You can’t go wrong with a classic like Devil’s Food Cake, especially when it’s low carb. Tender, rich keto chocolate cake with a fluffy sugar free vanilla frosting.
I have a serious thing keto chocolate cake these days. I just can’t get enough of thinking about it, baking it, and decorating it. I already have any number of chocolate cake recipes, and this Keto Devil’s Food Cake is yet another to add to the growing list.
You might think that having a single chocolate cake recipe is sufficient, but you would be wrong. The joyous thing about chocolate cake is that there is an infinite number of ways to make it. Layer cakes and sheet cakes and cupcakes and snack cakes, oh my!
They can have other flavors or just be pure chocolate. They can have nuts or chocolate chips. They can be big enough to feed a crowd or small enough just for two.
I could go on and on, waxing poetic about chocolate cake. But I recently decided to tackle the classic Devil’s Food, that deep dark chocolatey cake, and make it over to be keto friendly.
You are going to be SO glad I did!
What is Devil’s Food Cake?
If you’ve never had Devil’s Food, get ready for one of the most chocolatey sponge cakes on the planet. It is truly divine. And it’s so named because it is the opposite of the light and airy Angel Food Cake.
I spent some time researching devil’s food cakes before attempting to make a keto version. Like any classic recipe, there are slightly different versions with slightly different ingredients, depending on who you ask.
But the common thread of this cake is that it relies on Dutched cocoa powder for its deep chocolate flavor, and baking soda for a lighter, fluffier consistency. It often also contains brewed coffee, which intensifies the chocolate flavor.
Chocolate or Vanilla Frosting?
While many recipes feature devil’s food with a chocolate frosting, others pair it with vanilla. That’s the beauty of this rich chocolate cake. It has enough deep flavor to stand up to any frosting.
I was tempted to go with chocolate, but then I came across two devil’s food cake recipes that changed my mind. This beauty from the amazing Jocelyn of Grandbaby Cakes, and one from King Arthur Flour. Two of my favorite baking sites!
I admit, I was enticed away from chocolate because of the gorgeous contrast between the dark cake and the white frosting. So I created a light and fluffy sugar-free vanilla frosting. And it was truly delectable.
But if you’re dying to go with chocolate on chocolate, try making my Keto Chocolate Frosting. I’d recommend doing 1.5x the recipe to make enough to frost this cake.
How to make Keto Devil’s Food Cake
This rich, delicious keto chocolate cake really isn’t that hard to make. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- You want to make sure you’re using dutched cocoa here, as it results in a darker color and a richer chocolate flavor. I really like Guittard but it’s pricy. Ghirardelli sells one, and Hershey’s Dark is a less expensive choice as well.
- Yup, you need the protein powder, as it replaces gluten and helps the cakes rise and hold their shape. You can use egg white protein instead, but don’t use collagen, as it makes cakes gummy and hard to cook through.
- Don’t forget to use both baking powder and baking soda! They both help it rise but the soda helps it be lighter and fluffier. And the apple cider vinegar is the acid that creates a reaction in the baking soda.
- You don’t HAVE to use coffee, although I do recommend it for flavor. But if you really don’t want to, just use plain water instead.
- Grease those pans well and don’t forget the parchment paper circles. It helps the cakes come freely out of the pans.
- The frosting contains cream cheese because it helps make it more white in color. It also helps it have more structure without using ridiculous amounts of sweetener. It tastes like buttercream
- Whipping some of the cream before adding to the rest of the frosting makes it extra light and fluffy.
How to store Keto Devil’s Food Cake
Because of the creamy frosting, this cake is best stored in the fridge and should last 5 to 7 days. But I do recommend taking it out and letting it come to room temperature before serving.
You can also freeze this cake, both before and after frosting. I recommend flash freezing the cake first. This means allowing it to sit uncovered in the freezer until it’s firm. Then you can wrap it up tightly to store for longer, without crushing it.
Ready to make this delicious keto devil’s food cake?
