This rich and decadent chocolate keto cake is shockingly delicious… Every time I serve it, people always ask for the recipe!
The Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Cake
Why should you make this chocolate cake?
Simply put, because it is quite possibly the best chocolate cake you will ever make, even if you aren’t on a keto diet.
The first time I made the recipe was for a friend’s birthday party, where not a single person in attendance aside from the host was on a low carb diet, and yet people went absolutely crazy for this ultra fudgy chocolate cake. In just a single night, I was already asked by three more friends to make cakes for their birthdays too!
You May Also Like: Keto Cheesecake – 5 Ingredients
Keto Death By Chocolate Cake
No Flour
Easy To Make
Great For Parties
Just 7 Ingredients
It’s almost too good to believe!
This exceptionally bold chocolate cake recipe—without any flour to get in the way of the soft texture and intense chocolatey flavor—will change everything you thought you knew about chocolate cake. There’s no oil required, and NO coconut flour either!
Also Try These Keto Brownies
Easy Low Carb Chocolate Cake
The simple keto cake recipe can absolutely hold its own against any cake mix or bakery style chocolate cake.
Super dense and fudgy, it can be naturally gluten free, dairy free, oil free, and vegan… and I’ve served it to enough people by now who aren’t on any kind of special diet that I can confidently say: even if you’re used to traditional sugar-and-flour desserts, you will fall completely in love with this delicious and moist chocolate cake. Just try it and see!
Want a single serving version? Try this Keto Mug Cake Recipe
Keto Frosting Recipes
For the chocolate cake in the photos, I used this fluffy chocolate frosting recipe.
Feel free to use your favorite vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting, homemade or store-bought.
Or change up the flavor by topping the cake with cream cheese frosting, peanut butter frosting, whipped cream, ice cream, sliced strawberries, or coconut frosting. Just be sure to let the cake cool completely before spreading icing on top.
It’s also really good topped with Coconut Whipped Cream!
Can You Use Regular Sugar?
Yes, if you’re not counting carbs, the cake recipe works just fine with regular granulated sugar as well. I know this because I tested it on myself (the things I have to do for my job…).
Even if you use real sugar, you still only need 2/3 cup total for an entire double layer cake, which is crazy low in comparison to traditional chocolate cake recipes that often have at least double that amount!
For A Vegan Keto Cake
While flourless chocolate cake recipes usually call for eggs, making a vegan version was surprisingly easy. I simply mixed three tbsp Bob’s egg replacer with 150g water (half cup plus two tablespoons), let it sit for a few minutes to thicken, and then used that as my three eggs in the recipe.
If you need six eggs for a double layer cake, just use six tablespoons of the egg replacer mixed with 1 1/4 cup water instead. I haven’t tried making a version using flax egg yet, but be sure to report back if you experiment!
For A Paleo Or Gluten Free Cake
For a paleo cake, sweeten with either the erythritol option listed in the recipe or use 1/2 cup date or coconut sugar instead. The low carb cake recipe is naturally gluten free, no substitutions necessary. It’s made with almond flour, which is simply ground up almond meal. (For a cake that’s made with regular flour, I recommend this Vegan Chocolate Cake.)
(Above – watch the video of how to make the keto cake)
Adapted from these Keto Muffins
Chocolate Keto Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fine almond flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp dutch cocoa or additional regular
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup water or milk of choice
- 3 eggs (including the vegan option listed earlier in the post)
- 1/3 cup granulated erythritol or regular sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- *For a double layer cake, simply double the recipe and bake in two 8-inch pans. I listed a few keto frosting ideas above in the post. And if you're a visual person, be sure to check out the recipe video above!Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch pan, and line with parchment. Stir all ingredients together very well, then spread into the pan. If needed, use a second sheet of parchment to smooth down. Bake 14 minutes on the center rack (some ovens require more baking time, so continue cooking until firm if needed). Let cool completely before frosting. If you try the recipe, please feel free to leave a comment or rate it below!View Nutrition Facts
Have you made this recipe?
