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 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ⅓ cup unflavoured whey protein powder or egg white protein powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ to ½ cup water or almond milk
Coconut Pudding
- 1 cup coconut cream
- ¼ cup allulose
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
Topping:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3 tablespoon Swerve Confectioners
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup 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.
Bridgitte says
My husband and I cannot tolerate allulose due to GI issues, what sweetener woul you recommend for the pudding instead? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Please make sure you are reading the full blog post as I already address with question.
Carol Matz says
Carolyn, this recipe was absolutely DIVINE!!!! How DO you do it??? Thank you so very much for the occasional treats we allow ourselves on our Keto journey!
Marian Petrovic says
May I use allulose with monk fruit in all your recipes in place of swerve?
Carolyn says
No, allulose bakes very differently. Please read this: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/best-keto-sweeteners/
Donna Davis says
I made this cake once, and love it! But a neighbor made me a
(non-keto, instant pudding) version that had one advantage: Pineapple!! I am making this again for my book club, and when making the cake, used the juice I drained from canned crushed pineapple for the liquid, and added some of the crushed pineapple to the pudding. I am sure it may have an unacceptable amount of carbs as a result, but think it will become my favorite occasional treat! Heavenly!
Donna Davis says
Heads up on this recipe: althouigh the almond flour says 2 1/2 cups, when you print it out and choose the “metric” option, it says 591.47 grams. Shouldn’t it be more like 245 grams? Maybe the metric did not get corrected? I surely had to double the liquid and my “batter” was VERY thick! (The cake is still going to be awesome!)
Carolyn says
Yikes, that’s not good. It should be more like 280g. I will go in and fix that…
Tree says
Oh WOW!!! This just became one of my new favorite desserts! So moist and flavorful. I toasted the shredded coconut for the topping but otherwise made it exactly as written. Perfection!
Sharon says
I made it tonight and all I can say is yummy.
Ton says
To get 1 cup of coconut cream do you open a ~14 oz can of coconut cream and stir the milky water at the bottom with the top layer of cream and only use 1 cup of the mix or do you just use the ~1 cup of thick cream at the top and ditch the milky water?
Carolyn says
You ONLY take the thick part from the top.
Dawn says
Hello, This looks delicious. I have a tree nut allergy. Are the measurements different if I substitute with coconut flour? Thank you for your time. dawnstickney@comcast.net
Carolyn says
You cannot use coconut flour in this recipe. Sorry, it would be a disaster.
Nicole says
I would love to make a version of this that’s more like tres leches cake or even just vanilla. I do not like coconut flavoring. so, I could make it and leave it the coconut extract out. but I can’t figure it what to use in place of the coconut cream. I can’t stand the coconut cream in any recipe. this recipe looks so yummy though.
Carolyn says
Use heavy whipping cream.
Patti Babij says
This looks so yummy! Can I substitute a different oil for the avocado oil?
Carolyn says
Please read the blog post as I already addressed that! 🙂
Patti Babij says
Sorry I just saw that!
Faye A laufer says
It is way to hot in Arkansas to bake anything right now, but I have this one on my list to make.. I have made the earthquake cake a few times to everyones delight♥️
Carolyn says
Sorry it’s so miserably hot for you!
Michelle Fisher says
The instructions in the recipe doesn’t say when to add the coconut extract. I was able to view the video as to when it should be added. Just fyi. I love these recipes. Thank you for being so creative.
Diana says
When do you put the coconut extract into the custard mixture? It’s not listed in the recipe. Thanks.
Sheila Ann Keller says
This was absolutely divine!!! I hope that lemon poppy seed is up soon on your flavors that you are perfecting!!!
Mary says
Thanks for all your fabulous recipes! I had copied this recipe a month ago but didn’t make it until today. The recipe from a month ago is different from this one and I was wondering why. The first recipe called for 1 cup of almond milk but this one only 1/3 – 1/2. I had to use more than 1/2 cup to get it pourable. It was still very thick. Could I have done something wrong? Thanks for any insight!
Carolyn says
This is an updated recipe, with less flour… thus less almond milk is necessary. Did you accidentally use too much flour?
Natasha says
I had to use right at 1 cup of Almond Milk to make mine pourable.
Nancy Walters says
My favorite cake! May I offer some editing on this new version?
“Can I freeze Keto Coconut Cream Poke Cake? …and it should be food for 2 to 3 months.” – Correct food to good.
The step-by-step instructions for Coconut Pudding do not include the addition of 1 tsp coconut extract.
I hope this helps. Thank you for such wonderful recipes!
Caroline Videmark says
I’m missing the Metric System-button! Please? 🙂
Love your fine, informative and well-thought channel on UT!
Best regards from Denmark
Carolyn says
Thanks for the reminder… just added it!
Terri Rico says
Can I substitute the coconut cream for heavy whipping cream? And if I can should I add alittle more coconut extract to get more coconut flavor?
Carolyn says
Sure, sounds good!
Lois says
So, if I don’t have a metal pan, are there any adjustments to use a glass pan? I couldn’t find anything in the notes.
Carolyn says
Yup… google adjustments for baking in glass and you will find some suggestions. It will likely take quite a bit longer to bake thorugh.