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    Home » Keto Cakes » Keto Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake

    Published: Feb 5, 2023 by Carolyn

    Keto Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    2.7K shares
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    This keto poke cake takes all the delicious flavor of your favorite cinnamon rolls and turns it into a delectable sugar-free dessert. It’s fun to make and looks fabulous when you’re ready to serve.

    A slice of keto cinnamon roll cake sits on a white plate over a red striped napkin.

    I love poke cakes. I hadn’t heard of them until a few years ago, but once I tried baking one myself, I was hooked. There is really something delightful about poking holes in a cake and drizzling on a sauce that sinks down into the holes.

    It makes the cake extra moist and delicious, and it also looks super cool when you cut it into slices. I have a few keto poke cake recipes, including Boston Cream Poke Cake, Strawberry Poke Cake, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake.

    And now I am adding this fun and tasty Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake to that list. If you love keto cinnamon rolls but you want something for dessert, this is the cake for you!

    A slice of cinnamon roll poke cake on a white plate in front of the pan of cake.

    Why you need to try this recipe

    I have seen cinnamon roll poke cake recipes before, but they all seem to take a boxed cake mix. I suppose I could have purchased keto vanilla cake mix, but I much prefer to make my own. Honestly, it’s just as easy as boxed mix and has better flavor and texture.

    The cinnamon filling is simple to make and insanely delicious. I recommend Swerve Brown for real cinnamon roll flavor and a little allulose or BochaSweet to keep it from recrystallizing. Add plenty of ground cinnamon, as you want that flavor to come through in the finished cake.

    The cake is topped off with a sugar-free cream cheese frosting that is fluffy and sweet. And pairs perfectly with the tender cake.

    While this keto cinnamon roll cake has a number of steps, it’s actually quite straightforward. It takes less than an hour to make. And each delectable slice has only 3.3g net carbs!

    Close up shot of a slice of cinnamon roll poke cake.

    Ingredients

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    • Almond flour: As always, choose a finely ground almond flour for the best cake texture. If you would prefer to use coconut flour, follow the cake recipe from my Keto Chantilly Cake.
    • Swerve Sweetener: You will need a number of different sweeteners for this recipe. The cake portion takes granular sweetener, the filling takes brown sugar substitute, and the frosting requires a confectioner’s sweetener. You can use other brands but I prefer Swerve Sweetener for all of these.
    • Allulose: I also used some allulose in the filling to make it soft and keep it from recrystallizing. You can also use BochaSweet or xylitol.
    • Protein powder: Protein powder helps keto baked goods rise and be lighter and fluffier. I used whey protein isolate for this cake, but you can also use egg white protein. Do not use collagen, as it will make it gummy and hard to cook through.
    • Cinnamon: Can’t be a cinnamon roll cake without plenty of cinnamon!
    • Glucomannan: A little thickener like glucomannan helps the filling set better. You can also use xanthan gum.
    • Cream cheese: The frosting is cream cheese based, just like real cinnamon rolls.
    • Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla extract.

    Step by Step Directions

    A collage of 6 images showing how to make cinnamon roll poke cake.

    1. Prepare the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, butter, vanilla, and water until well combined.

    2. Bake the cake: Spread evenly in a greased 9×9 inch pan and bake at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown on the edges and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool in the pan.

    3. Poke it: Once cool, use a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake. Make sure to poke a lot of holes the filling gets into every little part of the cake.

    4. Prepare the filling: In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the butter and sweeteners. Whisk until the sweeteners are dissolved. Stir in the cream and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and whisk in the glucomannan. Cook about 3 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool to a sauce-like consistency.

    5. Fill the holes: Drizzle the sauce all over the cake, making sure to get some of the filling into every hole.

    6. Frost the cake: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 2 minutes, until well creamed. Beat in the sweetener and vanilla extract. Add the cream and beat until well combined. Spread over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

    A fork taking a bite out of a slice of cinnamon roll poke cake.

    Expert Tips

    Sweeteners: This recipe takes 4 different sweeteners, and it works best this way. There is a method to my madness! A little allulose or BochaSweet in the filling helps it stay softer and not recrystallize. But if you don’t have any, it will still be a delicious cake.

    If you can’t get Swerve Brown, you can fake it with some granular and a little molasses. You would only need about 1 teaspoon and it will add less than half a gram of carbs to each serving.

    Protein powder: Yes, this is a critical ingredient and if you plan on doing any amount of keto baking, you will want to get some. It helps replace the gluten in keto cakes and baked goods so that they rise nicely and have a better texture. If you omit it, your cake will not rise as nicely.

    Thickeners: The filling needs a little help thickening up and I like to use glucomannan for this. But xanthan gum also works, and you may even be able to use a tablespoon of collagen to the same effect.

