This easy Keto Red Velvet Cake recipe comes together in under 15 minutes and only requires a couple of ingredients! A perfectly moist vanilla cake with a hint of cocoa and a slight tanginess, this sugar-free red velvet cake is absolutely delicious! Add some sugar-free buttercream cheese frosting and what is there not to love?!!
Healthy Keto Cake
I have made this Keto Red Velvet Cake recipe over 5 times already! That's right, 5 times!!! And although it turns out a little more "pink" than red, the fact that this low carb red velvet cake does not contain any artificial dyes or colouring, I have no problem with its soft pink hue!
Inspired by my Keto Red Velvet Roll Cake and my “No Bake” Red Velvet Cake Bars , I love adding beets to anything "red". In fact, I have even gone as far as making a Beet Pizza Crust which is Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free, and Low Carb!
Made with cooked beets, this easy keto cake recipe is mixed right in a pot and then popped into the oven to bake. Make this as a two-tiered cake, cupcake or a sheet cake, however, you decide to shape this low carb red velvet cake, I am almost certain that you will love it!
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Why this Keto Red Velvet Cake works
- Super Easy - I seriously can whip up this recipe in about 15 minutes! No need to let any ingredients come to room temperature which also saves time.
- Perfectly fluffy Texture - Unlike a lot of keto cake recipes, this keto red velvet cake turns out soft and spongy
- Healthy - By using beets for the red colour, this keto cake ends up being quite healthy since no artificial food dyes are used!
- Just the right level of sweetness - This keto red velvet cake is not overly sweet which allows for the sugar-free buttercream cream cheese frosting flavour to shine!
Ingredients
A keto red velvet cake with beets may seem weird at first but trust me, the beets lend colour and moisture to the healthy keto cake but no flavour whatsoever!
For the Low Carb Red Velvet Cake:
- Beets - To make this low carb red velvet cake, you will need approximately 2 cooked beets. I use LoveBeets that come in a sealed container and are already cooked (I buy mine at Costco!)
- Sour cream - Sour cream adds the necessary tanginess that makes red velvet cake so unique!
- Butter (or margarine) - I made this healthy keto cake with both butter and margarine when I ran out of butter!
- Sugar-free white chocolate chips - The best sugar-free white chocolate chips in my opinion are by Bake Believe. Their melting wafers not only taste great but are very reasonably priced. You can buy them directly from Bake Believe or at Walmart.
- Sweetener - Any sweetener should work in this recipe. However, if you choose allulose, the outside of your cake will darken (you can see examples of this here)
- Apple cider vinegar - Red velvet cake typically uses buttermilk which has a high acid content. Since we do not want the added carbs in our low carb red velvet cake, adding apple cider vinegar gives the same flavour without the carbs.
- Almond flour - Use super-fine almond flour by Blue Diamond or any other company.
- Whey Protein Powder - Plain, chocolate or vanilla whey protein powder can be used. The whey powder helps to give this keto red velvet cake the extra "lift" to counteract the heaviness of the almond flour.
- Eggs - Another reason why I love this recipe so much is that it only requires 2 eggs (especially since eggs have been hard to find where I live!)
- Baking powder and salt - Baking powder create dramatic bubbles for a nice cake rise. Salt helps to round out the flavours.
- OPTIONAL - Unsweetened cocoa powder can be added to the cake for a more "chocolate" forward flavour. Simply add 2-3 tablespoons to the dry ingredients. To decorate the cake, I used pomegranate seeds for a splash of colour!
For the Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Butter - I used unsalted butter that I softened at room temperature
- Cream Cheese - The cream cheese is added to the creamed butter in 4-6 sections to ensure that they are blended together really well
- Sweetener - Use a powdered sweetener such as Swerve or Allulose
- Vanilla and Salt - You only need a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt to help round out the flavours.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This easy keto cake recipe does not require any equipment except for a high speed blender (or an immersion blender), a saucepan, a spoon and some measuring cups!
For the Keto Red Velvet Cake:
In a high-speed blender, puree the sour cream and beet. If needed, add 1-2 tablespoons of leftover beet juice to thin out mixture enough to be able to puree the beets. You can also use an immersion blender which I find much easier to use.
Pour the beet mixture into a saucepan, and add the butter, sugar-free white chocolate, and sweetener. Heat on medium-low heat, stirring constantly until all the ingredients have melted and are blended together. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, add the almond flour, whey and salt. Pour the warm beet mixture into the bowl and beat for 1 minute.
Add the eggs to the bowl and beat for an additional 1 minute. Finally, add the vinegar and baking soda and beat until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Pour the mixture evenly between greased 6-inch cake pans. Bake in a 350 degree F preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Once baked, remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool slightly in their pan for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting:
This easy keto cake recipe does not require any equipment except for a high speed blender (or an immersion blender), a saucepan, a spoon and some measuring cups!
Whip the butter and sweetener until nice and fluffy. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add in the vanilla and salt. Taste the frosting and add additional sweetener to suit your taste. Place the frosting in the fridge until cakes are ready to decorate.
Spread the frosting over the top of one layer. Add the second layer and finish frosting the cake.
Hint: You will most likely have too much frosting for the size and layers of this cake. Store any remaining frosting in the fridge for 7 days or the freezer for 3 months.
