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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
Melissa
0Has this been converted to cupcakes? How many would it make and how much would you fill the cups? Made the cake and it was such a huge hit it was requested again for cupcakes for another event 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melissa, I haven’t tried that yet, but I’m sure it would work. You’d just need to decrease the oven time. I’m so glad the cake was a hit!
Amanda M Stone
0I am attempting “cupcakes” right now, using a silicone cupcake pan, because we cannot find a good keto muffin recipe, so attempting huckleberry muffins with this cake recipe, I’ll post when they are done!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yes, please do, Amanda!
Lindsay
0I want to make this tonight because I am doing keto and my coworker has gestational diabetes. Neither of us is gluten free so is it totally necessary to use gluten free baking powder? Or is regular okay? If it it’s okay, is it the same measurement? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lindsay, Any kind of baking powder is fine and the measurement is the same. Let me know what you think of the cake after you make it!
Sarah
0I’m going to attempt this for my husband’s birthday. I’m new to baking with almond/coconut flours… do you pack them when measuring (like brown sugar) or spoon it into your measuring cup until it reaches the top, scraping off the excess?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sarah, Do it the second way – scoop and level, don’t pack. Hope you and your husband love the cake!
Elaine
0I made this today for my brother’s birthday, he is diabetic! Despite the many great reviews I was still worried it wouldn’t really be as good as everyone said.It was a big hit! It’s moist and full of flavor and I’ll be making this again!
Baked mine in a bunt pan (50 min) and did a sugar free marshmallow frosting.
Thanks again!
Sharon
0I am looking forward to trying this cake recipe…I was wondering, how do you make marshmallow sugar-free icing?? That sounds amazing, too!
Elaine
02 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Beat your egg whites until stiff, while bring corn syrup to a simmer, add sugar to egg whites and drizzle hot syrup down side of bowl while beating. Beat until its light and fluffy and cooled.
I switched out sugar for stevia and agave for the corn syrup.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for sharing, Elaine! For anyone reading, keep in mind that using agave would not be low carb or sugar-free (just like corn syrup or sugar would not be either), but is fine for anyone gluten-free only.
Cindy
0Somali makes a good mock corn syrup. 3 parts Somali granules to 1 part water. Cook and stir over medium heat til granules are melted. Cool and use like regular corn syrup. I’ve read that if you cook it in a heatproof jar in a water bath, instead, it will not crystallize when it cools.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Marshmallow frosting sounds delicious, Elaine! I am so happy you enjoyed the cake!
Asdrymarie
0Love this recipe!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yay! I love that! Thanks for stopping by!
Carmen Yolanda Limparis
0Thank you so very much! I will be 65 tomorrow and now I can make a birthday cake for me that I can actually eat, not just look at! I was told I can make frosting with avocados, cocoa powder and maple syrup. Do you have a recipe for that, too? Thank you. Sincerely,
Carmen Limparis
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Happy Birthday, Carmen! I hope you made and liked the cake. I don’t have a chocolate frosting recipe yet. You can definitely make one with the ingredients you listed, but it wouldn’t be low carb or sugar-free due to the maple syrup; if you just need gluten-free, it would work great.
Karissa
0Hi, I have been on KETO for 2 months now and my birthday is in a week and I would love to make this cake but I’m craving coconut! What adjustments do u think I could make without sacrificing the cake? I was thinking substituting vanilla extract for coconut but I don’t think it would give it that coconut cake taste. Please help!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karissa, The safest would be just adding coconut extract like you suggested. You could make other changes but I can’t vouch for anything without testing. One easy swap would be making a coconut cream frosting, which would have coconut flavor. Hope you have a happy birthday!
Emily
0Your recipe looks delicious and I would love to try it but I’ve tried other recipes with a lot of eggs and coconut flour in the past and they’ve come out very eggy. I’m certain it’s something I’ve done wrong and not the recipe itself, bc I’ve only tried recipes that have great reviews (which is why I was drawn to this one). Do you have any idea what could cause that? The texture ends up gummy and dense and the cake taste like quiche. Could it be over mixing? I’m scared to waste 9 organic eggs but I really want to make this cake and get it right! Thank you for any suggestions!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Emily, What you’re describing is pretty common with recipes that use only coconut flour, though not all, but it’s easier for that to happen. A blend of almond and coconut flour works better like in this recipe, and I don’t think this cake tastes eggy. I hope you’ll try it and let me know what you think!
