This easy Keto Chocolate Cake is a moist and rich chocolate cake perfect for any occasion–even that special birthday. This easy low-carb cake recipe uses almond flour to create this drool-worthy chocolate sensation that will satisfy all of your chocolate cravings.  This recipe is suitable for those following a low-carb, Keto, Banting, Atkins, gluten-free, or vegetarian diet.

Slice of cake on a plate

This Keto Chocolate Cake recipe

This lucious low carb chocolate cake is a true staple in our household. It’s so rich and satisfying that you would never guess that it’s low carb! This makes it perfect for any guest, not only those that eat low carb.

 

In fact, I use this cake recipe every year for birthday cakes in our family. But, to be honest, we often make this cake just because. It’s always nice to have a tasty sweet treat waiting in the fridge for a sweet snack or dessert.

 

We use almond flour in this cake recipe which provides a richness that will always leave you feeling satisfied. You’ll be surprised as how many people you can serve with this cake and just how far this cake goes.

 

Despite the rich, luxurious flavor of this cake, it’s surprisingly simple to prepare. That’s why we keep coming back to this cake recipe time after time for any occasion.

 

Frostings for a Keto Chocolate Cake

When preparing a low carb cake, I like to use a variation of cream cheese frosting. A normal buttercream frosting consists of combination of butter and powdered sugar.

 

While it is possible to replicate buttercream using low carb sweeteners, it requires using a large quantity of a low carb sweetener. Not only can this be expensive, using certain alternative sweeteners in large quantities can lead to digestive problems. Cream cheese helps provide a substitute base for the frosting rather than just the sweetener and butter.

 

With a chocolate cake, the options for frosting flavors are pretty endless. Normally, I’ll go for a death-by-chocolate style cake and match the chocolate cake with a silky chocolate frosting.  Sometimes I’ll garnish with a few raspberries or blackberries to add a little extra pop of flavor and color.

 

You can also counteract the chocolatey richness of the cake by using a vanilla frosting. Or you can pop a few crushed raspberries into the vanilla frosting to add a little extra tartness to pair perfectly with the chocolate cake.

 

Slice of cake in front of whole cake

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How to frost a cake

The most important step of frosting a cake is the make sure the cake is completely cool beforehand. If I have time, I like to bake the cake the night before so that it has time to cool completely overnight. If you’re in a time crunch, you can pop the cakes in the fridge to accelerate the cooling process. 

 

Then remove the cake from its pan and transfer it to a large plate for frosting. Make sure to plan your desired frosting style beforehand so that you have an idea of how much frosting you will need to prepare to cover the cake completely.

 

As a general rule of thumb, rustic-style cakes, like this naked cake,  that only cover the top layer and in between the layers. use the least amount of frosting. While the normal frosting by hand uses a medium amount of frosting. Finally, a piped cake usually uses the most amount of frosting because of the volume created by the designs.

 

The amount of frosting that you will need will also be dependent on your desired thickness of each layer of frosting. It also changes depending on the number of layers. While this recipe is for only one layer, I normally double the recipe to make a two-layer chocolate cake.

 

Slice of cake cut from the cake

 

Sometimes while baking, the cake will rise more in the center and become uneven with the rest of the cake. If this happens, use a large sharp knife to carefully cut off the higher sections of the cake’s surface until the surface of the cake is even. When assembling the cake, be sure to place each layer cut-side-down. In the meantime, these trimmings are the perfect snack to enjoy while frosting!

 

Now we are finally ready to start frosting! These frosting directions are tailored to frosting a two layer cake, but you adjust them to fit a single layer cake as well.

 

First, using a frosting knife or spatula, frost the surface of the bottom layer of the cake to your desired thickness. Be sure to make the entire layer of frosting even. Next, carefully place the second layer of cake on top of the layer of frosting (remember to place this layer cut-side-down). Feel free to adjust as necessary to ensure that the second layer is completely centered from all angles.

 

The next step of frosting a cake is a crumb coat. The crumb coat helps ensure that any loose crumbs are locked in and will help make the rest of the frosting process much easier. Prepare the crumb coat by thinning out a small portion of the frosting, using milk or water. Then spread a thin layer of the crumb coat along the sides and top surface of the cake.

 

Next, cool the cake in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before resuming the frosting process. If desired, you can repeat the crumb coat if the cake’s color is still visible through the frosting. This problem is particularly common for chocolate cakes with light-colored frosting.

 

Finally, using the normal frosting, generously spread the frosting over the surface of the cake and the sides of the cake until smooth. Finally, admire all your handiwork and dig in!

 

Slice of cake cut from the cake

How do you know when a cake is done

When the cake is within three minutes of the final baking time, insert a fork or toothpick in the surface of the cake. If it removes with no crumbs, the cake is probably ready. If there are still crumbs on the fork or toothpick, the cake needs more time and should be rechecked after several minutes.

 

Another way to test is to lightly press on the surface of the cake with a clean finger. If the surface sinks in to your touch, it probably needs more time to bake. This the surface bounces back slightly, it’s probably ready. Be sure to not over-bake this cake, as it could burn or become very dry.

 

Other keto recipes with almond flour

Want to try your hand at other recipes using almond flour? Discover the potential of almond flour by trying out our extremely popular keto tortilla recipe or our low-carb sour cream biscuits. Or satisfy your sweet tooth with our low-carb pecan shortbread cookies. You could even make a quick satisfying breakfast by making this almond flour porridge recipe from Low Carb Maven.

 

Slice of cake on a plate

Slice of Chocolate Cake in front of cake on cake stand.
4.89 from 9 votes
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Best Keto Chocolate Cake

This easy Keto Chocolate Cake is a moist and rich chocolate cake perfect for any occasion--even that special birthday. This easy low-carb cake recipe uses almond flour to create this drool-worthy chocolate sensation that will satisfy all of your chocolate cravings.  This recipe is suitable for those following a low-carb, Keto, Banting, Atkins, gluten-free, or vegetarian diet. This recipe makes one layer. To make two layer as shown in the photos, double the recipe and use two pans.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American, low-carb
Keyword almond flour, keto birthday cake, keto cake, ketodessert, low-carb cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 1 9 inch cake (10 slices)
Calories 221 kcal
Author Harper

Ingredients

  • Coconut oil to grease pan

Dry Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp butter melted
  • 4 eggs large
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup almond milk unsweetened

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9-inch round cake pan with butter or coconut oil. (This recipe makes one layer. To make two layer as shown in the photos, double the recipe and use two pans.)

    Overhead photo of buttered cake pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and sweetener and whisk until well combined and lump free.

    Photo of dry ingredients combined.
  3. Add melted butter to dry ingredients. Stir to combine.

    Process photo after the butter is added with a coarse-looking crumb mixture.
  4. Next, add the eggs, vanilla extract and almond milk. Using a spoon or an electric mixer, mix until thoroughly combined.

    Overhead photo of final cake batter.
  5. Pour into prepared pan and spread to mixture to the edges of the pan until the surface is even. Bake for about 28-32 minutes or when the cake's surface springs back to a light touch or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

    Cake batter in prepared pan.
Nutrition Facts
Best Keto Chocolate Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 221 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 9g
Cholesterol 83mg28%
Sodium 185mg8%
Potassium 270mg8%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 32%1%
Vitamin C 0%0%
Calcium 10%1%
Iron 8%44%
Net Carbs 5g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.