This 5 ingredient keto chocolate cake is to die for! It is incredibly moist, rich and chocolatey and comes in at only 2.5 net carbs per slice. The recipe is low carb, sugar free and gluten free.
Do you want to see everyone at your table sink into silence, occasionally interrupted by a contented sigh? Serve this cake and watch the magic happen.
I love all the recipes I post on this site, but this sugar free chocolate cake recipe is special. That’s because it’s more than just a chocolate cake. It’s a crazy good, wonderfully rich, death by chocolate Keto chocolate cake.
MY LATEST VIDEOSThis 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.
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. Friends, you’ll love it!
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.
2.) Add the powdered sweetener 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. Do not overheat! 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 for 30 minutes.
Recipe tips and tricks to make the perfect Keto chocolate cake:
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.
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.
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.
Recipe Variations
I think all chocolate desserts benefit from a pinch of salt, although this is entirely optional. To give your keto chocolate 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.
Serving suggestion
I’m a bit of a purist, so I simply dusted my cake with 100% unsweetened chocolate powder. 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.
Recipe Notes
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.
You can freeze this Keto chocolate cake. Simply defrost on the counter!
More decadent chocolate dessert recipes:
- Swiss Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (Keto)
- Keto Chocolate Donuts
- Really Simple Low Carb Chocolate Tart
- Sugar Free Chocolate Cupcakes
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Best Ever Keto Chocolate Cake (Sugar Free)
The ultimate keto chocolate cake recipe! This decadent, fudgy cake is really easy to make and requires only 5 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 300 g / 10.5 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 300 g / 10.5 oz butter unsalted (1 1/3 cup melted)
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup / 50g almond flour or ground almonds
- 1 1/2 cup / 150g powdered sweetener
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Heat the oven to 170 Celsius / 340 Fahrenheit.
Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave (ca 90 seconds), 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 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.
Recipe Notes
Wait with dusting the cake until it's completely cooled. If it is still warm, the cocoa powder will melt and become sludgy.
Check out the recipe variations in the post!
Optional chocolate frosting: Melt 100g / 3.5 oz unsweetened chocolate and 60g / 1/4 cup butter, stir in 6 tbsp double / heavy cream and 1/2 cup / 50g powdered sweetener. Wait until it has cooled and thickened, then spread over the cake.
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Rita says
I made this cake according to your directions but the ingredients seemed to separate during baking and I ended up with a thin white bottom with chocolate on top. Also, it took an additional 15 minutes for the centre of the cake to cook, resulting in a hard, burnt edge. I really wanted this recipe to work out. Help!
Katrin says
Hi Rita, how disappointing! I’m sorry your cake did not turn out. I have never heard of ingredients separating in this recipe. To me it sounds like it may have something to do with the kind of chocolate you used, as this is the main ingredient. Maybe it was not suitable for baking? I’d be really interested to hear what the brand was and what ingredients it has. Cheaper brands use vegetable or palm oils instead of cocoa butter, and they may have caused the separation?
monika says
Hi! Will this work with 1tsp pure stevia extract?
Katrin says
Hello Monika, I have never used pure stevia extract, so I cannot tell you how much to use. Just calculate the equivalent sweetness and you should be fine. Also consider adding a little more almond flour – maybe 3 tbsp – to make up for the missing bulk as you’re not using the same amount of dry ingredients
monika says
Hi Katrin. Thanks for replying. Sweetness level I am not worried about. I was more concerned about structure; if the powdered sweetener added structure. Does it do anything to hold it together? I realize it’s bulk and sweetness, but I also wonder whether it does anything to keep it all together. If you know, let me know. Otherwise, I will experiment and let you know if it worked!
Katrin says
Hi Monika, it would be a bit of an experiment. I’d say it’s mainly the egg and the chocolate plus the butter that hold the cake together. To make up for the missing weight/texture of the sweetener I’d add a little more almond flour as mentioned, just in case. I’d be so interested to hear how it worked out!
Heather says
Amazing cake! Such a treat- we all loved it.
Katrin says
Great news! So happy you like it
Janet says
Hi I usually use rapeseed oil instead of melted butter would this be ok do you think? Thanks
Katrin says
Rapeseed oil will stay liquid at room temperature whilst butter firms up. I think the cocoa butter in the chocolate and the egg will probably be enough to give firmness, so my guess is that it will work. Your cake might be a bit softer, so definitely keep it in the fridge. Do you normally replace butter with rapeseed 1:1?
Wendy says
Made this tonight for my diabetic mother. It was INCREDIBLE – even the non-diabetics loved it. Thought it was a little on the sweet side so next time I’ll definitely cut back on the sweetner. Glad I read your recommendation about blasting the sweetner as I only found regular baking sweetner in the store (not powdered).
Katrin says
I’m happy the cake was a success! Thank you for taking the time to comment
Robin says
Do you know of any other gluten free flour that would work for this that is not a nut flour or coconut. I have a kiddo with a nut allergy and we are trying to make a Keto diet work for all of us.
Katrin says
That’s a good question. you could try replacing with 4-5 tbsp flaxseed meal or psyllium husks. Or maybe 2-3 tbsp psyllium powder. Or sub the almond flour for chickpea flour. It’s not low in carbs, but it is gluten free and high in protein and as you’re only using a small amount calculated across 12 slices you’re probably still Keto.
Rebecca says
I did not see what the serving size is. Would you tell me please?
Katrin says
Hi Rebecca, I cut my cake into 12 slices. The nutrition is calculated per slice. Hope this helps!
Caroline says
I have this in the oven right now…dear sweet Jesus if the cake tastes anything like the batter I will have to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the kitchen table by my ankles…IT IS HEAVEN
I shall regain my composure and complete my findings later….
Katrin says
Haha! This was the intention 🙂 It is rather decadent…