A tender and fluffy keto chocolate cake is made with almond flour and frosted with an amazingly rich and chocolaty frosting.
It's a one-layer cake that you bake in a square baking dish and it's very easy to make!
When I was a kid, my favorite dessert was the simplest chocolate sheet cake with chocolate frosting. Preferably with rainbow sprinkles on top. 😍 This delicious cake reminds me of that favorite childhood treat.
Making it is very easy. It's a simple one-layer cake that you mix in one bowl. And if you don't use any frosting, it's quite appropriate as a snack or even for breakfast.
With the frosting, it's rich and indulgent - the perfect chocolaty dessert. It also makes a good birthday cake if you don't want to bother with making a layer cake.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need to make this keto chocolate cake. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, this one included.
Unsalted butter: Or you can 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. I don't recommend using a coarse almond meal.
Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed). It will help activate the baking soda.
Kosher salt: If using fine salt, you should halve the amount listed.
Baking soda: If you'd like to try using gluten-free baking powder (though I haven't tested it in this recipe), remember that ¼ 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
Instructions
Making a frosted keto chocolate cake from scratch is surprisingly easy. The detailed instructions for making this recipe are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
You start by whisking together the eggs, melted butter, stevia, and vanilla. I simply 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 the cake for about 18 minutes in a 325 degrees F oven. Cool completely, then frost.
Expert tip
This cake relies on baking soda as a leavening agent, and the baking soda requires an acidic ingredient in the batter in order to activate. So make sure you use natural cocoa powder and not Dutched cocoa powder that was treated with an alkalizing agent.
Frequently asked questions
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.
It's best to use blanched, finely ground almond flour in this recipe if you'd like to ensure that the cake comes out fluffy and tender. I don't recommend using a coarse almond meal.
You can probably replace the stevia with a granulated sweetener. The amount that I use equals ⅔ cup sweetener. I haven't tried it, though.
If you do use a granulated sweetener, check the batter. If it's too thick, you might want to add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
Generally speaking, you would need four times the amount of baking soda if you're replacing it with baking powder. So you would need 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
I haven't tried it, though. The advantage is that if you do opt for baking powder, you can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder in the batter. If you opt for baking powder and need it to be gluten-free, remember to make sure it is.
Variations and substitutions
I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:
- Serve the cake without frosting, dusted with some powdered sweetener if you wish. It's very good without frosting, and when not frosted, I sometimes have it for breakfast.
- Use lighter frosting - this chocolate whipped cream is excellent. But use this wetter frosting immediately before serving the cake.
- Add a handful of chocolate chips to the batter. Chopped unsalted pecans are also good.
Storing 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 an hour before you plan on enjoying them. Chocolate always tastes better at room temperature, and the same goes for frosting.
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Recipe card
Keto Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
INGREDIENTS
- Butter for pan
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (4 oz)
- 2 teaspoons stevia glycerite (equals ⅔ cup sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup blanched finely ground almond flour (4 oz)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed) (40g)
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (not fine salt)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda*
Chocolate Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (4 oz)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals ½ cup powdered 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.
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NOTES
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NUTRITION PER SERVING
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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. 