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Have you been searching for a keto birthday cake recipe that doesn’t sacrifice flavor and texture for the sake of being healthy? This keto vanilla cake is exactly what you’ve been looking for! This sugar free birthday cake has three layers of low carb cake with cream cheese frosting and while it looks impressive on a cake platter, it’s surprisingly easy and can be made in one bowl.
We’re using a mix of almond flour and coconut flour in this recipe, because they produce a better texture than just using one of them alone. And, I always use Besti sweetener for my keto cake recipes, because it makes them super moist, and adds natural sweetness without crystallizing or causing an aftertaste. Can’t say the same for other sweeteners. 😉
Why You’ll Love This Keto Birthday Cake Recipe
- Classic yellow cake flavor
- Light and tender crumb
- Make it in one bowl
- Great for birthdays or other holidays
- Only 2 grams net carbs per slice
Keto Vanilla Cake Ingredients
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for low carb birthday cake, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
For the cake:
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The best sweetener for keto cakes, because it not only tastes and bakes like sugar, it also makes them very moist. See other options below.
- Butter – I prefer to use grass-fed butter for nutrition and flavor, but feel free to use any unsalted butter.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Unsweetened almond milk – You can use store bought or homemade almond milk, just be sure it’s unsweetened either way. This can also be substituted with other keto milk, such as coconut milk beverage (the liquid kind from a carton, not the thick kind from a can) or watered down heavy cream.
- Vanilla extract – A must for yellow vanilla cake! But if you like other flavors, feel free to add other extracts.
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – My recommended brand because it’s super fine and blanched. Other brands come in varying consistencies and moisture levels, so may turn out differently, and you definitely want to avoid almond meal, which would make your cake gritty.
- Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour – Like the almond flour, this one is super fine, and also has the right moisture level. Made with premium organic coconuts.
- Baking powder – Make sure your baking powder is fresh so that your cake rises, which tends to be more difficult with low carb cake recipes.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- Cream cheese – I recommend full-fat, but any kind of plain cream cheese will work.
- Butter – I prefer to use grass-fed butter for nutrition and flavor, but feel free to use any unsalted butter.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The powdered version of Besti, to use for frostings.
- Vanilla extract
How To Make Keto Birthday Cake
This section shows how to make keto vanilla cake with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Beat butter. In a large mixing bowl, beat together Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend and butter until fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
TIP: Make sure your milk and eggs are at room temperature. Otherwise, they can solidify the butter.
- Add dry ingredients. Beat in Wholesome Yum Almond Flour, Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour, and baking powder.
- Bake. Transfer 1/3 of the cake batter into the lined springform pan and bake. Repeat with remaining 2 layers. Set aside to cool.
TIP: If you have three pans, this will go much faster. You can bake all three at the same time, on the same oven rack.
- Cool. Let your vanilla keto cake cool completely before removing from the pan and assembling.
- Make frosting. Beat together cream cheese, butter, Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend, and vanilla extract until it is smooth.
- Layer cake. Place one layer on a cake stand or platter and spread some of the frosting on top. Repeat with the other two layers. Frost the top and sides of cake.
- Top with chopped pecans. The keto birthday cake looked prettier with the nuts on top, and I didn’t have to obsess about making the frosting perfectly smooth on top. But, if your frosting skills are better, feel free to skip the nuts and decorate the top however you like!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you have cake on keto?
No, traditional cake is not keto. But, this keto vanilla cake recipe will satisfy all of your cake cravings without the sugar crash.
Is this keto yellow cake gluten-free?
Yes, this sugar free birthday cake is also gluten-free.
Can I use only almond flour or only coconut flour?
No, sorry, you do need both flours for the right texture and moisture in this low carb birthday cake recipe. You can browse my almond flour recipes or coconut flour recipes to see other options with each of these flours.
Can I use a different sweetener?
Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend is the closest thing to sugar I’ve found (and it’s why I created it, I didn’t love the alternatives!), and in particular, it makes the moistest cake. I’ve made this cake with other sweeteners in the past and it’s not as moist.
But, if you need other options, you can use a granulated sweetener for the cake (like allulose or erythritol) and a powdered sweetener for the frosting (like powdered allulose or powdered erythritol). The amounts you need will vary depending on the sweetener, so check my keto sweetener guide for conversions.
Can I use a different frosting?
Yes, you can any keto frosting! Try a keto buttercream frosting or keto chocolate frosting to switch it up.
Feel free to add sugar-free sprinkles as well!
Storage Instructions
Store the cake in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Can you freeze cake?
Yes, you can freeze cake for 2-3 months. To do so, place it on a sheet pan, uncovered, and freeze until solid. Once solid, wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and foil to freeze long-term.
To thaw, unwrap the layers and thaw in the fridge overnight.
