• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Cookbooks

All Day I Dream About Food

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • FAQ
  • About
  • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • FAQ
    • About
    • Cookbooks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Gluten Free » Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cake (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

    Published: Jan 4, 2012 · Modified: May 29, 2012 by Carolyn

    Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cake (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    1.6K shares

    I always have grand plans when it comes to the holidays. Starting in October, my little mind starts whirring about all the things I plan to make and cook and decorate. But the closer and closer the holidays get, the more I realize that my grand plans are too grand by far, and I have to scale them back. I would make myself utterly miserable if I attempted them all, and this year that fact hit me with full force. The weeks leading up to Christmas were incredibly hectic and I scrapped many of my plans in an effort to keep my sanity. I’d like to say I think it worked, but as a mother of three, my sanity is always in question as it is. Still, it felt very good to just let Christmas happen, without trying so hard to direct and control it all. And you know what? It all went beautifully and we had a fantastic time. Lesson learned, my friends.

    One of the grander plans I scrapped for Christmas was this cake. I had intentions of serving it for dessert after Christmas dinner. But we had so many goodies thrust upon us by friends and family, and I had decided already that I wanted to treat my father, who was visiting, to one of his all-time favourites, mincemeat tarts with hard sauce. So a whole huge cake on top of all of that just seemed excessive. And deciding not to make it left me with a lot more time to spend with my family. But my husband’s birthday comes fast on the heels of Christmas, and I thought that making the cake for that celebration would be just the right thing.

    The whole idea of this cake is based on a recipe from an old December issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It’s one that I once made in its full sugar, full carb version for a friend’s birthday, and I thought I could take a stab at making a low carb version. The filling in the original version is supposed to be chocolate peppermint, but as I was making it, I decided that a white filling would give a better, more interesting contrast. I also decided to add some crushed sugar-free peppermint candies into the filling, instead of just using them as the garnish.

    The Results: I have to confess that cake-decorating is not my strong suit; I simply haven’t the patience for it. So although I had visions of my cake all beautifully glazed and perfect, it was a little messier than that. But flavour is the most important part, and this cake lived up to my expectations beautifully. It was a great mix of both chocolate and peppermint, and everyone in the family loved it. Don’t let my lousy glaze-spreading skills deter you from this tasty treat.

    In fact, I made the mistake of leaving the cake within reach of my 2 year old. And I made this mistake not once, but TWICE. It was my husband who caught her both times, once before we’d even had a chance to eat any, and once on the day after his birthday. She did some serious damage the second time round, and I just had to take a picture to show you. It’s like a little mouse got at it!

    Regardless, it’s a lovely cake and I highly recommend.

    Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cake

    Cake:
    2 cups almond flour
    ⅔ cup cocoa powder
    ¼ cup granulated erythritol
    ¼ cup chocolate whey protein powder
    1 teaspoon xanthan gum
    2 teaspoon baking powder
    ½ teaspoon baking soda
    ½ teaspoon salt
    6 oz Greek yogurt
    ¼ cup butter, softened
    4 large eggs
    ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    20 drops stevia extract
    ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk

    Peppermint Crunch Filling:
    6 tablespoon butter, softened
    1 ⅓ cup powdered erythritol or xylitol
    ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
    3 to 4 tablespoon heavy cream
    4 sugar-free peppermint candies, crushed

    Chocolate Glaze:
    7 tablespoon butter
    3.5 oz unsweetened chocolate
    3 tablespoon powdered erythritol
    ¼ cup cocoa powder
    ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
    20 drops stevia extract

    Garnish:
    4 sugar-free peppermint candies, crushed

    For the cake, preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9-inch springform pan.

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, erythritol, protein powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt, breaking up any clumps with the back of a fork. Set aside.

    In a large bowl, beat yogurt and butter together until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and stevia and beat until just combined. Add half of almond flour mixture and beat until combined, then beat in almond milk. Beat in remaining flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

    Spread batter in prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the pan and release the sides. Flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cake is completely cool, slice horizontally into two halves using a serrated knife.

