Home » Low-Carb Desserts » Keto Chocolate Cake
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This tender and fluffy keto chocolate cake is made with almond flour and frosted with a rich chocolate frosting.
It's a one-layer cake you bake in a square baking dish, and it's delightfully easy to make!
This keto chocolate cake was inspired by my favorite childhood dessert - chocolate sheet cake with frosting. Making it is easy; it's a simple one-layer cake you mix in one bowl.
If you don't use frosting, it's appropriate as a snack or breakfast cake. With frosting, it's rich and indulgent - the perfect chocolaty dessert. It makes a good birthday cake if you don't want to bother with making a layered keto birthday cake.
Jump to:
- Ingredients
- Variations
- Keto Chocolate Cake Instructions
- Expert Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Storing Leftovers
- More Keto Cake Recipes
- Foodie Newsletter
- Recipe Card
- Let's Connect
- Reviews
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed to make this cake. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in most of my recipes, this one included.
- Unsalted butter: Or you can use salted butter and omit the salt.
- Sweetener: I use stevia glycerite; you can use a granulated sweetener instead.
- Vanilla extract: It's best to use pure vanilla extract.
- Almond flour: I use blanched, finely ground almond flour in this cake.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed). Its natural acidity helps activate the baking soda, ensuring the cake is fluffy.
- Kosher salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
- Baking soda: You can use 2 teaspoons of baking powder (gluten-free if needed) instead of ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
- For the frosting: Unsalted butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and stevia.
Variations
- Serve the cake without frosting, dusted with powdered sweetener. It's excellent, and when not frosted, it can serve as a breakfast or snack cake.
- Use lighter frosting - this chocolate whipped cream is excellent. But use this wetter frosting immediately before serving the cake to prevent the cake from becoming soggy.
- Add a handful of chocolate chips or chopped unsalted nuts to the batter.
- Drizzle the cake with warmed peanut butter.
- Immediately after frosting the cake, scatter unsweetened coconut flakes on the frosting.
- Replace the vanilla extract with coconut, almond, or orange extract.
Keto Chocolate Cake Instructions
The detailed instructions for making this cake are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
You start by mixing the frosting. You can use a hand whisk or a handheld electric whisk. Set the frosting aside.
To make the cake, whisk the eggs, melted butter, stevia, and vanilla. I simply use a hand whisk.
Gradually add almond flour and cocoa powder to the same bowl and whisk them in. Then mix in the salt and baking soda.
Transfer the batter to a well-buttered 8-inch glass baking dish. Bake the cake for about 18 minutes in a 325°F oven.
Cool the cake completely, then frost it using an offset spatula.
Cut the cake into nine squares and serve.
Expert Tips
- This cake relies on baking soda as a leavening agent, and the baking soda requires an acidic ingredient in the batter to activate. So make sure you use natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder, not Dutched-processed cocoa powder treated with an alkalizing agent.
- If you replace the baking soda with baking powder, using Dutch-processed cocoa powder is fine.
- Be generous when greasing the pan to ensure the cake releases easily.
- If you opt for a granulated sweetener instead of stevia, use a powdered sweetener in the frosting to prevent a grainy mouthfeel.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
Unfortunately, you can't. Coconut flour is highly absorbent, and you would need to adjust this recipe quite a bit in order to use it instead of almond flour.
I have a wonderful recipe for keto chocolate cupcakes made with coconut flour.
Can I use almond meal instead of almond flour?
It's best to use blanched, finely ground almond flour in this recipe (I use Bob's Red Mill Superfine Almond Flour) if you'd like to ensure that the cake comes out fluffy and tender. I don't recommend using a coarse almond meal.
What sweetener can I use instead of stevia?
In the cake batter, you can replace the stevia with any granulated sweetener to equal ⅔ cup of sugar. If the batter is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.
In the frosting, you can replace the stevia with any powdered sweetener to equal ½ cup of powdered sugar.
Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda?
Yes. Generally speaking, you need four times the amount of baking soda to replace it with baking powder. So you would need 2 teaspoons of baking powder. If you need it to be gluten-free, make sure it is.
The advantage is that you can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder in the batter if you opt for baking powder since baking powder doesn't need acidity to get activated.
Serving Suggestions
- This keto chocolate cake is perfect with coffee or a tall glass of cold almond milk. In the summer, I serve it with iced coffee or iced tea.
- Sometimes, I top it with berries - it's particularly good with raspberries. The combination of the sweet cake and the tart fruit is fantastic.
- If I don't frost the cake, I sometimes have a slice spread with peanut butter or walnut butter for breakfast.
Storing Leftovers
You can slice the completely cooled cake, then store the slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze unfrosted cake slices.
Remember to remove the leftovers from the fridge about an hour before enjoying them. Chocolate always tastes better at room temperature; the same is true for frosting.