    Nut-Free Version: You can make this cake with coconut flour rather than almond flour. But it takes a lot of other adjustments, so it’s best to follow a recipe for a coconut flour cake and bake it in the square pan. My Chantilly Cake would work well. Keep your eye on it as I am not entirely sure how long it will take to bake.

    Top down image of two slices of keto cinnamon roll cake on white plates with a red striped napkin.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why is it called a poke cake?

    Poke cakes are so named because you really do poke holes in the cake. You then pour over a delicious filling such as jello, pudding, or caramel sauce that sinks down into the holes. When you cut the cake into slices, you see vertical lines of the filling right through the cake.

    How many carbs are in cinnamon roll poke cake?

    A conventional cinnamon roll poke cake contains upwards of 40g of carbs per serving. Yikes! But this delicious sugar free keto cake has only 5.4g of carbohydrate and 2.1g of fiber. That means it has only 3.3g net carbs per serving.

    How do you store keto cinnamon roll cake?

    Unless you live in a very hot environment, this cake can be kept on the counter, tightly covered, for 2 to 3 days. You can also store it in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for several months.

    A slice of keto cinnamon roll cake on a white plate with a fork.

    Love cinnamon? Check out these delicious recipes!

    • Keto Coffee Cake
    • Instant Pot Cinnamon Roll Bread
    • Mini Cinnamon Roll Cheesecakes
    • Keto Snickerdoodles
    • Keto Candied Pecans
    • Easy Keto Cereal
    Close up shot of a slice of cinnamon roll poke cake.

    Keto Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake

    This keto poke cake takes all the delicious flavor of your favorite cinnamon rolls and turns it into a delectable sugar-free dessert. It's fun to make and looks fabulous when you're ready to serve.
    4.80 from 15 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: cinnamon roll poke cake
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 16 servings
    Calories: 306kcal

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • 2 ½ cups almond flour
    • ⅔ cup Swerve Granular
    • ⅓ cup unflavored whey protein powder
    • 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 3 large eggs
    • ½ cup butter melted
    • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup water more as needed

    Filling

    • ¼ cup butter
    • ¼ cup Swerve Brown
    • 3 tablespoon allulose (or BochaSweet)
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • 2 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon glucomannan or xanthan gum

    Frosting

    • 6 ounces cream cheese softened
    • ¼ cup butter softened
    • ½ cup Swerve Confectioners
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup warm heavy cream
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    Cake

    • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9×9 inch metal baking pan.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, butter, vanilla, and water until well combined.
    • If the batter is very thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. It shouldn't be pourable, but you should be able to scoop and spread it easily.
    • Spread evenly in the prepared pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown on the edges and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool in the pan.
    • Once cool, use a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake.

    Filling

    • In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the butter and sweeteners. Whisk until the sweeteners are dissolved. Stir in the cream and cinnamon.
    • Bring to a simmer and whisk in the glucomannan. Cook about 3 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool to a sauce-like consistency.
    • Pour over the cake, making sure to get some of the filling into every hole.

    Frosting

    • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 2 minutes, until well creamed. Beat in the sweetener and vanilla extract.
    • Add the cream and beat until well combined. Spread over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

    Notes

    Storage Information: Unless you live in a very hot environment, this cake can be kept on the counter, tightly covered, for 2 to 3 days. You can also store it in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for several months.
    Nutrition Facts
    Keto Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake
    Amount Per Serving (1 serving = 1/16th of cake)
    Calories 306 Calories from Fat 247
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 27.4g42%
    Carbohydrates 5.4g2%
    Fiber 2.1g8%
    Protein 7.8g16%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    2.7K shares

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    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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    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Laura mueller says

      March 25, 2023 at 12:36 pm

      Could I use vital protein unflavored collagen peptides instead of whey protein? This looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        March 25, 2023 at 5:40 pm

        No, they really don’t work the same way and collagen will make this cake very gummy and hard to cook through.

        Reply
    2. Kristin Bemis says

      March 18, 2023 at 6:08 am

      5 stars
      I almost never leave reviews but this cake needed one. This was amazing. It tasted like a cinnamon roll and the most amazing cake had a baby. This will be a recipe that I make time and time again. I have been missing cinnamon rolls and can’t seem to make keto ones successfully so this is a perfect alternative. I had the issue where it wasn’t cooked at the end of the time it should have been. I added another 10 minutes and it was still a little jiggly in the middle but I decided to take it out anyway. Once it cooled it was perfect. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes you provide. It keeps me on track and I never feel like I’m missing out on dessert or breakfast because cake is ok for breakfast!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        March 19, 2023 at 10:34 am

        I am so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    3. Ginger says

      February 28, 2023 at 9:52 am

      3 stars
      The final cake tasted good. I had the same problems as Cece and Jocelyn, it took forever to bake. My oven temp is fine, I checked it with a thermometer. Everything was exactly like the recipe, including a metal pan. My best guess is the brand of the ingredients must make a difference. Cooking longer isn’t a big deal but I did want to share so future bakers can be aware that it might take longer.

