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Ever wished for a keto cake that tastes as fabulous as it looks, without all the carbs? With my vanilla low carb cake recipe, you absolutely can! It’s got three moist layers, that classic yellow cake flavor, and creamy cream cheese frosting. Plus, I love that I can make the batter all in one bowl. I think this is the perfect keto birthday cake. Make it with me for your next special occasion!
Why You Need My Keto Cake Recipe
- Moist, fluffy, and sweet – To me, the best keto cake is about the texture, as well as sweetness without any weird aftertaste. So many of them are dry! This one is extremely moist and fluffy, with a light, tender crumb, and a sweet vanilla flavor. What you won’t taste is any bitterness or cooling effect — I can’t stand those!
- Keto friendly and gluten-free, but also family friendly – With only 2 grams of net carbs per slice, this cake fits perfectly into your keto lifestyle without feeling like you’re missing out. But with a large cake like this, I think it’s just as important that you won’t be the only one wanting to eat it. My family and friends happily do!
- Great for any occasion – I first made this recipe as a keto birthday cake, but have since served it for other holidays as well. It’s a great keto dessert for any celebration you have coming up.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my low carb birthday cake recipe recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Keto Cake:
- Low Carb Flours – I use both my Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour and Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour for this recipe, because the texture turns out so much better than using one of them alone. The almond flour is particularly important because many brands are too coarse and will leave your cake grainy, and in fact this is why I created the Wholesome Yum version. YMMV with other brands! Steer clear of almond meal as well, which is the worst for texture. If you want a cake that uses just one of these flours, browse my other almond flour recipes or coconut flour recipes for other options.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – My go-to sweetener for every low carb cake I make, and there’s a reason. Not only does it taste and bake like sugar, it keeps your cake super moist. I’ve tried so many other sugar substitutes, and the result is much more dry (sometimes even gritty) with most brands. If you still want to use something else, check my sweetener conversion chart to get the right amount.
- Unsalted Butter & Salt – I add salt separately to control the flavor, but feel free to just use salted butter. If you’re dairy-free, coconut oil is a decent stand-in, but keep in mind, it’ll change the flavor and texture a bit. Oh, and you’ll need to find a dairy-free option for the frosting, too!
- Eggs – You need a lot because of the coconut flour. I have a list of egg substitutes here, but with the number of eggs in this keto cake recipe, I don’t think they would would work here.
- Almond Milk – You can use store bought or my homemade almond milk, just make sure it’s unsweetened. You can also swap in other keto-friendly milks, like coconut milk beverage (the liquid kind from a carton, not the thick kind from a can) or watered down heavy cream.
- Vanilla Extract & Baking Powder – I like this brand of vanilla and this non-GMO baking powder.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream Cheese – Go for the full-fat stuff if you can; it’s richer and just works better with the keto cake.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Unlike other powdered sugar alternatives, this one dissolves completely (read: no gritty texture!) and is truly as fine as powdered sugar. Others can crystallize, too, so I highly recommend using this one.
- Butter & Vanilla Extract
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
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Frosting Variations:
Not a fan of cream cheese frosting? You can make my keto buttercream frosting for something more classic, or keto chocolate frosting if you want a contrast to the vanilla. Throw on some sugar free sprinkles for a little extra fun!
How To Make Keto 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. Use a hand mixer to beat them in a large mixing bowl, until fluffy.
- Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients. Beat in the almond flour, coconut flour, and baking powder. The batter will be pretty thick — this is normal!
- Bake until golden. Divide the batter among 3 lined cake pans (I prefer springform pans for easy release). You won’t be able to pour it, so just spoon it in and smooth the top. After baking, let your cake layers cool completely.
- Make the frosting. While you wait for the cakes to cool, beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered Besti, and vanilla extract in a large bowl, until smooth.
- Layer, layer, layer. Place one layer on a cake stand or platter and spread frosting on top. Repeat with the other two layers. Finally, frost the top and sides of your keto cake.
- Top with chopped pecans. My cake looked prettier with the nuts on top, and I didn’t have to obsess about making the frosting perfectly smooth. But, if your frosting skills are better than mine, feel free to skip the nuts and decorate the top however you like!
This low carb cake is tall, very rich, and filling, so I usually slice it into very thin slices for serving, but did slightly larger ones for these pictures. Here you can see the texture once you slice into it:
My Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. Especially the butter, eggs, and almond milk. Your butter won’t cream properly if it’s cold. And if your eggs or milk are cold, they’ll solidify the butter as soon as you add them.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can make the cake dense instead of light and fluffy, which is definitely not what we’re going for.
- Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl. I always recommend this, but especially here since we’re making this batter all in one bowl. If you don’t mind extra dishes, you could mix the dry ingredients separately first to reduce the amount of scraping you have to do.
