For serious chocolate lovers only! This rich keto chocolate pound cake gets a holiday twist with some sugar-free chocolate peppermint ganache and a drizzle of low carb white chocolate. This post is sponsored by ChocZero.
I like to cover all of my bases when it comes to holiday flavor. This year alone, I’ve posted recipes for Keto Gingerbread Cake, Keto Cranberry Bliss Bars, Keto Butter Cookies, a Keto Yule Log, and in a few days I will be posting a recipe for a keto pie made with my sugar-free eggnog.
Of course, it would be remiss of me to leave out the ever-popular chocolate mint flavor. Oh I do love chocolate and mint together, and I can eat it all year long. But there is something so special about chocolate peppermint during the holidays.
So consider this gorgeous Keto Chocolate Pound Cake my chocolate peppermint offering of the season. Now, if you aren’t a fan of mint with your chocolate, you could do this as a regular chocolate pound cake. The mint could easily be left out or replaced with the flavouring of your choice.
And now that keto-friendly white chocolate chips exist, it makes this cake extra festive and delicious. I recommend the ones from ChocZero.
Can pound cake be keto friendly?
In the keto world, there is a lot of faking it. There has to be, since we simply can’t really stay true as true to the original as we might like, and still be keto.
A true pound cake would have a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of eggs, and a pound of sugar, and that’s about it. It’s incredibly rich and dense, and let’s be honest, not so great for you.
But you can achieve a similar texture and richness with keto ingredients, even if they aren’t used in the same proportions. This dense chocolate loaf cake is a prime example. It’s super rich and chocolatey so a little goes a long way!
Tips for Chocolate Peppermint Pound Cake
To get that same dense pound cake crumb, I used a combination of almond flour and coconut flour. Along with the cocoa powder, it produces a denser texture more reminiscent of the real thing.
But don’t leave out that protein powder! It’s not for added protein but for good cake consistency. In the absence of gluten, it helps keto cakes rise better and hold their shape. I left it out once in a chocolate cake like this and I regretted it instantly. The cake was fragile and didn’t rise enough.
My sweetener of choice for this cake is Swerve, of course, but you will notice that it’s not even close to equal a pound of sugar. My tastes have changed considerably and I found ⅔ cup about right for the cake. I wouldn’t have wanted it any sweeter, especially with the ganache on top.
Most granulated sweeteners would work here so feel free to sub. But also feel free to use your judgement on sweetness. If you find dark chocolate flavors too bitter, add more sweetener.
Not all peppermint extracts are created equal, as it turns out. I usually use the Simply Organic brand, which is oil based. But for this cake, I was out of it so I grabbed an alcohol based extract and noticed that it was much less potent so I had to add more to get the flavor I was seeking.
For the white chocolate drizzle, you really want to melt them with some cocoa butter or coconut oil. White chocolate is even more finicky than dark chocolate and this helps keep it from seizing.
For a little added festive touch, I added just a sprinkling of edible glitter from The Sprinkle Company (totally unsweetened). You could do other sugar-free sprinkles, if desired. Or just a light sprinkling of granulated sweetener might look pretty too.
More delicious keto chocolate peppermint recipes
- Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Mousse
- Chocolate Peppermint Stars
- Keto Peppermint Patties
- Keto Peppermint Bark
- Peppermint Mocha
- Chocolate Peppermint Snowballs
Keto Chocolate Peppermint Pound Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Pound Cake
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup whey protein powder or egg white protein powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ⅔ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup water
Chocolate Peppermint Ganache
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 ounces dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
White Chocolate Drizzle
- 1 ounce sugar-free white chocolate chips
- ¼ ounce cocoa butter or ½ tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
Chocolate Pound Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, leaving overhanging sides for easy removal. Grease the parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, whey protein, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the beaters and the sides of the bowl in between additions. Beat in the peppermint and vanilla extracts.
- Add half of the almond flour mixture and beat until well combined, then beat in the cream and water. Beat in the remaining almond flour mixture until combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake 60 to 70 minutes, until the top is firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan and then use the overhanging parchment to lift out of the pan.
Chocolate Peppermint Ganache
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the heavy cream and the powdered sweetener. Whisk until smooth, then bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
- Add the chocolate chips and let sit a few minutes to melt. Add the peppermint extract and whisk until smooth.
- Let the ganach sit 3 to 5 minutes to thicken. It should still be pourable but not runny. Drizzle over the top of the cake and let run down the sides. You can spread it over the sides if you prefer.
- Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
White Chocolate Drizzle
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, combine the white chocolate chips and the cocoa butter. Watch carefully and whisk until smooth (white chocolate can seize easily, especially this small amount).
- Drizzle over the chilled cake and let set.
Mimi says
I would give this 10 stars if I could. I made muffins-25 mins for my oven but I started checking at 20. I used silicone liners so no greasing needed. These are moist and even my non-keto hub loves them. Thank you!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Wendy says
Could I make these into cupcakes? And if so, do I need to make any changes.
Carolyn says
You can, and the baking time will change but you will need to experiment to see how long. Keep your eye on them.
L Hyde says
Can you use protein powder without whey?
Carolyn says
YOu can use other protein powders, but not collagen as it will make it gummy. Use egg white protein powder or pea protein.
Isabel says
I made this cake last night with one substitution. I also didn’t frost. I used almond extract instead of the peppermint extract and the cake turned out fantastic. I’ll definitely make it again and will use the peppermint extract when I make it for the holiday.
Alice R says
Haven’t made this yet. I would like to know if I can use collagen protein powder in this?
Carolyn says
It will make it very gummy and hard to cook through.
Maggie Elmer says
Hi Carolyn! I made this pound cake and the chocolate and peppermint flavors together are wonderful – and the ganache is heavenly (for any chocolate lover)! However, I need help on moistness of the cake. In the photos your cake looks very moist and melt in your mouth good. Mine is pretty dry and I’m wondering if it has anything to do with the sweetener. I changed the sweetener from the recommended Swerve to Allulose – could that be what made my cake dry? If so, should there be an adjustment in the amount of butter to increase moistness?
I’m loving All Day I Dream About Food (because I DO!)!
Carolyn says
Any time you change sweeteners, you take a risk. I find that allulose browns MUCH more quickly so I suspect that’s what’s going on here. I would suggest actually decreasing the baking time a little.
Maggie Elmer says
Thank you for the advice – I will try again and reduce the baking time…and remember to watch the time with other recipes using Allulose. I’ve found that all other low carb sweeteners tend to make me desire to eat more, whereas the Allulose is very satisfying – and deliciously sweet. I’m loving your blog and the bounty of recipes – thank you!!
Carolyn says
Good to know! You can definitely use it, just be aware of its limitations (as with any sweetener… none of them are perfect!).
Read this, it may help! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/best-keto-sweeteners/
Susan Yakus says
I am going to make this for Christmas Eve, and I am wondering can I use Vanilla Whey Protein Powder? It looks SO good. Also, when using Peppermint extract, how different is it from Mint extract? Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Peggy Ensign says
I am just letting my cake cool. And it has sunk terribly in the middle. It came out with a clean tester. I have on occasion had my cakes sink. But not as bad as this time! What makes this happen and what am I possibly doing wrong?
Thank you so much
Carolyn says
It may have come clean but it does sound under-baked. Did you use the protein powder?
Peggy says
Yes I used egg white protein powder. Maybe I should have used the whey
Carolyn says
Egg white protein should be fine. Again it does sound under-baked…