This keto poke cake recipe features tender low carb cake with a rich coconut cream filling and a delicious sugar free whipped cream topping. It’s a sweet and creamy dessert everyone will love!
Coconut Cream Poke Cake is an oldie but a goodie, and much deserving of an update. If you love my Keto Coconut Cream Pie, you definitely want to try this!
The idea of poke cake has cast a bit of a spell over me. For a long time, I didn’t see the appeal of these desserts, as they typically use boxed mix and store-bought Jello. But once I started making my own healthier keto versions from scratch, I was hooked.
And now I’ve got several variations of keto poke cake. There’s the fabulous Peanut Butter Poke Cake, the popular Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake, and the classic Strawberry Poke Cake. And I have more fun ideas on the way!
What you will love about this recipe
This Keto Coconut Cream Poke Cake is fun to make and it’s not particularly difficult. It doesn’t rely on boxed mixes or instant pudding, but it comes together easily. And the creamy rich coconut flavor can’t be beat!
It starts with an easy but tender almond flour cake, which you poke holes in once it cools. You then create a sugar-free coconut pudding that gets poured over the cake and sinks down into the holes.
You do need to let that chill and set for a few hours, and then you top it all off with keto whipped cream. The result is so moist and delicious, so light and fluffy, it’s like biting into a coconut cream cloud.
Oh and did I mention it has only 4g net carbs per serving?
Reader Reviews
“We had this for dessert tonight and oh my it lived up to its legend! Thought it was divine!” — Dawn J.
“I made your Coconut Poke Cake for Father’s Day for my Dad who LOVES coconut. It was an extreme hit with everyone, low carb or not, and even those who don’t particularly care for coconut (my husband.) Thanks once again!” — Dee
“OMG! Im in LOVE with this cake! So delicious! I didn’t top it with whipped cream, still so good. Coconuty goodness. Really simple to make. You’re a genius Carolyn! I can never thank you enough for your hard-work and dedication.” — Lee.
Ingredients you need
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- Almond flour: I really love the texture of almond flour for keto poke cake. But if you would prefer a coconut flour version, use the cake portion from my Keto Coconut Cake.
- Shredded coconut: Add unsweetened shredded coconut to the cake batter for texture and flavor. And make sure to garnish the top of the cake with more too!
- Sweeteners: I use Swerve Granular in the cake and allulose in the coconut cream filling. See the Expert Tips section for other sweetener options.
- Protein powder: The protein helps the cake rise properly so I don’t recommend skipping it. You can use whey protein powder or egg white protein powder, but I don’t recommend collagen as it will make the cake gummy and hard to cook through.
- Oil: The cake takes oil, but you can use avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or even melted butter.
- Eggs: The eggs need to be separated, as you use only egg whites in the cake itself, to keep it lighter in color. The pudding uses up most of the yolks.
- Coconut Cream: Unsweetened coconut cream works best for the coconut pudding. It creates a creamy consistency that doesn’t require any gums or added thickeners. You can purchase cans of coconut cream or just use the thick white portion from the top of a can of coconut milk.
- Heavy whipping cream: The topping on this poke cake is a classic whipped cream frosting.
- Extracts: You will need both vanilla extract and coconut extract.
- Pantry staples: Baking powder and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Prepare the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, shredded coconut, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder and salt. Stir in the oil, egg whites, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add just enough liquid for a thick but pourable batter.
2. Bake the cake: Spread the batter in a greased 9×9 inch square baking pan and bake at 325ºF for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the top is just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely in the pan. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake.
3. Temper the egg yolks: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut cream and the sweetener and bring to just a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly whisk about half of the hot coconut cream into the yolks to temper. Then slowly whisk the yolk mixture back into the remaining coconut cream in the pan.
4. Cook the filling: Continue to cook another 3 to 5 minutes, whisking continuously, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes, then pour over the cake, allowing it to sink into the holes. Give the cake a few gentle taps on the counter to help the filling sink in. Refrigerate 2 hours to help it firm up.
5. Whip the cream: In a large bowl, combine the cream, sweetener, and vanilla extract. Whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Spread evenly over the chilled cake.