Fa
0Wow! This cake is truly spectacular! The springy, airy, spongy consistency of the cake is remarkable! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
The frosting was also very yummy. 32oz of cream cheese is A LOT so I only used 24oz and I think next time I make it, I will only use 16. It was difficult to work with at that thickness, even with the kitchen aid!
Overall, I am completely impressed by this cake!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked the cake! Thanks for stopping by!
Hope
0How much monk fruit sweetener did you use in this recipe? I’m having trouble converting it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Hope, I have a sweetener conversion chart here. The exact amount to use would depend on the brand as monk fruit sweetener comes in different forms.
Craig
0OMG!! This cake is moist and delicious. I made a scaled down size for my wife’s birthday. She was so happy…”you can make that again for me anytime you want!” I added a little whipping cream to thin down the icing to make it a little easier to spread, but otherwise followed the recipie 100%. Love your website.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Craig! I love that you and your wife loved the cake! Thanks for stopping by!
Katie
0Is there an alternate substitution for the unsweetened almond milk? Could I use regular milk?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Katie, Yes, you can!
Mary
0I made this but added the zest from 3 lemons and squeezed 1/2 of one into the icing. Then made a blackberry compote to go between layers + a little on top. It was delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I love all of your additions, Mary! Thank you for sharing with us!
Ellen Cox
0Best keto cake I have had. I took another comment’s advice and dumped all the batter in the 9 inch pan. Worked perfect. The sides we’re a little dark, but I covered it in frosting so didn’t matter. Considering I ran out of baking powder 1/2 tbsp in… It was suprisingly fluffy and moist. I added a couple splashes of almond extract and a little extra swerve. It was perfection!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you loved the cake, Ellen! Thanks for stooping by!
Dan
0Many thanks for all your wonderful recipes. On this recipe, can I substitute regular baking powder for the gluten free baking powder? Thanks again.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dan, You’re welcome! Yes, you can use any kind of baking powder.
Dina
0The cake is very dry and I cooked it for the minimum time. It’s super sweet and dry. I made it for myself but since it’s not very flavorful, I serve to my kids with peaches.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Dina, Sorry that it turned out dry for you! It’s hard to say what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you. It does sound like either one of the ingredient amounts was off or it was baked too long, as I’ve made it a few times and it’s always been moist. I’m happy to help troubleshoot any specific steps!
Cheryl
0Wow! So simple yet so good! I made this for my sister’s birthday(she’s been keto since last Labor Day and has lost a LOT of weight). I was just hoping it would be edible but it’s actually quite tasty.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Will be checking out your others now as well
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cheryl! I am so happy you liked the cake! Have a great day!
Joel
0Thanks for the recipe!!! Cake came out great! Wish I could post a picture of it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked it, Joel! Thanks for stopping by!
Beverly
0I want to make this. Do you know how many cupcakes this recipe would make?
Priscilla
0It makes 24 perfectly
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Beverly, I’m sorry, I don’t. I’m sure it would work fine as cupcakes, I just haven’t made it that way. Please let us know how many you end up with if you do that!
Sheilagh Romero
0Can I substitute a gluten free baking mix for the almond flour, coconut flour and gluten free baking powder? Do you have any gluten free, sugar free recipes using Gluten free baking mix???
Priscilla
0I did and it worked great! I used Bob’s Red Mill. Only thing was with using that and Truvia to sweeten my carb count was really high 🙁
Was delicious though!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sheilagh, I haven’t tried but I don’t think so. The recipe is written for the right ratios using the flours listed, and other things would need to change if you change the flour. I don’t use gluten-free baking mix because it’s high in carbs. My recipes are both gluten-free and low carb.