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How I Made This Keto Chocolate Cake So Decadent
I first served this keto chocolate cake for my daughter’s 5th birthday, except I used my keto peanut butter mousse as the frosting. While that tasted great and was a big hit, I re-tested it more recently with keto chocolate frosting, and liked it even more. But honestly, it’s the almond flour chocolate cake itself and not the frosting that makes it such a winner. Here’s why:
- Rich, chocolaty, and super moist – This cake is ultra decadent, moist, and sweet, with a deep chocolate flavor and silky chocolate frosting. I think it’s plenty of cocoa powder combined with Besti and sour cream that makes it so rich. I recommend this one if you’re a big chocolate fan, otherwise it might be too intense and you might prefer my vanilla keto cake instead.
- Easy to make – The batter comes together in one bowl, without any special equipment. You can make the frosting while it bakes, or prep it in advance.
- Low carb and gluten free – It’s hard to believe this is a grain free, sugar free chocolate cake, because it doesn’t taste like it! You’d never guess it has just 4.6 grams net carbs per slice.
If you need a perfect low carb dessert recipe for a birthday or other celebration, this keto chocolate cake is perfect. Grab a bag of Besti and make it with me!
“This really was the best keto chocolate cake (and I have tried a lot!!) It was moist, tender crumb, chocolatey and easier to make than I thought it would be. Making this again for sure!”
-Claire
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my keto chocolate cake recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – This one is super fine for the best texture. (I use it for keto brownies and almond flour cake, too!) Many other brands are more coarse and can make your cake grainy. I don’t recommend using coconut flour, as it’s too dry. You may be able to use sunflower seed meal as a 1:1 replacement for the almond flour, but the color, texture, and flavor of the cake will be somewhat different.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – This is the key to an ultra moist almond flour chocolate cake! For those of you that complained your result was dry, the sweetener was likely the reason. Besti locks in moisture and leaves the cake moist, while other sugar substitutes such as erythritol and most other brands of monk fruit or stevia will leave it dry. If you still want to substitute, use the sweetener conversion calculator to find out the right amount.
- Cocoa Powder – I recommend Dutch processed cocoa powder like this, which is less bitter than other types and has no added sugar.
- Butter – Make sure it’s at room temperature, so that it creams nicely. I used grass-fed salted butter for convenience, but you could also use unsalted and add 3/8 teaspoon of salt to the batter. If you want your keto chocolate cake dairy-free, replace the butter with coconut oil (same amount). For that version, I prefer butter-flavored coconut oil to get that buttery flavor.
- Eggs – If you need an egg-free option, you can try an egg substitute.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – You can substitute other types of keto milk here if you like.
- Sour Cream – Adds richness and moisture. If you need a dairy free option, replace the sour cream with 3/4 cup full-fat coconut cream + 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
- Baking Powder – I like this non-GMO brand. Make sure it’s fresh, and don’t confuse it with baking soda, which is not the same and will leave an aftertaste when combined with these ingredients.
- Vanilla Extract – This one is my favorite.
- Frosting – I like to frost my keto chocolate cake with my sugar-free chocolate frosting, though you could also use keto cream cheese frosting or keto buttercream frosting. With any of these, I highly recommend using Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend, because it dissolves completely and doesn’t leave a gritty texture.
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowHow To Make Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Cream the butter and Besti. In a large mixing bowl, use a a hand mixer (I have this one and love the built-in storage for the attachments) to beat together the butter and Besti, until fluffy.
- Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then almond milk, sour cream, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Beat in the almond flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, until smooth.
- Transfer. Divide the batter among two springform pans or cake pans lined with parchment paper. (I made a 2 layer cake, but you could use 3 pans instead for a 3 layer cake, and just reduce the baking time.)
- Bake. The cake layers are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans, then run a knife along the edges and flip to release.
- Make the frosting. I recommend my keto chocolate frosting recipe here, but mentioned other options in the ingredients section above.
