This 5 ingredient keto chocolate cake is the pinnacle of sugar free desserts! It is incredibly moist, rich and chocolatey and comes in at only 2.5 net carbs per slice. Sugar free cake at its best.
Do you want to see everyone at your table sink into silence, occasionally interrupted by a contented sigh? Serve this sugar free cake and watch the magic happen.
I love all the recipes I post on this site, but this sugar free cake recipe is special. That’s because it’s more than just a chocolate cake. It’s a crazy good, wonderfully rich Keto chocolate cake.
This Keto cake does nothing by halves. It contains as much chocolate as it can possibly handle, a generous amount of grass-fed butter and it is just on the right side of sweet. Basically, it is a Keto dream dessert.
Sugar free cake essentials
There are 2 ingredients that increase carbs and sugar in a traditional cake: the wheat flour and, of course, the sugar.
As grains are a no-no on a Keto diet (as well as on a sugar free / low carb diet), most Keto cake recipes use either almond flour or coconut flour or both. This cake uses only a very small amount of almond flour, which makes it super fudgy, almost like a brownie.
And of course, I’m using a sugar substitute in place of sugar. For this cake, I’ve chosen an erythritol/stevia blend. Erythritol is a polyol and cannot be absorbed by our body. Therefore, it’s essentially zero carb and does not raise blood sugars. Read more about polyols here.
You can replace the erythritol in this recipe with xylitol or with Splenda. If you’re using Splenda, be sure to measure using cups as it’s lighter in weight than erythritol. And if you’re using xylitol, keep it away from dogs. It’s highly toxic to them!
Shall we get straight to the recipe?
How to make Keto chocolate cake – step by step:
1.) Whisk the eggs with an electric mixer until they have doubled in size and are frothy.
You want to make sure that the eggs are ROOM TEMPERATURE. If you forgot to take them our 30 minutes before starting on the cake, you can always warm them up in a bowl with hot water.
Keeping the eggs at room temperature prevents the mix from splitting and becoming lumpy once you add the warm chocolate and butter.
2.) Add the powdered erythritol and whisk again until well-combined.
Tip: If you only have granulated sweetener, blitz it in a food processor or with the attachment of a stick blender to turn it into a powder. You don’t want any crunchy bits in your gooey, moist chocolate cake! TASTE the cake batter and add more sweetener if necessary. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so you may prefer it a little sweeter than I do.
3.) Melt butter and chocolate and stir until combined. You can do this in a microwave or on the stove – but slowly and gently. TAKE YOUR TIME!!! If the chocolate gets too hot too quickly, it can seize or separate.
Then add the mix to the bowl and fold it in with a spatula or spoon.
4.) See how it’s slowly coming together?
5. And this is how it should look like – gooey, creamy goodness!
6.) Lastly, you add the almond flour / ground almonds and stir until they are evenly distributed.
7.) Get yourself a springform (I used a 20 cm / 8 inch) and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the sides with butter or oil and pour in the batter. Bake at 170 Celsius / 340 Fahrenheit on the middle shelf for 30 minutes.
Let the cake cool completely before cutting.
Keto chocolate cake recipe tips
One thing I absolutely love about this low carb chocolate cake (apart from the taste!) is the fact that the recipe contains only 5 basic ingredients.
This also means that these ingredients MUST be the best possible quality, especially the chocolate.
Best chocolate to use
Here in the UK there are a range of artisan chocolate makers which produce unsweetened chocolate. The brand I used, Montezuma’s, is available at Sainsbury’s, in organic shops or online. In the US you can go for a brand like Ghirardelli.
I don’t recommend choosing unsweetened Baker’s chocolate for this cake. It has the tendency to seize when you melt it and simply does not taste as creamy and mellow as quality chocolate.
The right way to melt chocolate
Which brings me to my second recommendation: Take your time melting the chocolate!
When you melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave, do so in 30 second bursts. Mine was mostly melted after 90 seconds in total. I then left the bowl on the kitchen counter and stirred it from time to time. This caused the rest of the chocolate to melt slowly.
If you don’t have a microwave, you can melt chocolate in a water bath. For this, you either place the bowl with your chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl over a pot with boiling water. Once the chocolate is half-melted, remove the bowl and let it fully melt by stirring occasionally.
Baking at high altitude
If you are baking at high altitude, increase the oven temperature by 10 Celsius / 25 Fahrenheit.
Flavour and Recipe Variations
I think all chocolate desserts benefit from a pinch of salt, although this is entirely optional. To give your keto cake a festive vibe, you could add 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp cinnamon plus some cardamom, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves.
