Keto Berry Chantilly Cake is a tender vanilla layer cake with fresh berries and a rich chantilly cream frosting. This nut free keto cake is a summer classic!
Summer berry season is in full swing and you want to make the most of it. That’s why you need this keto Chantilly cake in your life! Tender coconut flour cake layered with fresh berries and a light but rich mascarpone frosting.
Have I sold you yet? Well how about this for a testimonial? After giving some to a friend, the first words out of her mouth were “You’re a low carb sorceress! Oh this frosting!”. And she isn’t even keto.
I have to admit, I feel exactly the same way. I am really enjoying creating stellar keto layer cake recipes these days. And this fresh berry chantilly cake is perfect for any spring or summer celebration.
What is Chantilly Cake?
I’d never heard of this cake until a reader emailed me last summer, requesting a keto version. She linked me to a Berry Chantilly Cake on the Whole Foods website. It’s hugely popular and may have its origins in Louisiana.
But this take on chantilly cake may or may not be the original. There is also a version from Hawaii that features chocolate cake layers with a coconut caramel frosting.
While both of them sound delicious, the recipe request was for the berry Chantilly Cake, and that appears to be the most widely known version.
So now I’ve gone and made it keto. And since it’s a coconut flour based cake, it’s also completely nut-free!
How to make Keto Chantilly Cake
Don’t panic when you see the recipe. While there are a lot of moving parts here, it’s not difficult to make at all. Let me walk you through the process a bit.
- This is a coconut flour based cake and for accuracy’s sake, I recommend weighing out your coconut flour. I have also included the volume measurement for those who do not own a kitchen scale.
- Yes, the protein powder is required for a better rise, but you can use egg white protein instead of whey, if you prefer.
- Using egg whites in addition to whole eggs makes the cake lighter in color and texture, which is perfect for a Chantilly cake recipe.
- I used both vanilla and almond extract here but you can simply use vanilla if you prefer. The almond extract gives it something special, though!
- Prepare the berry “syrup” while the cakes are baking. That way, it’s cool and ready when the cake layers are done. You only need to spread this over the bottom and middle layer, not the top layer.
- As always, make sure your cream cheese and mascarpone are properly softened for the frosting. You won’t be able to get it truly smooth otherwise. If you can’t find mascarpone, you can use all cream cheese here.
- The fresh berries go both between the cake layers and on top of the cake. Remember to save enough for garnishing the cake!
Decorating your Berry Chantilly Cake
I do not consider myself a very good cake decorator. I am not deft enough, more do I have the patience, to make perfect rosettes and other fancy frosting creations.
But a berry chantilly cake does not need much more decoration than a few beautiful fresh berries on top.
However, if you want to make it a little special, try doing a swirled pattern on top of the cake, as I did here. I was very pleased at how it came out. I simply put my cake on a turntable, held a spoon to the center of the frosted top, and turned it. You do need to move your spoon outward from the center as you turn.
It’s a super simple decorating technique that looks so elegant!
How to store keto Chantilly Cake
This is a cake that must be kept cool at all times. The mascarpone Chantilly frosting gets very soft when left out of the refrigerator. It’s also much easier to cut into nice slices when chilled.
And all of those fresh berries can go mushy pretty easily when subjected to warm temperatures.
To store the leftovers simply place plastic wrap over the cut edges of the cake. Leave the rest exposed and keep refrigerated.
More keto nut-free recipes
- Keto Banana Muffins
- Keto Mocha Mini Muffins
- Keto Rosemary Parmesan Crackers
- Chewy Keto Bagels
- Nut Free Keto Cheesecake
- Keto Flourless Chocolate Cake
Keto Chantilly Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 96 grams coconut flour (about ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp)
- ¾ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ⅓ cup whey protein powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 4 large egg whites
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup unsweetened hemp milk (or a mix of cream and water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Berry "Syrup"
- ¼ cup chopped strawberries
- ¼ cup raspberries
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon glucomannan (or xanthan gum)
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces mascarpone softened
- ¾ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream divided
Additional Berries (filling and garnish)
- ½ cup sliced strawberries
- ½ cup raspberries
- ½ cup blueberries
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease three 8-inch metal cake pans well. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and grease the paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, whey protein, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, egg whites, melted butter, hemp milk, and extracts until well combined and the batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans and spread to the edges. Smooth the tops. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges and the tops are firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pans, then run a sharp knife around the insides of the pans and flip the cake layers out.
