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
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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 cocoa 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.)
- 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.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, stevia, and 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.
- 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
- 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
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Aneela says
Tried this out today but the frosting ended up gritty?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Thanks for trying the recipe, Aneela! 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, allulose, or 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. Thank you for this helpful question - I went ahead and added these recommendations to the recipe for future readers.
Crystal R. says
My mom doesn't like stevia, so I replaced it with 1/4 tsp of pure monk fruit powder and did the baking powder substitute (in place of baking soda). It was a huge hit with my entire family. Will definitely make it again.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad this was a hit, Crystal! Thank you very much for the review and for sharing your tweaks - much appreciated.
Carmelina Abregu says
The cake is still in the oven after 30 minutes and yet not cooked. The recipe say that the batter will be quite thick, mine was quite thin. I dont know if the ingredientes are correct.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Carmelina,
Thanks for the feedback. I hope it ended up fully baked.
Yes, you can see in the photo that the batter is thick.
Did you measure the almond flour by weight? If not, it's possible you didn't use enough.
Michael and Ruth says
Thank you for the recipe. May I substitute white flour for the almond flour ?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi,
I don't think so. Some sources say it's a 1:1 substitution, but I find that difficult to believe.
In any case, I only tested this recipe with superfine almond flour.
If you're willing to experiment, please come back and share your results!
Ruth says
Thank you for your reply. I will, probably, try oat flour. I'll let you know.
BobT says
One final comment on this cake which has become my GOTO for a chocolate cake. Still Love it, but One additional minor change made it even better for our tastes. Simply reduced the Cocoa content to 3/8 C and increased the almond flour to 1 1/8 C. Used Allulose/Monk granular and baked @350 for 24 minutes in 8x8 metal pan. Frosted with White Chocolate sugar-free Instant pudding mixed with heavy cream.
While I have always liked chocolate, I have finally learned I don't like it all that much. So a little less cocoa gives us a flavor & texture we enjoy more. Also prefer milk chocolate to semisweet or dark when used. Didn't learn this until 75 years of age and started keto baking. Who knew.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Very interesting, Bob! Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Pam says
Is the cook time of 18-20 minutes correct? The first time I made this the cake was not done and I had to cook for additional time.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Pam,
It's correct in my oven, which is calibrated annually. However, home ovens vary, so it's very possible that in some ovens, the baking time is longer. That's why, in addition to the suggested time, I say to bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in it comes out clean. I hope you liked the cake once it was done!
Malti says
I plan to use Erythritol sweetener for this cake. could you tell me what would 2/3 cups be in grams. Also should I be using 2/3 grams of Erythritol to replace the Stevia in the batter?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Malti
I'm not sure if this is product-specific, but I checked the label on this erythritol product, and according to my calculations, 2/3 cup would equal 128 grams.
In terms of how much to use, since erythritol isn't as sweet as sugar, I would use 3/4 cup.
J Fisher says
Just tried this little cake. It is very tasty without frosting even. Quick, easy and for sure I will make it again. Took an extra 8 minutes but could be my oven.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! Glad you liked it!