More Keto Cake Recipes
- Keto Birthday Cake
- Keto Strawberry Shortcake
- Keto Pound Cake
- Keto Cheesecake
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Recipe Card
4.97 from 1381 votes
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Easy Single-Layer Keto Chocolate Cake
This wonderfully moist and fluffy keto chocolate cake is made with almond flour. The chocolate frosting is rich and creamy!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Rest time1 hour hr
Total Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 9 slices
Calories: 326kcal
Author: Vered DeLeeuw
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for pan
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled (112 grams)
- 2 teaspoons stevia glycerite (equals ⅔ cup sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour blanched finely ground (112 grams)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) (40 grams)
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (112 grams)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals ½ cup powdered sugar)
Instructions
To make the frosting, place all the frosting ingredients (unsalted butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and stevia glycerite) in a medium bowl and whisk them by hand until smooth. Alternatively, beat them with an electric handheld mixer on low speed until smooth and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch square glass baking dish with butter. Be generous when greasing to ensure the cake releases easily from the pan. You can also line the bottom with a square of parchment paper and then grease the paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, stevia, and vanilla extract.
Gradually whisk in the almond flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the kosher salt and baking soda. The batter will be quite thick.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in it comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 1 hour.
If you wish, frost the cake using an offset spatula. If you don't frost it, I recommend dusting it with a powdered sweetener to make it look pretty.
Cut the cake into 9 squares and serve.
Video
Notes
- Occasionally, baking soda can cause a reaction in baked goods, resulting in an ammonia smell. If you're concerned about it happening, use 2 teaspoons of fresh, gluten-free baking powder instead of baking soda.
- The nutrition info includes frosting. Nutrition info for an unfrosted slice: Calories 206, Fat 19g, Saturated Fat 8g, Sodium 166mg, Carbohydrate 5g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 1g, Protein 6g.
- A granulated sweetener in the frosting will feel grainy, so use a powdered sweetener if not using stevia.
- You can slice the completely cooled cake, then store the slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze unfrosted cake slices. Remember to remove the leftovers from the fridge about an hour before enjoying them. Chocolate always tastes better at room temperature; the same is true for frosting.
Nutrition per Serving
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 170mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g
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Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
About the Author
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Michelle
The chocolate cake recipe is in cups, ounces and grams. Grams are internationally the same. Cups are different depending on which country you live in, and are in themselves invariably inaccurate.
Grams vs ounces: Exactly 236 grams of water = 8 3/8 ounces - Technically 236 grams equals 8.32466 ounces - How can you measure that on a scale?Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for this helpful comment. You are correct. Cup measurements are inaccurate and can cause issues, especially when baking.I provide weight measurements in addition to volume measurements precisely because it's better to weigh baking ingredients. However, I'm in the US, 90% of my readers are American, and most American home cooks do not own a scale and prefer to use volume measurements. A grams-only recipe would be useless to them.
I went ahead and streamlined the recipe to cups and grams, no ounces, as I agree with you - that needed to be clarified. I will also see if I can add a comment in all my recipe cards clarifying that I'm referring to American cups, which are 240 milliliters.
Reply
Kim Wester
I made this cake today. I didn't have the Stevia Glycerite, so I substituted Splenda Monk Fruit sweetener, which has erythritol and monk fruit extract. I used 2/3 cup, as it's a 1:1 sugar substitute. I also used an aluminum pan, because I don't have a glass one. I baked at 325 degrees for 19 minutes.
I am so pleased with how this cake tured out! It is moist and has a wonderful texture and taste. It had just the right amount of sweetness, though no artifical sweetener tastes exactly like sugar. I opted not to add frosting, as we prefer cake plain. I also didn't sprinkle any sweetener on top. It was perfect for us just the way it was! Thank you so much for this recipe. It's definitely a keeper. I plan to bake it for a bake sale fundraiser, too, as it's nice to have keto choices for people. I'm proud to serve this cake!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Thank you for this comment, Kim! It made me happy. I'm so glad you enjoyed this cake. ❤️
Reply
ljc
Made this cake for my diabetic mom and myself as something we could both eat for Christmas. I was excited about the stevia glycerite, when I read that it did not have an aftertaste. Unfortunately, it does. Made the chocolate whipped cream for frosting, I did not have the right kind of chocolate, and had to throw it out. Tried the cream cheese icing, and it tasted strongly of stevia.
My mom liked the cake. I had to eat about half of it before I decided it wasn't too bad.
Still not happy, though. Apparently, there is no such thing as a stevia product that doesn't leave an aftertaste.Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the cake as much as you hoped. I'm glad your mom enjoyed it!
Some people are more sensitive to stevia's aftertaste than others. The glycerite formulation works for many, but it looks like you should stick with other sweeteners. In most of my recipes, you can replace the stevia with a granulated sweetener.Reply
Veronique
Hi, i would like to make it dairy free, can i use coconut oil instead of butter?
Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Veronique,
Yes, absolutely.Reply
Morgan
I love how easy this cake is, and it's so moist and fluffy. The frosting is to-die-for! Thank you for this recipe!!!Reply
Vered DeLeeuw
You're very welcome, Morgan! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Reply
