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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HELP I accidentally added the canned coconut milk to the cake ingredients and am wondering if this can be salvaged. Just sick about all the ingredients that may have to go to waste. Thanks
Sorry, I did not see this earlier and was away for several days. What was the outcome?
I finally made this cake last night and Oh Boy! I could just eat the cake w/o all the other good stuff! I only have an 8″ square pan; so, the cake was dense and sturdy – yum. I loved the coconut cream filling so much, that I used the rest of my coconut milk and a couple of the leftover egg yolks to make a coconut custard as another treat option. However, the cake might be my “go to” cake base. I’m thinking a Tres Leches inspired cake might be on the horizon next! This one gets 2 thumbs up (6 if you include my daughters)! I am looking forward to creating my upcoming birthday cake using this recipe!
Thank you for your recipes and your wonderful website! You make low carb living so much easier. Truly appreciated…
So glad you liked it!
The coconut cream did not turn out. It was too thick! I’m not sure what happened. Did you continue cooking it on medium once you placed the egg mixture into the milk?
Sounds like it got overcooked. You do continue to cook it for a bit but only until it just begins to thicken. You have to watch it carefully.
That’s what I thought. Thanks for confirming… Cake still taste great without it!
I made this today and WOW. This recipe is FANTASTIC. I substituted the 1/2 cup of coconut oil in the cake with 1/2 cup kerrygold. I personally don’t like coconut oil in my deserts. Other then that, made as the recipe suggested and it’s hard to believe it’s low carb.
This dessert was fantastic. Even though I messed up the ingredients in the cake by using canned full fat coconut milk. I think the coconut cream would have soaked into the pokes better. But it was great! I also served it with a couple of strawberries and a dab of whipped cream on top a couple of times and blueberries another.
Thank you Caroline for the wonderful low carb recipes. My diabetic husband loves you!
I am sorry I misspelled your name Carolyn.
Just finished to make mine today. Mhhhh delish. Foodgasmic! Don’t remember when i last had such a good cake.
even if my cream split a bit and the coconut whip part didn’t work out as i wanted. still unbelivably good.
I got 20 out of that recipe. I had one, my bunny the other and the rest is waiting in the freezer for whenever i feel like it. *bigsmirk*
Thanks sooo much for sharing!
I made this cake as planned today for my sis’ birthday party. It was a huge hit!!! Sis immediately called it awesome and I heard numerous “umm’s” coming from everyone around me!!
I will definitely be making this again!
Thank you, Carolyn!
So glad to hear it!
Can I sub anything for the whey protein powder? Thanks!! 🙂
Egg white protein powder is a good sub. You really need some sort of dry protein to help it rise properly.
Has anyone tried this with butter instead of coconut oil? I thought it might make a tasty version?
I did, I substituted using 1/2 cup of kerrygold for the coconut oil and it turned really good. I don’t like the taste of coconut oil in dessert recipes but I did liberally spray my pan with coconut oil spray.
this sounds wonderful, however, i really want to know where you got your pan!
It’s a USA Pan and I got mine from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UNMZO4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002UNMZO4&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&linkId=VWT7JH5XDY4MFNJT
Do you think you could use the THM baking blend or at least use half almond flour and half baking blend?
I would do half and half in this. I haven’t tested the Baking blend fully yet but I’ve found that it’s drier and and so a direct replacement here might not get you the texture you want.
i will be making this for my sister’s BD celebration this Saturday!
Being from the South, this is right up my alley. At least I consider Texas as part of the South!!
Thank you, Carolyn’
So sorry for the double post.
Carolyn, do you think this could be made on Friday evening for serving Saturday afternoon or is it best to make and serve same day?
Many thanks,
Alice B.
I think it will be fine on the second day. Ours lasted several days and I noticed no difference from the first day.
i will be making this for my sister’s BD celebration this Saturday!
Being from the South, this is right up my alley. At least I consider Texas as part of the South!!
Thank you, Carolyn’
Oh my goodness, I was up till 1.30 this morning making this cake. Boy was it worth it!! It looks so good, I had a difficult time waiting till after lunch to try it. Perfect! My husband told me “You nailed this”. I told him it was your recipe, you nailed it! And you’re right, it makes 16 good size servings, with the coconut cream and the topping, it filled my whole 9 in square pan. You just might make an excellent low carb baker out of me yet, Carolyn! Thanks so much!
Thanks, Peggy! Glad it was a hit.
This looks amazing!
Mmm…reminds me of the Pepperidge Farm boxed coconut cake, minus the carb overload! Thank you, Carolyn!