This delightful keto birthday cake is made with almond flour. The fluffy yellow cake is frosted with a rich chocolate frosting.
A keto version of a beloved childhood cake, it's incredibly close to the real thing, saving you from the need to cheat!
Last week, my husband celebrated his birthday. I made this cake for him after he told me about one of his fondest childhood memories, a yellow layer cake with chocolate frosting that his grandma used to make every year for his birthday. Needless to say, after hearing that story, I was on a mission to recreate that experience for him!
This cake is amazing. It's a sweet victory for keto and gluten-free baking that you can use almond flour and a sugar-free sweetener to produce a cake that is so fluffy, flavorful, and festive.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make this cake. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
For the Cake
- Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, this one included.
- Whole milk: Just ¼ cup. If you object to using milk in a keto recipe, you can use heavy cream instead.
- Unsalted butter: I like Kerrygold butter, but any butter will work.
- Vanilla extract: Try to use the real thing - pure vanilla extract.
- Sweetener: I use stevia. You can use a granulated sweetener instead.
- Almond flour: I use blanched, finely ground flour. I don't recommend using a coarse almond meal in this recipe.
- Kosher salt: If using any salt other than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, use half the amount listed in the recipe card.
- Baking powder: Make sure it's fresh and not expired. If you need it to be gluten-free, verify that it is.
For the Frosting
Unsalted butter, heavy cream, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and a sweetener.
Variations
- Since I made this cake for my husband, I used rum extract instead of vanilla extract in the cake batter and frosting because his grandma used to add rum to her cake. But vanilla works, too. Another good option is almond extract.
- If you'd like to try lighter frosting, this keto chocolate whipped cream is amazing.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this keto birthday cake:
Mix the cake ingredients by hand in one bowl. Divide the mixture evenly between two nonstick cake pans and bake it into two cakes. These will be the layers of your birthday cake.
Allow the cakes to cool completely. This is important. If you try to frost warm cakes, the frosting will melt. In the meantime, quickly whip up the chocolate frosting. You can mix it by hand.
When the cake layers are cool, assemble the cake: Place one cake on a platter. Frost the top. Place the second cake on top of the first one and frost its top as well. Then, frost the sides.
Slice and serve! Look at the cake's beautiful crumb - you can see in the photo how fluffy and tender it is:
Expert Tips
- It's important to use nonstick cake pans and grease them well. Butter works better than nonstick spray. I replace my baking pans once a year, so they are always brand new and truly nonstick. These are the pans I use.
- If your pans are older, it's a good idea to line their bottoms with a circle of parchment paper after greasing them and grease the parchment too.
- Note that the top of the cakes won't brown, even though they should be fully baked after about 15 minutes. This is fine, and the lack of browning is not an issue because we are going to frost the cake.
- I recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa powder (cocoa treated with alkali) in the frosting. It's milder and less acidic than natural cocoa powder. This is not mandatory, but I tried both options, and I like the frosting better with the Dutched cocoa.
- Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before frosting the cake or the frosting will melt as you spread it on the warm layers. You can speed up the process by placing the cakes, still on the cooling rack, in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
You can use a granulated sweetener in the cake batter, adding 1-2 tablespoons of milk if the batter becomes too thick.
For the frosting, you can use one cup of powdered sweetener instead of the stevia and increase the heavy cream until you achieve a good frosting consistency. Start by adding ¼ cup of heavy cream.
My best advice: Don't worry about it too much.
I'm not a professional baker. My cakes have a very homemade look - and I'm absolutely fine with that. If you're after perfection, the Internet is filled with helpful tutorials on how to frost a cake.
For example, if you want your cake to be perfectly straight, you should shave off the slight dome on top of the cake layers. For a truly smooth frosting, you should brush away any crumbs and apply a thin layer of frosting (a crumb coat) before frosting your cake.
There are also techniques to smooth out the frosting so that it's completely smooth and perfect.
