A wonderfully tender and fluffy keto chocolate cake with a creamy chocolate frosting. Without the frosting, it’s wholesome enough to be served for breakfast!
When I was a kid, my favorite cake was the simplest chocolate sheet cake with chocolate frosting. Preferably with rainbow sprinkles on top. This keto cake reminds me of that favorite childhood cake.
It’s a very easy recipe. And if you don’t use any frosting, it’s especially easy – and quite appropriate as a snack cake or a breakfast cake. I actually prefer it without the frosting, but since I made it for the blog today, I included the frosting. Nutrition info for the no-frosting cake is provided below in the recipe card’s notes.
The ingredients used in this recipe
Here’s an overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make this tasty keto chocolate cake (the exact measurements are included in the recipe card below) :
Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes.
Unsalted butter: Or use salted butter and omit the salt. Personally, I’m partial to creamy European butter. But any butter is delicious!
Sweetener: I use stevia glycerite, but you can use your favorite sweetener.
Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract adds great flavor. Try to use it rather than the artificially flavored stuff.
Almond flour: I use blanched finely ground almond flour in this cake.
Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder. It will help activate the baking soda.
Kosher salt. If using fine salt, halve the amount listed.
Baking soda: If you’d like to try using baking powder (though I haven’t tested it in this recipe), remember that 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
For the Chocolate Frosting: Unsalted butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla, and stevia
How to make a keto chocolate cake
It’s truly a very easy recipe. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
Start by whisking together the eggs, melted butter, stevia, and vanilla. I use a hand whisk.
To the same bowl, 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 about 18 minutes at 325 degrees F. Cool completely, then frost.
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
Unfortunately, you can’t. Coconut flour is extremely absorbent and you would need to adjust this recipe quite a bit in order to use it instead of almond flour.
I do have a wonderful recipe for keto chocolate cupcakes that are made with coconut flour.
Can I use almond meal?
It’s best to use blanched, finely ground almond flour in this recipe if you’d like to ensure that the keto chocolate cake comes out fluffy and tender. I don’t recommend using a coarse almond meal.
I don’t like stevia. Can I use a different sweetener?
You can probably replace the stevia with a granulated sweetener. The amount that I use equals 1/2 cup sweetener. I haven’t tried it, though.
And if you do use a granulated sweetener, check the batter. If it’s too thick, you might want to add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water.
It’s best to use natural cocoa powder
This cake relies on baking soda as a leavening agent, and the baking soda requires acid in order to activate. So make sure you use natural cocoa powder and not Dutched cocoa powder that was treated with an alkalizing agent.
How to keep 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 always take the leftovers out of the fridge about two hours before you plan on enjoying them.
More keto cake recipes
Enjoyed this keto chocolate cake? Another really good recipe that I like to make for special occasions is this recipe for keto birthday cake. You’ll note that the frosting is identical in these two recipes.
And another good recipe is this recipe for keto carrot cake. It’s easy, tasty, and relatively nutritious (at least as far as cakes go).
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Keto Chocolate Cake
INGREDIENTS
- Butter for pan
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (4 oz)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals 1/2 cup sugar)*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup blanched almond flour (4 oz)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed) (40g)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (not fine salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate Frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (4 oz)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals 1/2 cup sugar)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square glass baking dish with butter. Be generous when greasing to ensure the cake releases easily from the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, stevia, and vanilla extract.
- Gradually whisk in the almond flour and cocoa powder.
- Finally, whisk in the kosher salt and the baking soda. The batter will be quite thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top out with a rubber spatula. Bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in it comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.
- Cool the cake, in the pan, completely, about 1 hour, then frost if you wish.
- To make the frosting, place all the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk by hand. Or beat with an electric handheld mixer on low speed until smooth and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
More Recipes to Try:
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, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.