You won’t believe how easy this Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake is to make. And it’s so rich and moist, it doesn’t need any frosting. It’s one of my favorite low carb desserts.
I consider myself something of a keto chocolate cake fanatic. As evidenced by my vast recipe archives with multiple cake recipes, each with their own unique twist. And each special in their own unique way.
I’ve got Keto Flourless Chocolate Cake and Keto Chocolate Zucchini Cake. I’ve got dairy free Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake and Coconut Flour Chocolate Cupcakes. I’ve got simple Keto Texas Sheet Cake and elegant Chocolate Kahlua Cake.
See, that’s the beauty of chocolate cake; that it’s not just one thing. It’s many beautiful things. And this keto slow cooker cake is one of those beautiful, delectable, luscious, low carb things.
Why you will love this recipe
I first created this recipe back in August 2014, when it was too hot to turn on the oven. I found the idea of baking my slow cooker very intriguing, but I wasn’t sure it would work with my low carb ingredients. Still, I figured it was worth a shot.
I never expected the results to be so fabulous, so astonishingly tender and moist. It quickly became one of my most popular keto cake recipes.
Over the years, I tweaked the recipe to make it even lower in carbs but just as delicious. It’s such an easy cake to make, and it doesn’t heat up your kitchen in high summer. It’s also so moist and tender, it needs no frosting.
But a scoop of keto ice cream on top would certainly not go amiss!
Reader Reviews
“Thank you!! I have been searching for years for a keto cake recipe that is edible and I’ve finally found it! It’s very close to the “real” thing. I live at high altitude and baking is difficult. Cakes and bread are usually dense and half the size they’re supposed to be. Not this one!” — Pam
“This cake was absolutely wonderful! My guests loved it and couldn’t believe it was low carb and gluten free. The fact that it didn’t heat up the kitchen was a plus. I used a crock pot liner which i buttered, then used it to pull out the cake from the slow cooker. Easy, peasy and no pot to clean up!” — Yolanda
“This is the best low carb chocolate cake I’ve made. Turns out perfect every time. Love that I can put it in the slow cooker and not worry about checking to make sure it’s done without overbaking it. So moist and chocolaty.” — Maureen
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: Using good quality almond flour is extremely important for any almond flour cake.
- Cocoa powder: Use Dutch process cocoa powder for a deeper chocolate flavor.
- Sweetener: You can use any sweetener you like best here. Allulose and erythritol both work, as does a combination of the two.
- Protein powder: You can use whey protein powder, egg white protein powder, or a plant-based powder.
- Cold coffee: Coffee helps deepen the chocolate flavor. It does not taste like coffee.
- Sugar free chocolate chips: You can use Lily’s or ChocZero. You can also use homemade sugar free chocolate chips.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
Step by Step Directions
1. Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, whey protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and 1/3 of the liquid until well combined. If the batter is very thick, add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until a thick but pourable consistency is achieved.
3. Spread the batter: Spread the batter our in the to greased ceramic insert of a 6 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips.
4. Bake: Cook for 2 1/2 hours. It will be gooey and like a pudding cake at 2 hours, and more firm and cake-like at 2 1/2 hours.
5. Cool: Turn the slow cooker off and let cool 20 to 30 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve warm. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or keto ice cream.
Tips for Success
This cake isn’t meant to be flipped out of the crockpot, but rather served in sliced like a snack cake. If you are really dying to lift it all out in one piece, you will need to line your crockpot with parchment. It does leave wrinkled edges in the cake, however.
Do not use collagen or beef-based protein here, it will make the cake very gummy and hard to cook through.
I made this recipe with mostly allulose as the sweetener (I used Swerve allulose). The great part about this cake is that it turns out well with almost any granular sweetener you like best.
The chocolate chips are optional, but you can have some fun here. Try different flavors of chips or chopped nuts instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
A slow cooker keeps it more moist and tender as it traps the moisture during cooking. It also helps keep your kitchen cool if you crave keto cake in the middle of summer!
This keto slow cooker chocolate cake recipe has 7.3g of carbs and 4.2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.1g net carbs per slice.
Store the cake in a covered container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze the cake for several months.
