When it comes to decadent keto cake recipes, I do not mess around. I take the responsibility very seriously. I do my research, I study the classics, and I do everything within my power to nail both the taste and the texture. And this Keto Chocolate Pound Cake is the perfect example.
There are so many wonderful ways to make keto chocolate cake, from classic layer cakes to easy Texas sheet cake. But this keto pound cake recipe is in a class of its own. Don’t be fooled by the unassuming appearance, as it belies an unbeatable texture and rich, deep chocolate flavor.
I really did spend some time researching pound cakes and what makes them unique. And I came away with a better understanding of how to achieve the same results with keto-friendly ingredients. I used more eggs and less leavening agents, and I let it rise slowly in the oven.
The results are truly spectacular so I hope you will give it a try!
Why you will love this recipe
- Moist and tender: This keto cake contains both butter and sour cream, so it is incredibly moist and rich.
- Perfect crumb texture: I was worried the crumb might be a bit spongy but it turned out perfectly!
- Rich chocolate flavor: The deep, dark chocolate flavor comes from the combination of Dutch process cocoa, black cocoa, and espresso powder.
- Easy to make: While it does take some attention to detail, this keto pound cake is quite easy to make.
- Great macros: With 7 grams of carbs and 3.6 grams of fiber, this delicious dessert is ideal for low carb and keto diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: Fine blanched almond flour provides the best results for all sorts of keto cakes. I do not recommend coconut flour in this recipe, but you could try sunflower seed flour if you want to be nut-free.
- Cocoa powder: I use a combination of Dutch process cocoa powder and black cocoa powder. If you can’t find black cocoa powder, just use more of the Dutch process.
- Protein powder: Even for pound cake, a little protein powder helps the texture. I really love the chocolate protein powder from Just Ingredients. But any whey, egg white, or vegan protein should work.
- Sweetener: I recommend using a brown sugar substitute for the best flavor. You do need a granulated sweetener for this recipe, as beating it into the butter helps the texture.
- Coffee: I add a little brewed coffee and espresso powder to help enhance the chocolate flavor in this pound cake.
- Sour cream: I love using sour cream in baked goods like keto muffins and cakes. It makes this pound cake extra tender. You can sub Greek yogurt if you must, but it’s not quite the same.
- Heavy whipping cream: This is used to make the chocolate ganache glaze for the cake.
- Sugar-free chocolate chips: Your preferred brand will work well.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
Step by Step Directions
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powders, whey protein, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Break up any clumps as much as possible.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In another large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat in until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the beaters and the sides of the bowl.
- Beat the two mixtures together: Add the almond flour mixture and beat until well combined, then beat in the coffee (or water).
- Bake: Spread the batter in a greased 9×5 inch metal loaf pan lined with parchment paper and smooth the top. Bake at 325ºF for 60 to 75 minutes, until the top is risen and is just firm to the touch. Do not over-bake. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Loosen the edges with a sharp knife and lift the loaf out by the overhanging parchment. Let cool completely.
- Prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and allulose. Bring to a simmer. Add the chocolate chips and let sit a few minutes to melt, then whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled pound cake.
Tips for Success
Pound cake isn’t hard to make but it’s worth taking the time to do it right. The unique dense-but-tender quality takes some attention to detail so don’t skip steps or try to take shortcuts!
Be sure to have all of your cake ingredients at room temperature. That includes the butter, eggs, sour cream, and coffee. Also be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters multiple times to get everything properly mixed in.
Whisk the dry ingredients together before you start, and use a fork to break up any clumps in the almond flour, cocoa powder, or protein powder. This goes a long way to making a smooth batter.
Do not over-bake this cake. Keep a close eye on it while it’s in the oven. When the top has risen and feels firm to the touch, with no squishiness underneath, get it out and let it cool.
Sweetener Options
I recommend a granular sweetener for the cake itself, as you need to whip air bubbles into the butter and only a crystalline structure will do that. I also caution against using allulose in the cake, as it takes a long time to bake. Allulose will brown it much faster and the outside will likely become burnt.
For the glaze, I add 1 tablespoon of allulose to keep it from re-crystallizing. If you don’t have allulose, you can try xylitol. You can make the glaze without it but it often does get that re-crystallization as the erythritol sweetener cools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pound cakes typically contain a higher proportion of butter/fat and eggs than classic sponge cakes. They also contain less leavening agents such as baking powder. This results in a texture that is more dense and often more moist than regular cake.