Tag @chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram
More Popular Keto Desserts
Melissa says
It’s incredible to see this recipe has only 7 ingredients! It looks great and I’m sure tastes even better! I’ll definitely be trying it out soon.
Andrea B says
Okay, so I’ve had trouble finding ANYTHING to crave my sweet tooth that’s low carb/keto friendly. After reading the tips and trying this I was skeptical because nothing has EVER actually tasted good so far or has even turned out right. I made this and let me tell you, it’s. To. Die. For. Instead of using Dutch chocolate I added two tablespoons of Lily’s baking choc chips and for the frosting I added a little heavy whipping cream and the rest almond milk and sprinkled a few Lily’s choc chips on top. SO GOOD. My mom said it was the best cake she’s had and she hates anything sugar free! She couldn’t even tell! I will be forwarding everyone this recipe because it’s THAT good! I’m not one to leave comments but I had to THANK YOU!
Cat says
Hi there,
I’m curious if you could explain your frosting a little better? Portions?
Thanks,
Cat
Lensi says
Yesss…my biggest problem with keto/low carb is CAKE! I am addicted. Well…I finally tried this recipe and it’s perfect!!! I’m making it for myself for my birthday!! Yum!!
Amber says
Has anyone made this cake and it came out a lot funnier than the video. I did everything as followed in the recipe. Mine is in the oven. I checked it at 15 min and only the sides were done. I’m curious to know where I messed up?? Someone help.
Jason Sanford says
What specific ingredients did you use? And is your oven calibrated?
Adel says
I left mine in the oven for 30min. It baked through thoroughly. Still moist and fudgy!
Amy Franklin says
I’ve just done it and didnt have any issues… it was done in about 17 minutes. Did you miss something out? Like baking powder?
Daniela says
I was the same. Mine was more runny than hers in the video. I checked at 13 mins and I think I kept it in for another 9ish mins. And the middle still wasn’t perfect. But I’m letting it cool to see if it sets. Hopefully it turns out good!
Norma Aitken says
I thought it looked a a bit undercooked at 14 minutes so left it a bit longer. Then left it to cool in the tin for 25 minutes. Then turned it out on a cooling tray. Fudgy but held together and was delicious with frosting and ice cream…..
Sara says
Well mine has become runny too, I think that’s because in the video she hasn’t add any eggs, but with 3 eggs it becomes runny and doesn’t cook in 15 minutes, mine is still in the oven
CCK Media Team says
Some people have reported that their ovens take longer, while others are finding it done in the 15 minutes, maybe because of a difference in humidity, climate, or uncalibrated ovens. Just bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean!
Sara says
I wish I could post the photo of my cake, looks fantastic, I haven’t tasted it yet but I’m sure it’s delicious too
Kristine Quick says
Can anyone tell me what Dutch cocoa is please
Shane s says
It’s a kind of cocoa powder. It will give the cake a darker brown color and will add a small amount of flavor. But in all honesty, you can probably leave it out.
Norma Aitken says
I didn’t have that so used drinking chocolate…..worked fine.
Rhonda Bolt Chesson says
yes! i din’t see any eggs go into the video demo! Mine coming out of oven now. Fingers crossed!
Chrissy says
Same so I put foil on top and cooked it for another 15 min
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
Can you use regular chicken eggs and achieve the same texture in this recipe if you don’t have the egg replacer?
Michelle says
I don’t know what version her pictures used but I made this last night using eggs (organic, free range) and it turned out fabulously. Except for not being frosted as professionally, it looks like the photos (I did the double layer option). 10/10 would recommend.
Nancy says
Thats what I used, and it turned out great! Tastes just like a regular chocolate cake – only better!
Michelle says
I came here to say thank you for creating this fabulous cake recipe. It could not have come at a better time. We have company coming into town tonight and I was browsing your blog for a recipe when I stumbled across this one right on the homepage. I had all of the ingredients and it was quick to whip up.
