Keto Cake (No-Fail)
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 06/21/2022 - Last updated on 11/04/2023
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This Keto Cake recipe is an easy, no-fail, 1-bowl keto cake recipe perfect for keto beginners looking for a sweet chocolate cake to fix their sweet tooth with only 2.2 grams of net carbs per serving.
Plus, this almond flour chocolate cake is also gluten-free with a dairy-free option.
What’s A Keto Cake?
A keto cake is a low-carb cake recipe made with low-carb flour and sugar-free sweetener to keep the total carbs and sugar to a minimum.
It has a very similar taste and texture to regular cakes and most of the time, Keto Cakes are also low-carb gluten-free cakes.
This keto chocolate cake recipe is the best treat for a low-carb birthday party!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I love this cake recipe because it’s the easiest you will find as a newbie to the keto diet and can make perfect birthdays.
There are no complicated steps to follow, no kitchen appliances needed, and this keto dessert fits all food allergies.
It’s naturally:
- Gluten-Free
- Nut-Free Option
- Dairy-Free Option
- Low-Carb
- Keto
- Paleo
- Grain-Free
How To Make This Keto Cake
There are many ways to make a cake keto-friendly. You can make a keto coconut flour chocolate cake, a keto vanilla cake, or this 1-bowl keto cake.
But here I am sharing the easiest keto cake recipe ever, a no-fail almond flour chocolate cake.
Ingredients
All you need to make a moist almond flour cake are:
- Almond Flour – Use ultra-thin almond flour with a pale, golden color. It’s not ground almond or almond meal. These two last options are coarse and make almond flour cakes gritty, so avoid them to avoid disappointment with the recipe. Almond flour is one of the best keto-friendly flours.
- Cocoa Powder – For a keto cake, use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Erythritol or any keto sweeteners you love like allulose, Monk fruit sweetener, or xylitol.
- Eggs – You must use regular eggs in this recipe as it doesn’t work well with egg replacers, an egg substitute, or flax eggs. It’s not recommended as a keto vegan cake. Eggs are keto-friendly.
- Unsalted Butter – Butter is a keto-friendly ingredient that needs to be melted in this recipe. You can also use melted coconut oil.
- Water – from the tap – You can also use unsweetened almond milk to add more almond taste.
- Vanilla Extract
Making The Cake Batter
To make the batter, it’s as easy as using a mixing bowl where you will:
Beat the eggs with water, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
Then, fold in the dry ingredients: almond flour, granulated sugar-free sweetener, baking powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt.
Stir to form a thick low carb chocolate cake batter. It can look a bit grainy, and that’s always the case when you make an almond flour chocolate cake so don’t panic.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line an 8-inch round pan with parchment paper at the bottom and lightly oil the bottom and sides with oil spray.
Pour the cake batter into the pan and spread evenly.
Bake the cake in the center rack of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a little crumb on it.
It’s better to get a little crumb, it means the cake is still moist and not dry.
The baking time varies with the size of the pan you used. If you use a 9-inch pan, the cake will bake faster as it’s shallower.
Cool down the cake on a wire rack before frosting.
Layered Keto Cake
To make a layered cake, repeat the recipe one or two times depending on what you are aiming for, a 2-layer keto cake or a 3-layer sugar-free cake.
Frosting
You can of course serve this cake plain or with some keto chocolate buttercream frosting or keto cream cheese frosting.
Before frosting the cake, make sure the layers have completely cooled to room temperature.
Other delicious keto toppings for cakes are:
- Whipped Cream
- Sliced Almonds
- Chopped Nuts – peanut, almonds, hazelnuts.
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips
- Melted Chocolate- sugar-free or 85% cocoa chocolate is keto-friendly.
Storage Instructions
This cake can be stored in a cake box or any sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze keto cake leftovers either whole or in slices and pop them in the fridge the day before to thaw the cake.
It’s ok to freeze the cake frosted or plain.
Tips For Best Low-Carb Cakes
It’s not difficult to bake a delicious low-carb cake recipe. But, if you are new to keto baking, there are 4 things you should know.
