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 chocolate 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.
By the way, it also makes a great keto birthday cake!
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, monk fruit sweetener 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 in a large mixing bowl 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 ½ tsp of baking soda.
I don't recommend to replace the chocolate with cocoa powder.
Toppings for sugar free cake
I'm a bit of a purist, so I simply dusted my cake with 100% unsweetened cocoa powder and served on a pretty cake stand.
You could also dust the low carb cake with powdered sweeter.
If you want to go the whole nine yards, make a cream cheese frosting or a buttercream frosting (see recipe suggestion in the recipe notes below).
Or how about a quick chocolate ganache? Melt 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 chocolate keto 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)
- Sugar Free Low Carb Chocolate Birthday Cake
- 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)
Note: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 300 g / 10.5 oz unsweetened chocolate ***see notes
- 300 g / 10.5 oz butter unsalted (1 ⅓ cup melted)
- 6 eggs
- ½ 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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Updated in January 2021
Jen says
Brilliant recipe, so easy and delicious
Katrin Nürnberger says
Happy it was a success!
Lucy says
It’s a five star recipe!
I used 250g butter, 250g 80%Dark chocolate , 1/4 cup lakanto confectioners sugar, and added 1/2 tsp baking powder to the almond powder.
Super nice!
Corina says
Hi ,could I use margarine instead of butter?I am keto but my husband can't have any type of dairies. Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger says
That's a good question. Probably, but I'm not sure how margarine behaves when melted and mixed with other things. I would probably try and make a quarter of the recipe and bake in a ramekin or muffin as a test.
Kloris says
Hi thanks for the recipe! Do you know if I can use agave syrup instead of erythritol, and how much should I use?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Kloris, I would not recommend it because you'd be adding more liquid to the recipe and that may make it too soft. You could use (powdered) coconut sugar if you you don't want to use a sugar alcohol.
Janet Jones says
I had a little mixture left over, put it in two ramekins with some rasperries ay the bottom and cooked them for 10 mins. Delicious soft centre raspberry chocolate soufflé. Thank you. This is a great recipe.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Ooooh that sounds amazing!!!
Yvona Hoffman says
Hello Corina,
I can't have butter ( any dairy) as well so I replaced it with unrefined extra virgin coconut oil. I didn't put as much is in recipe and I didn't put as much chocolate. I used 100g 90% chocolate Lind and 100g this extra virgin coconut oil. As well I added only approx. 50g Natvia (Erythritol/Stevia), because I don't like to sweet and went very good. I was surprised how nice it was...didn't collapsed, shiny surface and taste great.
Nada says
I can't find almond flour, Can i use a regular flour instead?
Katrin Nürnberger says
It should work 🙂
Yulia says
Hi Katrin! I love your recipes. Can I add no erythritol or sugar in this cake recipe and have 70% chocolate instead? Would that work? Thanks in advance!!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hm, that depends. I think you can use less, but without the cake will not be very sweet because you're adding other ingredients too - but maybe that's just what you want. Why don't you try the batter without the sugar/erythritol and your 70% chocolate then see if you find it's yummy enough? Just a thought, if you're adding another flavour such as orange zest you can probably make up for less sweetness. You just want to avoid it tasting dull.
Yulia says
Hi Katrin! It worked out great, just the high-quality chocolate 70%...and a spoon of cinnamon :). Thank you!
Now another question.....can I substitute 50gr of almond flour for 25gr coconut flour? What do you reckon?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Yulia, that's good to know! Yes, I think the 25g coconut flour should work well.
Rebeca says
What about coconut flour ? Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger says
Normally I replace almond flour with between 1/3 and 1/2 the amount of coconut flour as it is more absorbent. However, I have not tried it in this recipe. I don't want you to risk using all these expensive ingredients and then it does not turn out the way you want. Check if someone else has tried it in the comments!
Abigail says
I just TRIED to make this dessert and failed. My chocolate and butter came out great but when I went to add it to the egg and sweeter mixture it got lumpy and "oily". HELP!
Katrin Nürnberger says
hi Abigail, what a shame! Do you think it could have something to do with temperature difference? Maybe your eggs were super cold and straight from the fridge?
Lada says
The same happened to me, but I continue to mix the mixture with spatula until everything settled back. The cake came out great,
Lucy Beg says
Just made this and had the first slice.....wow that is good (that was 85% choc, the best my supermarket could offer), the only issue I had was it's a tad undercooked even with 10 minutes extra but still delicious it just had a gooey bit.