- Frost the cake. Place one layer of keto chocolate cake onto a cake stand or platter. Frost the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top and frost the top. Finally, frost the sides. See my tips below for more frosting tips. Feel free to decorate your almond flour chocolate cake with more frosting (not my strong suit!), sugar-free sprinkles, or fresh berries like I did!
My Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Cold butter won’t cream properly, and cold eggs will solidify the butter. If I forget to set out the butter, I fill a stainless steel bowl with boiling water. After a few minutes, empty, dry, and place upside down over the butter on a plate to soften fast. If I forget to let the eggs come to room temp, I place them in a bowl of warm water.
- Rotate and swap the locations of the pans halfway through baking. This helps the cake layers bake more evenly, since different sides of most ovens tend to run hotter than others. At least that’s the case with mine!
- Double the frosting amount if you want to decorate the top. For a two-tier keto chocolate cake, I use 3/4 cup of frosting between layers, 1 1/4 cups on top, and 1 1/2 cups for the sides — about 3 1/2 cups total. You’ll need more if you want extra for decorations. I skipped this and topped my cake with berries instead.
- I recommend an icing spatula and cake stand to help apply the frosting more easily. The spatula reduces sticking and I find the shape easier to work with than a regular one. The cake stand helps because I rotate it as I frost.
- I recommend cutting the cake into narrow slices. It’s very rich and decadent, so you need less than you might think to be satisfied.
Keto Chocolate Cake
By
My BEST keto chocolate cake! This almond flour chocolate cake is ultra rich, moist, and chocolaty, but so easy to make in one bowl.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line the bottom of 2 9" round springform pans with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, beat together the allulose and butter with a hand mixer, until fluffy.
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Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the almond milk, sour cream, and vanilla.
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Beat in the almond flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, until the batter is smooth.
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Divide the batter among the prepared pans, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the almond flour chocolate cake layers for 25-35 minutes, until the top springs back and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, then run a knife along the edges and flip to release.
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Make the keto chocolate frosting here. Before you begin, adjust the amount on the recipe card to 28 servings — this will make the 3 1/2 cups you need for this cake.
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Place one layer of keto chocolate cake onto a cake stand or platter. Using an icing spatula, frost the top with 3/4 cup (96g) frosting. Place the second layer on top and frost the top with another 3/4 cup (96g) frosting. Finally, frost the sides with 1 1/2 cups (192g) frosting.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 narrow slice, or 1/24 cake (it’s VERY rich!)
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the best texture, make decorating easier, and more.
- Storage: Keep this keto chocolate cake in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can serve it cold, but I prefer to let it come to room temperature, as the frosting texture is better that way.
- Freeze: This cake keeps well in the freezer for 3-4 months. You can freeze cake layers separately (wrap well), or freeze the whole frosted cake (freeze solid first, then wrap).
- Thaw: You can do this in the fridge overnight (8+ hours) or at room temp which is a little faster. Leave the plastic on for unfrosted cake, otherwise unwrap if it’s frosted because the wrapping will stick to the frosting once it thaws.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Try More Of My Recipes
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Keto Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
More Keto Chocolate Cake Recipes
If you like this decadent cake, you’ll probably like some of my other keto chocolate cake recipes:
For other flavors beyond chocolate, try my classic keto cheesecake, French almond flour cake, or Mexican-inspired keto tres leches.
131 Comments
September
0Hello, I tried making this recipe and it didn’t turn out at all for me. The flavor and texture were awful. Tried to follow the directions to a T. Any ideas where I went wrong?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi September, Sorry this recipe didn’t meet your expectations. Did you use the recommend ingredients?
isabel
0Hi! Is it possible to just use ordinary wheat flour as well? I am just trying to make a cake with allulose, and found your recipe this way. I don’t have almond flour. Thank you!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Isabel, I have never tried using wheat flour in this recipe.