Tip 1 – Ingredients at The Same Temperature
One of the common mistakes in keto baking is to use cold eggs straight out of the fridge or hot melted butter.
When both liquids come together, it can scramble the eggs and create a strong egg flavor with lumps in the batter.
Always take out the eggs from the fridge 30 minutes before baking a keto cake and wait a few minutes before incorporating melted coconut oil or melted butter.
The FDA recommends leaving eggs no more than 60 minutes at room temperature, so it’s fine to do so.
Tip 2 – Flour Swaps And Measurements
Almond flour is the key ingredient to making a moist sugar-free birthday cake don’t swap almond flour for coconut flour or any almond ground or almond meal.
Coconut flour contains four times more fiber and can dry out cakes if you don’t adjust its ratio or add more eggs or liquid.
Use a coconut flour cake recipe if it’s the flour you want to use but don’t swap almond flour for the same amount of coconut flour.
Also always measure flour with a US measuring cup, fill and sweep but don’t over pack flour in the cup or press it down.
Tip 3 – Baking At Low Temperatures
Bake almond flour cakes at a lower temperature than wheat-based cakes.
The best is to cook at 325°F (160°C) and check often by insetting a pick in the center of the cake.
It should come out with a little crumb on it meaning the cake is moist and not dry.
Tip 4 – Don’t Thin Out The Batter
Don’t add milk or more water if your batter looks thick, it’s normal.
Keto cake batter is always thicker and looks grainy, and that’s normal.
Adding liquid like water, milk or heavy cream will dilute the batter, and the cake won’t firm up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below I listed the most common questions you have about this easy cake keto recipe.
Absolutely yes, the best nut-free low-carb flours for cakes are sesame seed flour and sunflower seed flour.
Both can be made at home in a high-speed blender by grinding the seeds on high speed until flour forms.
Wait for the homemade flour to cool before using it in the keto cake recipe. Use as a 1:1 ratio swap to almond flour.
Yes, you can make a sugar-free cake by removing all sugar substitutes from the recipe, but the cake will be very bitter and not sweet at all.
No, the nutrition panel is for a one-layer cake with no frosting and a serving of 12 slices out of an 8-inch round cake pan.
Yes, replace melted butter with melted coconut oil or olive oil. You can use dairy-free spread in the frosting instead of butter.
More Cake Recipes
If you are looking for a healthy birthday cake, I listed some of my most popular cake recipes for you to try.
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Keto Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Almond Flour
- ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Granulated Sweetener
- 4 large Eggs
- 3 tablespoons Melted Butter or melted coconut, cooled few minutes
- ⅓ cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 Batch Keto Chocolate Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease one 8-inch cake pan with coconut oil. Cover the bottom and side of the pan with parchment paper and oil them too. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients: almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk eggs with slightly cooled melted butter, water, and vanilla extract.
- Stir wet to dry ingredients until a smooth, slightly thick batter forms.
- Pour the keto cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-30 minutes in the center rack of the oven or until a pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or few a little crumb on it. Don't over bake or it gets dry.
- Cool down on a wire rack immediately until the cake reaches room temperature.
- Repeat the recipe for a two-layer cake, and frost the cake when both layers are at room temperature.
- Frost using one batch of keto chocolate frosting.
Storage
- Store cake in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze and thaw in the fridge the day before.
Tools
Getting Started What Is Keto? Macro Calculator Sweetener Converter Intermittent Fasting Keto Fruits Keto Vegetables Keto Flours Fighting Keto Flu Healthy SweetenersWant My Kitchen Equipment?
Nutrition
About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
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Disclaimer
The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. You must consult with your doctor before starting on a keto or low-carb diet. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only.
The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sweeteners from the total Carbohydrates. As an example, a recipe with 10 grams of Carbs per 100 grams that contains 3 grams of erythritol and 5 grams of fiber will have a net carbs content of 2 grams. Some sweeteners are excluded because they are not metabolized.
You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.