Berry Syrup
- While the cakes are baking, combine the berries and water together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cook until the berries are soft enough to be easily mashed up. Remove from heat and stir in the sweetener, mashing as you go. Stir in the glucomannan and let sit to thicken.
Chantilly Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone together until smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener until well combined.
- Beat in the extracts, then beat in ¼ cup of the heavy cream to lighten the mixture.
- In another large bowl, beat the remaining cream until it holds stiff peaks. Fold into the cream cheese mixture until well combined.
To assemble the cake
- Place one layer of cake on a cake platter, and spread with ½ of the berry syrup. Then spread with ¼ of the frosting and arrange ⅓ of the berries. Repeat with a second layer of cake.
- Place the final layer of cake on top and spread the top and the sides with the remaining frosting (you will not do any berry syrup on this layer). Top with the remaining berries.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour to firm up the frosting.
Alice says
Hi Carolyn, thank you for this recipe. I plan to try this for my dad’s birthday. Can I sub the cream cheese with “spreadable cream cheese”? And also sub the 4 egg whites with carton egg whites? Please let me know. Thanks again!
Carolyn says
Carton egg whites are fine. I really am not sure about the spreadable cream cheese but I imagine it will work.
Patti says
Have you ever made this into cupcakes?
Carolyn says
I have not but I believe others may have if you read the other comments.
Fonda Carver says
What do you grease your pans with? Do you grease the pans and parchment paper or just the parchment paper?
Carolyn says
Grease the whole pan with butter or oil (I do like avocado oil spray). And then put down parchment and grease the parchment too.
Sue Alley says
My husband and I are celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary in a couple weeks and as a diabetic I eat very strict keto. I was so delighted when I found this recipe for a cake fitting for such an occasion! Absolutely delicious beautiful and elegant in presentation. Perfection. Carolyn in my 3 1/2 years of eating strictly keto your recipes have never once disappointed me and have allowed me to never feel I’m being denied delicious food. Your efforts to create so many wonderful recipes are truly appreciated! God bless ❤️
Carolyn says
Wow, happy anniversary! Good for you guys.
Monique Bobrowsky says
Carolyn, It’s so DELICIOUS!! Even better then the non keto version!! So so good!! I will be making it over and over!! ♥️
Julie H says
What is the mixture of hemp milk to cream and water?
Carolyn says
Half and half!
Jessica says
This cake looks amazing. I’m going to try it soon. Do you think it would be ok to use the lakanto granulated and lakanto powdered instead of Swerve for this cake?
Carolyn says
Yes… just make sure the Lakanto powdered is the one that measures cup for cup, rather than being 2x as sweet.
Amy says
Love it. I make this instead of a Victoria sponge for my British friends. Great summer treat. Thank you Caroline.
Amy says
Sorry, Carolyn- autocorrect on your name and I was typing too quickly. Great cake – thanks.
Amy says
Sorry, Carolyn- autocorrect on your name and I was typing too quickly. Great cake – thanks.
Barbara Pitts says
I’m eager to try the Chantilly Cake! I do have one question. I don’t have, nor have I ever seen, hemp milk. Is it vital to the recipe? I do have both almond and macadamia milk if either of those would work.
Thanks.
Carolyn says
Either of those work!
Rosana says
Another homerun! I’ve been trying to get the crumb right for this since going gluten free 10 years ago. I got close to Whole Foods berry chantilly cake, but this is great! The whey protein did raise my blood sugar levels higher than I wanted, but I’ll make this again for a special occasion.
