The Best Keto Chocolate Cake Recipe – A keto chocolate cake recipe that is quick, easy, and delicious! This homemade keto chocolate cake takes only minutes to come together before popping it into the oven. Rich, moist and ultra-fluffy keto cake recipe!
The best keto chocolate cake recipe? Although there are plenty of claims for the best chocolate cake recipe, my personal opinion is that this is hands down the BEST keto cake recipe on the internet.
Adapted from my The BEST Keto Almond Flour Sponge Cake, Keto Carrot Cream Cheese Cake as well as the cake used in this Easy Keto Strawberry Shortcake, this homemade keto chocolate cake is officially listed as one of my personal "BEST EVER" recipes.
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Why this is the BEST Keto Chocolate Cake
There are several reasons why I have officially declared this recipe as the BEST keto chocolate cake:
- Ease - This is yet another one of the easiest cake recipes on my blog - it literally comes together in under 10 minutes!
- Taste - Just the right amount of chocolate flavour without being overly sweet - that means that it is the perfect keto chocolate cake recipe for using Keto Cookie Dough Frosting between the layers!
- Texture - Unlike many keto cake recipes, this easy keto chocolate cake turns out light and fluffy and not dense and crumbly
- Make-Ahead - You can prepare this homemade keto chocolate cake and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months! Then, a quick frosting and voila! Keto dessert in minutes!
Ingredients
Although the ingredient list may seem slightly longer than some of my other keto cake recipes, I am fairly certain that you most likely already have all these ingredients on hand!
- Almond flour - Make sure that you use superfine almond flour and not almond meal.
- Cocoa Powder - Use a high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli or Valrhona
- Whey protein powder - Using chocolate whey protein powder helps to add additional chocolate flavour as well as protein to the cake recipe which makes this cake light and fluffy. I use Isopure Chocolate Protein Powder but feel free to use any brand of whey protein powder. If your whey protein powder is not flavoured or sweetened, you may want to increase the amount of cocoa powder by 1-2 tablespoons as well as add about 2 tablespoons of additional keto sweetener. I do not believe that casein, pea or any other type of protein powder will work but if it does, please comment and let me know!
- Baking soda and Baking Powder - You will need 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of baking soda to help lift this gluten-free sponge cake and create the perfect sponge cake texture.
- Xanthan gum (optional) - Xanthan gum is used in keto baking to replace gluten. You can omit this ingredient but your keto sponge cake may be slightly less "bouncy".
- Salt - Use regular table salt or if you are using kosher salt, use slightly less than ¼ teaspoon.
- Eggs - Make sure that your separate your eggs when they are cold and then allow the eggs to come to room temperature before whipping.
- Sweetener - Any keto sweetener will work in this recipe. Just remember that all keto sweeteners have different levels of sweeteness so you may need to add or reduce the amount of sweetener in the recipe to suit your tastes. Also, if you are using allulose, it will cause baked goods to brown quickly so check your cakes at the halfway point and cover them loosely with foil if they are browning too quickly.
- Sour cream - Use full-fat sour cream and make sure that it is at room temperature. IF your cream cheese is not at room temperature, you can quickly heat it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.
- Olive oil - Use Extra Virgin Olive oil. You may be able to use coconut oil but I have not tried it so if you do, shoot me an email and let me know how it works out!
- Salt and Vanilla - Both the salt and the vanilla help to round out the flavours of this homemade keto chocolate cake.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This keto cake recipe comes together in minutes using only 2 bowls!
Separate the eggs and place the egg whites in a large bowl and the egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl.
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set the bowl to the side.
Add the sour cream, oil, and vanilla to the egg yolks. Whisk until combined.
Then, add the almond flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, salt, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk everything together. If using, add ¼ cup of leftover coffee.
Take about ⅓rd of the egg whites and vigorously mix them into the egg yolk mixture to loosen the yolks. Next, take the loosened egg yolk mixture and carefully fold it into the egg whites until no white streaks remain.
Divide the mixture evenly between the two well-greased cake pans and place in the 350-degree F. oven.
Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cake pans from the oven and place them on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the cake pan and invert the cakes to remove them from the pan. Allow the cakes to fully cool before frosting or serving.
Hint: The egg yolk mixture will be quite thick so stirring in some of the whipped egg whites will make the egg yolk easier to fold into the whites.
Substitutions
I would not suggest substituting too many ingredients as I have really tried and tested this recipe in order to create the best keto chocolate cake. However, here are a few substitutions that I believe should work.
- Sweetener - instead of allulose, use Swever or any other type of keto sweetener. Just be aware that all keto sweeteners taste differently as well as have varying levels of sweetness so make sure you taste your batter and adjust it accordingly.
- Sour Cream - use full-fat Greek yogurt
- Whey Protein powder - you can use chocolate whey protein powder instead and simply reduce the amount of sweetener. You can also omit the whey protein powder altogether but just realize that your cake will not be quite as fluffy.
