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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
Jane McGinnis
0Would it work if cocoa powder were added to make a chocolate cake?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jane, The recipe would need other modifications. Just adding cocoa powder would make it too dry.
Jenny
0Sounds delicious! If it’s like any of your others I’m sure it will be! Is there a reason for baking the mix in thirds? Would there be an issue if you baked the entire batter at once and then sliced afterwards?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jenny, I don’t think it’s sturdy enough to hold up well if you tried to slice it horizontally into thirds after baking all in one pan. It would also take much longer to bake. If you try it, let me know how it goes. You’d likely need a lower oven temperature to prevent burning the top before the center is done, which means even longer baking time.
Jaime
0I made this for my husband’s birthday. I subbed a cup of almond flour for ground pistachios because a pistachio cake fit better with our menu and also added some lemon zest. The flavor and texture were excellent! However, the Swerve aftertaste was so prominent that I’d rather just eat the carbs and use regular sugar. Which is exactly what I’m doing for my daughter’s chocolate cake (added a bunch of cocoa powder and some freeze dried coffee). This is an outstanding base recipe and so easy to modify to add other flavors. Definitely staying in the recipe rotation.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks for sharing your tips with us, Jaime! Thanks for stopping by!
Wholesome Yum A
0Would I be able to make this 3 days before it’s needed or does it tend to dry out or go stale? Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amanda, It stores fairly well but is not as good as fresh 3 days later. I would easily do it days ahead for my family but probably not for an occasion with guests.
Suzanne McKay
0Not wanting to make a big cake, I cut the batch into 1/4 to make 6 cupcakes. After seeing some comments about the cake not rising as much as expected, I decided to whip my egg whites separately and fold them in at the end. The cake rose beautifully. We split the cupcakes in half and topped with whipped cream and berries to make mini strawberry shortcakes. Very nice. I have had many keto flops, so happy to have one to put in the keeper file.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked the cake, Suzanne! Thanks for stopping by!
Carla Reger
0Hi Maya – I love your web site, recipes and all of the helpful tips you give with your recipes – it’s great – thank you!
Living in Australia, I always have to convert U.S. measurements to metric unfortunately. I know you have the metric conversion option in your recipes, but I am concerned that some of the measurements don’t seem correct, when compared to to doing my own conversions of the amounts. I would love to make this cake (Vanilla Gluten-Free Keto Birthday Cake) as it sounds delicious, but I want to make sure the measurements are correct. Correct measurements in baking, I’ve learnt, are particularly important!
Based on 1oz = 28.35ml, 1 Cup = 237ml, 1 Tab U.S. = 15ml, 1 Tsp U.S. = 5ml
1 U.S Cup erythritol you have = 200g (? should be 237ml / g)
3/4 cup butter = 170g (? should be 178g)
1/2 cup almond milk = 125ml (? should be 118ml) (1/2 a METRIC cup is 125ml)
3 cup almond flour = 336g (? should be 711g – a very big difference and my main concern!)
1/2 cup coconut flour = 56g (? should be 118g or ml – another big difference!)
1/3 cup powdered erythritol = 133g (? should be 158g)
The other ingredient measurements I agree with the conversions – which makes me more suspicious that those mentioned are inaccurate.
Have you weighed in grams what 1 US cup of the ingredients is, rather than using the volume of 237ml? I do prefer to weigh all ingredients where possible, as it is much more accurate in baking than cup measurements. I would love to know how you do your conversions, not only for this recipe, but for all baking recipes of yours. In general cooking, it is not so important to be so accurate.
I look forward to hearing back from you Maya, as I can’t wait to make this cake!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carla, I’m glad you like the recipes.
The metric conversions on the recipe card are correct and tested. I’m not sure where you got these numbers – “Based on 1oz = 28.35ml, 1 Cup = 237ml, 1 Tab U.S. = 15ml, 1 Tsp U.S. = 5ml” – but they will depend on the ingredient. Different ingredients have different densities, so you can’t say that 1 cup of something = X ml and then apply that to all ingredients. It will vary by ingredient.
Please go ahead and use the metric amount given on the recipe card. Hope you love the cake!
Carla
0Thanks Maya – I will look forward to making (and eating!) this cake now – Cheers!
Misty
0So delish! I made 24 cupcakes for my son’s birthday. Usually my sister and husband are always critics of sugar free desserts but this one won them over. My sis said “ if I could eat like this I could do this diet”! I used Pyure and Lakanto for sweeteners, for the icing I used both by making them “powdered”. Thank You for this recipe. Will definitely be my go to vanilla cake recipe!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so glad that you enjoyed the cupcakes, Misty! Have a great day!
Erin
0I’ve been looking for the ultimate keto vanilla cupcake recipe, and I’VE FOUND IT!!