More great slow cooker recipes
Keto Slow Cooker Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (112 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (95 g) sweetener, allulose or erythritol
- 1/3 cup (28.67 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavored whey protein powder, can sub egg white protein powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (85.21 g) butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup (78.86 ml) water or cold coffee
- 1/3 cup (60 g) mini sugar-free chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Grease the ceramic insert of a 6 quart slow cooker well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, whey protein powder, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in the butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and 1/3 of the liquid until well combined. If the batter is very thick, add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until a thick but pourable consistency is achieved.
- Pour the batter into prepared insert and sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips.
- Cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It will be gooey and like a pudding cake at 2 hours, and more cakey at 2 1/2 hours.
- Turn the slow cooker off and let cool 20 to 30 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve warm. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or keto ice cream.
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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what would you use instead of the whey protein. I’m allergic to it, and can you use a raw sugar instead of the sweetner?
You can try egg white or hemp protein. I am sure you can use another sweetener, as long as it’s not a liquid sweetener, which would introduce too much moisture.
Just in case it’s helpful to someone . . . I made this in my tiny 1.5 quart cooker last night. I used half the recipe and cooked for 3.5 hours, before turning off to cool. It came out lovely and brownie-like. Another 1/2 hour would have been more cake-y, I’m sure. I love it! Thank you so much for your amazing (life-saving) recipes, Carolyn!!
That slow cooker is really only 1/4 of my size, so I can imagine it took longer to bake. But so glad it worked!
Thank you! I had been reading through the recipe and wondered if my 1-1/2 qt slow cooker would work. I halved the recipe and cooked for 3-1/3 hrs on low (no pre-heating), then let cool for about 20 mins. Mine came out more cakey, with the sides nearest the bottom starting to get a little hard/overcooked. Next time I’ll cut the time to 2-1/2 hrs and cool for 30 mins to see if I can get the gooey, pudding like cake. The taste was awesome! I guess the brand of slow cooker might make a difference. The one I have is a “Kitchen Gourmet” brand. The cake is 2″ high, so while the slow cooker is 1/4 the size, I think 1/2 the batter came out perfect.
Thanks Rachel for passing on the information, I would have 1/4 the batter and hoped it came out okay. With your comment, I immediately printed the recipe, headed to the kitchen, and went for it!
Again Carolyn, another awesome recipe! So chocolatey and moist! I’m glad that you got a new slow cooker and will be posting more recipes for them. They are awesome, especially when it’s hot and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. It sounds like maybe you had a defective slow cooker that ruined your recipes previously. 🙁 The Hamilton Beach slow cooker looks like a really high end one- I’ve never seen one with a probe. I love the idea of the seal on the lid and being able to lock it in place for traveling without spills. I might have to put this one on my Christmas wish list!
Thanks again!
Sherrie Lee
I made this cake this morning, it was easy and cooked beautifully. The family loved it! It will be a favorite recipe for us that I am sure I will make often.
Thanks so much for the feedback!
I made this last night. I didn’t know if I should preheat the slow cooker or not, so I did preheat it. I then forgot about it and let it cook for about 3 1/2 hours, by mistake. It turned out beautifully. My husband, who usually dislikes all my non-sugar things, even loved it. Great recipe.
Wow, glad it still turned out! Very good to know. Phew!
This is, surprisingly, a VERY forgiving recipe!
Hello. This looks great ! Can i bake the cake in the oven ?
You could, but it won’t be the same at all. An oven is dry heat whereas a slow cooker is very moist heat. It may dry out too much. You can certainly try, though. I would bake at 325F with a pan of water in the oven too, to try to keep it from drying out.
I was wondering if you could use something than whey protein? I have all the other ingredients.
Do you have any egg white protein? It really needs a dry protein to help it rise. You can try it without but it may not rise as much.
Thanks for saying what the whey protein is for. I might have been inclined to leave it out.
I have heard about subbing gelatin for the protein powder. Not sure the conversion factor though. What do you think in this recipe?
I was trying to make this with what I had on hand and I subbed out the wheyy protein with 1 tsp xantham gum assuming it was to thicken the mixture. Mine turned out great!