For an extra kick, try adding a pinch of chilli!
Add nuts for a bit or crunch – walnuts or pecans would work well.
For a slightly fluffier texture, you could add 1 tsp of baking powder or 1/2 tsp of baking soda.
Toppings for sugar free cake
I’m a bit of a purist, so I simply dusted my cake with 100% unsweetened chocolate powder and served on a pretty cake stand.
You could also dust with powdered sweeter.
If you want to go the whole nine yards, you could make a frosting (see recipe suggestion in the recipe notes below) or a quick chocolate ganache by melting 1 bar (100g) of chocolate and stirring in 3 tbsp of double / heavy cream and 4 tbsp powdered sweetener.
You could serve this cake with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of sugar free vanilla ice cream.
Which cake pan to use
I used a 20 cm / 8 inch springform in this recipe. If you only have a standard size 25 cm / 9 inch springform, your cake will be a little flatter, but it still works fine. You may need to reduce the baking time by 5 minutes. Simply check after 25 minutes if the middle of the cake feels firm to the touch.
How to store keto chocolate cake
Store this sugar free cake in the fridge for 5-6 days. Be sure to keep it in an airtight container. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving.
You can also freeze this Keto chocolate cake. Simply defrost it in the fridge for 48 hours or on the counter for 24 hours.
More decadent keto chocolate dessert recipes:
- Fudgy Chocolate Avocado Cake (Sugar Free)
- Keto Chocolate Donuts
- Really Simple Low Carb Chocolate Tart
- Sugar Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Tried this sugar free cake recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Best Ever Keto Chocolate Cake (Sugar Free)
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Ingredients
- 300 g / 10.5 oz unsweetened chocolate ***see notes
- 300 g / 10.5 oz butter unsalted (1 1/3 cup melted)
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup / 50g almond flour or ground almonds
- 1 cup / 150g powdered erythritol (So Nourished)
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 170 Celsius / 340 Fahrenheit. (If you are baking at high altitude, increase the oven temperature by 10 Celsius / 25 Fahrenheit.)
- Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave (ca 90 seconds - see notes), then stir and wait until dissolved. Alternatively, gently heat in a water bath (a heat proof bowl placed over a pan of boiling water). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, then add the sweetener and mix well.
- Add the melted chocolate and butter along with the almond flour and stir with a spoon or spatula until just combined.
- Line the bottom of a 20 cm / 8 inch springform with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter. Pour in the cake batter and bake for ca 30 minutes on the middle shelf until the top of the cake is firm to the touch, especially in the middle.
- Leave to cool before releasing from the cake tin. Once the the cake is completely cooled, dust with cocoa powder.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Libby says
I’ve used my springform pan many times and when I baked this cake, it leaked all over my oven (guessing the butter) and started a fire. I didn’t see any instructions to put the springform pan on a cook sheet or anything. Did this happen to you?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Libby, what a disaster! It means you need a new springform, basically. They should not leak! 🙂
Eileen says
Hi Katrin,
Thanks for all the great recipes.
You’ve turned me into a Allulose convert. Would you recommend it in this recipe? If so, can you tell me how much Allulose to use, rather than the erithrytol?
Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course! I would start with the same amount. Then, see if you need to add a little more (it’s slightly less sweet than the usual 1:1 sugar replacements).
Kyn kk says
Look great n delicious
Thecla says
Did not make it yet, planning to do this later this week. I am curious if I this pie can also be put in the freezer, since the full recipe is too much for one person alone.
Thanks for answering
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, I’ve frozen this cake without problems.
Thecla says
Thanks @Katrin Nürnberger
Cecilie says
Oh, forgot to say: I wanted to cut the cake so I could layer it with creme, but since this was the first time I made this cake I didn’t want to jinx it so I did not layer it. Now that I’ve tried the recipe I would say that The cake could work in layers, but I’d be careful as it is a very heavy cake. You could end up with a disaster. If you decide to layer, bake the cake longer than the recipe recommends. The cake is so fatty that extra time in the oven will absolutely not Dry the cake up.
Cecilie says
Made the cake yesterday and it is a really Good recipe. Read the comments before making the cake and since there were quite a few people noting that the cake needed more sugar substitute, I added quite a bit more Erythritol. I also added 1 tea spoon baking powder and half a tea spoon bicarbonate soda which made the cake rise a bit. Used Lindt 90% coco chocolate and Kerrygold butter. I also made the crime topping, added more Erythritol than In the receipe. Even though I added lots of Erythritol the cake came out just sweet enough for my tase. The cake needed about 10 minutes extra to get slightly firm in the center. The cake is super chocholaty, heavy and truly Devine. Will make it again for sure.
