Vanilla Keto Cake Diabetic-Friendly
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 07/31/2019 - Last updated on 06/23/2023
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This Almond Flour Vanilla Keto Cake is the most delicious, moist, and buttery diabetic-friendly birthday cake.
Plus, this vanilla keto cake has a dairy-free option, is gluten-free, and is made with only 6 ingredients in 1 bowl!
So keep reading to learn how to make the ultimate low-carb cake.
Is it your birthday, or do you need to make a keto-friendly cake for a friend on a low-carb diet?
This easy keto birthday cake recipe is exactly what you need.
What’s A Keto Vanilla Cake?
This keto sponge cake is a simple but super tasty sugar-free vanilla cake that is also gluten-free and diabetes-friendly.
Because it is made with low-carb flour and no all-purpose flour, it comes with very few carbs: only 3 grams of net carbs per slice!
If you follow the keto diet, this won’t hurt your macros, and you will stay in ketosis!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Keto Cake is absolutely amazing, it tastes like a classic cake, and it’s:
- Gluten-Free
- Diabetes-Friendly
- Paleo
- Dairy-Free Option
- Low-Carb
- Keto-Friendly
How To Make Keto Vanilla Cake
This is the perfect recipe for keto diet beginners, probably as easy as using a keto cake mix.
It is definitely a no-fail keto birthday cake recipe made in 1 bowl with only 6 simple ingredients.
Sugar-Free Vanilla Cake Ingredients
Let’s see what you need to make this moist and buttery sugar-free vanilla cake.
- Almond Flour – I recommend fine almond flour for this Almond Flour Vanilla Cake rather than almond meal. Almond meal would work as well, but the cake would be less moist. Find other recipes with almond flour.
- Eggs – this recipe is not vegan friendly. For a vegan cake, try my keto vegan mug brownie.
- Sugar-free crystal sweetener – I love Monk fruit, but erythritol or xylitol are great options as well. Check out my review of keto-friendly sweeteners for alternatives.
- Coconut oil – or any oil with a light taste will work very well here. Avoid vegetable oils. They are not keto. Good options are almond oil, flaxseed oil. If you are using melted coconut oil, make sure it is not burning hot when you add it to the cake batter. Hot oil will cook the eggs.
- Baking powder or half the amount of baking soda, meaning 1/2 teaspoon.
- Vanilla extract. Find all my recipes with vanilla extract.
Making Almond Flour Cake
Usually, keto cake batter made with almond flour sticks a bit more to cake pans, so it is crucial to use a non-stick high-quality, aluminized pan.
It may sound expensive to invest in a high-quality pan, but they last for years. The one below has been in my kitchen for 7 years, and none of my cakes stick to it.
Pan choice
I am using a 9-inch springform cake pan with a non-stick coating and a ridged texture at the bottom.
If your pan doesn’t have a ridged texture, your cake may stick slightly at the bottom. To prevent your keto cakes from sticking to the pan, I recommend a double-greasing method.
First, grease the whole pan, bottom, and sides with butter or coconut oil.
Then, cut out a piece of parchment paper, the same diameter as the pan, so in a 9-inch circle.
Place the piece of parchment paper at the bottom of the pan. It will stick to the pan since you grease it before. Finally, grease the whole pan again, including the paper.
This 2-step greasing method will ensure that your keto cake does not stick to the pan.
Making A Layered Cake
You don’t have to make a layered keto cake, but it does look more like a classic birthday cake if you do.
You can follow the keto vanilla cake recipe and serve this delicious almond flour cake in 30 minutes.
It is a good sugar-free vanilla cake to enjoy plain or with the vanilla buttercream frosting recipe provided.
I recommend making the layers and frosting, though, to have a lovely light and fluffy keto birthday cake.
To make the layers of this diabetic cake, I recommend baking 2 small vanilla cakes instead of slicing a bigger one. It means you repeat the entire low-carb cake recipe 2 times.
This is the best way to create a lovely keto sponge cake with even layers and a decent cake height.
Tip 1: Make the vanilla cake recipe provided two times
I know it is tempting to double up the recipe to save time and then divide the batter in half.
It would work, but I’m not too fond of this technique because it is challenging to halve the batter perfectly. Often, you end up with a layer thicker than the other.
Tip 2: Bake one almond flour cake at a time
Never bake two cakes at the same time in your oven. It will impact the baking time too much, and the baking will not be consistent.
There is always one cake that burns and one that is not cooked. So take the time and bake them separately.
Tip 3: Level the cake layers before frosting
Your sugar-free birthday cake will come up with a small bump on top.
Fully cool the cake, then use a knife or a cake leveler tool to remove that bump and create 2 flat cake layers.
This will make it much easier to frost them later on.
Assembling Keto Vanilla Cake
First, make sure your low-carb cake layers are cool at room temperature to prevent the frosting from melting.
