I’ve always had a penchant for quick breads and loaf cakes. I love the mildly sweet flavor, and I love how easy they are to make. And I particularly love it when they fit into my low carb, high protein diet. This Keto Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake checks all the boxes!
Moist and tender, this easy one-bowl recipe makes a perfect quick breakfast or easy snack. It’s ridiculously good with a cup of coffee. Or try it with a smear of Keto Nutella for a simple keto dessert.
With 11 grams of protein per slice, this Keto Loaf Cake also makes a great protein snack. Grab a slice on your way out the door for a pre-workout snack. Or take a slice to work so you aren’t tempted by the office donuts.
If you love easy sweet breads, you may also enjoy recipe like Keto Banana Bread or Keto Blueberry Bread.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It comes together easily and quickly in one bowl, for less fuss and fewer dishes.
- Similar to keto chocolate chip muffins, the sour cream in the batter makes this bread ultra-moist and delicious.
- It has a lightly sweet, vanilla flavor with plenty of chocolate chips, so it’s great for breakfast or dessert.
- The whole loaf freezes well, so you can make it ahead of time and thaw when you need it.
- With 11 grams of protein and only 3.6 grams net carbs, it fits the keto diet perfectly!
Ingredient Notes
- Sour cream: I love using sour cream in baked goods like muffins and keto cakes, for extra tenderness. Greek yogurt can work too, but it’s not quite the same.
- Almond flour: As with any almond flour recipe, the finer your flour, the finer the consistency. You can use sunflower seed flour as a nut-free replacement, but you will need to add some acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to offset the green reaction.
- Sweetener: I recommend a keto brown sugar replacement for a deeper flavor.
- Avocado oil: You can use any neutral tasting vegetable oil.
- Protein powder: Whey or egg white protein helps the cake rise but it also gives it a nutritional boost! Some plant-based protein powders may work as well.
- Grass-fed gelatin: This helps offset the dryness that can come from protein powder. It’s optional but recommended. You can also use an envelope of Knox gelatin.
- Sugar-free chocolate chips: I tried out the Bake Believe Chocolate Chips in this recipe and I thought they turned out very well!
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, baking powder, and salt.
How to Make Keto Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
- Combine the wet ingredients: Whisk together the sour cream and sweetener until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and oil until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients: Stir in until well combined the almond flour, protein powder, gelatin, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the chocolate chips: Stir in the chocolate chips until well distributed.
- Transfer to the pan: Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and top with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake: Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature and continue baking until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Let cool: Allow the loaf to cool 20 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for Success
- I highly recommend lining the pan with parchment paper with overhanging edges. This makes it much easier to remove the loaf cake when it’s finished baking.
- If you don’t have vanilla protein powder, you can use plain, but you may want to add a bit more sweetener and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Don’t over-bake this cake! Baked goods with a lot of protein powder can end up on the dry side, so be sure to remove it from the oven the moment the top feels firm to the touch.
- If the top is browning very quickly in the oven, cover the loaf with foil, shiny side up.
- The gelatin is optional, but it does help offset some of the dryness that comes from using protein powder. You can also use two tablespoons of collagen protein.
Sweetener Options
I recommend using an erythritol-based sweetener for this loaf cake. Sweeteners that contain allulose will make it darken very quickly on the outside and it may even taste burnt. Of course, you can use what you like best, but just know that it may affect the results.
More Delicious Keto Sweet Bread
Keto Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115 g) sour cream
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar replacement
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (28.4 g) avocado oil
- 2 1/4 cups (252 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (54 g) vanilla whey protein powder, See notes
- 1 tbsp gelatin, Optional, see notes
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (91.3 g) sugar free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom and long sides of the pan with parchment paper, with overhanging edges.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream and sweetener until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and oil until smooth.
- All at once, add the almond flour, protein powder, gelatin, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well combined.
- Add 5 tablespoons of the chocolate chips and stir until well distributed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF. Continue to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch. Cover with foil partway through baking if it seems to be browning too quickly.
- Remove and let cool 20 minutes in the pan, than transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Adding an ingredient like sour cream or greek yogurt can greatly improve the texture of a loaf cake. It adds moisture and contributes to tenderness. Also be sure not to over-bake the cake. Touch the top of the loaf a few times while it’s baking. If there is no sense of squishiness underneath, then it’s ready.
This loaf cake can dry out easily because of the protein powder, so keep it tightly wrapped up at all times. It can remain on the counter for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 10 days.
This keto sour cream loaf cake recipe has 7.9g of carbs and 4.3g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.6g net carbs per slice.
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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Was there a reason for using a I ado oil vs butter in this recipe? I’m thinking browned butter might give it a nice flavor boost
Feel free to try that!
Can this be made into muffins? For me, it would be easier to pack for breakfast and freeze as a muffin. I love baked goods with sour cream and am anxious to try it.
You probably want this recipe: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-chocolate-chip-muffins/
I mightve overcooked this because mine turned out super dry and tasteless. And it got dark all around, even though I used parchment paper and covered the top with foil. Sorry, Caroline, this one was a bomb for me. Too bad, it used a lot of ingredients.
From your description, I can tell you used a sweetener that contained allulose. As I state clearly in my tips section: “I recommend using an erythritol-based sweetener for this loaf cake. Sweeteners that contain allulose will make it darken very quickly on the outside and it may even taste burnt. Of course, you can use what you like best, but just know that it may affect the results.”
So simple yet delicious!
Can beef protein isolate be used instead of whey or egg white protein powder?
No, it will make it very gummy and hard to cook through.
It says 1 T. gelatin- would I just use that much out of a pouch of Knox, or is that the size of a packet? I’ve never use Knox, but I miss bread as a diabetic so I’m excited to try this bread. Thank you!
Just use the 1 envelope… it has more “gelling” power than the kind in a canister.
I made it yesterday, & it turned out great! Really moist. I did not have gelatin on hand, but I had the Keto Vanilla Collagen (this brand from a previous suggestion from you in a previous post), so I followed your suggestion as in your post for the recipe at hand. I had a little difficulty with the parchment “sling,” but I think that it was due to a lack of experience. I had some last night & some today (still plenty moist & delicious!).
I had some toasted sliced almonds in the fridge (about 1 T), so I threw them into the batter, too, to use them up. I used an erythritol-based sweetener. I also whisked the dry ingredients together before adding them to the wet batter. Other than these things, I followed your recipe to a “t.” It took a lot longer to bake, more like at least 20 mins more; I don’t know if that was due to my changes or not. I kept checking at 5-minute intervals, and yes, I did have to cover it with foil before it was done. I stored some pieces in the freezer, the rest in the fridge.
Thanks, Carolyn, for another wonderful recipe!
I made this wonderful loaf cake as soon as I saw the recipe. I did not have sour cream, so I substituted Greek yogurt. I tossed in a handful of toasted pecans as well. I did have to add an additional 8 minutes to the baking time. It looked delectable when I removed it from the oven. I let it cool about half an hour and attempted to lift it out by the overhanging parchment, but the top began to crack, so I let it cool another half hour. Next time I make this, I will let it sit a full hour. This loaf of scrumptiousness is super moist and tastes better than it looks. I will definitely be making this again and may add banana extract to the batter.
Easy quick loaf I did not have vanilla protein powder so added 1 tsp vanilla & another tablespoon of Swerve brown sugar.
I made this today. Oh boy it is delicious and so moist. Such a perfect breakfast bread. I love the idea of the Gelatin. You are without a doubt the Queen of keto baking!
This recipe was the first time I have used gelatin in any baked goods. I am amazed at how the texture of this cake changed and make this more cake like
Great to hear!