Katrin Nürnberger says
hi Cecilie, glad you made the recipe work for you!
Lizzie says
When you say you added more sugar substitute – how much more would you say you added? I’ve not tried using sugar substitute yet and this will be my first bake on keto.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Lizzie, in case Cecilie does not see this – start by adding as much as stated in the recipe. Then taste the cake batter and decide if you think it needs more. 🙂 Do check though that you’re using a 1:1 sugar substitute. Some sweeteners are twice as sweet as sugar. And once you’ve added too much, there’s no way back!
Karen says
Hello
Do you think I could substitute the butter for anything? Our son is dairy free and it’s so hard to find a cake that suits us all!!
Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger says
HI Karen, I normally just substitute butter with coconut oil. I haven’t tried it in this cake. I guess a neutral coconut oil would be essential here as it’s a lot of butter in the recipe. Maybe try halving the recipe and make a test run? Also consider trying out this chocolate avocado cake, it’s dairy free.
Jennifer says
Hi! I made this Sunday for my Monday (labor day – 9/7/20) birthday. I shared it with my parents and grandmother and another housemate. They all loved it. Dad said it could use MORE SWEETENER. Most of these “Keto” recipes really skimp on that. I have pictures, and have shared on my facebook. How do I share here?
Also, my inspiration for making this was my love of Black Forest cakes for my birthday cake. I made only one layer, and bought sugarfree CHERRY PIE FILLING, and SUGARFREE WHIP CREAM, AND VOILA!
Jennifer in AZ, one year older!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Happy birthday Jennifer! So glad you like the cake, and turning it into a black forest cake is just genius. Yum! The sweetener thing is very personal as your taste buds read just once you cut out the sugar. I feel that many recipes out there are actually too sweet for me. My best tip would be to always taste the batter and add some more if you feel it needs it.
Mikaela says
Hi!
My birthday is coming up and would love to try this recipe for my birthday cake! But I was just wondering, does the cake have that kind of texture that I could cut it in half so I would have two cake layers and filling between them? I was thinking about adding the baking powder to the mix.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Mikaela, I don’t think this is the best cake for layering. You want to make a fluffy cake for this, this one is fudge and dense.I have a recipe for chocolate muffins/cupcakes which you could make as a cake, if you bake a little longer.
Cait says
I tried this cake recipe tonight and it came out incredibly dry and crumbly and tasted awful. The taste might be improved by adding more sweetener, but any insight on why it came out so crumbly and dry? The recipe says it should be moist … fortunately a cream cheese frosting “saved” it but I followed the instructions to the absolute letter here, would appreciate suggestions for improvement if I try it again, please!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi there, how strange the cake should have come out dry as it’s so high in fat. The only thing I can imagine is that you used a chocolate with lots of additives which should not be used for baking. Which brand did you use?
Yvona Hoffman says
Loved the cake. Very nice a so simple! **** Thank you
Anne says
I have another version of this cake which only uses 3 ingredients but this is by far the best keto chocolate cake I have tasted. I have been low carb/keto for 10 years & have tried numerous recipes & I would have to say this is THE Best! Thanks for the recipe
Joanne says
Forgot to add in my previous comment that I added 1 tsp vanilla and about 1/8 tsp espresso powder (as I’m on a chocolate, salt, espresso powder obsession right now). Worth trying.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Great idea!!!!
Joanne says
Wow! This is a fabulous recipe, thanks. I halved the recipe, used a 6” spring form and dusted it with cacao, put strawberry fans on it then gave it a light sprinkle of powdered swerve. It looked beautiful and tasted amazing (maybe too amazing as I could t stop sneaking little slices of the left over). Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
I wish I could have seen it!!! Next time post a picture on my FB page or tag me on instagram 🙂
kate says
I have halved quantities too, what is the cooking time for half measures please?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would go for 25 minutes and then test.
Kimberley says
Made this cake for my mums birthday. Wasn’t too sure what to expect with the taste, texture, aftertaste from the sugar replacement. It was divine will be adding this to my list of favorites. I ended up using monk fruit sugar and gave it a blitz in the blender to grind it down. Also only used about 1/2 cup of the sugar (could go less again). Didn’t noticed the after taste that some sugar replacements have. Made sure we had cream and strawberries for decoration. Everyone had a piece and loved it.
Thank you for this recipe
Katrin Nürnberger says
Happy birthday to your mum – so glad the cake was a success!