and is bitter by default. Some brands are more bitter than others. That's why I recommend Viva Cacao. It is less bitter than other brands I've tasted, but your taste may vary. Also, adding salt helps to cut down the bitterness, so don't omit this.
Cocoa and cacao powder can be used interchangeably as they have similar flavor profiles.
Related Recipes
Check out these other delicious keto desserts!
📖 Recipe
Keto Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- ½ cup monk fruit sweetener
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cacao powder
- 1 stick butter ½ cup
- ⅓ cup almond milk
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 4 servings keto cream cheese chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl - almond flour, coconut flour, monk fruit sweetener, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
- Mix all the wet ingredients separately - butter, almond milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and cream cheese.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine using an electric mixer.
- Grease a 9-inch cake pan with a little butter or oil spray.
- Pour the batter into a 9- inch cake pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Check for doneness with a clean toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake.
- Once it is done, let the cake sit out and naturally cool down for about 20 minutes.
- See notes below on how to make the frosting.
- Use an offset spatula to spread your frosting evenly across the top or sides of your cake.
- Let the frosting harden for a few minutes in the fridge before serving.
- If making a layered cake, make the second cake in another pan and place on top of the first.
- Add some more frosting to the top.
- If you want to get creative and add detail to the cake, you can use a piping bag.
Notes
- Use this recipe to make the frosting: Keto Cream Cheese Chocolate Frosting.
- When checking the cake’s doneness, do not wait until the middle is completely firm to the touch. If you cook it until the top is completely firm, this may lead to overcooking or even burning parts of the cake.
- Never try to speed up the cooling process. Putting a cake in a fridge immediately after it bakes may cause the cake to dry up, making the texture crumbly. Let it cool down naturally.
- Always start your mixer on a low setting to prevent batter flying everywhere.
Super yummy!! No “Keto” flavor just real flavor !!
Thanks for sharing this recipe !
You're so welcome, Stephanie! I just made this for my birthday, and even my kids ate it with me 🙂