This easy low carb cake is truly delicious stuff! Keto chocolate cake swirled together with sugar-free cheesecake, pecans, and coconut for a healthy take on the famous earthquake cake.
Sometimes, messy food is the best food. And this Keto Earthquake Cake is the perfect example. It’s messy to make and messy to look at, but it’s crazy delicious.
Just think about it: all those mixed up layers, jumbled and swirled together, studded with pecans, coconut, and low carb chocolate chips. It’s like a keto chocolate cake slammed into a keto cheesecake, turned upside down, did a couple of backflips, and landed in a baking dish.
And with every bite, you get a mouthful of all that goodness mixed together. That’s my kind of keto cake recipe!
Why you need to try this recipe
Cake doesn’t need to be complicated or time consuming to be delicious. And this Keto Earthquake Cake proves that point. While it does dirty several bowls, it’s relatively easy to prepare.
And it’s easy to make it look good, because it’s supposed to look messy and jumbled! No perfect layers or perfect frosting, just swirl the cake and cheesecake together for a mouthwatering combo.
It’s a great recipe to take to a party or get-together, since it makes 20 servings. But if you want to make it just for your household, you can also freeze the leftovers!
And each gooey, swirled slice has only 3.3g net carbs per serving. Yummy stuff!
Reader Reviews
“OMG!!! These are so rich and decadent! By far the best bar out there! Thank you!” — Joanne J.
“Hi Carolyn! I’ve made this recipe twice now and I love it so much! My son who has celiac disease was just visiting with me and my husband so I made it for him to try and he loves it too. I followed the recipe to the tea and it was easy to make and I also made sure to clean the bowls and the beaters of course! Yum yum!” — Lisa L.
“This is the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve made. Sweet but doesn’t have the sugar substitute after taste. Anything sweet I make my wife doesn’t like because of the aftertaste, her statement was “this is holiday worthy”.” — Robert.
Ingredients you need
- Shredded coconut: Use unsweetened shredded coconut, rather than flaked coconut. It makes it easier to mix everything up together.
- Pecans: Use finely chopped pecans for better consistency and distribution.
- Almond flour: For a nut-free option you can use sunflower seed flour.
- Sweetener: The cake takes both granular and powdered sweetener. I used Swerve for both but you can also use allulose.
- Cocoa powder: Dutch process cocoa imparts a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.
- Protein powder: Protein powder helps the cake rise better and be fluffier. You can use whey, egg white, or plant-based protein.
- Cold coffee: I like coffee because it enhances the chocolate flavor, but water works too.
- Cream cheese: You can’t make the cheesecake filling without this!
- Sugar-free chocolate chips: You can use Lily’s or ChocZero. They both work well in this recipe.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, butter, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Prepare the pan: Grease a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking pan. Sprinkle the bottom with the shredded coconut and the pecans.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the eggs, 6 tablespoons of the melted butter, coffee or water, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour over the coconut and pecans.
4. Prepare the cheesecake filling: In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the remaining 8 tablespoons of melted butter until smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener.
5. Swirl the cake: Dollop this mixture over the cake mixture by the spoonful. Use a knife to swirl into the cake mixture, scraping all the way to the bottom in some places to mix up the coconut and pecans.
6. Bake the cake: Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Bake at 325ºF for about 35 to 45 minutes, until cake is mostly set through but still a little soft and jiggly in the center. Err on the side of underdone, rather than over-baking it. Remove and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
Tips for Success
The pan you use makes a difference. Metal and ceramic or glass conduct heat very differently so I specify ceramic/glass for this recipe. If you don’t have one, use the metal pan but keep your eye on it and test frequently for doneness.
Do NOT over-bake this cake. A few readers have had issues with it being dry, and that always comes from over-baking. Keep your eye on it, and err on the side of under-baking. The edges should be set, but the center should still have a little jiggle to it when you shake the pan. It should not be liquidy, however.
Conventional earthquake cake is made with chocolate cake mix, and you could certainly go that route for this recipe. I think it’s just as easy and less expensive to make your own.
It also usually takes shredded coconut, chopped pecans, and plenty of chocolate chips. But if any one of these additions doesn’t appeal to you, feel free to leave them out. They are not critical to the outcome of the cake itself.
If you truly object to adding protein powder, you can skip it. But just understand that the cake will not rise as well.
Frequently asked questions
This is a big cake that feeds 20 so it’s great for parties and get togethers. You can make it a day or so in advance and refrigerate it. Wrap it up tightly so that it doesn’t dry out, and let it come to room temperature before serving.
Because of the cheesecake filling, leftovers should be kept chilled. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
This keto earthquake cake recipe has 7.4g of carbs and 4.1g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs per slice.
More keto cake recipes to love!