More keto layer cake recipes
- Keto Berry Chantilly Cake
- Keto Margarita Cake
- Keto Ding Dong Cake
- Keto Raspberry Layer Cake
- Keto Death by Chocolate Cake
- Keto Tiramisu Layer Cake
Devil’s Food Cake – Keto and Sugar-Free
Ingredients
Devil's Food Cake
- 2 cups almond flour (use sunflower seed flour for nut-free)
- ⅔ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup Swerve Brown
- ½ cup Swerve Granular
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup freshly brewed coffee, cooled
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Vanilla Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened (very soft)
- ¾ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream divided
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease 2 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and grease the parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweeteners until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Beat in the almond flour mixture, then beat in the coffee, sour cream, and apple cider vinegar until well combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the cake pans and spread to the edges. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes have risen and the tops are firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely in the pan. Then run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen and flip the cakes out.
Vanilla Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth. Beat in the sweetener until well combined, then beat in the vanilla. Beat in ¼ cup of the cream until smooth.
- In another bowl, beat the remaining ¾ cup whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the butter mixture until well combined.
To Assemble
- Place one layer of cake on a platter and spread with about ⅓ of the frosting, all the way to the edges. Top with the second layer of cake and spread the top with about ⅓ of the frosting.
- Spread the remaining frosting over the sides. Refrigerate 30 minutes to help firm up the frosting.
- Sprinkle the top with cocoa powder and shaved dark chocolate, if desired.
Kristin Rathjen says
I needed mini cupcakes for a bridal shower and the bride is gluten and sugar free. And her request was for chocolate cake. Chocolate cake isn’t my go-to form of chocolate so I hadn’t tried this. I made this as the recipe called for except I didn’t realize I didn’t have enough Swerve granulated sugar so it’s about half that and half erythritol/monk fruit blend And I used Splenda brown sugar instead of Swerve because I didn’t read the bag closely! But everything else was the same. I made about 70 mini cupcakes (don’t overfill them as they tended to spread when they reached the top of the cupcake liner.) I used https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C5WZN78K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s05?ie=UTF8&psc=1 on a cookie sheet instead of using my mini muffin tins because I didn’t want to be here all night.
They’re really good! Very light cakey texture and rich. Even the better was yummy! (I know… been licking the beaters for decades!! LOL) I baked them at 350 and checked at 12 minutes, 5 more and 2 more the first time, then just 19 minutes for the second batch. Perfect time for my oven.
In her case, she requested chocolate cake and chocolate frosting so next up is the chocolate frosting from the blackout cake recipe. But that’s a week away. These will head to the freezer for the next week. Fingers crossed!
Denise L Virsack says
i only had 9″ pans so bought foil pans which worked fine except for the ceases around the edges,fortunately the frosting covered it. Took the cake to work and received lots of rave reviews.
Carolyn says
So great to hear!
Meled says
Wonderful cake! A few questions: my frosting separated a bit was that because I let it sit in fridge overnight before folding in the whipped cream?
Also I added strawberries in the middle. Can I freeze slices or will it get soggy? I love your cakes!!!!!
Carolyn says
I am not sure why it separated… sorry. I am sure you can add some sliced berries to the middle.
Kim says
Hi,
I am new to your site but am extremely excited to learn how to bake with nut flours. I was just wondering if this devils food cake recipe can be doubled? I have a large family and just wondered. I’ll also check in the helpful information you have provided for beginners.
Thank you for all of your hard work and generosity!
Carolyn says
Doubled in what kind of pan(s)? If you just mean two cakes, that’s easier. If you mean a bigger cake, I need to know what pans you plan to use.
L. Wong says
Love this cake! I made it today as written and it was soo yummy. This sponge cake came out moist with a perfect chocolate taste and sweetness. My son who doesn’t like keto desserts tasted it and gave it a two thumbs up! This is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Ginny says
Is there an alternative to the protein powder? I clicked on the link and it was over $30 for 8 ounces! That is way out of my budget.
Janelle Sobaskie says
Very delicious cake. High praise when my non-keto daughter says it tastes like a “normal” cake!
Lynn says
I saw a different recipe were you said we could use this recipe for cupcakes.
