Classic yellow cake gets a healthy low carb makeover. And it’s made in miniature so it’s just the right size! Top it all off with a decadent chocolate buttercream for a special treat.
Anybody who knows me knows I can get a little obsessive about things. A little, a lot, you know, what’s the difference? It doesn’t become all-consuming, I can put whatever my little obsession du jour is away in its own compartment and manage to function pretty well. But it stays there, quietly poking and prodding me, reminding me of its existence until I am ready to let it out again. This happens a lot with recipes and recipe ideas. I may be looking you in the eye and chatting about any number of things, the weather, our kids, current events. I may seem completely present in the moment. But really I am mulling over a recipe idea in my head, thinking how to make it work, what ingredients to use, and what I want it to look like. I just can’t help myself.
Such is the case with these adorable low carb mini cakes for two. This first one, a classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting, was so fun to make and so perfectly delicious, I almost immediately embarked on making a second one of a different flavour. And now I am completely obsessed. I am already scheming what flavours I want to do for my third, my fourth, and probably my 18th too. Maybe even a 100th. There is no shortage of ideas here and I am determined to make them all. I hope you join me on my crazy mini cake journey.
I typically make large cakes that feed 12 or more because that’s what bakers do. Go big or go home, right? But I also receive a lot of requests for smaller desserts, ones that feed just one or two people. I confess, I didn’t see the attraction for a long time because if something is delicious, why wouldn’t you want MORE of it? And more and more and more? But then I realized that this is dangerous territory. If you don’t have a large family to feed or an event to go to, a large amount of delicious and very tempting food can lead you astray. It may be low carb if you have a proper serving size, but it’s no longer so if you can’t help but eat half the cake in one go. And I pride myself that my cakes and desserts are so tempting, you are always going to want seconds.
Let me be clear that this is not a mug cake in disguise. I did not cook it in the microwave, I baked it properly in the oven. Although I did my second mini cake, a seriously chocolate-y affair, in our convection/toaster oven, to avoid heating up the whole kitchen. That worked very well too. I used ceramic ramekins of a larger size (4 inches in diameter, 1 cup capacity), similar to these NorPro ramekins, and greased them well with coconut oil spray, and my little layers just fell right out perfectly. You could also use little 4-inch cake pans as well.
Now, I do call this a cake for two but it is rich enough that it could serve three to four. I ate a quarter at a time, topped with a little low carb ice cream, and it was just the right amount for dessert. But the point of these mini cakes is that if you did fall prey to temptation and found yourself eating the whole thing…you really wouldn’t do much damage in the end!
Classic Yellow Cake for Two
Ingredients
Yellow Cake:
- 7 tbsp almond flour
- 2 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tbsp unflavored whey protein powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting:
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tbsp whipping cream, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 325F and grease 2 4-inch ramekins or mini cake pans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, whey protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter, egg, and vanilla until well combined.
- Divide mixture between the ramekins/pans and bake 12 to 15 minutes, until center is set and edges are just golden brown.
- Remove and let cool a few minutes in the pans and then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, beat together the cocoa powder and melted butter. Beat in powdered sweetener and vanilla extract.
- Beat in whipping cream one tbsp at a time until a spreadable frosting consistency is achieved.
- Place one layer of cake on a small plate and spread the top with about 1/4 of the frosting. Top with second layer of cake and spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Let set in fridge 20 minutes, then get your honey-pie or your friend and dig in!
Notes
Total fat: 39.72g
Calories from fat: 357
Cholesterol: 84mg
Carbohydrate: 9.91g
Total dietary fiber: 4.63g
Protein: 10.91g
Erythritol: 30g
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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Could I use gelatin or garbanzo flour for the protein powder?
Thanks!
I have no idea if that would work, I didn’t test it.
This is so perfect for me! I’ve made so many large dessert recipes that is just too much for one person. I just baked both the little cakes and they are cooling. They turned out so cute. Waiting to frost and eat. My guess is this is a one person serving!! This is my birthday cake on January 25th.
Thoughts on what to sub for the Whey protein. What is it’s purpose in the cake?
Thanks!
A dry protein powder helps the cake rise and hold its shape in the absence of gluten (which is a protein).
Classic yellow cake is one of my favs. However, my son’s favorite cake ever is a dark chocolate cake, with vanilla pudding between the layers and on top, then the sides are covered with whipped cream. I’ll be waiting for your chocolate version! Hope it comes soon. His birthday is next week….
Love all your recipes. Thank you.
Well that sounds fantastic too! Now I am thinking how to do that…
My husband will be in heaven! I always have to drag him past the cakes in the store cuz they are his favorite, and large desserts are definitely dangerous for us to keep around the house!
Thank you for a “portion control” cake. This looks so good, I hope I can eat just half. More recipes like this are greatly appreciated. How about carrot cake or lemon/chia seed cake with lemon frosting. You probably already thought of it. I love your site!
After the chocolate one I made last week, lemon will be my next attempt. I think. I have too many ideas!
YOU ROCK!
Great! My husband is yearning for a different dessert, however right now I am reading your blog and stirring the sweetened condensed milk for your ice cream, ( a staple in our freezer)!
Could I just leave out the cocoa if I wanted white frosting?
No, this particular frosting would not work well for a vanilla frosting. I am going to have to work on a “small size” vanilla one.
Since this is an older post, did you make a vanilla icing recipe?
I love double vanilla 🙂
Do you think this would work with egg white protein instead of the whey?
It certainly should!
Sounds yummy! But, is there a substitute for the whey powder? Thanks
Egg white protein powder.
A genius idea! Will make this for my BD later this year! Or maybe just a double batch of the frosting since that’s my husband’s and my favorite part of “cake” anyway!!
I just left you a message on your last Instagram post. Thank you so much for this! I have been obsessing about it since I saw it. You are amazing. Love your sharing spirit.
Thanks, Christina. Hopefully I posted back to you! Not sure, sometimes I don’t see all of those IG comments. 🙂
Do you think this recipe would work as cupcakes? I have to make a cup cake “bridal dress” for a shower but want to make something else that I can enjoy (and a couple other people that will be at the shower that I know are gluten free). Thanks.
Yes, this would make about 2 cupcakes. Maybe 3.
Perfect for when my birthday rolls around next year!
Oh my gosh I’m so excited!!!! My family doesn’t low carb so when I bake it’s mostly for myself and a giant cake just for me is almost always a problem. And I have all the ingredients! I just need maintenance to hurry up and fix my central air so I can bake in 95 degree weather haha! Thank you!!! I can’t wait to see what else you come up with! 🙂
OH my — these look fab. I’m going to try them tonight. I have some mini springform pans and I’m betting they will work perfectly. 🙂
Can’t wait to see what other flavors you come up with for these baby cakes.
Stephanie: I baked these this afternoon in my 4.5 inch springform pans and that worked perfectly.
@organicketogirl
Great! That’s what I thought I’d do – use my mini spring form pans.
Thank you Carolyn – this recipe is just in time for my birthday (on the 9th). Happy birthday to me ! 🙂