This 5 ingredient keto chocolate cake is the easiest fudgy sugar free cake ever! It is incredibly moist, rich and packed with chocolate flavor. Even better, it has only 2.5 net carbs per slice.
Do you want to see everyone at your table sink into silence, occasionally interrupted by a contented sigh? Serve this low carb chocolate cake and watch the magic happen.
I love all the recipes I post on this site, but this 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.
It will satisfy the cravings of any chocolate lover, low carb or not. And it also makes a great gluten-free birthday cake!
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Low Carb Cake Essentials
There are 2 ingredients that increase carbs and sugar in a traditional cake: the wheat flour and, of course, the sugar.
What To Use Instead Of Flour
As grains are a no-no on a Keto diet (as well as on a sugar free or 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.
What To Use Instead Of Sugar
I am also 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 is essentially zero carb and does not raise blood sugars.
You can replace the erythritol in this cake and in all keto cake recipes with xylitol, monk fruit sweetener, allulose or with blends such as Swerve. If you're using xylitol, keep it away from dogs. It's highly toxic to them!
Ingredients
It's hard to believe, but you only need 5 ingredients to make this cake:
- Unsweetened chocolate
- Eggs
- Powdered Sweetener
- Almond Flour
- Butter
...and a pinch of salt.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Why Quality Ingredients Matter
With such few ingredients, they MUST be the best possible quality, especially the chocolate.
There is 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 quality 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.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Let me show you how to make a keto chocolate cake in a few simple steps.
STEP 1
Whisk the eggs with a hand mixer in a large mixing bowl until they have doubled in size and are frothy and pale.
STEP 2
Add the sweetener and whisk again until well-combined.
STEP 3
Melt butter and chocolate and stir until combined. You can do this in a microwave or on the stove - slowly and gently. Slowly add the melted chocolate mixture to the bowl...
STEP 4
... and fold it in with a spatula or spoon.
STEP 5
Continue stirring until the mixture is fully combined - gooey, creamy goodness!
STEP 6
Lastly, add the almond flour and stir until it is evenly distributed.
STEP 7
Line the bottom of a springform (I used a 20cm / 8-inch pan) and with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter or oil. Pour in the batter. Bake the cake in the preheated oven until the top of the cake is firm to the touch.
Let the cake cool completely before cutting.
Expert Tips
This is what you need to know to make the recipe perfectly.
Tip #1: Room temperature eggs. Take them out 30 minutes before starting on the cake. Or, 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.
Tip #2: Sweetener must be powdered. You don't want any crunchy bits in your gooey, moist chocolate cake!
Blend granulated sweetener it in a food processor or with the attachment of a stick blender to turn it into a powder.
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.
Tip #3: Melt chocolate slowly. This prevents it from splitting and seizing.
Microwave option: 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.
Water bath option: 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
SPICE IT UP: To give your keto cake a festive vibe, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon plus cardamom, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves.
For an extra kick, try adding a pinch of chilli! Or grate the zest of 1 orange into the batter.
MAKE IT NUTTY: Add nuts for a bit or crunch - walnuts or pecans would work well.
FLUFFY TEXTURE: This cake is supposed to be fudgy. For a slightly fluffier texture, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder or ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
DAIRY-FREE: Replace the butter with coconut oil.
NUT-FREE: Use ¼ cup coconut flour in place of the almond flour.
Toppings
I'm a bit of a purist, so I simply dusted my cake with 100% unsweetened cocoa powder.
You could also dust the low carb cake with powdered sweeter. For both options it is important to wait until the cake is fully cooled. Otherwise, anything you dust on top will melt into an unsightly sludge.
If you want to go the whole nine yards, make the cream cheese frosting from my keto cupcakes or make a buttercream frosting.
You could serve this cake with a dollop of sugar free whipped cream or a scoop of sugar free ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
No. I don't recommend to replace the chocolate with cocoa powder.
To make a layer cake, either slice the cake in half or split the batter between 2 cake pans. The baking time in 2 pans reduces to about 20 minutes.
Let the layers cool completely, then add the keto chocolate frosting as described below.
Yes! Here are the steps:
Melt 100g / 3.5 oz unsweetened chocolate and 60g / ¼ cup butter.
Stir in 6 tablespoons heavy cream and ⅓ cup / 50g powdered sweetener.
Wait until the mixture has cooled and thickened, then spread over the cake or slice it horizontally and fill in between the layers.
I used a 20 cm / 8-inch springform. With a standard size 25cm / 9-inch springform, your chocolate keto cake will be a little flatter, but it still works fine. Reduce the baking time by 5 minutes. In a rectangular loaf pan, the oven time increases by around 15 minutes. As a rule of thumb, the top of the cake must be firm, but the inside still a little jiggly.
Add 2 teaspoons of orange extract to the cake batter. I also recommend trying this chocolate orange cake recipe!
Of course. You can use either 90% dark chocolate or sugar free chocolate chips instead of the unsweetened chocolate. In this case, reduce the amount of powdered sweetener accordingly.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store this keto 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.
Freezer: This cake freezes well. Freeze it pre-sliced for up to 3 months. Simply defrost it in the fridge for 48 hours or on the counter for 24 hours.
More Keto Chocolate Desserts
Here is a selection of sugar free chocolate desserts that we love to make:
- Fudgy Chocolate Avocado Cake
- Sugar Free Chocolate Birthday Cake1 Hour
- Keto Chocolate Donuts23 Minutes
- Keto Chocolate Cheesecake4 Hours 20 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Best Ever Keto Chocolate Cake (Sugar Free)
Video
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz unsweetened chocolate 300g ***see notes
- 10.5 oz butter 300g, unsalted (1 ⅓ cup melted)
- 6 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup almond flour 50g, or ground almonds
- 1 cup powdered sweetener 150g
- 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 (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 approximately 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.
Lorrayne Ham
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
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
So glad you like it! Adding coffee would really take it to the next level, yum!
Jodie
Hi! This cake was ahhhmazing! I will make it again 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
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
ohhh wow!!! I did not even think of that! lol thank you so much. I will be making it tonight x
Alice
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
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
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
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
Hi, I loved it! Loved loved loved. Do you think I could use a silicone cake form, would that leave it wet?
Katrin Nürnberger
I love silicone forms and think it would work just as well 🙂
Susan
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
Hi Susan, I adore raspberries and chocolate together. I bet your cake tasted incredible!
G
Is it possible to use just cocoa powder? It’s impossible to find baking chocolate where I am.
Katrin Nürnberger
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
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
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
Can this be frozen in portions? It would be a great treat to have in the freezer
Katrin
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
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
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
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
Montezuma's 100% chocolate is gluten free 🙂
Liz Hanafin
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
I'm so glad you all liked the recipe and that you adapted it to match your taste!