Substitutions
I have made this cake using different bakeware but not different ingredients.
- Round - instead of 2-6-inch round cake pans, you can use a single 8 or 9-inch cake pan.
- Square - use a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9-inch square baking pan
- Muffins - use a silicon muffin tin with 12 wells or a mini muffin pan instead.
- Donuts - divide this recipe in half and make 6 baked keto donuts instead!
Every type of bakeware along with the size of the bakeware will affect the length of time necessary for the cake to be fully baked. Always test the cake at the 15 minute mark for muffins, mini muffins and donuts and at the 25 minute mark for round cakes and square baking dishes.
Variations
If you want your cake to be super red in colour (as you can see mine turned out a little on the pink side!), you will need to add some red food colouring. You can use artificial food colouring or natural food colouring.
You can also make your own red food dye by using recipes from the Minimalist Baker, the Dessert Food Feed or the Plant Based Palette.
Equipment
You will need to puree the beets so a high speed blender or an immersion blender will be needed. Then, a basic saucepan, a hand held mixer and some cake pans will finish off the job.
I use either my Vitamix or my Immersion blender by Cuisinart, cake pans from Fat Daddios and a non-stick saucepan.
Storage
Store the cakes wrapped in clingwrap in the freezer for up to 3 months. The cake can also be stored in at room temperature depending on the type of frosting you use. If you use a cream cheese based frosting like in my Keto Red Velvet Roll Cake, you will need to refrigerate the cake.
Top tip
If you use an erythritol-based sweetener, the cake will crystalize slightly if it is chilled in the fridge. Simply remember to remove the cake from the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving to help remove any graininess. Also, it is always easier to frost frozen cakes so I always place mine in the freezer after they have cooled for at least 4 hours before frosting.
What does Red Velvet Cake taste like?
Red velvet cake is a vanilla cake with a few tablespoons of cocoa powder and red food coloring mixed in. Vinegar and buttermilk bring some acid to the batter, adding a bit of tanginess that balances out the sweet cream cheese-butter frosting that is standard.
How do I cook beets?
Here is a recipe from Eating Well - Trim off remaining stem and taproot from cleaned beets. Place the beets in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until fork-tender, 25 to 35 minutes for medium beets or 45 minutes to 1 hour for large beets.
Can you taste the beets in this dessert recipe?
No! There is no "beet" flavour in this recipe but you will get the natural red colour from the beets!
Are beets keto friendly?
Beets can be part of a keto diet but in very small quantities. A cooked beet contains approximately 40 calories of which there are 5 grams of net carbs. For this keto red velvet cake, using beets adds about 10 grams of net carbs for the ENTIRE cake!
Why is there no cocoa powder in this Red Velvet Cake recipe?
I have made this keto red velvet cake recipe with and without cocoa powder and find that the chocolate flavour does not come through enough and that it darkens the colour of the cake. By using sugar-free white chocolate, you still get the cocoa flavour without darkening the cake!
Super Easy Keto Red Velvet Cake
This super easy Keto Red Velvet Cake recipe comes together in under 15 minutes and only requires a couple of ingredients! A perfectly moist vanilla cake with a hint of cocoa and a slight tanginess, this sugar-free red velvet cake is absolutely delicious! Add some sugar-free buttercream cheese frosting and what is there not to love?!!
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 3 oz cooked beets
- 3 oz sour cream
- ½ cup sweetener (I used Lakanto)
- 4 tbsp butter (or margarine)
- ½ cup sugar-free white chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup whey protein powder
- 2 eggs
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
For the Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 stick (4 oz) butter, softened
- 1 cup sweetener (I used ½ cup Swerve and ½ cup allulose)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line and grease 2 6-inch cake pans and set them to the side.
- In a high speed blender (or in the jar of an immersion blender) add the cooked beets and almond milk. Blend until the beet has fully broken down into a puree.
- Add the beet mixture to a saucepan and heat the saucepan on medium-low heat. Add in the butter and heat until the butter melts. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the sugar-free white chocolate chips. Continue to stir until all the chocolate has melted.
- Stir in the almond flour, sweetener and salt until fully incorporated. Whisk in the eggs.
- Finally, whisk in the apple cider vinegar and baking soda.
- Divide the batter evenly between both cake pans and place in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before inverting the cakes and allowing them to fully cool.
Notes
- You will most likely have some leftover frosting - Place any leftover frosting in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Nutritional information includes half the frosting which is all I used for this cake
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 318
- Sugar: 2
- Fat: 24
- Carbohydrates: 7
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 7
Cat says
I am SO SORRY about that! I was hacked about 2 years ago and all my recipes got messed up. I have been slowly working on fixing them one by one and did not realize that I had missed the Red Velvet Roll Cake. Thank you for letting me know as it was also high time for some updated pictures! Here is the link to the updated post: Keto Red Velvet Cake
R says
Your instructions down in the recipe card are very confusing and incomplete. the ingredients don't even match. I literally had to scroll to the top of the page to figure out why nothing made sense. What if someone printed this out and wanted to share it with a friend? they would be completely confused. Please go back and correct all the inconsistencies in the recipe card instructions. Thank you