I don't do any of these things. My cake is imperfect but delicious. When I mentioned that it wasn't "perfect" to my husband, he was like, "What are you talking about? My grandma's cake looked exactly like this!"
But if you'd like to try, here's an excellent tutorial on how to frost a layer cake.
One tool I do use is an offset spatula. It simply makes the task of spreading the frosting much easier, so I think it's worth it.
Unfortunately, you can't. These two flours are not interchangeable. Coconut flour is highly absorbent and very drying. If you'd like to bake a cake made with it, try this recipe for coconut flour cake.
Storing Leftovers
You can store this cake in the fridge, covered, for up to five days. I don't own a cake dome, so I cover the cake plate with an inverted salad bowl.
Do remember to take the cake out of the fridge at least an hour, and preferably two hours, before you plan on enjoying it. Frosting is always best at room temperature.
More Keto Cake Recipes
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Recipe Card
Keto Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Cake:
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted (3 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons stevia glycerite - (heaping; equals about ¾ cup of sugar)
- 2 ¼ cups almond flour - blanched, finely ground (9 ounces)
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - (or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder - fresh; gluten-free if needed
Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter - softened (8 ounces)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder - Dutch-processed (1.5 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon stevia glycerite - (equals 1 cup of powdered sugar)
Instructions
Bake the cake layers:
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Generously butter two round 8-inch nonstick cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and stevia.
- Add the almond flour, mixing it in with a rubber spatula and then whisking until the batter is smooth. Whisk in the kosher salt and baking powder.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. To ensure the cake layers are the same size, it’s best to use your kitchen scales and weigh the batter as you pour it into the pans. I weighed each cake at 360 grams.
- Bake the cakes in the middle of the oven until slightly puffed and set and a toothpick inserted in their center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes. The tops of the cakes won't brown even when they are fully baked.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and place them on a wire rack. Let them cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then invert them directly onto the wire rack. Let them cool completely for at least 30 more minutes.
While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting:
- Place the softened unsalted butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla, and stevia in a medium bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on low to incorporate, then beat on medium for about 1 minute until the frosting is light and fluffy. You can also mix the frosting by hand until light and fluffy.
Assemble and frost the cake:
- Place one of the cake layers on a cake plate, flat side up. To keep the plate clean, you can line the plate with strips of wax paper to protect the plate (let them overhang), then pull them from underneath the cake once you’re done frosting it. Alternatively, use a cake board.
- Place ⅓ cup of frosting in the middle of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread the frosting over the top of the cake.
- Gently place the second cake layer on top of the first one, flat side up. There’s no need to press on it. Place another ⅓ cup of frosting on top of this second cake, and use the spatula to spread it all over the top of the cake.
- Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake.
- Once frosted, you can cut the cake and serve it. You can also refrigerate it, covered, until ready to serve. Take it out of the fridge 2 hours before you plan on serving it.
Video
Notes
- It's important to use nonstick cake pans and grease them well. Butter works better than nonstick spray. I replace my baking pans once a year, so they are always brand new and truly nonstick.
- If your pans are not brand new and super nonstick, line their bottoms with a parchment circle after greasing them and grease the parchment too.
- A granulated sweetener in the frosting instead of stevia will feel grainy, so please use a powdered sweetener and add a bit more heavy cream (start with ¼ cup) to get the right consistency.
- I recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa powder (cocoa treated with alkali) in the frosting. It's milder and less acidic than natural cocoa powder. This is not mandatory, but I tried both options, and I like the frosting better with the Dutched cocoa.
- Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before frosting the cake or the frosting will melt as you spread it on the warm layers. You can speed up the process by placing the cakes, still on the cooling rack, in the fridge.
- You can store this cake in the fridge, covered, for up to five days. I don't own a cake dome, so I cover the cake plate with an inverted salad bowl. Do remember to take the cake out of the fridge at least an hour, and preferably two hours, before you plan on enjoying it. Frosting is always best at room temperature.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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