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 (226.8 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (136.5 g) Swerve Brown
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (336 g) almond flour, (see notes for nut-free)
- 1 1/2 tbsp (7.61 g) ground ginger
- 1 tbsp (12.17 g) baking powder
- 1 tbsp (5.07 g) 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
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.
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Am thinking about vanilla drizzle next time and maybe putting some nuts in the batter. Def going to amp up the spices too.
Best thing I have made since I started to bake for my diabetes.everything else was heavy and didn’t taste so good thanks going to try the next recipe.thank now I can have something for desert good for me.
So glad to hear it!
it’s absolutely delicious I use a different sauce my mom used but used brown coconut sugar.i will definitely make it again
Served this gingerbread cake yesterday. It was a total hit with my guests. It was the first time making it. Don’t usually serve guests something I’ve not tried first but I did it this time so I was a little concerned. I used 1T+ butter to grease the bundt pan and it dropped out perfectly. The cake texture was perfect as well as the taste. I was pleased. Also made the caramel sauce to serve with the cake. I had resisted making your caramel sauce for a long time. I know, I know….you said it was easy but I was still reluctant. Easier than easy! The caramel sauce was a bigger hit than the cake with some guests. Thanks for a lovely ending to our meal yesterday.
Not an actual comment. Just a question. Can you make this into cupcakes? If yes, what would be the baking instructions?
I would think you could but I can’t say exactly the timing. Use one of my other cupcake recipes as a rough guide but keep a close eye on them.
Questioning the Brown Sugar Swerve since it contains allulose.
Usually you include your brown sugar replacement which is so easy to make.
Is the allulose not a problem in this recipe?
Older recipe that has yet to be updated. Use my brown sugar replacement!
Do the nutritional values include the caramel sauce?
This cake is ridiculously good. Caroline’s right – you can’t easily tell the difference from a carb cake. It has a texture similar to a chocolate mudcake. Absolutely divine. I have been thoroughly, thoroughly enjoying this cake as a Christmas treat and cannot recommend it higher. Especially with caramel sauce!!
I made this today, 2nd time but that was 2 years or so ago. It is an amazing, delicious cake, thanks for the recipe Carolyn. I did add some finely chopped stem ginger to the mix as we love ginger.
I loved this! I usually not really fond of keto cake, because alot of times they are bland and crumbling. this was moist and held together. Spiced just right and the addition of chocolate made it taste soooo good!
Great to hear!
Can I have the sugar content please.
Sorry, I don’t calculate that. But it will be VERY low… given the carb count is low (and sugars are carbs) and the fact that I don’t add any kind of sugar.
Delicious! This was moist and just the right amount of spiciness. When I want to bake keto I go to Carolyn’s recipes. They never fail.
Thank you so much!
thankyou Carolyn. this is David that bakes low carb and Keto and these are a godsend for me and best of all they taste amazing. thankyou.
Thanks so much!
OMG I love anything ginger or gingerbread. It is the only cookie I will eat, so I will be trying this Carolyn, thank you!! My mouth is watering already at just the thought of it lol.
Enjoy!
I haven’t made this recipe yet. I am looking for a coconut flour pound cake recipe that I can alter using the spices in the recipe. Based on experience it should work just fine. we must also be dairy free so a coconut based cream cheese will also work just fine. Thanks for the insulation.
Hi, please use the search box on my blog and type in coconut flour. You will find many recipes.