How many cupcakes would this make.
It says 16 servings.
Thank you.
Carolyn says
12 to 16 cupcakes, depending on how big you make them.
Kristin Rathjen says
I’d like to make this as mini cupcakes for a bridal shower. Do you have an estimated cooking time for mini cupcakes?
Carolyn says
No, I didn’t make it that way. You will need to watch them.
Jessica says
can a plant based protein work? I have a whey protein allergy.
Carolyn says
Yes, hemp or pumpkin seed protein should work well.
McKenna Rae Qualls says
Hello! Sugar alcohols and I unfortunately don’t get along. I know the outcome will be different, but is there a way to do this with just stevia verses the erythritol? Thanks!
Carolyn says
I don’t use pure stevia so you will need to experiment.
Glenda K. says
This is where you really, really nailed it. The Blackout Ebinger Brooklyn cake, superb! Finally a keto desert that I actually loved. Yes the choc topping was perfecto. Thanks for all you do!
Carolyn says
Wow, thank you! I’ve never had the real deal so I am glad my keto version lived up to it!
June Pugliese says
Hi Carolyn,
unfortunately Swerve changed their product by adding allulose and they are no longer making it with just erythritol. Do you have any suggestions changing your recipe using the new Swerve?
I’ve made this cake before and it’s amazingly delicious!!
PJ says
How thick should the batter be? Mine was very dry and thick so I added some almond milk (about a cup) to get it to seem more like a cake batter consistency… It’s in the oven now, I hope I didn’t screw it up!
Carolyn says
It should be like a thick cake batter. If it’s too dry, something is amiss… but you did the right thing in adding more liquid.
eileen Martin says
what if you don’t have they Whey powder?
Carolyn says
Please read the blog post as I discuss this in detail already!
Valencia says
I plan on using this recipe for making a four layer black forest cake for my husband’s birthday next week. This will be my first go at replacing my traditional chocolate cake recipe with this keto one. Question: is the texture of this cake firm enough so that I should be able to slice each of the two layers in half horizontally (in order to make the four layers – this is what I do with regular chocolate cake recipes)? I suppose if I find the two 8″ rounds are flatter or perhaps not as firm I could always back a second batch and just have a super tall 4 layer cake (I’m sure my husband would be thrilled with that idea!).
By the way – every single thing I have baked from your fabulous recipes has been delicious, and I have no doubt that this will be equally awesome!!
Carolyn says
Yes it is, and I did that exact thing here: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-chocolate-blackout-cake/ But I recommend refrigerating the layers overnight before slicing.
Jael L Adams says
I just finished eating some of this cake and it was fabulous! The crumb was tender and light, the chocolate flavor was rich and the vanilla frosting was the best frosting I’ve ever tasted. This will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from this day forward. Thank you for the time you put into these recipes, I so appreciate it.
Vickie says
Can this be made in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish? Do you need to make any adjustments? Baking time? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Any time you change pans, the baking time will change. But as I did not make mine that way, I can’t really tell you how long. YOu will need to keep your eye on it.
Laura says
So, it turned out more brownie like, but the flavor was fantastic! might need to buy new baking soda and powder for more rise.
Jenny says
i love this cake! I would love a way to enjoy a cake like this or any low carb cake, with less fat in it. I wonder if using less almond flour, egg white and some egg yolk powder instead of whole eggs, more protein powder or that equip beef powder, maybe gelatin? it’s a difficult task I’m sure!
Lisa says
I made this for my birthday. I wanted it so bad but it came out so dry. What did I do wrong? Would try again if I can correct my mistake.
Carolyn says
Without knowing more (i.e. what brand of almond flour and sweetener you used), I am guessing you over-baked it.
Lisa says
That certainly sounds like a “me” thing to do. I’m sure I’m not using the highest quality ingredients either. I have to say, the flavor of my over-baked birthday cake was great. I will definitely try this again. Thank you.
Carolyn says
Well at least it tasted good! I have a video coming for people about how to check your cakes for doneness and not overbake them. My editor just sent me a draft to look at!