Su
0I don’t have the Besti mixture and need to make the cake. What substitute can I use?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Su, You can try a different sugar substitute, but the cake will be more dry. For next time, you can get Besti here.
mealiffe
0Hello! The butter/monk fruit allulose combo in the mixer looks broken/grainy…. is this normal? Butter was room temp! I went ahead and added the eggs, almond milk and sour cream but its totally odd texture. Used Kerry Gold butter (1/2 c salted / 1/4c unsalted because that’s what I had on hand) and the recommended Besti Monk Fruit allulose blend.
If anyone can answer quickly, much appreciated! In the process of making this now for our 26th anniversary!!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, Did you use Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend?
mealiffe
0Yes, I did.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, I’m not sure why this would have happened. Maybe the butter was too soft.
Debbie Roberson
0Just ate my first slice of this cake! It is very, very good. I’ll be slicing the whole cake and freezing for future desserts.
Gina
0Made this for a birthday celebration and everyone was blown away at how delicious it was!
Gina
0So glad to come across this sugar-free cake and frosting! My husband is diabetic and our best friends are keto. Now I have the perfect thing to make for birthday celebrations.
Nicole
0I was so excited to find a great recipe to make for my keto friends! I hate it when they can’t enjoy dessert with us, and this was the ultimate chocolate fix. Thanks for sharing!
Sue
0Can I make this cake with frosting the day before or does this need to be made on the day?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sue, You can make this cake the day before.
C Knapp
0Just made this chocolate cake a couple days ago. Very good.
Sandra
0Hello: Could I add orange extract to this, and how much should I use? Plan on baking this in a 9″ X 13″ in a non-stick pan w/o parchment paper. Will this work? Thank you for your answer ahead of time.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sandra, Yes, you can add orange extract. I haven’t tested this to confirm an amount, but you could try a teaspoon. You can bake it in a 9×13 pan, but I would still line it with parchment paper to be safe. The baking time may vary compared to the pans I used, so you may need to check on it.
Kim
0I made this last week, just a single layer, and frosted it. I can thoroughly recommend the recipe, it’s lovely.
Rose
0I loved this keto chocolate cake using almond flour gave it a great texture. I’ll keep this recipe for future.
Sory
0Can I bake this cake in one pan and then cut it in half?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Sory, If you want to bake the cake in one pan I suggest a 9×13″ to have enough room for all the batter. Baking time will be longer, be sure to keep an eye on your oven and do the toothpick test before removing.
Francy Moll
0This is the best KETO cake I have made. It looked and actually tasted like cake. My only issue is, it was dry, but I may have overcooked it. Friends liked it too. Thanks for another great recipe.
Sherry S
0I can never find how many it serves
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sherry, This recipe serves 24. You can find this number at the top of the recipe card. Enjoy!
Tantry
01 3/4 cup allulose is it not too sweet? I prefer a lil bit of bitter-like chocolate taste over sweet. Can I sub the sour cream?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tantry, This recipe is sweet, but keep in mind that allulose is not as sweet as sugar, so the recipe calls for slightly more to match the sweetness level. You can sub the sour cream with 11 tablespoons full-fat coconut cream + 1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Enjoy!
Christine
0I am not understanding the recipie for the frosting?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Christine, The chocolate frosting recipe as written doesn’t quite make enough to cover the whole cake. It makes 20 servings as written. Change the servings to 28 in the recipe card (there is a small block you can edit just above the actual recipe with ingredients and amounts) and it will make enough frosting to cover the whole cake. I hope this helps!
Claudia
0Hi!! Looks amazing.. could I use regular sugar if I wanted ? How much? Thank you!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Claudia, Yes, decrease the amount to 1 cup and you will get the same level of sweetness for your cake. Enjoy.
Janie Whitten
0Best cake I have ever made..and the icing! Wow!
Elizabeth Hess
0I made this for my hubby for Valentine’s Day. I made it exactly as the instructions stated. The only difference was I used two 8″ cake pans that were 2″ high. I lined the cake pans with parchment paper which made it easy to release from the pans. It was everything Maya said, very rich and delicious. A small slice is all you need. I topped ours with a few sliced strawberries for decoration. Highly recommend for a decadent dessert.