One Q. Should I be using medium eggs rather than large?
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you like the cake!!! I always buy my eggs from a local farm and they are mixed size. I pick the largest for baking, but it's possible they are a little smaller than "regulation" large eggs. If you found that your cake batter was way more liquid than mine, do try medium eggs next time (you can compare with the video). Otherwise, do stick with the large ones. Sometimes it can also be the sweetener that causes different lengths in baking time. Allulose, for example, takes longer than erythritol. Or it can even be a slight temperature difference in your oven, or the fact that baked on a lower shelf (I always bake on the middle shelf). As this is a chocolate heavy cake, even chocolate brands could affect the outcome. I like to use Lindt and Montezuma's, which are pretty pure in terms of ingredients. Just play around a little and see if you can nail it next time. Hope this helps. 🙂
Bev says
Hi, can I use coconut sugar instead of the powdered Erythritol? Just discovered your website and love your recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, you can replace it no problems. It will give a nice malty note which would work well with chocolate.
Lada says
I would like to make this Cake for my husband’s birthday that is in 2 days. He is not keto but I am and would like to stick to the original recipe as much as possible, but he is not lover of 100% chocolate. If i opt for homemade chocolate (I have made it several times by now) can I substitute part of cocoa with coconut powder to make it more “milky”. Also is it possible to mix all ingredients for chocolate and add butter to it in order to avoid making chocolate to be melted afterwards. We like smaller but higher cakes and I usually use 15 cm cake spring. I presumeI would need to bake it little bit longer. Do you know how long.
Thanks in advance
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Lada, I'd say that powder is powder so you should have no issues replacing cocoa with milk powder. Also, you can definitely mix your chocolate ingredients with the butter. Just make sure you let the mix cool sufficiently before mixing in with the eggs so nothing seizes. As for the baking time, aim for the same amount of time and then check with a skewer or knife how the inside is doing. If you feel it needs more time, cover the top with aluminium foil so it does not burn. Happy birthday to your husband!
Becky says
Hi
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes recently and Reduced my carb intake to around 30g a day.
I came across your website and absolutely love the recipes on here.
I have just made the choc cake and it has come out amazingly. I have used the Montezuma absolute black choc and the erithrytrol . When I put the ingredients into my fitness pal the recipe Comes up as 19 carbs per slice because of the erithytrol . Looking at the carbs for this they are quite high 150g of carbs.
Do these carbs get counted as there are no sugars ? Still leaving and a little confused. Hope you can help ?
Becky
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Becky, our bodies cannot absorb erythritol, it is a polyol and just passes through. Therefore, it can be considered zero calorie / zero carb.
Becky says
Thank your Karen for responding. This is a game changer !! Thank you so much. Look forward to trying out many more of your recipes. This site is a real godsend x
Suna Hess says
Hi, I just made this cake and I was really surprised about how good it was. I only used 1 cup of sweetener and its still plenty sweet enough for me. I made the choc topping as well and covered with walnuts. Yum. My question is, can you freeze this cake? I cant eat it all in a couple of days . Thanks again for a great cake,much appreciated
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Suna, glad you liked the cake! It freezes well. I cut mine into small squares and had yummy mini cake pieces with my afternoon tea for weeks afterwards 🙂
Lorrayne Ham says
Just made this lovely cake!
Added a little cinnamon and coffee to the mix, outstanding!
Served with KETO whipped cream. Best chocolate cake ever.
Lorrayne Ham says
Addition
Super rich, I accidentally underbaked, turned out a little like a mounted cake, yummy .
I used a bunt cake and cut it into 20 slices. Perfect size.
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you like it! Adding coffee would really take it to the next level, yum!
Jodie says
Hi! this cake looks ahhhmazing! i am going to make it for a girl leaving work in a couple of days. Just wondering though, I only have granulated erythritol, will this be ok? Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Jodie, of course. You can make your own powdered sweetener - just blend the granulated in the attachment of a stick blender or in a food processor until it's powdered!
Jodie says
ohhh wow!!! I did not even think of that! lol thank you so much. I will be making it tonight x
Alice says
I love this recipe! Thanks, it was my perfect sugar free/low sugar alternative at Christmas so i didn't feel deprived. I'm sugar free for dental reasons so used xylitol. Only challenge is to not make it every week!