More Easy Keto Cake Recipes
If you like this keto friendly birthday cake, you might also like some of these other keto dessert recipes:
Tools To Make Sugar Free Birthday Cake
- Springform Pan – You need a springform pan bake this cake in, you’ll still need to line with parchment paper. You should get three cake pans if you want to cut down on cooking time.
- Hand mixer – I love mine because it has storage for all the different beaters.
Vanilla Keto Birthday Cake Recipe:
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Reader Favorite Recipes
The recipe card is below! Readers that made this also viewed these recipes:
Vanilla Keto Birthday Cake Recipe
This keto vanilla birthday cake recipe is so rich and moist that no one will guess it's also a sugar free birthday cake, with 2g net carbs per slice. Perfect for birthdays, or any day!
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PrintIngredients
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Cake
Cream cheese frosting
Get Keto Sweetener For This Recipe
GET BESTIInstructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Cake
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line the bottom of a 9 in (23 cm) round springform pan with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, beat together the Besti and butter, until fluffy.
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Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the almond milk and vanilla extract.
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Beat in the almond flour, coconut flour, and gluten-free baking powder.
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Transfer 1/3 of the dough to the lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and spring-y. Repeat with another 1/3 of the dough, then again with the final 1/3 (making 3 layers total).
Frosting
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Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered Besti, and vanilla extract, until smooth.
Assembly
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Let the cake layers cool separately to room temperature before stacking. Frost between the layers, and all over the top and sides at the end. Top with chopped pecans (optional) if desired.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Optional pecans not included in nutrition info.
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/24 of entire recipe
Video Showing How To Make Keto Birthday Cake:
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Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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558 Comments
Christina
Another great recipe!!! I added a bit extra vanilla extract to both cake batter and cream cheese icing. Came out excellent! 15 min in my oven was enough time. Thanks Maya!
Tony
Well another complete success wow
Being a first time cook at my age isn’t an easy thing but absolutely amazed by this easy to follow recipe and the end product being so lovely
Thank you
Chloe
Hello,
I’m wondering if you do not want to make such big layers, can the cake ingredients be halfed or would you recommend making as is? I’d prefer to make a 2, 6″ layer cake. Also, I’d like to know if I wanted to make this a lemon blueberry cake, would I need to sub some of the liquid for lemon juice or could I add as us? Thank you for sharing such a neat recipe with the world!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Chloe, I don’t recommend adding blueberries to this cake batter, but you could definitely replace the vanilla extract with lemon extract and then decorate using blueberries on top of the frosting. Also, feel to half the recipe to fit it into two 6-inch pans. If you are looking for a recipe you can bake with blueberries, try this one for Keto Blueberry Bread. Best wishes!
Kathy Garmalo
Could I make cup cakes rather than a three layer cake? what would be the bake time?
Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Kathy, Yes, you can make these into cupcakes. Bake temperature will remain the same. If you are making standard-sized cupcakes, the timing will also be very similar to what’s listed in the recipe card. Be sure to check for doneness. Enjoy!
Aryn
I have friends with a lot of food sensitivities and I was trying to make a cake they could eat. For the eggs I did 2 whole eggs and 12 egg whites; for the sugar I subbed stevia (using another conversion chart, since this one only had one brand and I use Pure Via organic stevia); for the butter I used plant-based butter; and for the almond flour I used a generic gluten-free flour without almonds (one friend has some sensitivity to almonds so the bit of milk I judged OK but didn’t want to make the whole thing out of almond flour as well). Though I am not an experienced (or good) cook, it turned out pretty well! They were over the moon about it, having not had cake for months lol, and even my other friends liked it. I will be trying this again for my mom who is vegan (using egg substitute of course). Thanks a lot!
Brenda
My daughter, who does not eat desserts, and my husband both enjoyed this cake. Of course, to me, it was a special treat to eat and enjoy with family!
Lisa Sullivan
My husband made this for my birthday and it was fantastic! Thank you for all your wonderful recipe! 🙂
Frances
Hi, this is my third to be making this for my little ones birthday (6 & 3, now 4-year old) This is a very good cake, moist and not too sweet. Pretty filling and the frosting was wonderful too. People love this cake and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments even from my friends who are home bakers themselves. I was born and raised in Philippines and the cakes there are much less sweeter than the cakes here in the US. When I came here, I didn’t care for any of the gluten cakes here. They are all too sweet for me. I can even take a bite. But I’m glad that I can eat this cake, and best thing is I can make it.
Thank you for sharing this.
Kathie Carly
How could I turn this recipe into a chocolate cake
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Kathie, Here is my recipe for Keto Chocolate Cake. Enjoy!
Christina Marie Nitti
I’m going to hand it to you, this is one moist and perfectly textured cake! Exactly like your pictures. As well, it’s not grainy or weirdly textured like pre oven looks would make you believe.