    For the filling, beat butter until smooth. Slowly add powdered erythritol until well combined. Beat in peppermint extract, and then cream one tablespoon at a time, until a spreadable consistency is achieved. Mix in crushed peppermint candies and spread filling over the cut-side of the bottom half of the cake. Top with the other side of the cake, cut-side down.

    For the glaze, melt butter, chocolate, erythritol and cocoa powder together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in peppermint and stevia extracts. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened but still pourable.

    Pour half the glaze over the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, spread glaze over top and carefully down sides of cake, spreading along the sides as you go. Pour the rest of the glaze over the top and sides, spreading as you go. (Alternatively, you can simply let the glaze drip down the sides).

    Sprinkle top of cake with remaining crushed peppermint candies. Let glaze set, about 1 hour.

    Serves 12. Each serving has a total of 12.2 g of carbs and 5.3 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6.9 g.

    1.6K shares

    free email series

    Secrets to Keto Baking

    Tips and tricks to delicious and healthy recipes!


    Nutritional Disclaimer

    Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

    Reader Interactions

    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Susan Yakus says

      December 06, 2021 at 5:05 pm

      Hi Carolyn, I see this was first published in 2012. Could I now substitute Swerve Powdered Sugar for the Stevia extract? Also, how much would you suggest? Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        December 06, 2021 at 7:26 pm

        If I used 1/4 tsp stevia, then use another 1/4 cup Swerve.

        Reply
    2. charlotte says

      October 22, 2014 at 9:18 am

      This looks sooo good. i am going to make it soon!

      Reply
    3. Catherine H. says

      December 18, 2012 at 5:29 pm

      My now four year-old chose this cake for his birthday celebration. The only thing I changed was adding more candies to the middle frosting layer. It was as delicious as I expected, especially since I remembered to put it in the fridge several hours before serving, so that the glaze came out with the perfect *al dente* texture I loved in the Boston Cream Pie. This has given me an idea for making some of your chocolate donuts dipped in this glaze (minus the peppermint), then set in the fridge. Just like Entenmann’s Frosted Devils Food Donuts–yeah, baby!

      Also, we had a family for dinner whose daughter has celiac disease. I impressed her parents by preparing your turkey chili verde, cheesy skillet bread, and this cake–she loved being able to eat everything everybody else was eating!

      Reply
    4. food_dreamer says

      January 11, 2012 at 1:23 am

      Oh, I am so glad you liked it! We sure loved it here. I confess to eating some for breakfast on a few occasions.

      Carolyn

      Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
      URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com

      Reply
    5. Susan says

      January 10, 2012 at 4:16 am

      I made this cake yesterday and I have to say, it is divine!!! My non LC family members enjoyed it as much as I did and today after being in the frig all night, it is even better cold. Love, love this and thank you.

      Reply
    6. Kim Bee says

      January 09, 2012 at 9:32 pm

      Oh man I could eat the whole cake. I wouldn't but I …oh who are we kidding, I totally would. Looks great. My daughter would go crazy for all the chocolatey goodness.

      Reply
    7. Maria emmerich says

      January 08, 2012 at 4:19 pm

      Yum! You are one talented recipe writer!;)))

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    FREE Secrets to Keto Baking

    Tips and tricks to delicious and healthy recipes!

    NEW E-COOKBOOK!
    The cover of Easy Dairy-Free Keto Desserts ebook.

    Carolyn Portrait

    Looking for the best low carb recipes? You’ve come to the right place! I’m Carolyn, a major carnivore and an unrepentant sweet tooth. Here you will find all you need to enjoy the low carb keto lifestyle to the fullest! Read more

    COPYRIGHT © 2022 · ALL DAY I DREAM ABOUT FOOD · DISCLOSURE POLICY · PRIVACY POLICY

    Copyright© 2022