Vi says
Can I use a vanilla or coconut flavor whey protein powder? I do like those flavors but just wanted to see if you’ve ever tried it with those flavors.
Carolyn says
I haven’t tried it but vanilla should work nicely. Don’t add any more vanilla.
Vi says
Best Keto cake recipe to date! I’ve tried so many recipes with almond flour or mix with coconut flour. I never like the texture. My toddler never eats it. But this cake is Bomb! My toddler kept eating it and says he loves it. Win win! I did end up using the coconut flavor whey protein bc the vanilla one as a vegan plant based one. Still, the coconut flavor was NOT overpowering. It’s a great recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Carolyn says
Delighted to hear it!
Carrie says
Made this beautiful and delicious cake for a birthday party this weekend. I decorated just as Carolyn described, which is a very simple way to get stunning results. I served it to non-keto folks and they said they would not have been able to tell if I hadn’t mentioned it. I was a little concerned about the rise of the cake layers. They seemed kind of low to me, although this is my first foray into keto cake so I don’t have a comparison. I used egg white protein instead of whey protein. However, when the cake was fully assembled, it was the perfect size. And, folks, the FROSTING is unbelievably scrumptious!
Carolyn says
Indeed, I think once it is assembled, it all comes together nicely.
Marky says
I used a swerve cake but followed the sauce and frosting recipe. My family liked the flavor but everyone was unhappy with the swerve crunch in the frosting. Did I do something wrong.? None of the other reviewers mentioned it.
Carolyn says
Did you use powdered Swerve? Because it shouldn’t get gritty if you did.
Linda says
Just made this and it’s a game changer, sooooooooooooooooo good and you would never know it is keto unless someone tells you. I will make this again. Do have a question, my cake layers were super small, about 1/4 inch or less, what did I do wrong? Followed the recipe to a tee.
Carolyn says
Were you using 9 inch cake pans? Because unless something was wrong with your coconut flour or baking powder, they should be about 1 inch each (in 8 inch cake pans…).
Laura says
Same thing happened to mine. I wondered if it was my baking powder or maybe the protein powder. I used thm pristine whey protein. It still tasted great just very dense.
Carolyn says
If it’s dense, then yes, something went wrong.
Linda says
Can you freeze this cake, how long will it last in the fridge?
Birgit says
Hi Carolyn,
I have noticed recently you use glucomannan instead of xanthan gum in certain recipes. Could you explain the difference in these two and when you prefer one over the other?
Carolyn says
It really depends on the recipe. Xanthan is better in ice cream (inhibits ice crystal formation), caramel sauce, and condensed milk because it makes it more syrupy. Glucmannan is great for a thicker consistency but it’s less syrup-like.
Bonnie says
Is plant based unflavored protein powder able to be used in this recipe? Or does it have to have whey? I’m lactose intolerant.
Carolyn says
Depending on the product, yes. Some of them have a greenish tinge so they may affect the color of your cake! Another option is egg white protein powder.
Cheryl Zetts says
Hi Carolyn,
Excited to try your recipe, but wondering if I can use 100% Monk Fruit sweetener instead of Swerve?
Cheryl
Carolyn says
100% monk fruit? As in the concentrated extract? I don’t think that will do well in either the cake or the frosting. You need a bulk sweetener for both.
Sushila says
Are the 8″ cake pans regular height, or are they the thinner 3/4 ” high pans? Thanks again for this exciting recipe!
Carolyn says
Standard 2 inch high pans
Krista says
Hi there – how much of the coconut flavor are you able to taste? I’m not super crazy about coconut, but a mild flavor I’m ok.
Carolyn says
Most people don’t taste coconut at all for a cake like this.
Roxanne says
Hi Carolyn, thanks for this delightful recipe! Two questions, can you just use all cream cheese for the frosting instead of 1/2 Marscapone? Also, is this ok stored on the counter or should it be refrigerated?
Carolyn says
All cream cheese is fine (although a bit tangier), and it should be refrigerated.