I followed what one commenter said above and only used 3/4 monk fruit sweetener as I have the same brand. I also used Madagascar vanilla bean (one whole one) because I didn’t have vanilla extract.
As with a lot of keto recipes, it’s a little eggy. If you aren’t used to that I would add sugar free chocolate chips like I did to one cake (I made two). I used white chocolate sugar free instant pudding mix and heavy cream beaten for the frosting. Amazing.
Thanks for the recipe!
Sonja
Wondering if I can use almond extract to make the cake more almond flavored? Would you add some or substitute it for the vanilla extract? Thanks for your advice!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Sonja, I would not omit the vanilla from the recipe, but you can add almond extract if you like a stronger almond flavor. Enjoy!
William Christian
Came out perfect!!!! How long will it last in the refrigerator after it’s made?!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi William, This cake is best for 5-7 days, properly wrapped, in the fridge. Enjoy!
Melissa Abrams
Hey there. I am about to attempt this but I just realized, I do not have almond milk. Can I use heavy whipping cream???
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Melissa, Yes, heavy cream will work fine. Keep in mind it will change the macros if you are counting them. Enjoy!
Frances
I did this lovely decadent cake for my last birthday few days ago. It was perfect! Chewy and all my family loved it! They didn’t believe it was keto!
I changed the frosting, I used your keto chocolate frosting….absolutely delicious!
Thank you Maya ;*
Ida
Have you ever made this recipe with egg replacer? If so how much is required?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Ida, I don’t recommend using egg replacer for this recipe. The large number of eggs are needed for structure.
Joanne
This cake is delicious as is or a base for so many things like cupcakes and different flavours. My grandkids (and everyone else) love it filled with Sugar free chocolate chips and covered with chocolate buttercream icing. It’s a keeper for sure. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Hamnah
Would half this recipe be enough for a layered 6” cake?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Hamnah, Yes. Enjoy!
Lana
I’m shocked! It tastes so good! I’ve ordered cakes at bakeries that didn’t taste half as good as this. I used Lakanto monkfruit sweetener with erithithol and instead of 1 cup, I used 3/4 cup because that brand of sweetener tastes overly sweet to me. I didn’t want to spend too much time, so I used my two spring foam pans and separated the mixture evenly into the two. The texture of the mix had me quite worried. I buttered the sides and put parchment paper on the bottom, then baked for 35 minutes. Though the middle didn’t get very dark, the edges got very brown and came away from the pan, so I stuck a toothpick in and ensured it came out clean. The cake is light, fluffy, moist and delicious. I’m so glad I put less sweetener, because the sweetness was absolutely perfect for me and my mom. I told my husband this is the cake I want for my birthday. I’m so happy how this turned out. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Tamara Mcdonald
Thank you for sharing, fantastic blog…
doh
For the 3 layers, can we just bake all at once and cut horizontally afterward?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Doh, If you have a pan large enough to hold all the batter, I think you may have issues with the cake not being done in the middle. For best results, I recommend baking in batches in a springform pan.
Nancy
I explored your website while looking for a gluten-free, sugar-free birthday cake. I especially appreciate all the detailed information you provide regarding various sweetners and I am looking forward to trying both the granulated and powered Allulose to make a cake. This recipe is obviously heavy on the egg. Some in my family have food sensitivity to egg, and the recipe that I use does not have to be Keto specificially. So can I use the Allulose in just a regular homemade cake and buttercream frosting recipe and expect good results? Since the sweetner is so pricey, I just wanted to check on this before I try it. Thanks for your help.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Nancy, Yes, you can use Besti Allulose in place of any recipe using regular sugar. It is slightly less sweet than regular sugar, so be sure to use my Sweetener Conversion Calculator to find out exactly how much you will need in your recipe.
Jessica
To make this cake batter paleo, what can I replace with the butter?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Jessica, To make this recipe paleo, replace the butter with an equal amount of coconut oil.
Stephanie
This cake turned out remarkably well despite my initial doubts while spreading batter into the pans…batter was really thick and looked grainy. The only alteration to recipe was using Allulose instead of Erythritol. Batter definitely spread out and rose slightly while baking as I hoped. Instead of springform pans, I used two round 9″ pans (lined with parchment paper and buttered sides) and extended the bake time to 30 minutes. Edges browned nicely and it was pulling away from edges of the pan. Cakes popped right out of the pans once cool, and iced beautifully without getting crumby like some cakes. Though the color of my cream cheese icing changed slightly when I applied to the cake, together the final product tasted amazing! One would NEVER guess this is a gluten free cake. Thanks for the phenomenal recipe!