This is the fourth or fifth recipe I’ve tried from your site and all have turned out really well.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank you so much for making it. I think you were the first 🙂
Jenn M says
We made it too! Absolutely delicious recipe! We used real eggs and cream cheese in ours, but I also sent the recipe to my sister in law who’s a vegan so that she can try it too. I love how versatile it can be to fit different diets. We will definitely be making this again.
Julia says
Hi Jenn How much cream cheese did you use in the recipe?
Andrea says
Yes, I would love to know how you used cream cheese and quantity as well. Love cream cheese.
Tiffany says
I would also really love to know how much cream cheese you use 🙂 Some people reported the cake was dry so I was thinking cream cheese/ sour cream might help with that.
Amy says
Absolute life saver. I have been on the brink of quitting keto for lack of chocolate in my life. This cake is so dodgy and moist! It’s better than any regular one I’ve made! I messed up the icing a little, but it tastes like milk chocolate so I’m happy 😋 x
Lena G. Nutrition says
What’s the vegan alternative for eggs here please? i am blind to find it on the page^^THANKS!
Jessica A Forsman says
Flax egg. She mentions it in the post towards the bottom of the screen.
Kezia says
Can I use xylitol instead of erythritol? What would the conversion be for that?
Jason Sanford says
We don’t see why it wouldn’t be fine to sub here! It would be the same amount. Be sure to report back if you try!
Jason (media relations)
Regina Kunschman says
Hi! I would like to make this recipe in a standard size cupcake pan using foil (with paper attached inside) cupcake cups. I am soooooo not a baker!!! So I am wondering if it’s even possible? How many cupcakes would this make? I don’t mind making them shorter than regular cupcakes because I am planning on slathering on piped Swiss Buttercream Frosting anyway!!! Depending on the number of cupcakes and their depth… How long should I bake them? Thanks for your time!!!
CCK Media Team says
Just use this recipe 🙂 https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/keto-chocolate-muffins/
Sandra says
Can I use monk fruit sweetener instead of the sugar? I would like to make this cake today.
Jason Sanford says
We haven’t tested monk fruit as an option, but it looks like a product such as this one should work, since the product description says it can be subbed for sugar: https://amzn.to/30633cR
Is that what you mean? If you try it, be sure to report back for other readers!
Jason (media relations)
Christine T. says
I haven’t made this cake yet, which looks fabulous by the way, but use Lakanto most of the time and it does sub one for one with sugar. Lakanto is erythritol and monkfruit. Also, the brand referenced also makes a erythritol/monkfruit blend which I have used in powdered form.
By the way, thank you, Katie, for an egg free version. I do the special baking, usually, for our extended family celebrations, so need to have some tested egg free recipes that I can use.
Jean Salch says
When using your frosting recipe do I need to double it also for the double layer cake ?
Celine says
i did use monk fruit and it was awesome!!!
Whitney says
This is absolutely gorgeous! Do the nutrition facts for the cake alone, without the frosting?
Jason Sanford says
Cake alone, since frosting will vary depending on what frosting you choose.
Heather Lanclos says
Are the nutrition facts for double layer or single layer cake? It didn’t specify. Thank you!
Jason Sanford says
single 🙂
Gi says
It looks yummy, but I miss the time when you added also the ingredient quantities in grams! It is more difficult for us European folks over here ?
Still, looking delicious!
Jason Sanford says
She stopped because without all the extra parenthesis and numbers, the recipes look less cluttered (and thus look easier to make / less daunting of an undertaking), but we always have those numbers on hand since Katie prefers to measure in grams too. 1 1/2 cup of almond flour is about 180g, each tbsp cocoa weighs around 5g, 1/3 cup liquid (water or milk) is 80g, and each tbsp of regular granulated sugar weighs about 12g. Hope that helps!
Jason (media relations)
Tricia Dubasov says
I’ve always used 100g per cup for almond flour- would the measurements given here (180g for 1.5 cups) be the equivalent used in all of her recipes?