Store the cake, tightly covered, on the counter for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. It can also be frozen for several months.
This keto key chocolate pound cake recipe has 7.1g of carbs and 3.6g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.5g net carbs per slice.
More luscious chocolate cake recipes
Keto Chocolate Pound Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Pound Cake
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (43 g) cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp (10.14 g) black cocoa powder, (or more cocoa powder)
- 1/3 cup (36 g) chocolate whey protein powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar substitute
- 2/3 cup (153.33 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) room temperature coffee
Chocolate Ganache
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp allulose , or xylitol
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease a 9×5 inch metal loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper with overhanging sides and grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powders, whey protein, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Break up any clumps as much as possible.
- In another large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat in until smooth.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the beaters and the sides of the bowl.
- Add the almond flour mixture and beat until well combined, then beat in the coffee (or water).
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 60 to 75 minutes, until the top is risen and is just firm to the touch. Do not over-bake.
- Remove and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Loosen the edges with a sharp knife and lift the loaf out by the overhanging parchment. Let cool completely.
Chocolate Ganache
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and allulose. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the chocolate chips and let sit a few minutes to melt, then whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled pound cake.
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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I’m making this in a few minutes. my regular pound cake is made in a cake pan. after it cools I cut it in half. would the cake pan make the recipe too dry? This time I will use a bread pan. It’s going to be my strawberry shortcake for my birthday.
Hello Carolyn, I’m new to your keto baking. Is monk fruit advisable in this chocolate pound cake?
Thank you.
Do you mean 100% pure monk fruit, or a “monk fruit blend” (which is mostly erythritol). If the latter, then yes.
Carolyn,
This cake is absolutely the. Best! Our guests loved it, and I am planning to make it again today.
Thank you for making cooking and eating healthy and fun.
You remain in my prayers,
Thanks!
I’ve made some of your other recipes with great results, however for me this one turned out dry. I baked it on the shorter side (60 min). I plan to try it again and watch it more closer, but wondered if there are other things to try to make it more moist.
This one is definitely NOT dry so something went wrong… what kind of pan were you using? Metal or ceramic?
Metal, but the dimensions are a bit larger at 5 1/2 x 9.
I am not a fan of almond flour, but I gotta try this one, looks so good. Thank you Carolyn for all you do for us, truly, I’ve been using your recipes for years now and a lot of those recipe cards are pretty messy by now, cuz they’ve been used over and over. THAN YOU and HAPPY NEW YEAR.
I read your comments about allulose but will the amount in the new Swerve brown sugar replacement make a difference? Should we use no allulose at all? Thanks for you r excellent recipes and books!
It can still cause things to brown too quickly… in this cake, it may be okay but please keep your eye on it.
This one is a winner! Moist yet firm. It was good even without the ganache. I’m thinking about using it to make a baked Alaska with keto ice cream.
Well that sounds amazing!
This pound cake is delicious, amazingly soft and not grainy at all. It turned out perfectly the first time I tried the recipe. It is perfect for chocolate lovers.
Thank you!
Dang auto correct! Do you think this would work if I baked it in a bundt pan? I know I would have to watch the time and make sure I grease the pan well, but it sure would be pretty!
Sure, give it a go! I like the idea of a bundle pan, though. 😉
Love all your recipes! I know I would have to watch the cook time but do you think I bake this in a bundle pan?
I made this for my birthday cake this year. It was FANTASTIC! Rich, chocolaty, moist and just a great texture and flavor. My husand said he would not have known it was keto if I hadn’t told him. Wonderful!
So glad you liked it!
yum! a chocolate lovers dream! and low carb!! thanks for all the delicious recipes!!
Definitely moist and delicious! It was a pick hit when I brought it out. I’m not a coffee drinker so I’ll try water next time I make it… although the coffee wasn’t overwhelming. yum!
do you have to use expresso I don’t like coffee taste and do I have to use the whey protein powder
Please read the blog post as I always discuss why I use certain ingredients.
there was not a strong coffee flavor. I think the coffee flavor i did get was the brewed coffee at the end… but there is an option to add water instead. I’ll try that next time.
Best birthday cake ever!
Happy Birthday!
Wooowzers!!! This is better than my regular poundcake recipe. Moist, dense and oh so chocolatey!! This is a keeper!!! Thanks so much!!