Published: Apr 21, 2020 · Modified: Feb 23, 2022 by Carolyn

Keto Margarita Cake

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Margarita cake is a spectacular keto layer cake flavored with a little tequila and plenty of fresh lime. Impress your friends with this delicious sugar-free cake recipe!

Close up photo of a slice of keto margarita cake with cut lime on the plate.

A few months ago, a reader on Facebook suggested I make a margarita cake. And of course, I had to agree wholeheartedly, because yum….margaritas! Why would I not want to turn my favorite cocktail into a keto cake?

I had actually saved a few recipes on Pinterest as inspiration, even before my reader reached out to suggest it. It was exactly the push I needed.

And with Cinco do Mayo just around the corner, I decided it was high time to attempt a Keto Margarita Cake!

If you love the cocktail as much as I do, be sure to check out my awesome Sugar-Free Margaritas. These are the real deal!

The whole keto margarita cake on a cake platter with two limes in front.

Margarita cake inspiration

There are so many amazing cakes to be found on Pinterest, and one site I am constantly deriving inspiration from is Life Love & Sugar.

Obviously, Lindsay’s MO is completely different from mine. Her cakes are the full carb, sugar, and wheat version. But they are so stunning, they always stop me in my tracks.

I honestly can’t tell you how many of them I’ve saved to my inspiration board on Pinterest. And I’ve even modelled a few other low carb cakes after hers, including my Keto Turtle Cupcakes.

I won’t lie, Lindsay is a much better cake decorator than I am. But we are working with very different ingredients too, and I think I do a serviceable job with what I have.

Does this cake taste like margaritas?

The answer to this is: sort of.

There is actually some tequila in the cake itself. The flavor isn’t all that strong and because I didn’t want to throw off my wet to dry ratio, I couldn’t add too much of it.

If you want to skip it, that’s fine too. Just replace the ⅓ cup of tequila with ⅓ cup of water.

But there is plenty of lime juice and lime zest in this margarita, and that zingy flavor stands out deliciously. If you’re a lime lover, this cake is going to be a huge hit.

If you prefer a basic keto vanilla cake, I’ve got that too!

A slice of keto margarita cake on a white plate with limes and gerbera daisies in the background.

Creamy keto lime frosting

The cake itself is pretty straightforward, and it’s along the lines of many of my other keto cake recipes. But the frosting really took some consideration, and I want you to have the full benefit of my tips for this.

I knew from the get-go that nothing would beat the creamy richness of my sugar-free Swiss meringue buttercream. It is hands down the best keto vanilla frosting on the planet. And trust me, I don’t say that lightly.

However, I was worried that adding a lot of lime juice to it would make it a soupy mess. No one wants the frosting oozing all over the place on their keto margarita cake!

So I decided on a bit of a work around, where I also created a small amount of keto cream cheese frosting. I then folded these two together to give the frosting more structure.

It worked better than I could have hoped. The frosting held up beautifully and had the perfect tangy lime flavor.

It’s a big cake so I offered some to a few friends, and it got rave reviews. And these are non-keto people, so you know it’s good stuff.

Ready to try making my Keto Margarita Cake?

A slice of margarita cake on a white plate over a green napkin, with limes and the rest of the cake in the background.

More delicious keto lime recipes

Margarita Cake – Keto

Margarita cake is a spectacular keto layer cake flavored with a little tequila and plenty of fresh lime. Impress your friends with this delicious sugar-free cake recipe!

4.67 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: keto margarita cake, margarita cake

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 317kcal

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups almond flour
⅓ cup coconut flour
⅓ cup unflavored whey protein powder (or egg white protein powder)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened
⅔ cup Swerve Sweetener
5 large egg whites room temperature
2 tablespoon lime zest (about 2 limes)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup tequila
¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

Frosting

1 recipe Swiss Meringue Buttercream
4 ounce cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoon butter, softened
¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
2 tablespoon lime zest (about 2 limes)
¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease 2 8-inch round baking pans. Line the bottoms with parchment and grease the parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until lighter and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg whites, lime zest, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Add the almond flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the tequila and lime juice. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters as needed.
Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and spread evenly to the edges. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden on the edges and the top is firm to the touch. Remove and let cool in the pans.

Frosting

Prepare the Swiss Meringue Buttercream as directed in the recipe.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with the powdered sweetener until well combined. Beat in the lime juice and lime zest until smooth.
Fold the Swiss Meringue Buttercream into the cream cheese frosting until well combined.

To Assemble

Run a sharp knife around the inside of the cake pans to loosen. Place one layer of cake on a cake plate or serving platter and spread with about ⅓ of the frosting, spreading all the way to the edges.
Top with the second cake layer and spread the top and sides with the remaining frosting. There should be plenty left for piping some rosettes on the top.
Decorate with lime zest and lime slices.

Nutrition Facts

Margarita Cake – Keto

Amount Per Serving (1 serving = 1/16th of cake)

Calories 317 Calories from Fat 246

% Daily Value*

Fat 27.3g42%

Carbohydrates 5.9g2%

Fiber 2.4g10%

Protein 7.4g15%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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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