Could you use chocolate whey protein powder? It’s what I have on hand. Also, the Amy of sweetener in many recipes is too much. I don’t care for that extra sweet taste. Should the amount be cut?
Sure that should be fine.
This recipe sounds delish. Other than stuff like stewed apples I’ve never made a dessert in a slow cooker; especially not a low carb cake which has its own little niche. I’ll definitely be pulling out the cooker for this one even though it’s usually on lockdown until fall. Coincidentally I happen to own the same Hamilton Beach slow cooker which I totally enjoy. It has some really useful and nifty features like the 3 different ways you can use and program it (automatic, probe and manual). The probe is especially nice for roasts and I’ve only seen that feature on Hamilton Beach. Since I got this one a couple of years ago the other one I had seems primitive. I’m already greedily hoping you’ll be sending some more slow cooker low carb dessert recipes our way.
I haven’t used the probe yet, but I definitely like that feature!
Did you preheat the crockpot, then add the cake ingredients?
Nope! Just add them in and set it to low.
Oh my. This looks so dark, rich and sinful that it should be illegal.
My Crock Pot’s been rather neglected this summer, since we’ve been grilling almost every week. Might as well put it to use!
Anything done differently with an 8 qt?
I have an 8 qt Hamilton Beach…but it tends to burn everything more than hour before it’s supposed to done.
Okay, an 8 quart is big. I think you would want to cook it for 2 hours or less OR you could make it bigger by doing another 25% of all the ingredients.
Thanks, will try it with less time first.
Shoot, I read this comment about two hours too late. Flavor and texture were right on but my p.o.s. crock pot burned half of it and now I guess I know why.
Oh dear, I am sorry about that.
OH, WOW.
I thought we were fancy for making oatmeal in the crockpot, once upon a time… this is a fab idea.
This definitely takes all the worry and work out of cake baking. Love it!
Could you make this cake in a smaller crockpot? Just 1/2 the recipe?
Recipe looks good!
Patti 🙂
I think so, yes but the cooking time may vary a bit so keep your eye on it.
I have a 3 qt (or litre) slow cooker as well. I halved the ingredients, and am aiming for 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours. Would that be about right Carolyn?
For the first go round, I’d watch it after the 1.5 hour mark.
Thank you so much. On my bench tomorrow 🙂
Yum! And when my old slow cooker died, three or four years ago, that Hamilton Beach is the one I replaced it with – it’s fantastic. (Always gets comments when I bring it to a party or a potluck, especially with the bits that lock the lid on.) Think I’ll have to make this later in the week…
I’ve never tried baking a cake in my slow cooker – fun idea!
I did slow cookie cookie bars once and they ended up slightly burned on the outside and not quite done on the inside. I’ve noticed that when my slow cooker is less than half full that things over cook and cook unevenly. I bought a smaller crockpot for the small volume liwuid things and that works but I wonder if it would work for dessert too. Maybe I need to just get a programmable large one, since my big one is nothing fancy. But anyway love this cake! I’d love to add nuts to it.
I have several crockpots in different sizes and size is the key. They have to be the right size to fill 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full to avoid the problem you describe. I love using them – you just have to know how. As for this recipe I like Splenda – can that be substituted? I’m a diabetic whose blood sugar is hyper sensitive and I finally got around to trying almond flour and it really didn’t raise me up as much. So this recipe should work.
Yes, Splenda should work.
Is the size of the crockpot key to most anything? Filling it 1/2-3/4 full?
I think it’s the width and depth that matter most. What size do you have?
This looks amazing- totally acceptable to start out my Monday morning with some Chocolate Cake, right? Pinned!
Thanks, guys!
Just came across this YUMMY-looking cake! Question: Is it bitter at all? I recently made some low-carb brownies with Stevia, and they were TERRIBLE! They smelled so good and looked awesome, but they were bitter and had no chocolate flavor. I want something that tastes like the real thing without all the sugar!
Anything with all stevia as the sweetener will be very bitter. Somehow, when it combines with chocolate, it gets very bitter. Use erythritol-based sweeteners to avoid this.
I made this cake and it looks good! A little nibble told me it was tasty! Thanks for the post–this recipe will save me from my chocolate withdrawl. :~)