I split the recipe into thirds (Metric/8 slices), mixed up the recipe, and it fit just over 24 mini cupcake liners. [Baked at 325 for about 14 minutes – check them at minute 10, and take them out when the tops spring back when lightly touched, and before they get brown]
Most low carb cupcake recipes stick to liners, and these definitely did, even after I sprayed them with avocado oil spray :/ So I’m definitely going to invest in mini parchment liners, because I’ve got the regular sized parchment liners and NOTHING sticks to those. These were even better the day after. I topped them with my favorite ermine buttercream frosting and set them into a closed tupperware container on the counter overnight. SO FLUFFY! SO MOIST! The flavor is amazing. I need to not bake these all the time becasue I will eat all of them, lol. Thank you for the recipe! xx 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked it, Erin! Thanks for stopping by!
Deanna C
0I came across this recipe and thought to myself, my birthday is coming up and I’m on Keto diet but I still want a birthday cake. I end up using your cake mix recipe and it turned out great! Made my own frosting but no one can tell it was a sugar free/ gluten free cake. Everyone loved it. Thanks for posting.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy that you liked it, Deanna! Happy birthday!
Susan
0Can you use Splenda?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susan, Yes, you can. I prefer their Splenda Naturals line which is a natural sugar-free sweetener. If you use that, use scant measuring cups because it’s sweeter than plain erythritol.
Noelia I.
0Hi, this looks great! I wanted to ask you is it necessary the coconut flour? Or can I just use almond flour instead for all? If I can, how much? I only have almond flour. Thanks!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Ho Noelia, You need both almond and coconut flour. The texture won’t be the same with just one of them.
Karen
0This is not only my first Keto cake, but the first cake I have ever made! I ended up making a double decker instead of a triple one, since I had 2 pans (had to add 10 minutes to the bake time). It came out amazing! I kind of wish I had gone with butter cream icing. I think that might have complimented it better (personal taste), but I am very happy! It is by far my favorite Keto dessert bar none. This is the first time I have LOVED a Keto dessert! Thank you so much for this!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Congrats on your first cake, Karen! I’m so glad you loved it.
Jessica Margerum
0Could I make this the night before a party and it still taste fresh the next afternoon?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jessica, Yes, you can! It’s slightly better if the frosting is fresh but not a must.
Rebecca
0This cake is easy and awesome. Best cake ever.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Rebecca! Thanks for stopping by!
Rocio
0Hi! I purchased unsweetened vanilla almond milk by accident. Do you think this is ok?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rocio, Yep, totally fine! You can reduce the vanilla extract a bit.
Becky
0Hello. It says to use a spring form pan. Is there a reason for it? Can I bake them in regular cake pans?
Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Becky, It just sticks fairly easily so the spring form pan makes it easier, but isn’t required. You can use a regular pan – line with parchment paper and grease the sides well.
Anastasia Brown
0My daughter wants a vanilla cake for her birthday. This looks really good! Can I make it a sheet cake? If so, what size pan? 9×11?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Anastasia, Yes, you can make a sheet cake. I haven’t tried so can’t say for sure if it’s a perfect ratio, but you can probably turn the 3-layer regular cake into a 2-layer low carb sheet cake. The layers will be pretty thin (it’s not super tall to begin with), so if you want them thicker, you could multiply the recipe by 1.5 and bake in 2 9×13 pans for the sheet cake. Let me know how that goes. Happy birthday to your daughter!
Calla
0Could you use heavy cream instead of almond milk?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Calla, I haven’t tried but I’m sure you can!
Sara
0I absolutely love this cake! I’ve made it 3 times as cupcakes to make dividing it into 24 servings easily. Keto and non-keto friends always ask me for the recipe!
Rocio
0Do you mind sharing how long and at what degree they were baked? What kind of cupcake pan did you use?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Sara! Thanks for stopping by!
Lindsey Powell
0Made this cake for my birthday and loved it! instead of nuts, I topped it with sliced strawberries!
I have a question about the icing though. If I wanted to make this into a chocolate icing could I just add cocoa powder to the recipe? Any idea how much or what brand cocoa powder to use?
Thanks for your hellp!
Bina
0Hey, so happy I saw this comment! Of course Hershey makes cocoa powder but if you can get dutch cocoa powder it is far superior because they tend to have more fat ( and less carbs) and can help your products stay moist. If you can find it, the droste brand is my favorite. Also for a big batch of frosting, I like to start with 1/4 cup cocoa powder and add more to taste keeping an eye on texture. You can add a bit of heavy cream, yogurt or butter to achieve the consistency you want
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Happy birthday, Lindsey! Sliced strawberries on top sound delicious.
You can definitely make the cake with chocolate icing, but I haven’t tried it yet to advise on amounts.