If you have any kind of special occasion coming up, this Keto Chocolate Cake is the perfect recipe! It has a soft and tender crumb, is incredibly moist, and makes a beautiful layer cake.

The recipe below is for one 8 or 9 inch round cake, but can easily be doubled for a layer cake. I recommend an 8-inch cake pan, but a 9-inch cake pan will work too.

If you use a 9-inch cake pan, be sure to reduce the cooking time to around 25 minutes so it’s not over baked. Also, keep in mind that the cake will be a bit thinner than it would be if baked in an 8-inch cake pan. 

Keto Chocolate Cake or Cupcake Instructions

Start by setting out some milk or non-dairy milk on the counter with 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. This is basically a homemade buttermilk mixture.

Buttermilk helps achieve a moist crumb. It also reacts with the baking soda in the cake to help it rise, so it’s quite important!

Then, in a large mixing bowl whisk together some blanched almond flour, ground flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder. If there are any clumps, use your fingers to break them up. Set aside.

Natural, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder vs. Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder 

Natural cocoa powder is acidic and reacts with baking soda, while dutch processed cocoa powder is neutral and will not react with baking soda. Dutch-processed cocoa is usually called for when only using baking powder.

For this recipe, I use natural, unsweetened cocoa powder and baking soda for proper leavening. The homemade buttermilk is acidic too so it also reacts with the baking soda to give added moisture and rise. 

Why Use Both Baking Soda And Baking Powder

Since I’m using baking soda, buttermilk, and natural cocoa to leaven the cake you may wonder why I also use baking powder. This is because baking powder gives added leavening and helps keep the cake from falling after it’s initial rise in the oven. 

Butter Or Oil

For this recipe, I prefer to use grass-fed butter, even though the chocolate taste will easily overpower the butter flavor.

I prefer grass-fed butter because it not only produces a better texture, but it has many health benefits such as vitamin K-2 (which is good for your arteries!), healthy fats, and anti-inflammatory properties.

While I love avocado oil and it can be used in place of the butter in this cake, avocado oil will cause the cake to be a bit heavier and denser so it may not rise as well and will slightly sink.

Next, add the butter and the sweetener to a medium-sized pot and heat over low heat until butter is melted and most of the sweetener has dissolved. Then, add the homemade buttermilk mixture, 2 Tbsp. of brewed coffee, and pure vanilla.

The brewed coffee will not make the cake taste like coffee! It just enhances the chocolate flavor. If you would rather, though, you can replace the coffee with additional milk.

For the sweetener, I use Swerve or Lakanto Sweetener which are both Keto friendly. For Paleo, feel free to use coconut palm sugar.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry then add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. 

For Keto Chocolate Cake

If making a cake, pour the batter into a parchment-lined and greased 8-inch cake pan. Please don’t skip the parchment paper! If you skip the parchment paper you will have trouble with the cake sticking.

For Keto Cupcakes

If making cupcakes, evenly distribute the batter between 12 muffin cups. The batter should barely fill the baking cups over halfway. If they are filled more, they will have crisp edges with a dome. We want flat cupcakes so they are easy to frost without crispy edges. 

For the cake, bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes and for the cupcakes bake 16 to 19 minutes. Do not over bake or the crumb will be dry – and no one wants dry cake! They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center barely comes out clean. 

Cool completely and frost with Keto Chocolate Frosting, Vanilla Keto Buttercream Frosting or Keto Cream Cheese Frosting. Or, if you’re looking to be adventurous, make it into a to-die-for Keto German Chocolate Cake!

Or check out this recipe on How To Make Strawberry Sauce For Cheesecake from Low-Carb Yum and this Low-Carb Peanut Butter Mousse from Simply So Healthy.

I think both recipes would be SO DELICIOUS as a filling between the cake layers with chocolate buttercream on the sides and top of the cake. Oh. My. Goodness. So Yummy!!!!