Looking for a gluten-free chocolate cake but not sugar-free? You can always substitute the sweetener with regular white sugar instead.
Variations
This homemade keto chocolate cake can have a variety of flavours.
- Chocolate Mint- add ChocZero Mint chocolate chips into the batter
- Double Chocolate - add sugar-free chocolate chips as well as some chocolate frosting
- Cupcakes - divide the batter evenly between 12 greased muffin tins for cupcakes instead of a keto cake!
See this awesome Keto Almond Flour Sponge Cake for a vanilla keto cake recipe.
Equipment
To keep this keto cake recipe super easy to make, I like to whip my eggs with the sweetener using a stand mixer. Stand mixers whip eggs much quicker than hand-held mixers. However, if you do not own a stand mixer, you can use a hand-held mixer but you may need to whip the eggs for an additional 2-3 minutes.
As for the cake pans, I LOVE Fat Daddio's brand. Since there are only 2 of us in our household, I like to make smaller keto recipes, like my Easy Keto Red Velvet Cake with Sugar-free Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting, I prefer to use 6-inch cake pans. However, if you only have 8 or 9-inch cake pans, feel free to make this homemade keto chocolate cake, using only 1 larger cake pan. Be aware that different size cakes will require different baking times.
Storage
This is the perfect cake to make a few days in advance. Store it for a few days on the counter in an airtight container. Or, it can be refrigerated for up to a week.
You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months. Just make sure you store it in a flat box so it doesn’t lose its shape!
Top tip
- Make sure that the eggs and sour cream are at room temperature before you make the cake. Room-temperature eggs beat better!
- Mix the xanthan gum with the almond flour to ensure that the xanthan gum does not clump together and form a gel.
- When adding the yolks to the egg whites, carefully fold them in to help maintain the fluffiness of your beaten egg whites.
- Cut the sponge cake only when it's fully cooled to room temperature.
How do I know when a cake is fully baked?
Test to see if the cake is fully baked by pricking it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, you’re good to go!
How do I make icing a cake easier?
To make frosting a cake easy, simply freeze your cakes. This hardens the outside of the cake and inhibits crumbs from forming.
Why did my cake not rise?
If you do not properly beat the egg whites, the cake will not rise as well. Also, if you fold the egg yolk mixture too aggressively, the egg whites will not hold their shape and will not allow the cake to rise.
Why should eggs be at room temperature?
Room temperature eggs whip up quicker and lighter when they are at room temperature.
The BEST Keto Chocolate Cake Recipe
The Best Keto Chocolate Cake Recipe – A keto chocolate cake recipe that is quick, easy, and delicious! This homemade keto chocolate cake takes only minutes to come together before popping it into the oven. Rich, moist, and ultra-fluffy keto cake recipe!
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 6-inch cakes 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup leftover coffee, cold
- ¼ cup chocolate whey protein powder (I used Isopure Chocolate Whey Protein Powder)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp xantham gum (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar substitute (use more if you like your keto desserts on the sweeter side!)
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. making sure that the rack is in the middle of the oven. Generously grease 2-8-inch round cake pans (see note).
- In a large mixing bowl, place the egg whites and whip until stiff peaks form. Set the bowl to the side.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks, sweetener, sour cream, olive oil, leftover coffee and vanilla. Add in the cocoa powder, almond flour, whey protein powder, baking soda, baking powder and xantham gum. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients ( the mixture will be VERY thick!).
- Take ⅓ of the stiff egg whites and quickly stir it into the thick chocolate cake mix to help to thin the cake mix. Next, take the slightly thinned out cake mix and carefully fold it into the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you are using only allulose as your sweetener, you may need to loosely cover the cakes with aluminum foil after 15 minutes as allulose has a tendency to brown faster than other sweeteners.
- Remove the cake pans from the oven and place them on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the cake pan and invert the cakes to remove them from the pan. Allow the cakes to fully cool before storing.
Notes
- nutritional information is for 12 slices without icing or frosting
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American, Fall, Holidays, Spring, Summer
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 0.7
- Fat: 11
- Carbohydrates: 7.6
- Fiber: 2.5
- Protein: 6.3
Marci says
Delicious
Cat says
PS- The recipe card and instructions have been updated!
Cat says
I am SO SORRY for all the confusion!!! I have been working on this recipe for months - Unfortunately, when I finally got it right and took the pictures, I forgot to update the actual recipe instructions! Please accept my apology and thank you for letting me know about my error!
Marie says
I'd like to try this recipe but neither set of directions is complete. Very confusing! The picture directions show separating the eggs, etc but don't indicate where the sugar is added. The written directions don't separate the eggs as the picture instructions do, but instead have you beating the sugar and whole eggs together. Nowhere in the written directions does it indicate where the coffee is added. Which set of directions gives you the beautiful fluffy chocolate cake in the pictures with all of the ingredients that are listed??