Heavenly keto gingerbread cake! This tender cream cheese pound cake is flavored with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves for a classic low carb holiday dessert. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
I won’t lie, I have a mild obsession with gingerbread. Particularly as the weather cools down and the leaves start to fall. There’s something old-fashioned and homey about those warm spices baked into a cake or a cookie. You almost feel like you will step out your front door into a snowy European street from times past.
And this beautiful Gingerbread Cake is the latest culmination of my obsession. I have so many gingerbread recipes, such as my popular Keto Gingerbread Men, or the gorgeous and elegant Keto Gingerbread Cake Roll. And my Gingerbread Loaf is very popular around this time of year.
Gingerbread flavors lend themselves well to so many baked goods – cakes, cookies, puddings, soufflé, scones, biscotti. This time, I took the ever popular Cream Cheese Pound Cake, and turned it into gingerbread. How can you go wrong with an extra moist, dense, rich gingerbread pound cake?
What is in traditional gingerbread cake?
It goes without saying that gingerbread contains plenty of ginger, but that’s not the only spice that adds to the classic flavor. It also contains a fair amount cinnamon, as well as cloves, nutmeg, and/or allspice.
Conventional gingerbread typically also contains lots of sugar and molasses. It’s this last addition that gives gingerbread it’s rich, dark color and flavor. Alas, molasses is hardly keto friendly and while I have used a teaspoon here and there on occasion, it’s not enough to add the kind of deep brown color for a full cake.
So how do you make Keto Gingerbread Cake?
Excellent question, my keto friend. I do have plenty of tricks up my sleeve when it comes to keto baking, to improve texture, flavor, and appearance, without increasing the carb load.
This is an almond flour cake and of course I used my trusty Bob’s Red Mill finely blanched almond flour. It never fails to produce fine-crumbed cakes that rival their high carb counterparts. But please check the recipe notes if you need to be nut-free.
Now, to get that darker color, I always add a tablespoon of cocoa powder. That’s not normal in gingerbread cake but it works and it isn’t enough to make the flavor taste at all like chocolate. With sufficient ginger and cinnamon in the mix, you don’t get any hint of the cocoa.
Speaking of the spices, you can go as heavy or as light as you like here. Inevitably whenever I make keto gingerbread recipes, someone says it’s to much spice, and someone says it’s not enough. I write my recipes for the middle of the road folks, but like many of you, I prefer lots of gingery goodness!
And now that Swerve Brown is available, I prefer that for any gingerbread recipe. It has a richer, more molasses-like flavor.
You know what takes this keto cream cheese pound cake over the top? A sprinkle of powdered sweetener and a drizzle of my sugar-free caramel sauce. It’s heavenly! But a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream would be good too.
Can you freeze keto gingerbread cake?
Heck yeah! In fact, this would be a perfect keto cake to make ahead of the holidays and freeze until you’re ready to serve.
As with all keto baked goods, let it cool completely first. Then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place either in a sealable freezer bag (heavy duty is best) or a large tupperware. And just freeze the naked cake, with no garnish or glaze. You can make that later.
Let it thaw at room temperature in its wrappings and then it should be perfect for serving when you’re ready. Add any powdered sweetener or caramel sauce as you serve.
Many thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for partnering with me to bring you this recipe.
Keto Gingerbread Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup Swerve Brown
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups almond flour, (see notes for nut-free)
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- Powdered sweetener
- Sugar-free caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 10 to 12 cup capacity bundt pan very well.
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Beat in the brown "sugar" sweetener until lightened and fluffier, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the almond flour, spices, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt all at once and beat in until well combined. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until the top is set and firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before flipping out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sweetener and/or drizzle with homemade sugar-free caramel sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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Made this for the first time today. Boy oh boy is it delicious! Served it plain with a sprinkling of Swerve confectioners sugar. Lovely Christmas dessert.
Really good! I didn’t have a bundt pan but made it in an 11 x 7 dish. Turned out well and was enjoyed by both my husband and I. Very tender likely because of the cream cheese add.
Love this recipe and making it in bundt pan makes it so much easier to cut for portion control as I can get a little out of control with this one.
Hi Carolyn, I’m a huge fan and ALWAYS have success with your recipes! I refer to you as “my keto baking lady”! Question: I want to make your Keto Gingerbread Loaf, but the link at the top of this page isn’t working. Is the recipe substantially different? I don’t have a bundt cake pan, I want to use nuts, etc. Can the link be fixed, or if not/you’ve discontinued the loaf for now (say it isn’t so!), how should the pound cake recipe be adapted, please? Thank you!
I would use this one. It might be too much for a loaf pan but you can always make a few muffins too!
My family and I really love this recipe!
I have a similar question to the one recently asked about looking back. I just watched your video discussing protein powder’s benefits to texture. Is that something you would add here? Does protein powder work in any cake recipe?
Thank you for all the great recipes!
This recipe doesn’t need it. It’s formulated differently, because of the cream cheese.
In so many of your recipes, you compliment almond flour with a bit of coconut flour. I’ve really noticed the difference in baked goods. Just wondering if looking back (published in 2019), would you add a bit of coconut flour here with the almond flour? Thanks for all your recipes & your cookbooks (I currently have your Ultimate Baking Book open now)!
No. Different cakes require different consistencies. This one has cream cheese and is delightful as written.
Could you use coconut flour in this recipe?
Why do so many keto gingerbread cake recipes have cocoa powder and why is the flavor not as strong as the old fashioned gingerbread cake I remember? Any way to take out the cocoa, add a little molasses and more spice?
Please read the blog post.
Can I bake in a traditional 9×5 loaf pan? Would it be in 1 pan, or split between two? A filled one holds about 5 cups of water.
Love all your work, thank you for bringing me to keto baking!
You can certainly try! Not sure of the bake time…
I made this recipe this weekend. It was easier than I expected. I subbed out instant coffee for the cocoa. My daughter’s boyfriend is allergic to chocolate. My husband and I both had several slices with powdered sugar, it is sooo good! I ordered bochasweet to make the caramel sauce.
I am a HUGE gingerbread fan! And always looking for a great “SHARE”! THIS IS IT!
Can you use fresh ginger?
Sure, but I can’t really guide you on how much.
This looks so amazing. I do have one question, can the cream cheese be replaced with a non-dairy alternative like vegan cream cheese? I would like to make this for someone with a dairy allergy. Thank you.
I really can’t say for sure since I didn’t make mine that way. I think it would work…
What do you grease your pan with.
Thanks for what looks like it will be a winter favorite! Have you tried it yet served hot, buttered? My mom served hers that way – it never was around long enough to make a sauce for it!
That sounds fabulous!
Would this work well in a spring form pan? I have no bundt pan
Sure!
I made this tonight for my Christmas baking and it was so lovely. Thank you!
If I wanted to add a bit of molasses just for the holidays, how much would I add? My friends LOVE the traditional flavors with molasses added.
I wouldn’t add more than 1 tbsp. It will add 15g of carbs to the full recipe, so only about 1g carbs per serving.