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you like the recipe Alice!!! I know what you mean about the lure of sugar free cake... chocolate is my weakness too!!!!
Tammy says
The cake is super delicious. I did make a ganache topping to go on top which significantly changes the nutrition values. However going by your ingredients, my values were still higher than what you have here. For 1/12th Of cake without the ganache it came out to 407 cal per slice in 5.3 carbohydrates. For all of us keto people those extra carbs can throw you off. Plus it’s helpful to know the serving size.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Tammy,I'm glad you like the cake! From my experience, different nutrition calculators will end up giving you varying calculations. Also, almond flour brands can differ in carb content quite considerably, as do chocolate brands. I try to be as accurate as possible and calculate with the ingredients I use. But if you depend on your macros, it's always safer to make your own calculations with your own ingredients.
Nilay says
Hi, I loved it! Loved loved loved. Do you think I could use a silicone cake form, would that leave it wet?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I love silicone forms and think it would work just as well 🙂
Susan says
I just discovered your website, and I’m very impressed with your thoroughness and taking your time with leading the reader through the steps. Kudos to you. My father is diabetic, and I’m now living with him in his 80’s for health reasons. I love to bake and cook, and I’m very excited to try your other recipes. He usually has dessert daily, and I’ve dropped his blood sugars down 100 points in over a year,! I love this dense rich chocolate cake, which I added a raspberry extract to the the cake, and a chocolate cream frosting topped with fresh raspberries. Outstanding work here!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Susan, I adore raspberries and chocolate together. I bet your cake tasted incredible!
G says
Is it possible to use just cocoa powder? It’s impossible to find baking chocolate where I am.
Katrin Nürnberger says
You'd need an entirely different recipe for this as you'd change the wet/dry ratio of the ingredients. You could try my chocolate cupcakes, which use cocoa powder. 🙂
Annay says
I would like to make this recipe for Christmas. Unfortunately I live in a country that does not sell 100% baking chocolate. Unsweetened chocolate is quite expensive and not made for baking.
I read that one can substitute 3 ounces of 100% baking chocolate with 18 gram 100% cocoa powder and 17 gram cacao butter (or shortening).
What are your thoughts about this? Thank you in advance and thank you for making a great website!
Katrin Nürnberger says
I have a recipe for homemade chocolate using cacao butter, sweetener and cocoa powder on my website, so you can check the amounts there. I don't recommend using anything else than cacao butter, you'd be able to taste the shortening or coconut oil and I wouldn't want you to be disappointed.
Amanda says
Can this be frozen in portions? It would be a great treat to have in the freezer
Katrin says
Hi Amanda, that's exactly what I did. I cut a few into proper slices for when other people are over, and the rest into small squares so we have a treat when we want one.
Marina says
Hi there, is it possible to use Pure cacao butter as the fat replacement in the cake and maybe also for the frosting instead of heavy cream? I can’t have dairy but could use ghee if cacao butter doesn’t suit this. Also, am i right to assume i can replace almond flour with another nut flour like hazelnut, that’s all i got at home right now? I had ordered the Montezuma 100% chocolate from the UK A while ago, (we are brits that currently live in the US) until i found it for sale here in the US too (available at trader joe’s). I‘ve got all the ingredients ready and would just like the answer about the fat replacement, thanks a lot in advance - your recipe looks yummy.
Katrin says
Hi Marina, you can definitely use other nut flours, as long as they are not too coarse. As for the cacao butter, I’m not sure as it’s a different consistency to butter. The cacao butter I know is hard like chocolate at room temperature. I buy it in pellets and use it for making chocolate. I think coconut oil would be more similar in texture, although I think a mix of coconut oil and coconut butter would probably be nicer.
Wendy says
In the USA, Ghirardelli 100% cacao premium baking bar unsweetened chocolate is widely available - I've found it in several states and multiple different grocery stores. Interesting that Trader Joe's sells Montezuma. Most chocolate I've found in Trader Joe's is not gluten-free so I have stopped bothering to look for chocolate there, as I have celiac disease. Is Montezuma gluten-free?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Montezuma's 100% chocolate is gluten free 🙂
Liz Hanafin says
This cake was so easy to make and tasted amazing. I served the cake with coconut cream with a smidgen of vanilla powder and crushed roasted almonds and a tiny sprinkling of sea salt . I had non Keto dinner guests and they absolutely loved this cake. I must admit though that I only used half the Erythritol in the recipe and I also used 100% dark chocolate but the cake was rich and the bitter chocolate was perfectly matched with the coconut cream and sea salt. So good and so keto!!