Vicky says
You can buy cup measuring jugs in poundland 🙂
Louise says
American and British cup measurements are not the same
Summaiya Saleem says
Can we use stevia instead if erythritol?
Jason Sanford says
We haven’t tried but feel free to experiment. Be sure to report back if you do try!
Jason (media relations)
Mike says
We used stevia and it was not good. We’ve never made the cake before, but we followed the recipe except for stevia. After 2 bites we threw the entire cake out.
Jason Sanford says
Thanks so much for experimenting and reporting back! I guess that sounds from your experience like it can’t really be subbed!
Delores says
Just did the same thing and it was gross
Rusty says
Never use stevia for baking anything. Steve is a great sweetener for coffee, tea, or homemade keto hot chocolate. Stevia will not taste right in baking goods. Terrible after taste and will ruin your efforts to make a low carb baked good. I have found Swerve to be the best for baking. Some of my non-keto friends didn’t even notice my cake was sugar free.
Stephanie R says
Used a combo of half flax eggs and half aquafaba for the eggs and it turned out very well. In the interest of full disclosure, I also added in 2 tbsp GF flour blend to the batter because I’m @ high altitude (over 8000ft) but that shouldn’t be necessary at lower altitudes.
Karen says
I tried it with stevia but it tasted terrible. Very bitter not sweet at all. I even checked the conversion rates on line. I haven’t had success with any sweet keto cakes.
ciara says
try erythritol. it’s supposed to be much closer to sugar and it’s zero calorie
Norma Aitken says
It is.. you would never know it is not sugar….
Lin Pope says
I agree. I used stevia and it was not edible!
anon says
Stevia and chocolate will never work. Stevia is known to make chocolate more bitter.
Sandra says
Lily’s chocolate bars use stevia and they are very good.
Suzanne Rice says
LIly’s chocolote bars leave an aftertaste in my mouth. I was not impressed.
Jana says
I have found that heated stevia can be bitter. Monkfruit works great for baking.
Michele says
I’ve seen on many sites that stevia doesn’t play well with chocolate. I thought I’d pass that along
Amanda says
Honestly don’t use stevia in this recipe. It tastes horrid, like tasting burning chemicals. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.
Robin says
Hi. This looks great, but we have nut allergies in our household, so almond flour is out. If we want to keep it Keto, what can we substitute for almond flour?
Jason Sanford says
We haven’t tried it with anything else and therefore can’t know what the results would be, but the only other keto flour I can even think of that *might* work and is tree nut free is sunflower meal. If you experiment with that or something else, be sure to report back! https://amzn.to/2Lpu9Yp
Jason
LJ says
The problem with sunflower flour/meal is that it can turn green and (since you can’t see it with the cocoa) it can get a weird taste. May I recommend Gerbs pumpkin seed flour if you want to try nut free.
Courtney says
Could 1/2 cup coconut flour work? I’ll try and see and report back. I have nut, dairy AND egg allergies in my home 🙁
Jason Sanford says
No idea, but definitely be sure to report back with results if you experiment!
Erica says
Hi Courtney, did you try this with coconut flour? My daughter can’t have almond flour either so was hoping to know if coconut flour was an option since I have it on hand.
monica says
This was a total waste of ingredients and now I have to find an actual good recipe for my son’s birthday cake. I used unsweetened almond milk and monkfruit. Dry and tastes terrible.
CCK Media Team says
Monica, what flour did you use? I have a suspicion I know what you did wrong.
Shannon says
Mine is in the oven now. I made it with sunflower seed flour. My daughter has a severe and airborne nut allergy. The package says substitute 1:1 for almond flour.
Cassie Thuvan Tran says
OMG I want to make this so freaking badly! All I need is cocoa powder and we’ll be set! <3 <3 <3
Rachna says
Hi… can i use brown sugar instead of regular sugar?
Martin says
why the additional 2 tbspn of cocoa?
