This amazing low carb chocolate cake has a creamy filling and a sugar-free chocolate glaze. Just like the Ding Dongs you used to love as a kid, but now keto friendly!
I am so excited to debut this low carb Ding Dong Cake recipe. I’ve been sitting on this one for a while, so eager to share it with you. Okay, not actually SITTING on the cake, because then it would be a little smooshed. I promise I did not squash it, as that would be very very sad. But I have been holding on to the recipe for over two months, since this is a keto chocolate cake with a secret and I can finally spill the beans.
This cake is made from a mix!!! You may have already seen and heard that Swerve Sweetener has come out with a line of bake mixes. It is true and I’ve had the distinct honour of testing them out and creating recipes with them. And this is one of my favorite creations thus far.
Now you know me, I am a always-bake-from-scratch kind of girl, and I always will be. So I have to be very frank and say I was a little hesitant to work with bake mixes. But then I made up the Swerve Chocolate Cake Mix and I was completely blown away. The texture was perfect, the crumb was tender and moist, and the chocolate flavor was deep and rich. They were so good I may have cursed a few times, because they are as good as some of my homemade low carb chocolate cake recipes. Dang it!
Totally messing with my world view to have a boxed cake be as good as cake from scratch.
Watch me make the famous Keto Ding Dong Cake!
Now, I know there has been a little hubbub about whether these bake mixes are truly ketogenic, because they contain a little tapioca starch. I like to tackle touchy subjects head on so let’s discuss this openly. Or rather, let me tell you my well-read and rather informed “expert” opinion on the subject. Take it or leave it, as you wish.
What is The Ketogenic Diet?
Definition: A diet that promotes the metabolic formation of ketones through carbohydrate restriction, thereby requiring the body to use fat as its primary source of energy.
A keto diet is any diet that keeps you in a state of ketosis.
That’s the keto diet in its simplest form. But the reality is that the term “keto diet” means many things to many different people. Everyone has their own definition, tailored to their own personal goals and what works for their body and their lifestyle. Having been in this funky world of keto for a while now, and seeing it from the perspective of a great many people, I’ve come to the realization that there is no single right way to keto. Let me say that again:
There is no single right way to do the keto diet.
There, did I say that loudly enough for you?
There are many different version of the ketogenic diet, and there are many different programs that may have various guidelines for you to follow. And buyer beware, because there are many “keto gurus” out there trying sell you on their specific program and telling you that their way is the ONLY WAY.
But keto diet requirements can vary so much, person to person, that there is simply no one-size-fits-all approach. A Type 1 diabetic will have different goals than someone trying to lose weight. A keto bodybuilder will have very different protein needs than a newbie keto-er who isn’t particularly active. And many women, particularly those who are pre- and post-menopause, often find that they can’t load up on as much fat as their husbands or they hit a stall.
If you choose to follow a specific version of the keto diet, that’s cool. It’s your life, your body, your goals and I applaud you for taking charge of your health. It matters very little whether you and I do it exactly the same way. What matters most is that we support each other and cheer each other on.
There really is no overarching set of rules for The Ketogenic Diet, as defined above. It’s simply a matter of eating a diet low enough in carbohydrates and high enough in fat to get your body creating and using ketones as its primary fuel. But on the whole, we all try to avoid certain foods, such as grains, sugars, and starches.
STARCHES! But but but…the Swerve Bake Mixes contain tapioca starch! Yes, yes it does. All of about 1 tablespoon for the whole cake mix. Which is 6.75g of carbs for the whole cake mix. Which amounts to 0.56g of carbs PER SERVING.
I’ve always been of the mind that if a tiny bit of some “non-keto” ingredient helps the taste, texture, or appearance of my baked goods and doesn’t raise the carb count appreciably, the end result is still keto. If I can eat a serving and stay in ketosis, it’s keto. While I generally no longer use any starches at all in my baking, I have been known to use a teaspoon or two of Yacon syrup, molasses or even coconut sugar. If the final goodies are low in carbs, I’m content.
So do I think that the new Swerve Cake Mixes are keto friendly? Yes, on the whole I do. It’s up to you to decide whether it fits your keto diet or not.
Please see my Low Carb Ding Dong Cake on Swerve Sweetener.
If you prefer to make this same cake with one of my chocolate cake recipes, try using the cake batter from my Low Carb Chocolate Cupcakes.
