This tender sour cream coffee cake will amaze your tastebuds and your friends! No one will guess it’s keto friendly and completely sugar-free.
Nothing quite says “Let’s brunch” like a slice of sweet, crumbly coffee cake. Bonus points if it’s studded with chocolate chips. And triple bonus points if it’s low carb and gluten-free.
What is it about keto coffee cake that is so delightfully enticing? Is it the sweet cinnamon scent and the tender texture? Or is it the fact that you can eat cake with your morning coffee and no one will give you the hairy eyeball?
Let’s face it, a big slice of layer cake might have some people judging you rather harshly. Although I would not say no to a slice of keto carrot cake for breakfast in the privacy of my own home!
But coffee cake is somehow much more socially acceptable. No one even thinks twice if you go back for seconds!
Why you will love this recipe
Sour cream coffee cake is a classic bakery treat and this keto version lives up to the promise. It has a tender crumb that isn’t overly sweet. And it’s topped with a delicious brown “sugar” crumb topping.
It both looks and tastes the part of a conventional baked good, but with a mere fraction of the carbs.
It’s also easy to make, with standard keto ingredients that you can find at almost any grocery store. You only need 20 minutes of prep time to get it into the oven and baking. Then just sit back and enjoy the delicious smells!
I took this cake to a get together recently and it disappeared astonishingly fast. No one could believe it was made without sugar or flour!
Ingredients you need
This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Sour cream: I love using sour cream in baked goods like keto muffins and cakes. It makes them extra tender. You can also use Greek yogurt, but I recommend full fat for fewer carbs.
- Brown sugar substitute: My favorite is Swerve Brown as it tastes the most like real brown sugar. If you can’t find a good sub, you can use granular erythritol and a teaspoon of molasses.
- Almond flour: As with any almond flour recipe, the finer your flour, the finer the consistency. I always have good results with Bob’s Red Mill.
- Protein powder: You can use whey protein powder or egg white protein powder. Collagen protein won’t work in this recipe.
- Cinnamon: A touch of cinnamon goes well with almost any coffee cake.
- Chocolate chips: You don’t have to add keto chocolate chips but it’s pretty tasty if you do! You can also add chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, vanilla, butter, baking powder, salt.
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the cake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and sweetener. Stir in the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. If the batter is very thick, stir in water 1 tablespoon at a time. It should be thick but pourable.
2. Spread in the pan: Add the chocolate chips and stir until well distributed, then pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread to the edges.
3. Prepare the topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle all over the top of the cake.
4. Bake the coffee cake: Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is just firm to the touch and the edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool completely in the pan.
Expert Tips
Make sure to whisk the sweetener in with the wet ingredients and break up any clumps before adding the dry ingredients. Brown Swerve sometimes has clumps but you can mash them easily with a fork.
Sour cream adds lots of moisture to the cake batter so only add water if your batter is overly thick. You want the batter to be thick but still easily poured into the baking pan.
Nut Free Option: You can use sunflower seed flour in place of the almond flour, cup for cup. Just be aware of the fact that it can react with baking powder to cause baked goods to become green inside as they cool. You can easily offset this reaction by using a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coffee cake is meant to be served with coffee, and can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, or snack. It’s usually a simple one layer cake that has no frosting, and it’s often less sweet than dessert cakes. Think of it as a muffin in cake form!
This keto coffee cake does not need to be refrigerated immediately. You can store it on the counter, tightly covered, for up to 4 days. If you won’t finish it before then, you can store it in the fridge for up to a week. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
This keto sour cream coffee cake recipe has 8.2g of carbs and 4.4g of fiber per serving. So each slice has 3.8g of net carbs.
More keto brunch recipes
Keto Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup Swerve Brown, lightly packed
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup unflavored whey protein powder, or egg white protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 to 2 tbsp water, if needed
- 1/3 cup sugar free chocolate chips
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup Swerve Brown
- 2 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease an 8-inch round cake pan. Line with parchment paper and grease the paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and sweetener. Stir in the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. If the batter is very thick, stir in water 1 tablespoon at a time. It should be thick but pourable.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir until well distributed, then pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread to the edges.
Crumb Topping
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle all over the top of the cake.
- Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is just firm to the touch and the edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool completely in the pan.
- Sprinkle with powdered sweetener, if desired.
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.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Great recipe. I substituted cardamom for the cinnamon and made donuts with crushed walnuts on the top.
oh I’m going to eat the whole cake w no regrets!.like you I have a sweet tooth.. you’re the best Carolyn
Holy moly this is fantastic! I only had 9” pans, so that is what I used. Checked it after 30 minutes of baking and it was perfect. The cake is soft and moist but still has the density of a great coffee cake. I’m not sure what magic is in the ingredients (maybe it’s the cinnamon) but the whole thing just smells and tastes so sophisticated, but it is really simple to make. It is just so good I’m having to stop myself from having another slice!
Excuse my ignorance, but I am new to using protein powders. I was recently given some vanilla flavored whey protein powder (from Costco I believe). Would that work ok with this recipe?
That would be fine, just don’t add any additional vanilla extract.
I made yesterday, It was a bit dry, I used paleo flour instead of almond flour, used 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of vanilla, I like to add extra. Chopped pecans instead of chocolate chips And used 1/2 coconut sugar & 1/2 allulose instead of swerve, can’t do the sugar alcohols, aftertaste, cooling, gas. Baked for 40 on 330, I go a little lower on temp. I did enjoy the crumble better than cake, used coconut sugar.
It’s dry because you switched up the flour. Almond flour has a lot more moisture and Paleo flour blends usually contain things like tapioca starch. I recommend making the recipe as written.
I will use the almond flour next time I make this hopefully switching swerve to allulose and coconut sugar won’t affect the texture. Love your recipes.
what can be substituted for the whey powder?
The recipe includes an alternative.
Can I use Dairy Free Sour Cream as a substitute?
I haven’t used it myself so I can’t be sure but I *think* so.
As a novice cook, I have one quick question: if I omit the chocolate chips, should I add somethinginits place…or ok to just omit? Thank you!
YOu can just omit! Or add chopped nuts. They aren’t critical to the texture.
Thank you!
I made this today and am very impressed! It’s light, moist, and delicious. I changed two things: using Swerve Brown Sugar I reduced the sugar in the cake batter by half. I also added chopped walnuts. I’d definitely make this again as a dessert and coffee cake treat.
I just made it. Delicious! Not oily or dense. Light coffee cake with a sweet buttery chocolate chip flavor. Really good.
Hi there,
Can I get the serving size for this? Thanks!
It serves 10. Therefore it would be 1/10th of the cake.
Really good.
At the top, it says that serving size is one cake! I like that better.
We love chocolate in our house. We will probably put chocolate chips on the hot cake, and spread around the chocolate goodness. Yummy.
Yes, to coffee cake! I love my iron skillet too but actually haven’t tried any desserts in it yet.
The thought of adding chocolate chips to an already delicious recipe is the greatest idea! Yum!
MY WEAKNESS!! Give me all the coffee cake deliciousness! My family will love me for this one 😉
This will go nicely with a cup of coffee in the morning! Great way to start my day!
This Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake is amazing! Love this recipe!