Jason Sanford says
Dutch cocoa has a deeper flavor that will give the cake more of a brownie-like taste and is recommended if you can find it. Most store brand box cake or brownie mixes will have dutch cocoa. But if you don’t have dutch cocoa on hand, it’s still good if you just use two tbsp additional regular.
Laura Calabrese says
The keto chocolate cake looks amazing but you don’t mention the ingredients for the frosting
Jason Sanford says
Frosting is linked in the post a little up from the recipe 🙂
Here is the direct link if it’s easier so you don’t have to look through the post: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/basic-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting/
kizzy says
what is butter spread? one of the ingredients listed in the frosting recipe.
Jason Sanford says
That just means whatever butter you want to use. Regular butter is fine too if you don’t need it to be vegan. Vegan options would be something like Earth Balance, Melt, or Miyokos.
Jenny says
For the keto chocolate frosting would I need to double the ingredients for a 2 layer 8 inch cake? Or is the ingredients listed for a 1 layer 8 inch cake?
Jason Sanford says
That’s a good question! The amount of frosting listed in the recipe is enough for both layers. So if you double the cake recipe to do a double layer cake, there’s no need to double the frosting recipe 🙂
Jason
Ayaka says
Just curious…Do you eat eggs now?
Jason Sanford says
Katie does not personally eat eggs. She is a vegan 🙂
Christina M Simmons says
Enjoyed in single layer form. Excellent flavor on the cake and the frosting. I think I will cook a little bit less than the 14 minutes in my oven as it was a little dry but the frosting helped that out alot. I shared on Facebook as I have friends always looking for low carb/keto gluten free recipes all the time.
Jason Sanford says
Thank you so much for making it!
Jason (media relations)
Mayerling says
I would love to try this recipe, I have tried several of Katie’s vegan recipes and they’ve all been amazing! Just wondering if the liquid is aditional to the water used for the egg replacer
Leanne says
Is there a vegan frosting option?
Jason Sanford says
Yes! Linked in her post! Here’s the direct link to the frosting: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/basic-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting/
Kristy says
Do you have a brand of dutch cocoa powder that your recommend? Thanks.
Jason Sanford says
Katie usually uses this one, because she likes the company’s ethics and it is fair trade, non gmo, etc. https://amzn.to/2LANeqX
Jason (media relations)
Kristy says
Thanks! And if you double the cake recipe for two layers, do you need to double the icing recipe too?
Jennifer says
so if making the NON vegan version – does that mean SIX eggs? or 3 and leave out the egg replacer?
Jason Sanford says
Just 3 eggs 🙂
Dani says
Oh no! I doubled the recipe like it said! I would update the instructions. That’s a little misleading if you are only supposed to double everything except the eggs…..
Jason Sanford says
Sorry I didn’t realize you were replying to someone else’s comment. If you’re doubling the recipe, then you double the egg amount to six as well.
jenn says
how many net carbs per slice?
Jason Sanford says
Full nutrition facts are linked right under the recipe ingredients in the post. Let me know if you don’t see them and I can give you the direct link!
Darla says
Just tried this recipe! Delicious! I did add the cream cheese icing but I used 1 1/2 cups of swerve powdered sugar and it was amazing!
jenn says
i see it, thanks!
Elaina says
Can I make this recipe as cupcakes? If so should I make any changes?
Jason Sanford says
It’s on our list of things to try! If you experiment before Katie does, be sure to report back :).
Jason (media relations)
Krysta says
Well. I tried to comment and attach a photo of my cake and got a message I’d been blocked (Cloudflare Ray ID: 5203050ce8b4a074 )…maybe shouldn’t have an “upload photo” prompt if it’s automatically going to trigger your website’s security. :/ Without a picture, I can say that this is a decent recipe with good texture. I’m not going to retype everything from my original comment that was lost, so in a nutshell:
I made one 9″ round cake, baked for 24 minutes. Will test it at 20 minutes next time as it was possibly slightly over-baked. Thanks for the recipe.
