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 ⅓ 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 ½ hours. It will be gooey and like a pudding cake at 2 hours, and more firm and cake-like at 2 ½ 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 almond flour
- ½ cup sweetener allulose or erythritol
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup unflavored whey protein powder can sub egg white protein powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon butter melted
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ to ½ cup water or cold coffee
- ⅓ cup 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 ⅓ 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 ½ hours. It will be gooey and like a pudding cake at 2 hours, and more cakey at 2 ½ 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.
Sherry says
Made this today. Tasty and moist!! Super easy too! But, very minor small problem. . . it is crumbling apart a bit. I was wondering if xanathan gum might help? How much xanathan gum would you recommend if I wanted to try adding that to help it hold together?
Carolyn says
It’s strange that it was crumbly. It shouldn’t be, not with all those eggs. But if you want to use xanthan, I do about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp.
Sherry says
Oh gosh, please disregard my comment. It was only random parts of it that crumbled. And the middle (and edges on some parts) was amazing. I think my slow cooker is cooking uneven. Its an older one. I will be asking for a new one as a Christmas present this year. 😉
I have been making this cheesecake in a mug recipe that I found on Pinterest. It turns out like a very very thick cheesecake pudding. . . A light went off in my head last night and I slice the cake in half, layered some of the chilled cheesecake in the middle and then put some of my home made starwberry sugar free jelly on top of the cake. Its so amazing. So so amazing. Thanks for the great recipes!
Carolyn says
The best part about slow cookers is that even pretty good ones aren’t that expensive!
jenny d says
I have a 7quart crock pot. Are there any changes I should make to the recipe so that it comes out right?
Carolyn says
I think your time will be a bit shorter so I’d start checking it at 2 hours.
Elizabeth says
Can the slices be frozen?
Carolyn says
I didn’t try to do that, but I can’t see why not.
Heather S. says
Looks Yummy!! Chocolate is my favorite food group! 😉
Carolyn Viola says
Do you think I could add zucchini to this without messing it up? how much could i add?
Carolyn says
Good question. I think if you did about 2 cups fresh, drained it REALLY well (salted, let it drain for at least an hour and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible), and then added less liquid (maybe 1/4 cup less?), it would work. Can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it!
Tina says
Okay I don’t have the baking blend just regular truvia. But thanks for answering! I’ll give it a go, the cake looks wonderful!
Anna says
Made this tonight! Use xylitol instead of swerve. I made it in my Hamilton Beach 6 qt slow cooker, and I turned it off at about 2.5 hrs. It ended up a bit dry, the whipped cream helps 🙂 I will try again and stop closer to 2 hrs. Thanks for the recipe!
Tina says
Can you tell me the measurement for trivia in place of swerve? That’s the only sweetener I have. Thanks!
Carolyn says
I don’t know for sure because I don’t use Truvia but it their baking blend is meant to measure cup for cup, then you can do a direct substitution.
Deb says
Hi Carolyn, I’ve been having great results baking with ZSweet natural sweetener. I’ve even used it in coleslaw-measures 1 for 1 like regular sugar and tastes so very close to the real deal!
Making this cake as soon as I finish your chocolate coconut cookies, which I adore 🙂
Susan says
This is in my slow cooker right now. Can’t wait to experience the results. I was thinking, after reading the comments, that this might make a good jumping off point for coming up with a slow cooker gingerbread. Once we get toward the holidays, do you think you might come up with one? I may experiment on my own, but I’m sure yours would be better! Thanks for this – it’s nice to make a cake without heating up the house.
Carolyn says
Great idea, I will definitely consider it!
Margaret says
I’m in the UK and I don’t understand what you mean by ‘the insert’? Do you mean the ceramic dish that one cooks meat etc in, in which case does the moisture come from the cake mixture itself? Or do you have something more like a cake tin than sits inside your cooker?
Whilst I am pestering you, please could you tell me how big your muffin cups are, regular size and mini?
Using US recipes here is challenging with a totally different measuring system, different sizes for eggs, different names for vegetables, unobtainable products etc, but I’m up for it with the necessary information to hand!
Carolyn says
Yes, the ceramic part is the insert. You insert it into the metal part that heats up and that’s what my Hamilton Beach model called it. So no extra pans or anything. The problem with muffin cups is that they aren’t standardized and different companies make them slightly different sizes. But a standard muffin tin has 12 cavities that are about 1/2 cups to 3/4 cups each. The mini hold maybe a few tablespoons.
Linda says
I’m sorry if this is a 2nd post I don’t see the original one to this. How could I sub coconu flour into the recipe. Also for the kids I would like to use honey. How could I do that?
Carolyn says
I’d use about 1/2 cup of coconut flour and add an extra egg. I don’t know how to sub honey because I never use it. It adds in some liquid so you’d need to cut back on the liquid content a bit.
Linda says
Amazing! So good! Are there any substitutions for the almond flour that I might try to lower the cost?
Carolyn says
Hmmm, not sure what would low the cost. You could try grinding your own almonds but it might not be fine enough.
Lydia says
I made this cake this afternoon – poured the batter into the slow cooker, set it on low, and went out to the dog park with my pooch. An hour & a half later, when I got home, I realized I had forgotten to plug in the cooker! Oh well, what did I have to lose. I plugged it in and left it cooking for 2 3/4 hours, then let it sit for 20 minutes as you suggested. My husband and I just finished warm pieces of the most delectable rich chocolate cake (with ice cream on the side). This recipe is so simple and fast to put together, obviously foolproof, and absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Ainsley says
I added a tablespoon of dark rum to this and it added little caramel rum tasting goops that were just amazing. I don’t know if they came from something else, really didn’t expect it, but the goops were light brown in color and I couldn’t think of anything else causing it. Noms.
Baerbel schlatter says
Carolyn, you must have read my mind. I have moved a week ago from the very pleasant San Francisco Bay Area to HOT El Dorado Hills, were temps go too often way over 100 degree F. To turn on an oven is just unthinkable. Busy unpacking boxes, which seem to be multiplying, lol, I was sad to have no time to prepare treats for my visiting grandkids. This recipe is heaven sent! What would we do without you! As always you amaze me! Thanks! Barbara (Baerbel)
Carolyn says
Thank you! Such kind words.
Matty B says
Hi!
This recipe had delicious results.
Being Australian, I replaced Swerve with Natvia sweetener which is available to us. Turns out this is the same thing, a pretty good quality 1-1 sugar replacement. I reduced it to 1 cup instead of 3/4 to be sure not to over sweeten. Next time I will add the full 3/4 because it was perfectly fine.
The batter turned out very runny. This may be normal though I think because it is going in a slow cooker which needs a bit more moisture for the long cook. It wasn’t a problem, the cake was perfect at the end.
My slow cooker was large, and so it cooked this cake in 1.5 hours.
CHEERS
Matty B says
Sorry, I meant to type “I reduced it to 1/2 of a cup”
Laura Sheridan says
Thank you! I used to make an unhealthy version of this very cake! I was just thinking about how I would love to have a healthy version! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Danielle says
Can I sub hwc for the milk? I’m out of almond 🙁
Carolyn says
I would do have cream, half water
Erica says
Is egg white protein the same as meringue powder. If it is could I use that for the cake, and do I measure it like the protein powder?
Carolyn says
Yes, as long as the meringue powder is unsweetened (I get mine at Whole Foods). And yes, you can measure it like the whey powder.
Anne says
For the crockpot chocolate cake, what can I use instead of the whey protein powder. I can’t do dairy.
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Hemp protein or powdered egg whites will do.