Then, I recommend using a turning table and icing spatula. You can use the frosting below or use any of my other frosting recipes:
- Keto Chocolate Frosting
- The Cream Cheese Frosting from my Keto Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe.
Add a tablespoon of frosting to the center of the turning table and place the first cake layer on it.
This frosting is not cream cheese frosting, and so it will act like glue and stick the cake to the table.
Next, add 1 cup of frosting to the middle of the cake. Spread the frosting with an icing spatula turning the table at the same time to spread evenly.
The frosting will fall on the sides, and that is ok. Finally, add the second cake layer and repeat this process until you have covered all the top of the cake. Use more frosting to cover the edges.
I hope you enjoyed my 36-year-old diabetic birthday cake recipe. Happy birthday to you if you try this recipe for your birthday today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Almond Flour have carbs?
Yes, Almond Flour does contain some carbs but far less than all-purpose flour. It gives about the same texture to baked goods as regular flour though.
What can I use instead of Almond Flour?
If you don’t have almond flour or are allergic to almonds, you can use Sesame Seed flour. It’s also keto-friendly and bakes similarly.
You can also use all-purpose flour, but it wouldn’t be keto-friendly.
Can I use stevia instead of erythritol?
You can’t use pure stevia extract as Erythritol provides both sweetness and texture to this recipe. You need something that brings a sugar-like texture.
A stevia and erythritol blend works. Allulose would also work.
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
No, this vanilla cake wouldn’t work with coconut flour instead of almond flour as coconut flour is 4 times more water-absorbent.
It would make the cake very dry and gritty and would alter the flavor.
Can I Add Chocolate To The Batter?
You can add chocolate, but I recommend instead making my Keto Chocolate Cake.
More Healthy Cake Recipes
If you love this low-carb birthday cake recipe, I recommend you also try my other healthy cake recipes or my diabetic cake recipes:
Or browse all my recipes in the low-carb cake recipes category
Is this keto sugar-free vanilla cake recipe too large for you? Then, try my keto vanilla cupcake recipe instead
Also, don’t forget to share a review or comment below! I love to hear your feedback on my keto recipes
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Keto Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 4 large Eggs
- ½ cup Granulated Sweetener Monk Fruit or erythritol
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil melted or melted butter
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Vanilla Buttercream frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter soft, out of the fridge for 4 hours (5.3 oz) – or vegan butter.
- 1 ½ cups Powdered Erythritol
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2-3 tablespoons Heavy Cream or coconut cream
Instructions
Vanilla cake
- Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Grease a 9-inch round springform pan with coconut oil or butter. Cut out a piece of parchment paper into a 9-inch circle and stick it to the bottom of the pan. Grease the paper and pan sides again. These steps prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with sugar-free sweetener, oil, and vanilla. Process as if you whisked a breakfast omelet. It should not take more than 30 seconds to 1 minute, all you want is to combine the ingredients.
- Whisk in almond flour and baking powder and whisk until evenly combined.
- Pour the vanilla cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes in the center of your oven. The fan-bake mode is ideal if you have one. Otherwise, use the regular mode. Your cake is cooked when a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or with few to no crumbs on it.
- Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then release the cake on a cooling rack. Cool for 1 or 2 hours before adding the frosting, or enjoy plain.
- Note that this is a gluten-free cake. It doesn't rise much. You should expect a small bump raise in the middle, not more. The recipe is made to create flat cake layers to make a layered birthday cake.
Layer vanilla cake
- Repeat the vanilla cake recipe one more time to create a second vanilla cake.
- Make sure you clean, dry, and grease again the cake pan before baking the second cake.
Light and Fluffy Buttercream frosting
- Add the soft butter cubes and vanilla to a stand mixer. Make sure you use the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until it forms a pale, smooth, and fluffy butter.
- Reduce to low speed and gradually add the sugar-free powdered sweetener, half a cup at a time. When all the sugar-free sweetener has been added, mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until it forms a fluffy cream.
- Add cream and keep whisking for 1 minute to incorporate.
- Spread the frosting between the 2 cake layers and on sides using an icing spatula. Watch my video to learn how to frost your layer cake easily.
- Place the cake in the fridge for 2 hours to set up the frosting if desired.
Storage
- You can make this cake 24 hours before, store it in an airtight cake box in the fridge to prevent the frosting from drying.
- Store leftover for up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze in ziplock bags. Defrost the day before at room temperature.
Notes
- A simple one-layer vanilla keto cake will have 3g of net carbs per slice.
- A double-layer cake will have 6g of net carbs per slice.
- A triple-layer cake will have 9g of net carbs per slice.
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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Can you make this cake in a 8 inch pan instead. I want to make three layers .