      Reply
    4. Tom says

      February 23, 2023 at 1:49 am

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! I made a few mistakes along the way, but overall it came out great. I used apple flavoring instead of vanilla in the frosting for an extra flavor hit. It went well with the cinnamon.

      I would really love if you could include a carb count for licking the spoon…or the beaters…or whatever else has stuff on it. 😉

      One serious thing I would like to see is some sort of guide or tips for cooking these recipes at high altitude. I have a lot of trouble getting the cakes/brownies to come out anywhere near right at my altitude.

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 23, 2023 at 10:17 am

        I wish I could be your guide for high altitude but I’ve never lived or baked at it so I am no expert!

        Reply
    5. Caroline Nielson says

      February 22, 2023 at 11:26 am

      5 stars
      I’m giving this cake a 5 star rating because of taste, but I must say I didn’t like the way the filling turned out! It was not pourable to say the least. It ended up being a saucepan of stodgy, slimy jelly! I’m not sure, but I would say that the amount of Xanthum gum may have been the culprit. I literally had to scrape off the stuff because it would not drizzle, it just lumped onto my cake. Like I said, it tasted amazing and we devoured it. I’ve tried to find glucomannan, but have been unable to. Maybe that would have made the difference???

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 22, 2023 at 1:03 pm

        You’re not the only one with this problem and it has to be the xanthan, so next time… add more cream!

        Reply
        • Caroline Nielson says

          February 22, 2023 at 2:47 pm

          I ended up adding water to try and thin it out. I didn’t think of more cream lol.
          I’m going to try and find gluconamman on Amazon. I have never added more than 1/4 tsp of xanthum normally so I thought that was it.

          Reply
      • Sheila Mustain says

        March 20, 2023 at 2:44 pm

        5 stars
        This happened to me too. It’s like cinnamon gloop. Very delicious but offputting texture. Still tastes GREAT. Just kind plopped it on and tried to push it down in the holes.

        Reply
        • Carolyn says

          March 20, 2023 at 2:45 pm

          Yup, people are finding that with xanthan gum so I think I need to reduce the amount… I much prefer glucomannan.

          Reply
    6. Cece says

      February 12, 2023 at 12:11 am

      4 stars
      I am not sure why I had difficulty with this cake. After baking extra 10 minutes, the cake still refused to fully bake. Any suggestions?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 12, 2023 at 8:58 am

        I would need to know a lot more. What kind of pan you used, what almond flour, what sweetener… I may be able to identify the problem with some of that info.

        Reply
      • Jocelyn says

        February 12, 2023 at 3:23 pm

        the same thing happened to me. I followed everything to a tee and still the middle was gooey, even after 30 minutes. I have made probably somewhere around 100 of Carolyn’s dessert recipes and they all turn our great but couldn’t get this cake to cook right.

        Reply
        • Carolyn says

          February 12, 2023 at 8:20 pm

          I cannot imagine why that would be, if you used the same ingredients I did. I’ve had many people make this with success already. What kind of pan did you use?

          Reply
          • Jocelyn says

            February 20, 2023 at 8:48 pm

            I used a square metal pan. it was still good even undercooked in the center.

            Reply
            • Carolyn says

              February 21, 2023 at 8:13 am

              Most people don’t have this issue but a few of you do and I can’t quite figure out why!

    7. Lana says

      February 07, 2023 at 8:01 pm

      This looks so so good! Could I substitute or omit the protein powder ??

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 08, 2023 at 9:27 am

        Please read the blog post as I already discussed this.

        Reply
    8. Jan says

      February 06, 2023 at 10:50 am

      5 stars
      This poke cake is delicious! Because of nut allergies l, I used tigernut flour instead. It subs out cup got cup with almond flour. 😋

      Reply
    9. Robin says

      February 06, 2023 at 6:10 am

      5 stars
      I was wondering could this cake be made in a bunt cake pan?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 06, 2023 at 9:23 am

        It’s not big enough for a regular 9-inch bundt pan. It would be very shallow.

        Reply
    10. Sherri says

      February 05, 2023 at 5:11 pm

      Is whey powder all that we can use? I’m seeing it more and more but don’t buy it.

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 05, 2023 at 6:50 pm

        Please read the blog post as I gave another suggestion.

        Reply
    11. Jo says

      February 05, 2023 at 3:37 pm

      I saw this cake and immediately got the ingredients out to get to room temperature. Can’t wait to try this! Thank you for all the amazing recipes you create and share!

      Reply

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