6. Garnish: Sprinkle the top of the cake with more shredded coconut.
Expert tips
This is an easy keto cake recipe, but it does have several components and several steps. You can make the cake portion a day or two in advance, if you want to break up the process. You can also make the whole thing a day ahead, cover it tightly, and store in the fridge.
Dairy-Free Option: Use egg white protein powder in the cake, and make coconut whipped cream for the topping.
Sweetener Options: You can make the cake itself with almost any sweetener. Do keep in mind that allulose will make the cake brown quite quickly and look much darker on the outside so keep your eye on it while it bakes.
You can also sweeten the whipped cream topping with your preferred sweetener, but I recommend powdered versions to avoid any grittiness.
I like allulose or BochaSweet in the coconut pudding so you don’t get any recrystallization. But you can do erythritol sweeteners or a combination as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Poke cake is so named because you literally poke holes all over the cake so that it absorbs the filling. The filling is usually made of pudding or jello, and it makes the cake extra moist.
Conventional poke cake can have upwards of 30g of carbs per serving. But this keto coconut cream poke cake recipe has 6.4g of carbs and 2.4g of fiber, so it has only 4g net carbs per slice.
Keto poke cake freezes very well. You can freeze it whole or cut it up into individual slices. Make sure to wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn, and it should be food for 2 to 3 months.
More delicious coconut recipes
Keto Coconut Cream Poke Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 1/2 cups (280 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (40 g) shredded coconut
- 2/3 cup (121.33 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1/3 cup (36 g) unflavoured whey protein powder, or egg white protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) avocado oil
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup (78.86 ml) water or almond milk
Coconut Pudding
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) coconut cream
- 1/4 cup (50 g) allulose
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp coconut extract
Topping:
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) whipping cream
- 3 tbsp Swerve Confectioners
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (20 g) shredded coconut
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and grease a 9×9 inch square metal baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, shredded coconut, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder and salt. Stir in the oil, egg whites, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add just enough liquid for a thick but pourable batter.
- Spread the batter in prepared baking pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the top is just firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely in the pan. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake.
Coconut Pudding
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut cream and the sweetener and bring to just a simmer.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly stir in about half of the hot coconut cream, whisking continuously. Then slowly whisk the egg mixture back into remaining coconut cream in the pan.
- Continue to cook another 3 to 5 minutes, whisking continuously, until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in the coconut extract.
- Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes, then pour over the cake, allowing it to sink into the holes. Give the cake a few gentle taps on the counter to help the filling sink in. Refrigerate 2 hours to help it firm up.
Topping
- In a large bowl, combine the cream, sweetener, and vanilla extract. Whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Spread evenly over the chilled cake.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with the shredded coconut.
Video
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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Can you use egg whites from a carton in this recipe? Sounds good so I will be making this soon. Hubby’s B’day coming up.
Yes, carton egg whites would be fine.
This sounds amazing, Carolyn! I love coconut…and cream…so the two together plus cake is genius. I’ll be sharing this one.
This is chilling in the ‘frig. Can’t wait to try it with a cuppa Joe, decaf Joe that is tonight!
Now to decide what to do with the leftover full fat canned coconut milk. Have you ever
tried freezing it?
I will also be looking forward to more poke cakes.
No. I make iced frappuccinos with it. But I bet you could freeze it.
Think you could make some fat bombs from the left overs.
Oh my sweet tooth! This is so moist, so coco nutty! Well worth dragging out the kitchen aid.
Can you use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
No, coconut flour would give you an entirely different consistency.
Ok thanks for the reply I’ll have to stop and get some almond flour!!!!!
A serving is 1/16th of a 9×9 pan?
Wow. Those would end up being bite sized, wouldn’t they?
No, they would not, actually. They are quite a good size. It’s simply cutting the cake into 4 in each direction which is pretty standard for cakes in a square pan. It works out to a square of cake that is a little more than 2 inches by 2 inches.
Awesome!
Thanks for this recipe!
I am looking forward to trying it this summer.
BTW, does the cake look bite-sized in the photo? Because that photo is true to life.