My nutritional calculations for this recipe (keep in mind that I do not count the erythritol at all as a carb)
12 servings (but it’s rich enough to be 16 servings)
Deli Caban says
Recipe please
Carolyn says
Big link at the bottom of the post takes you right to it.
Jodi Martin says
I use the Keto Chocolate Coconut Flour Cupcakes recipe rather than the cake mix. Tastes great!!!
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Dani says
Where’s the recipe?
Carolyn says
Click the link that says “please see my…”
Sue says
I noticed that the recipe says to use one box to make two layers but one box only makes one layer
Carolyn says
Nope, not when you make this cake it doesn’t. Thinner layers, better cake. 🙂
Yvette says
Hi, the recipe is not posted on this page. I u sweat as you use a cake mix (box) but how to make this recipe is not posted. Can you pls posted so I know how to make. Thanks 😊
Carolyn says
There is a large link that says “please see my keto ding dong cake”… click that.
Tina Munn says
Can this cake be frozen after its all put together? I actually made 2 / 4″ cakes and 1 / 5″ cake. I made the whole thing and put them together. Hoping to freeze them individualy. I didnt know if the whipped cream filling would freeze well. This cake is awesome by the way. I did have to sample one of the cakes. ha! It taste just like a Ding Dong!
Carolyn says
The whipped cream filling will freeze fine. It’s the chocolate ganache I am worried about.
jeannette hughes says
What can I say about this cake….Delicious! I made this for the dessert while on vacation and we had it every night. No one would have guessed it was low carb. Please keep putting out recipes for Keto and low carb eating. All of your recipes I have tried have been spot on.
Erica says
I’ve probably made this cake 5 times since I found this recipe. Hands down one of my favs.
Jeanette says
I really want to bake this cake tonight. I just started back keto and is craving something sweet. Will this cake hold if I don’t have the grass-fed gelatin? I can’t find it in my area.
Carolyn says
You can use Knox gelatine too, just only use about half the envelope. you can skip it but you may need to beat your cream until it’s really stiff and that can sometimes be a bit clumpy looking (tastes good, though!).
Samina says
Thank you so much for this recipe – it’s one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. I made it a few times and follow the recipe exactly. It’s perfect. Except I once forgot the parchment paper in the cake pans. It’s a very important step that I won’t miss again.
Niki says
Hi there,
Could the heavy cream be substituted for coconut cream? I have a lactose intolerance and was looking for ways to make this recipe work!
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Sadly, coconut cream won’t stand up to the layers of this cake. And adding gelatin to cold coconut cream makes it very lumpy. I’ve tried!
Joe Colonna says
Hello! Thank you for turning me on to this “Swerve cake mix. I’m making this Ding Ding cake for separate Christmas eve and Christmas family get togethers. What size cake pans do you use?
Carolyn says
The recipe states the pan size.
Joe says
No. It doesn’t. There is no written recipe that list ingredients used, that I can see. There is a video but that doesn’t state what size pan is used. I found the pan size in the comments where someone asked the same question, where you stated 9″-10″ is standard. I really like your videos, recipes and take on the Keto lifestyle but for the time It took you to reply with “the recipe states the pan size” you could have just typed “9-10”.
Carolyn says
Hi Joe, it is there. The whole written recipe is right there on the Swerve website, and the link is at the bottom of this post. You are meant to click through and read the whole recipe, not try to take it from comments or from a video. Videos are added visual keys, not meant to be the full recipe.
I don’t know where you are seeing “9 to 10” in the comments because it’s made with 8-inch pans. And I asked you to look for it in the recipe because part of my job is to teach how to bake, which includes having people read the recipe IN FULL before they start trying to make something.
Lisa Baab says
How would you make the peppermint cream for the middle?
Carolyn says
Simply add a teaspoon or two to the cream as I whip it. 🙂 It depends on how strong your peppermint extract is, I think.
Annette says
Oh my WORD!!! This was fantastic and even my granddaughters LOVED it!! I wasn’t sure how the center would withstand the top layer without squeezing our but it held up wonderfully….I’m sure the gelatin was the key and I’m super excited about the prospects for other recipes! Thank you so much for this super tasty recipe!
Carolyn says
So glad it worked out!
Nicole says
Made this tonight! It was FABULOUS!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Carol Rhodes-Rice says
Dang it! I printed the recipe from the Swerve site and it did not format at all right. GRRRRR.
Carolyn says
I don’t have any input over their printable recipes, but they are super responsive so maybe you can reach out to them.