- This keto cake is fragile, so I recommend springform pans. They make getting the layers out so much easier! You can use regular cake pans if that’s what you’ve got, though.
- Don’t have 3 pans? You can definitely make this keto cake recipe in 2 pans instead, or even a larger 9×13 pan for a sheet cake, like a reader asked me recently. (The baking time will vary, so you’ll need to check on it.) I don’t recommend waiting for layers to bake one at a time, though. I used to do this, but the baking powder isn’t effective in the batter sitting that long, so no longer do it.
- Rotate and swap the positions of the pans halfway through baking. Since you’ll have 3 pans in the oven at once, they’ll bake more evenly if you do this. Be quick, so you don’t let too much heat out!
Keto Cake (Very Moist, Easy Recipe)
By
This easy keto cake recipe is so rich, sweet and moist, that no one will guess it's low carb (2g net carbs per slice). Perfect for birthdays!
Ingredients
[ See substitutions ]Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Keto Cake:
Cream Cheese Frosting:
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 bottoms of 3 9-inch (23-cm) round springform pans with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and Besti, 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, baking powder, and salt.
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Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and springs back.
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Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered Besti, and vanilla extract, until smooth.
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Let the keto 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 you like.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/24 of entire recipe
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you avoid dense cake, keep your batter smooth, and options for different types of pans.
- Store or make ahead: You can make the whole keto cake birthday cake in advance and refrigerate until the day-of, or just store any leftovers. Either way, your cake will last up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Freeze: You can freeze this cake for up to 3 months. Place freeze it uncovered on a sheet pan first, uncovered to protect the frosting. Once solid, wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and foil to freeze long-term. Before serving, unwrap the layers and thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Note on nutrition info: The optional pecans are not included in the numbers below.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Keto Cake
More Keto Cake Recipes
If you like this keto birthday cake, you might also like some of my other low carb cake recipes:
678 Comments
Jolanta
0Do you think I can make this into a sheet cake?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jolanta, you should be able to do that. Monitor closely for doneness and tent it with foil if it looks too brown.
Gary
0Odd – the recipe states “For this particular sugar-free cake recipe (and most baking), I recommend either monk fruit sweetener or erythritol.”, but your response seem to indicate that monk fruit sweetener isn’t going to work? I was just about to ask if you used granulated or powdered in the cake mix itself, as I have both (I use Lakanto).
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Gary, monk fruit on its own will not work. Brands like Lakanto blend both monk fruit and erythritol to create a 1:1 sugar substitute. You can definitely substitute Lakanto here, but check the linked conversion chart in my comment above first for the exact amount.
Sara
0I want to use monk fruit instead of erythritol since that is made from corn (severe corn allergy here). Would I use the same amount in the cake (not the icing)?? Thanks!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sara, the monk fruit conversion wouldn’t work here. The next best choice would be birch xylitol (check labels to make sure it’s not corn-derived). Use my sweetener conversion calculator to get the correct measurement.
Shailya
0Looks yummy, cant wait to try for my daughter’s birthday!
Can I just make one layer cake by diving the recipe ingredients by 3?
Wholesome Yum
0Yes you can!
Gail Loud
0This sounds good…would I be able to use a 9X13 pan for a sheet cake?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Gail, you should be able to do that. Monitor closely for doneness and tent it with foil if it looks too brown.
Alisha
0Hi! How can I make this a chocolate cake?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Alisha, I haven’t tried doing that, but you could probably mix 4-5 tablespoons of cocoa powder into the batter. Let me know if it works for you!
Dalma
0What can we use instead of butter if we want to make it dairy free? Coconut oil? How much?
Many thanks
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dalma, you can use the same quantity of coconut oil.
Sasha
0Hi Maya, thank you for another wonderful recipe. I don’t expect you to remember but some years ago you helped me figure out the whole sweetener conversion thing even though I’m in the UK.
I made this last week as I’d made a friend’s full carb, sugar, gluten cake & I wanted one for myself that fits into my way of eating. It is delicious, my husband, who loves cake & says the way I cook makes weight loss easy, loves it too.
It’s my birthday on 26 July, so I’m making this again for me ☺
I was quite lazy and just put all the ingredients in the bowl at once-still fabulous. Thank you again xxx
PS thank you for the metric conversion option, it makes this UK baker’s life so much easier
Shana
0In have a coconut allergy in my home. Can we just not use coconut flour or what would you recommend?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Shana, unfortunately you need both flours for this recipe. The cake won’t turn out with just one.
