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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Will this recipe work without the protein powder and egg powder?
Yes but it may not rise as well.
How do you get it out of the cooker, or do you serve right from it? Have made twice, second time I put parchment inside and lifted out, but just wondered.
I serve right from it, like a snack cake!
I would like to make a smaller version of this cake in a round four quart slow cooker because my six quart cooker will be simultaneously cooking a Mississippi pot roast. Do you think that using about 2/3 or 3/4 of the recipe would accomplish that? Thanks so much for your help.
Sure.
This looks perfectly fudgy! And in a slow cooker? Genius!
I love my crock pot, and making this cake it is genius!
I love my slow cooker but I have yet to make a dessert in it… I think it is high time I try it!
Chocolate cake sounds perfect right about now! I’m going to try this out!
Hi Carol, I have a oval shape 5.5 Quart Reval slow cooker and just made this in it. I followed the recipe and cooked it for 2 hours at high. It is a little burnt around the edge and I couldn’t take it out from the pot despite having greased the pan with avacado oil. However, it was delish!! We had to use a spoon to scoop it out, which my husband didn’t mind at all. And idea how I can improve it and also what should I do differently to grease the pan?
Thanks for a great recipe again. Love your blog!
It’s not meant to be taken out of the pan, but really served like a snack cake from the pan. However, you can line your slow cooker with parchment if you want to be able to lift it out. It will have some funny edges from where the parchment folds over but it works. Also, obviously your slow cooker is a hot one so bake it a little less and then just let it sit in the warm slow cooker when it’s off to keep cooking through.
Hi Carolyn I have made this cake a dozen time its my favorite snack to take to work. My question is can I pour this recipe into my brownie pan it will portion it our for me. Do you think it will come out the same way?
Would you bake it in the oven, then? If so, I believe some commenters have said it worked out for them so search the comments to see what they did.
Do you think this would work in an instant pot pressure cooker? If so would you know how long to “cook” it? I’ve done cheesecakes in the instant pot but not a cake cake.
Not really sure, to be honest.
You are a baking goddess!
You had me at slow cooker! And chocolate. And cake. YUM! 😉
this looks like something i would love to try! but i can’t think of one good reason what the benefit would be of cooking it in a slow cooker. this falls along the same lines as using a blender as a mixer for batter (no thanks). anyway, i would want to turn the cake out of the vessel to serve -but i know the whole thing would fall apart if i tried. are there instructions for baking in a good, old fashioned (albeit boring) oven?
A slow cooker keeps it more moist and tender as it traps the moisture during cooking. An oven is dry heat. Very different and the result is very different. If you want a chocolate cake cooked in the oven, I have plenty of those. Just use the search box on my blog and you will probably find what you are looking for!
Hello,
I don’t have a slow cooker..can I make this in a regular oven?
Yes, but I am a little unsure how long it should bake for. Depends on the pan size, I guess. A 9×9 pan would take longer than a 9×13. I’d do a 9×9 and start with 25 minutes at 325F.
I have chocolate whey, would it work?
Should work just fine.
I have found that newer crockpots cook waaaaaaay hotter now a days. So I always place a Pyrex in my crockpot so it isn’t touching the bottom. I also put some water in the crockpot for moisture bc hotter tends to dry stuff out. Do you think that method would work for this cake? I hate to ruin something so delicious with expensive ingredients.
I haven’t tried that method with this cake so I can’t really tell you. But my crockpot is a recent model so it works for this recipe.