You won’t find a more spectacular keto dessert than this homemade Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake! Tender low carb chocolate cake with layers of no-churn keto ice cream and a sugar-free chocolate glaze.
I am currently obsessed with all sorts of homemade ice cream desserts. I mean, I am always obsessed with ice cream. Who isn’t, right? I love so many of my low carb ice cream recipes. Like the No Churn Maple Pecan Ice Cream. Or my extra easy, stays scoopable Keto Vanilla Ice Cream. And for the real chocolate lovers, how about some Death By Chocolate Ice Cream?
But right now I can’t get enough of dreaming up more elaborate creations like this keto-friendly homemade ice cream cake.
And now that I’ve made it and we’ve eaten it, I can’t stop thinking about it. It was so good! My brain is just simply full of this delicious low carb chocolate cake topped with no-churn Neapolitan ice cream. I see it every time I close my eyes. And I make no apologies for my obsession.
You’d be obsessed too, if you were me. You’re going to be obsessed, just you wait!
No-Churn Neapolitan Ice Cream
Despite owning a gorgeous compressor model ice cream maker, I’ve been making a lot of no churn ice cream these days. I love experimenting with keto ice cream recipes and this cake is no exception.
When I began exploring the idea of a Neapolitan ice cream cake, I did a fair bit of recipe research. And I knew that making it with traditional churned ice cream would put it out of reach for many people. Ice cream makers are wonderful but not everyone has the budget or the space to own one.
One of the recipes that caught my eye was a beautiful ice cream cake from Life, Love, and Sugar. With a name like that, you know her blog is anything but keto friendly. But she did such a gorgeous job on the cake, I thought I would modify it for the keto diet.
Turns our her recipe utilized a cheesecake ice cream base, using cream cheese and Cool Whip. No churning required but you know we aren’t going to go anywhere near that Cool Whip!
So I decided to take a different route and use my sugar-free condensed milk recipe along with the cream cheese, and blend them together. It created the perfect no churn ice cream consistency.
How to Make Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
Despite taking the no-churn approach, this is still something of a complex cake to put together. So I am going to walk you through every step. It’s absolutely worth it, believe me!
Make the low carb sweetened condensed milk. In this case, you’re making an extra large batch with extra sweetener, to carry the sweetness when you mix with the cream cheese. Because this needs to cool for a bit, you could make it first or you could make it while the cake portion is baking. I’ve included full instructions in the recipe itself so you don’t need to try to modify my home-made condensed milk recipe.
You do absolutely need the mix of sweeteners here, or your condensed milk will recrystallize. If you can’t access Bocha Sweet, you can use allulose or xylitol instead.
Make the chocolate cake. This is a scaled down version of keto chocolate cake that I make frequently. I made a very similar version for my low carb Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake a while ago. Be sure to use a 9-inch springform pan and line it with parchment so it’s easier to get the whole finished cake off the bottom of the pan.
I offer you the option of using water or cold coffee. Coffee always enhances and intensifies chocolate flavors. I promise you won’t taste the coffee itself.
Once the cake is cooled, be sure to loosen it from the sides of the springform pan. Unclip the pan sides and then clip them right back up again. This ensures that the cake won’t be stuck to the sides after freezing.
Don’t bother with a parchment collar. A lot of ice cream cake recipes have you creating a collar of parchment to encircle your cake inside the pan. It’s a fussy business and a lot harder than it sounds! I did this back when I made a Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake and at first I tried for this recipe. But the collar doesn’t like to stay put so I gave up.
In the end, it made no difference. Once my cake was frozen properly, the pan sides just slipped right off.
Make the No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream. Once you have the condensed milk ready to go, this part is easy, since you simply blend it with softened cream cheese. You want to taste your mixture and see if it’s sweet enough for you. Since it’s egg free, there is no health risk here. Keep in mind that frozen items like ice cream often taste less sweet than when they are at room temperature.
The take about 2/3 of the vanilla mixture and pour it over the cooled cake, right into the springform pan. Smooth it out.
Make the No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream. Just add the strawberry puree right into your blender with the remaining vanilla mixture. You will see that I had you add some Bocha Sweet to the strawberry puree, to keep it from freezing too hard. Pour this mixture over the vanilla mixture and smooth it out.
Freeze the whole cake for at least 6 hours. Even better, freeze it overnight. You want it very firm when you take off the springform pan sides.
Make the sugar-free chocolate glaze. That part’s easy and then you just pour it over. It will firm up and set almost instantly. Do be forewarned, though, that the glaze becomes a greyish color when kept in the freezer for more than a few hours. This is an unfortunate thing that happens with sugar-free chocolate glazes.
If you are serving it at a function, my best suggestion is to add the glaze right before you serve. It will look perfect at this point!
Ready to become obsessed with my healthy keto Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake? It will surely be the highlight of your summer!
More Delicious Keto Ice Cream Creations
Nutter Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches
Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches
Peppermint Ice Cream Sandwiches
Keto Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 tbsp cold coffee or water
Ice Cream:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup Bocha Sweet divided (or allulose or xylitol)
- 6 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
Chocolate Glaze:
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped and cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9-inch springform pan well. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Add the coffee or water 1 tablespoon at a time until a spreadable consistency is achieved. The batter should not be pourable.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan and bake 30 minutes or until just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely. Once it's completely cool, run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan and loosen the sides. Then tighten the sides back on (this is just to ensure the cake does not stick to the pan sides after freezing).