Tips For Perfect Paleo And Keto Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes

• For Paleo, simply sub out the sweetener for coconut palm sugar.
• Do not over bake the cake or it will turn out dry! The cake is perfect when a toothpick inserted into the middle barely comes out clean.
• The recipe below is for one 8-inch cake or 12 cupcakes. It can easily be doubled, though, to make a double layer chocolate cake or 24 cupcakes.
• While oil can be used, I recommend using grass-fed butter. Grass-fed butter has many health benefits and produces the best texture. Oil is a bit heavier than butter so will cause the cake to be denser and slightly sink.
• If making cupcakes, the batter should make enough to barely fill the baking cups over halfway full. If they are filled more, they will have crisp edges with a dome. We want flat cupcakes so they are easy to frost without crispy edges. You also run the risk of them sinking if they are too full.
• If making a cake, please don’t skip lining the pan with parchment paper! If you skip the parchment, you will have trouble with the cake sticking to the bottom.
• This recipe calls for natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will not produce the same results.
• All ingredients must be room temperature. Cold ingredients prevent the flours from mixing properly and can interfere with how the cake rises. 

If you’ve tried this Keto Chocolate Cake or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!

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Paleo And Keto Chocolate Cake Or Cupcakes

This Paleo And Keto Chocolate Cake is gorgeous and perfect for any special occasion! It has a soft and tender crumb, a light texture, and an intense chocolate flavor. The recipe can be doubled to make a gorgeous layer cake with a sugar free chocolate buttercream frosting or can be used to make a batch of deliciously intense Keto chocolate cupcakes.

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Course: dairy free, Dessert, gluten free, Grain Free, keto, Low Carb, paleo

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 19 minutes

Total Time: 39 minutes

Servings: 12 Cupcakes or an 8 inch round cake

Calories: 100kcal

Author: Cassidy Stauffer

Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Milk (can use non-dairy)
• 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar or Distilled White Vinegar
• 3 Large Eggs room temperature
• 1 1/4 Cup Blanched Almond Flour finely ground
• 1/4 Cup Ground Flax Seed
• 1/2 Cup Natural, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder not dutch processed
• 1 tsp Baking Powder*
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 Cup Swerve Sweetener Lakanto Sweetener, or coconut palm sugar for Paleo (can use 3/4 cup if you prefer them less sweet)
• 1/4 Cup Grass-Fed Butter (can use non-dairy)
• 2 Tbsp Brewed Coffee or additional milk
• 2 tsp Pure Vanilla
• Keto Chocolate Frosting for frosting cake or cupcakes (see more frosting options above)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For cupcakes, grease or line 12 baking cups. For cake, line the bottom of an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease the edges. Set aside.
• Place the eggs in a bowl of warm water and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the milk and vinegar. Set that aside also.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flax seeds, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
• In a medium-sized pot, add the butter and sweetener. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted and the sweetener is mostly dissolved. Then, stir in the milk mixture, brewed coffee, and vanilla.
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each one until completely incorporated. Pour batter into prepared cake pan or fill each baking cup barely over halfway full. Do not fill to top. If for some reason you have extra batter, make more cupcakes instead of filling the baking cups to the top.
• For cake, bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out barely clean. Since all ovens are different, check after 25 minutes to make sure it's not baking quicker so it doesn't dry out! For cupcakes, bake 16-19 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center barely comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Notes

• To make grain free baking powder, combine 1 part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar and 2 parts tapioca, arrowroot, or potato starch.
• For Paleo, simply sub out the sweetener for coconut palm sugar.
• Do not over bake the cake or it will turn out dry! The cake is perfect when a toothpick inserted into the middle barely comes out clean.
• The recipe below is for one 8-inch cake or 12 cupcakes. It can easily be doubled, though, to make a double layer chocolate cake or 24 cupcakes.
• While oil can be used, I recommend using grass-fed butter. Grass-fed butter has many health benefits and produces the best texture. Oil is a bit heavier than butter so will cause the cake to be denser and slightly sink.
• If making cupcakes, the batter should make enough to barely fill the baking cups over halfway full. If they are filled more, they will have crisp edges with a dome. We want flat cupcakes so they are easy to frost without crispy edges. You also run the risk of them sinking if they are too full.
• If making a cake, please don't skip lining the pan with parchment paper! If you skip the parchment, you will have trouble with the cake sticking to the bottom.
• This recipe calls for natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will not produce the same results.
• All ingredients must be room temperature. Cold ingredients prevent the flours from mixing properly and can interfere with how the cake rises. 

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1.1mg

Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.

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