Joy
0This is amazingly quick and delicious. With a Grandson with celiac and a Husband with Type 2 I was beginning to think cardboard was my only option. I added fresh blueberries and baked it in a bundt pan. It does need extra time, but so worth the wait. Now they want me to buy a doughnut pan so they can have morning doughnuts . I think you have created dessert monsters and I can not thank you enough. Just a quick note, we live off the grid and you can mix it by hand and still have it turn out :^)
Keshia
0This looks like the perfect cake for my daughter’s birthday. I already have a blueberry icing I’m going to make, so I wanted a simple vanilla cake to go with it. I’m also having a small wedding reception later this year and want to make my own cake, so this looks perfect.
My question though is how will the time change if I used a 8in pan instead of 9in? I want to make a taller cake, but will it be too dense for that? Would I need rods to keep it together?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Keshia, you’d probably just need to bake it longer and use a toothpick to check for doneness. If the top gets too brown, you can simply tent some foil over it.
Laura
0THANK YOU for giving me faith in keto baking. I consider myself good in the kitchen, so when my first keto cake failed nearly a year ago (despite doing everything right and the great reviews the recipe had), I felt discouraged. Instead, I opted for buying things already made. This cake came out great! I tried a bit of it before frosting it and cannot wait for my Mom to try it today, her birthday. I halved the amount of cream cheese and added 1.5 cups of heavy cream instead, along with some red color to make it pink and thinly sliced inside strawberries to cover it and fill it. Also, it was so big that I saved a layer to share! I even had enough icing for that layer too, which I cut in half to make it a half cake. I cannot wait to try other recipes from your blog now that I feel confident they will be great! Thank you!
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Laura, thank you so much for the kind words and great feedback. I hope your mother has a Happy Birthday and enjoys her cake.
Jo
0Hi, can I make this with all the same ingredients but with zero calories sugar instead?
Nick Christopher
0I made this cake and it was DELICIOUS! I halved the recipe and made it in two standard 9” cake pans. I also added a pinch of salt. I got a delightful two layer cake, which I paired with the cream cheese frosting recipe. I again halved that recipe and added way more vanilla than indicated, as well as about two tablespoons of almond extract for added flavor. Thank you so much for this recipe, it is delightful!
Terry D. Blair
0The only thing I can say about this recipe is OMG! This cake was divine and so good. My girlfriend loved it and it was a hit with my coworkers too! I did added orange, almond and lemon flavor with a quarter of almond milk to the cream cheese frosting, and it was great! I think I will make this recipe again! I followed the exact steps and it came out perfectly . Thank you so much!
Lynne
0I made this for VBS Commencement night because I knew they would have high carb desserts but very few to zero, low carb ones. I thought I’d done something wrong when it came time to transfer from the mixing bowl to the cake pans. Thank God for the remark & video that confirmed it was “dough” and not “batter” that was to be transferred. I baked all 3 layers at the same time for a few extra minutes. I made your Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe to go on it instead of the cream cheese frosting included with the cake recipe. I was only able to frost 2 layers because I had let myself run out of vanilla extract & couldn’t make a tad more frosting. So I saved the 3rd layer to frost later on & keep. I’m kind of happy it worked out that way. The cake was as moist as a high carb cake and a huge hit at the commencement! I didn’t realize just how many diabetics were there and they were thrilled to actually have a slice of cake. A few people took slices home. There were all kinds of high carb desserts leftover but not this cake. Absolutely none of it was left. This recipe is a keeper! Next time I make it, I’m going to add some cake batter flavoring. It’s great as is…I just like to experiment. Thank you for this awesome recipe & blog!
Michael
0I love the taste of this cake and the fact that it is keto friendly. I did find the cake a bit too dense and was wondering about methods to make it lighter. Also, I added 3 teaspoons of vanilla and a cup of powdered Swerve to the cream cheese frosting. This helped to erase the ‘cream cheesy’ flavor and gives the frosting more sweetness.
Wholesome Yum
0Glad you enjoyed it, Michael. If you’re looking for a lighter cake, you might enjoy my strawberry lemonade cake recipe.
Seanna
0Hey I’m about to try this recipe for my daughter’s 2nd birthday! Have you tried to bake it in one rectangular pan and then cut it into any shapes? And then cover in icing on a cookie sheet?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Seanna, I haven’t tried baking it in a pan like that, but it should work if you adjust the baking time and monitor it closely. You’ll probably want to grease the pan generously to ensure it comes out easily.
Tanya
0Hi, I have a customer who doesn’t want any sugar (not even the erythritol) and she asked me to replace it with bananas. Is that possible? If so, how many bananas I will need?
Beverly Wheeler
0Monk fruit is a GREAT option. Tastes like sugar, plant based.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tanya, I haven’t tried a substitution like that for this recipe. Let me know how it goes if you do.
Tina Myatt
0I followed the recipe but instead of making cake I made waffles! They were so delicious and fluffy and light!
Christy Kimsey
0I am making this cake now and eating the batter with a spoon. It is surprisingly delicious. I can’t wait to taste the finished product complete with icing.