Ice Cream:
- In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the whipping cream with 6 tablespoons of the Bocah Sweet and all of the powdered Swerve. Bring to just a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Watch carefully as you want it to simmer but not continue to boil. There should be little bubbles along the edges the whole time.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Sprinkle the surface with the xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the strawberries in a blender with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Bocha Sweet. Puree and set aside.
- In a large food processor, combine the cream cheese and the cream mixture. Blend until very smooth. Taste for sweetness and if you want it a bit sweeter, add more powdered Swerve. Add more vanilla if desired.
- Spread about 2/3 of this mixture evenly over the cooled cake.
- Add the strawberry puree to the remaining mixture in the food processor and blend to combine, scraping down the sides of the food processor to ensure it all mixes in. Again, taste for sweetness.
- Spread this mixture over the vanilla in the pan, smoothing the top. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours.
Chocolate Glaze:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to just a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit a few minutes to melt and then whisk in the sweetener and vanilla.
- Let thicken about 5 minutes, then pour over the top of the cake and let drizzle down the sides. It will harden quickly on the frozen cake.
- To serve, heat a sharp knife briefly in hot water or over the flame of gas stove (this is what I do!). Slice straight down, making sure to cut through the bottom cake layer. Work a spatula under the cake but over the parchment paper.
Nutrition
Karen says
Making for Father’s Day dessert. Of course, will have to test drive it first. Looks DELISH – And SO pretty.
Carolyn says
Aw darn. Having to make it twice, that’s awful! 😉
Regina says
Does the vanilla layer need to freeze before you can add the strawberry layer? Thank you!
Carolyn says
No, I would have specified that if it were so. They are thick enough that you can just pour one over the other.
Rula Berg says
Is there anything else I can replace the cream cheese, or can I omit ?? I am allergic to cheese!! Thank you
Carolyn says
Try Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese.
Christy says
About to eat this with some friends. Very excited!
Carolyn says
Let me know how it turns out!
Christy says
Well I made a second one and I wasn’t even finished with the first- so that should be a good indicator! I love this! Honestly it’s so much better than I was expecting. The cake becomes more like a crust when frozen but I’m ok with that. Delicious!!!
Jocelyn says
This is an absolutely gorgeous cake for summer! I can’t wait to try it!
Echo says
This Keto ice cream cake was great! it’s so hard to find yummy Keto recipes.
April says
This is AWESOME! Perfect for summer, and I love that it’s low carb!!
Steph says
This looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Jen says
These layers are so pretty! Love this dessert.
Julia says
My son’s birthday is in July and I’ve been making him an ice cream cake ever since he was a little toddler but never this pretty. I can’t wait to surprise him with this beauty!
Kara says
Looks amazing, especially with that chocolate drizzling down the side! Can’t wait to try it!
Janice walker says
Can this cake be made ahead of time, like 4-5 days… and wait to do the chocolate drizzle the day of the party?
Thank you Janice
Carolyn says
Sure… since it’s frozen it should be fine. Keep it wrapped up tightly so it doesn’t get any freezer burn.
Toni says
This was really amazing! My kids can’t wait for me to try it again!
Chelsea says
This ice cream cake is our summer obsession! It is seriously sooo delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Becky Hardin says
Totally have found my new favorite dessert.
Wendy says
Would you recommend letting the cake sit out at room temperature for a while or do you think it works best right from the freezer
Carolyn says
As long as you used Bocha Sweet for part of the sweetener, it should be fine directly from the freezer.
Wendy says
You have sweetener listed for the cake ingredients but there is no instruction for adding it. Should it be added to dry ingredients
Riley says
Sugar is added in with wet ingredients
Wendy says
You have vanilla for the ice cream but it doesn’t say where to add it in. Do I put it in the condensed milk or add it in the blender
Timea says
Thanks for the recipe, it’s amazing! I used powdered stevia-erythritol blend (1:1 ratio to sugar) and the cake came out perfect. Yes, it’s a bit hard straight out of the freezer but after 15-20 minutes standing on the counter it’s easy to slice. Tastes really good, very hard to stop at one slice. 😋
Carol Blakeslee says
Woukd the ice cream work with a mixture of granular and powdered erythritol?
Carolyn says
Well since it’s all erythritol, it will harden a lot in the freezer, but still be tasty.
Aimee Shugarman says
This was fantastic. The flavor was perfect and presentation turned out just like yours!
Rachael Yerkes says
So delicious! love that it is keto. It is just as yummy as it is pretty
Natalie says
I am so excited to make this! My kids love neopolitan ice cream & I love that it’s keto friendly, so it’s a win, win!
Preet says
Can I use powdered erythritol in place of Bocha sweet??
Thx
Carolyn says
Your ice cream will be very hard.
Holli Krebs says
I’m sorry, don’t mean to be difficult but I don’t understand about the bocha or allulose or xylitol. They are expensive and I usually use erythritol with stevia for me and regular truvia for my family. Could you please explain how my sweeteners would work in this recipe? Thanks always for your amazing recipe skills.
Carolyn says
It’s really very simple. Things made with JUST erythritol based sweeteners will freeze rock hard. Things made with half erythritol based sweeteners and half of the ones I have mentioned will be much softer and you will be able to serve them right out of the freezer, rather than letting it sit on the counter for 20 minutes.
Sneha Epstein says
This looks gorgeous! And I would love to try it tonight but have run out of xylitol / allulose. I do however, have allulose liquid sweetener. Do you think it will work for the ice cream? Thank you!
Carolyn says
I think it should work.