Jason Sanford says
Hi, and we are so sorry about that! We had no idea Cloudflare even would do that to a commenter, and Katie is going in to her account to see if there’s a way to change the settings. The whole reason we have the photo option is because we love seeing peoples’ pictures of the recipes!
Jason (media relations)
Bharat says
Will it come good even with water?
Victoria M says
I used water and not milk when I made it today and it came out very moist. I did have to cook it a lot longer than it called for though.
Roya says
Hi. Do you remember how much more did you cook it?
Diana says
I just made the cake today and used water instead of milk because I didn’t have any. It took 10 min extra.
Roya says
Thanks!
Ana says
Uau! I really have to make this cake!! My husband’s birthday is coming up and I’m sure he is going to love it!
Is it better to buy almond flour or can I course the almonds myself?
Also, can I freeze the cake?
Thank you so much!!
Jason Sanford says
You can do either, but if you are able to buy almond flour then you know it’s already finely ground so you don’t have to worry about that. I haven’t tried freezing the cake… I would think it should work but would love to know if you try!
Jason (media relations)
Olena says
14 minutes baking time is definitely not enough, the center came out under baked even after additional 5 mins and at 375F all the way. The recipe itself is great, but I would recommend to bake it for at least 25 mins. Use toothpick method to be sure. Add 1-2 tbs of vegetable oil to the dough if you are afraid it would be dry.
Olena says
***just a notation to my own comment above*** it’s only if you use REAL EGGS you may want to increase baking time. I have not tried making it wit the “vegan eggs”
Lynne says
Thanks for the clarification re time. Just baking it now and added more time. It looks perfect after 22 minutes, using the toothpick test.
It’s cooling now and smells great!
Used erythritol from monk fruit, eggs, and Dutch cocoa powder.
Icing is next…
Jennifer says
did you ONLY use the eggs and no replacer? if so, how many eggs, 3?
KE says
I really want to try this but would need to use another sweetener… do you think coconut sugar or honey would work? Thanks!
Jason Sanford says
Coconut sugar is fine here 🙂
Katherine says
What about the recipe for the frosting?
Jason Sanford says
Linked earlier in the post! 🙂
Patricia Riley says
OK, I was not ready for how good this recipe turned out! Made it for my birthday. I used Valrhona dutch cocoa and lakanto classic monk fruit sweetener in the cake (note: I increased the sweetener to 1/2 cup per layer.) Added 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder per layer. Swerve confectioners in the frosting. Baked for about 17 or 18min in an 8″ round pans. Still a tiny bit jiggly in the center when I took it out but firmed to nice fudgy moist cake when it cooled. Mine was not as beautiful as the recipe pics but who cares! It was fantastic!
Jason Sanford says
Even just seeing that as a small picture, it looks so good! And now I am craving chocolate cake.
Jason
emma venter says
Sounds good, did you add the 3 eggs as the smaller version for the mug cake had no eggs, so i am confusion.
Simone says
Could you use regular flour? The picture is good enough to eat.
Jason Sanford says
This recipe was formulated specifically to use almond flour, but Katie’s regular chocolate cake recipe is really really good too! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2017/07/24/vegan-chocolate-cake-recipe/
Rebecca Valentine says
This went beautifully with a peanut butter frosting as well.
Rebecca Valentine says
*Reposting my comment since I have no idea why my previous comment didn’t get posted*
We are a family of three turning ketogenic for health reasons (diabetes & blood pressure). We have a series of birthdays coming up and as a daughter I really wanted to make something delicious for my parents in a bid to persue them to continue the keto diet yet enjoy their birthdays to the fullest. Its my first time baking ANYTHING and this turned out delicious, soft and airy. My parents loved it to the core. It felt great to see them devouring everything while confessing how proud they are, of me. Thank you Katie (assuming thats your good name) from the bottom of my heart for these keto recipes. Im definitely trying more of your recipes for sure. Who said keto has to be boring and dull?