This tender and fluffy keto chocolate cake is made with almond flour and frosted with a rich chocolate frosting.
This keto chocolate cake was inspired by my favorite childhood dessert - chocolate sheet cake with frosting. Making it is easy! Just like this keto carrot cake, it's a simple one-layer cake you mix in one bowl and bake in a square baking dish. If you don't use frosting, it's completely appropriate as a snack or breakfast cake. With frosting, it's rich and indulgent - the perfect chocolatey keto dessert.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Sweetener: I use stevia glycerite. You can use a granulated sweetener instead.
- Almond flour: I use superfine almond flour.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed). Its natural acidity helps activate the baking soda, ensuring the cake is fluffy.
- Baking soda: You can use 2 teaspoons of baking powder (gluten-free if needed) instead of ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
- For the frosting: Unsalted butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and stevia. It's a similar frosting to the one I use in this keto birthday cake.
Variations
- Serve the cake without frosting, dusted with a powdered sweetener. It's delicious, and when not frosted, it can serve as a breakfast or snack cake.
- Use lighter frosting - this chocolate whipped cream is really good! But use this wetter frosting immediately before serving the cake to prevent the cake from becoming soggy.
- Drizzle the cake with warmed peanut butter - this is my husband's favorite version!
- Immediately after frosting the cake, scatter unsweetened coconut flakes on the frosting.
- Replace the vanilla extract with coconut, almond, or orange extract.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Mix the frosting and set it aside. To make the cake, whisk the eggs, melted butter, stevia, and vanilla. Gradually add almond flour and cocoa powder and whisk them in. Then, mix in the salt and baking soda.
Transfer the batter to a well-buttered 8-inch glass baking dish. Bake the cake for about 18 minutes in a 325°F oven. Cool the cake completely, then frost it.
Cut the cake into nine squares and serve.
Oh my goodness, this is the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever had. You would never in a million years know it was made with almond flour and a sugar substitute. It is moist, chocolatey, and delicious. I will be following all your recipes. THANK YOU!
Danielle Freeman
Read more comments
Oh my goodness, this is the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever had. You would never in a million years know it was made with almond flour and a sugar substitute. It is moist, chocolatey, and delicious. I will be following all your recipes. THANK YOU! Recipe Tips
- This cake relies on baking soda as a leavening agent, and the baking soda requires an acidic ingredient in the batter to activate. So it's best to use natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder, not Dutched-processed cocoa powder treated with an alkalizing agent.
- If you replace the baking soda with baking powder, using Dutch-processed cocoa powder is fine.
- Be generous when greasing the pan to make sure the cake releases easily.
- If you opt for a granulated sweetener instead of stevia, use a powdered sweetener in the frosting to prevent a grainy mouthfeel. See the photo below - this is what the frosting should look like - smooth and creamy:
Recipe FAQs
Yes. You can add ⅓ cup of chocolate chips or chopped unsalted nuts to the batter.
No. It would add too much liquid to the batter. If you'd like to try a recipe that uses a liquid sweetener, check out this recipe for almond flour chocolate cake.
This relatively low oven temperature ensures even baking and prevents the outside of the cake from burning before the inside is cooked through.
You can slice the completely cooled cake and store the slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. You can also freeze unfrosted cake slices. Remember to remove the leftovers from the fridge about an hour before enjoying them. Chocolate always tastes better at room temperature, and the same is true for frosting.
Serving Suggestions
- This cake is perfect with coffee or a tall glass of cold almond milk. In the summer, I serve it with iced coffee or iced tea.
- Sometimes, I top it with berries. It's especially good with raspberries. The combination of the sweet cake and the tart fruit is amazing.
- If I don't frost the cake, I sometimes have a slice spread with peanut butter or walnut butter for breakfast.
- It makes a good birthday cake if you don't want to bother with making a layered keto birthday cake.
Recipe Card
Easy One-Layer Keto Chocolate Cake
Video
Ingredients
Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter - softened, not cold; 112 grams
- ¼ cup heavy cream - room temperature
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder - 20 grams, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite - equals ½ cup powdered sugar
Cake:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter - for pan
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter - melted and slightly cooled; 112 grams
- 2 teaspoons stevia glycerite - equals ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour - 112 grams; see notes below
- ½ cup unsweetened natural cacao powder - not Dutch-processed; 40 grams
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- To make the frosting, place all the frosting ingredients (soft unsalted butter, heavy cream, sifted cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and stevia glycerite) in a medium bowl and whisk them by hand until smooth. Alternatively, beat them with an electric handheld mixer on low speed until smooth and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Set aside. (See notes below on how to ensure smooth frosting.)½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch square glass baking dish with butter. Be generous when greasing to ensure the cake releases easily from the pan. You can also line the bottom with a square of parchment paper and then grease the paper.1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, stevia, and vanilla extract.4 large eggs, ½ cup unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons stevia glycerite, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gradually whisk in the almond flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the kosher salt and baking soda. The batter will be quite thick.1 cup almond flour, ½ cup unsweetened natural cacao powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
- Bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in it comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 1 hour.
- Frost the cake using an offset spatula. If you skip the frosting, I recommend dusting it with a powdered sweetener to make it look pretty.
- Cut the cake into 9 squares and serve.
Notes
- Sweetness is a personal preference. Use these amounts as a guide and adjust to taste.
- Occasionally, baking soda can cause a reaction in baked goods, resulting in an ammonia smell. You can use 2 teaspoons of fresh baking powder (gluten-free if needed) instead of baking soda.
- The nutrition info includes frosting. Nutrition info for an unfrosted slice: Calories 206, Fat 19g, Saturated Fat 8g, Sodium 166mg, Carbohydrate 5g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 1g, Protein 6g.
- Ensuring creamy frosting: Grainy keto frosting usually happens when the sweetener doesn't fully dissolve - erythritol-based ones can crystallize, even the powdered kind. Cold ingredients or not mixing long enough can also cause lumps. Using a sweetener that dissolves more easily (like stevia, powdered allulose, or powdered monk fruit), making sure the frosting ingredients are at room temperature, and thoroughly mixing, should give a nice, creamy result. It also helps to sift the cocoa powder through a fine-mesh strainer. To fix a grainy frosting, add a splash of heavy cream, gently warm it, and beat it well.
- Measuring almond flour: It's best to measure by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff the flour in the bag, then use a spoon to transfer it into a measuring cup. Don't pack it down. Once filled, level the top with the flat edge of a knife.
- Leftovers: You can slice the completely cooled cake, then store the slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze unfrosted cake slices. Remember to remove the leftovers from the fridge about an hour before enjoying them. Chocolate always tastes better at room temperature, and the same is true for frosting.
Nutrition per Serving
Save this Recipe!
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
We will also add you to our weekly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime. See healthyrecipesblogs.com/privacy/ to learn how we use your email.
Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate - please verify it. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Mellissa Herrod says
Hi, I want to make this for my birthday cake next week! The chocolate I have is organic CACAO powder, also nibs. Would this work for me? I have loved your recipes for so long.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Mellissa,
Thank you so much for being a loyal reader! ❤️
The organic cacao powder shoulds work well.
I really hope you'll like it. Happy birthday!
Mellissa Herrod says
Thank you! I assume it would be equal portions to what you have listed for the recipe. Cannot wait to taste it!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yes! Equal portions. 🙂