Katrin says
I'm so glad you all liked the recipe and that you adapted it to match your taste!
Larkin says
Can I use Ghee for the butter? I have a no dairy eater
Katrin says
Yes, I think that should be fine.
bec says
may I ask, ghee is OK for someone who doesn't eat dairy?? It is made from butter
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi there, while ghee is derived from butter, it doesn't actually contain lactose or antigenic proteins like most dairy products. So, it should be ok for someone who is sensitive to dairy, but not for people who prefer to eat plant-based only.
Carol Larson says
Can you use either a 7".spring form pan or a rectangular baking pan.
Katrin says
Sure, you could use either. It should fit, but if you end up having too much dough, just use an additional couple of ramekins. If you use a rectangular baking tin, be sure to line the sides with baking/parchment paper to avoid sticking.
Martin says
Hi Katrin
Excellently presented website - the best I have encountered reference low carb/ keto .The variety of dishes and clarity of your recipes are in my opinion first class.
I have just made your super indulgent chocolate cake which was simple to make and more importantly resulted in an absolutely , decadently ,serving of yummy deliciousness !
Please keep up the good work
Helga says
Would this recipe work with coconut sugar blitzed up? And would you add the suggested 1 and a half cups or less coconut sugar? The texture of coconut sugar is quite different from the other sugars mentioned here.
Katrin says
The recipe should work with coconut sugar. I believe it's a 1:1 replacement to table sugar, right? Then coconut sugar and erythritol should have the same sweetness. If you don't like your cakes sweet, I suggest you use less initially and give it a taste. Then add more if you think it needs it.
Helga says
Perfect , thank you very much! Will give you feedback once I have made it.
Maya McAuliffe says
HI, I could be wrong but when I calculated macros i got quite a higher number from the chocolate. I think you may have mistook the serving on the package for the entire bar rather than one square.
Katrin says
I think carb count will depend on the chocolate and the other specific ingredients you choose 🙂
reception says
I'm allergic to erythritol and wanted to try this using Monk Fruit powder--how much Monk fruit would you suggest I use for this recipe?
Katrin says
Hi there, I have only ever used monk fruit mixed with erythritol and never pure... I'm sorry but I cannot help! Is there a conversion to table sugar on the pack? Erythritol is a 1:1 ratio to table sugar, so maybe you can figure it out that way.
Sian says
I have had the same issue as someone else above, ending up with a white layer on the bottom... In the previous comment it seemed to be with how the chocolate and butter were melted, but I did mine over a water bath so veeerry slow! I did use 75% choc as my local supermarket was VERY limited with options, that was the darkest they had.
I've cut the white layer off, and it has a sort of jelly texture, very odd.
Anyway, I cut it off and the remaining cake is very tasty! Rich and dark, I just had a slice with double cream and a few raspberries!
Katrin says
Hi Sian, this is interesting. If the issue is not the differing temperatures, then it may have been the ingredients in the chocolate? I'd love to know if it contained any fillers that could have caused the separation of the white layer. I only ever use Montezuma's or Lindt, because I love the taste, so I don't have experience with other brands. Anyhow, I am glad you manage to cut off the layer and that the rest of the cake did end up tasting great!
Jaime says
If leaving out the almond flour (I'm intolerant) should extra coconut flour be added and if so how much? Looking forward to trying this for my birthday cake.
Katrin says
Hi Jaime, I normally replace almond flour with 1/2 the amount of coconut flour because it's more absorbent. In this case, it would only be 1/4 cup. Add a little more if you want a less fudgy and more "cakey" consistency.
jastine says
how many days can store this cake?
Katrin says
I store mine for about 3-4 days in the fridge. It freezes well, too
Margaret says
I swear by Lily’s sugar free chocolate for all my keto recipes.
Margaret says
Could this be adapted to cook in an Instant Pot?
Katrin says
I don't have any experience with making cakes in the Instant Pot. But there are plenty recipes online - so I'd say it would definitely work. Just choose the cake setting and give it a go!