Thanks
Yes, but it will impact the baking time. This recipe is designed to be entirely baked in a 9 inches pan so if you split the same amount of batter in two smaller pan it will bake way faster. Enjoy ! XOXO Carine
Hi,
Can this cake be made in a 8 inch round cake pan instead. I want to make a three cakes so the cake comes out high. I will repeat the recipe three times, I’m just curious about the baking time . Should the baking time decrease or increase.
Thanks
Margaret
I wouldn’t make a three layer cake with one batch of the recipe, each layers will be extremely thin. You will have to double up the recipe to do so. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Hi, can this cake be made using a 13×9 inch cake pan?
You can but it will be very thin and flat so I wouldn’t recommend that option. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Hi, your cake sounds perfect! I was wondering if anyone has tried separating the eggs and whipping the whites?
And also has anyone tried freezing it? I am keen to use it for a trifle and make it ahead….
TIA.
I didn’t try that but it should work and the cake will probably be fluffier similar to a sponge cake.
Hi Carine,
I just started on my keto journey and have a major sweet tooth. I tried this recipe and it turned out so amazing and so yum. Thanks so much for sharing this. I’ve also tried your keto vegan bread and that’s been a staple for me to have in my keto pantry. I’m excited to try your other recipes.
Thank you so much ! Enjoy all the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Hi i was wandering if i could use coconut flower instead of the almond
Sorry you can’t use same amount of coconut flour as it contains 4 times more fiber it will absorb all the liquid. Instead try my coconut cake recipe here, it’s 100% made of coconut flour.
Hi, I was wondering if powdered stevia would work in this recipe. Also, for the frosting, do you think coconut mana could be used in place of some or all of the butter? I am trying to keep it low fat.
No sorry it won’t work, stevia powder is highly sweet and you will need a very low amount, consequently it won’t add the texture your need for the frosting. Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine
THANK YOU FOR SHARING
I can’t use any almond products because of allergies. Any ideas of how to convert these to stay low carb/low sugar without anything almond???
Sure, usually you can use the same amount of sunflower seed flour or sesame seed flour to replace almond flour in keto cake recipe. Enjoy. XOXO Carine
Hello. I wanna try this for my mom’s birthday. I don’t haveknow any natural sweeteners. Can I use honey instead. If yes how much honey am i supposed to put?
I only try the recipe with a crystal sweetener – erythritol. Usually you can always replace it by coconut sugar for an healthy, non-keto, alternatives. Honey will change the texture a lot so I won’t recommend it. Enjoy the recipe and happy birthday to your mom, XOXO Carine
Omg this was delicious! Making it again! Best keto vanilla cake I’ve made!
I made this today. Added sprinkles to make it “funfetti,” and subbed butter for coconut oil. A M A Z I N G. I’ve been low carb for years, and this is the first cake that has come out perfectly in all my baking experimentation. This will be my go to cake for all events from now on! My husband is type 1 diabetic and being able to serve him a cake he can eat without worry is PRICELESS! Thank you for this recipe!
Did you melt the butter first when you substituted for the coconut oil?
Yes, the recipe says melted butter or melted coconut oil
This is the most beautiful message I read today! Thank you. Enjoy the low carb recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Made this with 3 layers and added shaved dark/keto friendly chocolate on the top for decoration – 10/10 recipe, great taste and consistency. Used xylitol for my sweetener and it worked perfectly. Thank you!
Amazing! I love this. First baking with monkfruit. This is a keeper! Thank you!
Thank you for this great recipe! Just sharing my little innovation: I omitted the vanilla bean and used vanilla essence (per recipe). Then I added 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of lemon zest. Instant lemon cake! Super yum!!
Am I able to use stevia instead of erythritol? If so how much would I use in this recipe?
You can’t use stevia powder in baking to replace erythritol simply because it doesn’t add bulk to cakes, won’t melt. Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine
I love this recipe ! I will be making it for a third time. Last time I whipped some coconut cream with the powdered monk fruit was so lovely ! I’m wondering if I can use margarine instead of butter for the icing ?
I guess margarine will work for the frosting but as margarine contains vegetable oil it is not a healthy keto option. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Modify for cake in a mug, please. My daughter and I are the only sugar-free eaters and I’m dying to make this!
Simply use my keto vanilla mug cake recipe . Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Hi, I attempted this recipe and I don’t know if I’m missing something but, it’s extremely dry! Definitely not pour able (no way like a batter mix) What’s gone wrong?
If the batter is non pourable it means you miss liquid r you used too much flour. Make sure you are using large eggs at room temperature,weight flour in grams for precision and use ultra thin almond four not almond meal. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
My mom made yout cake w the frosting today. It was delish! Thank you so much for sharing =)
Thanks for taking some time to leave me this lovely feedback ! I am so happy your mom is baking my recipes, XOXO Carine