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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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.
Great idea, I will definitely consider it!
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!
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.
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?
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.
Amazing! So good! Are there any substitutions for the almond flour that I might try to lower the cost?
Hmmm, not sure what would low the cost. You could try grinding your own almonds but it might not be fine enough.
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!
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.
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)
Thank you! Such kind words.
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
Sorry, I meant to type “I reduced it to 1/2 of a cup”
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!
Can I sub hwc for the milk? I’m out of almond 🙁
I would do have cream, half water
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?
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.
For the crockpot chocolate cake, what can I use instead of the whey protein powder. I can’t do dairy.
Thanks!
Hemp protein or powdered egg whites will do.
Such a great way to bake a cake!!
Oh you clever woman! Am busy making this right now! I have left out the chocolate, as I’m allergic to it, but have made it more vanilla like. Too hot here to bake in the oven so the crock pot is a genius idea!
Lucrecia, Could you share your recipe changes for a more vanilla cake and the results? I am very sensitive to caffeine (chocolate) and would love another version of this excellent recipe. I’ve made 2 of these cakes in 2 days and they’re just wonderful! I put German Choc. icing on one of them for my husband. You know, the junk in the can. I also put a piece of parchment on the bottom of the slow cooker to help enable the cake to come out in one piece, which worked beautifully.
Thank you,
Tina
I am not Lucrecia but I’d say you’re looking at substituting the cocoa powder with another 1 cup of almond flour. I might also do 2 tbsp or so of coconut flour to help “dry” it out a bit, since cocoa powder is so dry and powdery.
Thank you so much. I’ll try it and let you know how it goes.
Well, I tried this method (another cup of almond flour, 2 T. coconut flour and no cocoa powder). Once again, I forgot to watch the time and I ended up letting this one cook for 5 hours! Goodness, this is the most forgiving recipe! It is delicious. It probably would be better cooked for less time, but on the second day, it tasted like pound cake. Unbelievable recipe!
Thank you Carolyn.
You need to get yourself a kitchen timer! 😉
I wonder vanilla whet protein powder would work. That is all I have at the time.
I am sure it would, but I’d not put any extra vanilla in.
Just mixed this up and realized there was one fact I didn’t know– is this to cook covered or uncovered? Almost everything in a crockpot should be covered to allow it to come to temp, so I put the lid on, but since cakes are usually cooked UNcovered, I thought I’d ask for future reference…
Covered. You want the moisture to stay in.