Carolyn, I made the lemon poke cake for my son’s birthday but all the lemon gelatin pooled on top and did not get in the holes. I think it was because the cake hadn’t been totally cold yet (time crunch). Do you think that was the reason? It was really great otherwise but I want to try again and do it right.
I also want to make this one.
OMG – this looks delicious! Can I use coconut flavored Stevia extract in place of the coconut extract? (I know it will be sweeter) Thank you!
I use canned coconut cream from Trader Joes quite a bit and wonder if it could simplify this recipe some. Certainly for making the coconut whipped cream, but potentially for the coconut cream in the cake. Solid but spreadable when chilled, and even at moderate room temperature, I could see using the canned coconut cream with sweetener and extracts blended into the cream, warmed to pourable being put on the cake with out the egg or xanthan gum. I use this coconut cream as a butter replacement on LC bread with jam. It is both cheap, at about $1.79/can, and good.
Did you ever try this? If so, and if it was good, what ingredients/quantities did you use?
Thank you soooooo much for this recipe. Coconut cake is my favorite. A friend of mine made a Coconut poke cake some years back and it was incredible!!! That was before I knew I was diabetic. It was possibly the best thing I’d ever eaten!!! So happy to have this recipe to be able to enjoy such a super moist favorite again. Can’t wait to make it. YOU ROCK, CAROLYN!
Hope you love it, Cindy!
OOoooooh I can’t wait to try this one!! I love me some poke cakes! I’ve never seen them made with regular Jell-O gelatin but I’ve made many with the pudding mix. Make all the poke cakes you want!!! I’ll be a very happy girl 🙂
I will definitely be making them again!
This looks delicious!!! I love coconut!! I wonder if this cake base would work for a low carb strawberry rhubarb dump cake as well….? Can’t wait to try this coconut cake!! Thank you! 🙂
I don’t really know, I’d have to see the recipe for the dump cake.
Here is the recipe in its original form. I would be over the moon excited if there would be hope for a healthy version of this cake! 🙂 Thank you for making healthy so yummy!!!
Rhubarb Dump Cake (print recipe)
What you need:
4 c. fresh rhubarb
1/2 c. sugar
1- 3oz. package strawberry jello
1 box white cake mix
1 c. water
1/3 c. butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rhubarb in a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with sugar and dry gelatin mix. Beat cake mix, water, and butter with a whisk until well blended. Pour over rhubarb and spread to completely cover rhubarb. Bake for 45 minutes or until browned. Serve warm or room temperature with whipped cream!
This rhubarb dump cake used to be my favorite dessert. Since going gluten free, I have swapped the cake mix for a gluten free cake mix just fine, and we also use a sugar free strawberry jello mix and a sugar free sweetener (like Swerve) instead of sugar. So-now I am wondering about subbing a low carb and gluten free “cake mix” and how would it turn out….
Please send me this recipe, because I am not allowed to eat any sugar. Thank you.
Making this TODAY.
This looks good! Though, I have never seen a poke cake made with Jello- thank goodness! Our family just came back from a trip to Disney. This will be perfect to make to help me come down from my sugar high!!!
BTW, I kept receiving an error when trying to access the link from my iPhone and iPad. I had to just go directly to your site. Must love your site to take the extra step!!!
Hmmm, let me check from my own iPad…
Yeah- it was from the email. Weird.
I think it might be your browser. I just tried from my phone and had no problems. Hope it doesn’t happen again!
I am forever confused about the variety of coconut milk called for in recipes! Are you calling for the carton variety in both the cake & the coconut cream?
In the cake, it doesn’t matter. But in the coconut cream, you need the full fat canned variety (which is why I specified full fat and linked to an example). The carton variety is usually quite low fat. I will amend the recipe to say “canned” in the coconut cream.
This recipe looks great! Living low carb I find dessert the hardest to go without!
Ok, I’ll be the idiot that asks…what is a poke cake? That looks tasty but I have no clue what kind of cake that is!
It’s just as the name implies…you poke holes all over it and pour something over that sinks into the holes.
1 “tbsp” of baking powder????
Tbsp is the short form of tablespoon.