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Delicious and moist. Ate it without frosting this time but will definitely be trying with different toppings. Hit the spot for my chocolate cake craving while eating keto. And so easy to make too. Thank you 😊
Thank you!!
Can one substitute the water with milk/cream/buttermilk?
You can use low-sugar, low-protein, low-fat milk like almond milk. Dairy milk has too much fat and protein.
Thank you for this scrumptious recipe. It really is the perfect Keto chocolate cake. I made a light chocolate cream cheese/homemade whipped cream frosting and it was perfect.
I’ve made this cake twice, and the second time I was in a hurry, so I used one bowl for all ingredients and let my stand mixer do the work, and it still turned out wonderfully.
Also, thank you for having less ads than some recipe sites. Too many ads clog and slow loading speed and cause readers to choose a different website and recipe.
Oh thank you so much! I run very few ads indeed to keep the experience positive even though the revenue is far lower, thanks for noticing!
Would you know if Swerve would work as a substitute for the Erythritol?
It depends. If it’s the Swerve that contains Erythritol or Allulose (Sugar Replacement, Organic Sugar Replacement, Swerve Granular, Brown Swerve), it works. If it’s the pure monk fruit swerve, it won’t.
Can I use a monk fruit and erythritol mix ? Would it be the same amount ?
Thank you
Yes, that’s what I am using in all my recipes brands like Swerve works like a charm
This cake was DELISH! It was moist and chocolaty, just perfect. Reminded me of a cake my mom used to make many moons ago. Thank you!
Thank you🙏🙏
Do you have to use a springform cake pan?
Springform pans make unmolding so much easier. But the recipe works just as well in other pans, you just have to be more careful when unmolding.
Sounds yummy! However, I am allergic to eggs could I substitute unsweetened applesauce?
Unfortunately this won’t work egg-free or with egg replacers.
AMAZING!! Absolutely delicious!! I did vary the recipe slightly, and did NOT make the icing. I added a bit more sweetener to the cake for our taste. (I used 1/2 erythritol and 1/2 allulose) I also used some cream in the water. I baked it into 12 most and delicious cupcakes. Served with keto vanilla ice cream. I HONESTLY do not think most people would know this was not a regular cake!! Thanks so much for the recipe!
As a foodie who loves cooking and baking and high quality food I can honestly say this cake is amazing. Considering its keto friendly, the texture is just like normal cake and the cocoa flavour definitely satisfies cravings! I didn’t have time or ingredients for the frosting so just had it warm with double cream drizzled on top and it definitely satisfied the cake craving! Hopefully will definitely help me get through my first few weeks back on keto! Thank you for sharing.
Btw, If anyone was wondering, I made it in a halogen oven/air fryer and it took around 40 mins to bake (i did half a recipe).
This cake is AMAZING! Such a rich, chocolate flavor and so easy to put together quickly. I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa so it was a very dark chocolate cake. I used 6″ cake pans and got two layers that baked in 20 minutes. It is so moist and rich, it was a big hit at the birthday party, even for non-keto people. I frosted it with a strawberry buttercream frosting because I love chocolate and strawberry flavors together. This will definitely be my go-to for chocolate cake! LOVE LOVE LOVE it !!!
This is so delicious, my family did not even realize that is keto! I used swerve sweeteners and it is awesome!
I’ve made this cake 3 times and I love it. Makes a lovely cake.
How many total carbs? I want to make it for my granddaughter who has diabetes type 1.
The full nutrition panel is under the recipe card, showing total carbs too. Enjoy the cake
Absolutely perfect cake, by far the best keto cake I’ve ever tried making
Thank you!
I was amazed with the taste and texture of this cake. It was my first time trying to make a keto cake, and this recipe didn’t disappoint! 10 out of 10!
I’m so happy you like it Marissa!
Wow, my new favorite!
What a fantastic recipe! I made this today for my birthday and my whole family loved it, which is rarely the case with keto recipes! Thanks 🙂
Please more recipes like this, it was absolutely divine!
I’ve made this recipe twice, and each time it was easy to do and SOOOO chocolatey!