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!
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!
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 1/3 cup of tequila with 1/3 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!
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?
More delicious keto lime recipes
- Keto Key Lime Pie Bars
- Macadamia Lime Muffins
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Key Lime Sugar Cookies
- Cucumber Lime Margaritas
- Key Lime Mousse
Margarita Cake – Keto
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup unflavored whey protein powder, (or egg white protein powder)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 5 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tbsp lime zest, (about 2 limes)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup tequila
- 1/4 cup lime juice, (about 2 limes)
Frosting
- 1 recipe Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 4 ounce cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp lime zest, (about 2 limes)
- 1/4 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 1/3 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
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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This cake had a lovely delicate taste- the flavor ratio of zest/juice/tequila was spot on… but I have to agree with another review that it was really dry, and crumbly. I watched it carefully and cooked it a bit under time until edges were barely golden, but it was still like a dry spongecake. What may help is giving weight measurements in the recipe- especially when working with ultra absorbent coconut flour. *Swiss meringue buttercream was perfection and loved the combo of folding it w the cream cheese frosting. Thanks!
So I still think you are over-baking it, if it’s dry. I don’t know what your oven is like or what pans you used, but I think you should be taking cakes out earlier. Watch my video here about not over-baking your cakes: https://youtu.be/ucO01S-kCQg
I just made this!!Absolutely tremendous! I made your lemon curd as well but subbed with lime and utilized between the layers of cake. Received many compliments and requests for recipe. Thank you for all you do for all of us!!
Could I turn this into cake pops using one of the cake pop methods you have on the site?
Sure!
This cake is a lot of work, but it is absolutely worth it! My friends/family did not believe it was grain & sugar free! That’s how good it is!
So glad to hear it!