Stacy Lattanzio
Making this now and I’m wondering if adding sour cream will make it a bit moister.. thoughts?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Stacy, This cake is not particularly dry, but you can substitute a few tablespoons of the almond milk with sour cream if you wish.
Ana Carolina Page
I’m making this cake for my 1 year old ( his bday today ) I have been using almond flour for all my cakes and they turned out beautifully moist and yummy !! I can’t wait to see the final result 🙂 thanks for sharing this recipe .
Julie Hudson
Question…is the batter really thick? Like almost like a paste consistency? Making right now and it is THICK…did I do something wrong?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Julie, Yes the finished batter is very thick. Did you check out the video? It will give you a good idea of the consistency of the batter.
Kaela
Hello! If I wanted to make this in to a peanut butter flavoured cake, how much peanut butter would I add and how might I alter the recipe? I am trying to make it for Saturday for my mother in laws birthday. I have made this cake exactly as written several times and it is always delicious. I’d like to alter it to make it a peanut butter birthday cake!
Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Kaela, I think for the best peanut butter flavor, I would use the peanut powder. Depending on how strong you want the flavor to be I would substitute 1/4 – 1/2 cup of peanut powder for the same amount of almond flour. Best wishes!
Hope
Seriously the best keto cake ever… it has the same texture as regular sugar-filled cakes and was an absolute hit at my little brother and sister’s 7th birthday yesterday (they loved it and couldn’t tell it was sugar-free).
I used xylitol as my erythritol wasn’t enough for the cake (I used 3/4 cups), and I baked the cake in two square pans as i don’t have 8″ circle spring form pans (it needed to cook for 45 mins before it was ready though). I also added in keto confetti (colored unsweetened shredded coconut) to give it a fun childish look.
Thank you so much Maya for this amazing recipe!
Deanna Young
We did not like this cake at all. It was grainy in texture like cornbread, but without any flavor.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Deanna, Sorry to hear that you didn’t like it. Did you use super fine blanched almond flour? It should not be the texture of cornbread, but this can commonly happen if the almond flour is too grainy to begin with.
Deanna Young
The recipe didn’t say anything about super fine… It just said blanched. I did soft it as is normal practice in my baking but it didn’t seem to make a difference. there still wasn’t enough flavor in the cake itself. I understand it’s not going to taste just like regular cake. I just hoped it would be close enough as a decent base to add other things
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Deanna, Did you decide to make this recipe with egg whites only or as written? High quality superfine blanched almond flour makes positive difference texturally in baked goods.
Deanna Young
Would you be able to use the dry ingredients in this recipe as a base for white cake? I think using the same amount of whites would work, but you would probably have to increase the milk as well…
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Deanna, I’m sorry, I have not tested this recipe without the yolks. Please let us know how it turns out if you decide to try it.
Jamie
To me, three cups of almond flour seem like a lot. Have you (or anyone else) subbed in 1/2C of whey isolate and 1/2C oat fiber for 1C of the almond flour? I’m not sure what that would do the texture honestly, but I sometimes really don’t like the mouth-feel of too much almond flour.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Jamie, I’m sorry, I don’t know how that would turn out. If you decide to try it, please let us know how it goes.
Sofia
Hi,
Is the nutrition facts just for the cake or for the cake and the frosting?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Sofia, Nutrition facts include the cake and frosting. Enjoy!
m
Made this cake for my hubby’s birthday last week and it was great! It was moist, not crumbly, and had the perfect sweetness to it! The only thing I did differently was adding a tbsp of key lime flavoring to the cake mix and to the icing, as well. Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe! I will be trying new flavors and such, soon!
Andrea
I run a bakery and had a request for a low-carb cake. This recipe was easy, the sweetener products I needed were in stock on Amazon and delivered next day, I baked it the first time without issue and even managed to pipe a frosting design with this recipe, adding just one additional 1/3 cup of powdered sweetener to the mix.
My client said she had to put it in the freezer to keep herself from eating it, it was SO good and not overly sweet.
Perfect in my book.
HillC
Could I add lemon juice to this cake to make it a lovely lemon cake?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi HillC, You can add a tablespoon of lemon extract and the zest of a lemon.
lily
hey is it ok if we use regular flour for this recipe. will it affect the cake?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Lily, I don’t recommend using regular flour. Wheat flour and almond flour have very different properties and will not produce the same results.
Fiona Glasgow
Can I freeze half this cake?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Fiona, Yes. Slice into single servings to freeze. Enjoy!
Sjenkins
Excellent cake. I didn’t have Erythritol so I used coconut sugar in cake and for frosting I use powered sugar 1/3 cup plus Agave syrup. So not sure how many more calories I added to the original recipe.
Ellie S
Great recipe , tasted like a bakery made cake. I added fresh fruits on top and in the middle and it was a hit.