- Gooey Keto Butter Cake
- Pumpkin Crunch Cake
- Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake
- Keto Chocolate Cheesecake
- Keto Flourless Chocolate Cake
Keto Earthquake Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (93 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup (54.5 g) chopped pecans
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1/3 cup (28.67 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavoured whey protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 14 tbsp (143.75 g) butter, melted, divided
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) cold coffee or water, coffee helps boost chocolate flavor
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (182 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 cup (90 g) sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking pan. Sprinkle the bottom with the shredded coconut and the pecans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in the eggs, 6 tablespoons of the melted butter, coffee or water, and vanilla extract until well combined. Spread over the coconut and pecans.
- In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the remaining 8 tablespoons of melted butter until smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener.
- Dollop this mixture over the cake mixture by the spoonful. Use a knife to swirl into the cake mixture, scraping all the way to the bottom in some places to mix up the coconut and pecans.
- Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until cake is mostly set through but still a little soft and jiggly in the center. Err on the side of underdone, rather than over-baking it.
- Remove and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Could this be frozen? I would like to make the whole recipe and freeze half, as I am just cooking for 2.
I can’t see why not!
Has anyone tried to use plant based protein instead of whey protein? Thanks for anybfeed back!
I think it should work fine.
I also made this cake, first time it was awful had to throw it out. Next day I tried again , but I tweeked the recipe. Used a 8×8 pan, also lowered the temperature to 350 and baking time to 25-30 minutes. I used 1/4 cup monkfruit plus I mixed the pecans and coconut into the cake batter. Then with the cream cheese I cut everything in 1/2 . This time it was great and yummy.
I’m sorry but I really don’t understand this. You lowered the temperature to 350? I am confused because the recipe has it at 325F. So if your first attempt was over-baked, I think you had your oven temperature much MUCH too high.
WOWSA… made this for Easter since had a crowd here and topped with your chocolate whipped topping dollop on each serving and people raved. We had some left over and ate it for over a week as kept in coldest refrigerator.
Keep up the INSPIRATIONAL GENIUS Desserts. My hubby and son have the sweet tooths and me reaching for your dessert book or printing out one to show them makes them drool.
Now if I can only find a store that has the brains to stock Swerve at a discount…like COSTCO!
(Use any influence possible, if I had any)
Thanks again!
Looks delicious!!! how many servings? Not sure if I missed it but didn’t see it…
The number of servings is at the top of the recipe so you just try to cut it into 20 equal portions.
How did I miss that smh
Wow! So delicious! Made your German chocolate brownies for my hubbies birthday last year and made this for his birthday this year. The brownies are wonderful but I think this just inched past! ????
Amazing!! Made it for my BD and it’s a killer!! Lol I’ve made some adjustments: all over and top’ covered by the chocolate frosting. Will make again.
Belated happy birthday!
This is amazing! I left out the protein powder and added one egg to the cream cheese mixture. I baked it for 35 minutes instead of 45 and it turned out very moist and delicious. Definitely a keeper!
Thank you soooo much for posting your comment! I don’t have whey protein powder & I am not going to spend over $28 to get some when I’ve never needed it before. I like being able to make special stuff like this on occasion, but can’t go broke to do so.
Earthquake cake because it will rock your world! Thanks Carolyn.
Is there anything in the world that can be substituted for the protein powder? Both whey and egg white protein powders are so expensive and I would never (or rarely) use them in recipes other than something like this. Fixed incomes suck and I can’t justify spending that kind of money — sorry but that’s the truth of the matter. I would dearly love to try this recipe and I know my diabetic husband would love, love, love to try the cake but I need to come up with something other than the protein powder. Thanks for your help!
So, the best thing for me to do is tell you WHY I use protein powder. Gluten is a protein and in its absence, another (dry) protein helps baked goods rise and hold their shape. That said, it’s going to be delicious without it, if you don’t mind it being a little more fragile. So skip it but just be aware.
Ooh, this sounds devine! I read through all the comments and you said it would be ok to substitute egg white powder for the protein powder. My question is are the ratios the same? I so want to make this for a Superbowl party. Once again, thank you for sharing your recipes. Makes being on keto so much easier!!!
Yes, they should be the same. If you have one, bake it in a ceramic baking pan. People find it a bit dry when they use a metal pan.
I just made this earthquake cake, I have only been doing keto for two weeks, and figured I would try it. I did all of the ingredients in your recipe, except I did use Isopure chocolate flavor for the protein powder. It is good, but the chocolate cake part is alil dry. Has anyone tried it with Coconut flour instead of almond? Thank you for sharing and it was worth a try. It is good. just need to tweek it abit for my tastes. Thank you again. Jessie
It would be far more dry with coconut flour. What kind of pan did you use? If metal, that might be part of the problem.
The flavors in this cake are amazing!!
This is my kinda dessert! Love that it’s still delicious while being low carb
Low carb cake..sign me up!! This looks so heavenly!! I can’t wait to give it a try!
This looks so so amazing! Would love a big piece right out of the oven! Yum
Holy delicious – this recipe is a major winner!
The reason the cake was originally called Earthquake Cake was because (in the original recipe) the cream cheese wasn’t mixed all through the cake. When you opened the oven you were greeted with a dark chocolate cake with huge cream cheese craters in the middle. Very rustic and beautiful. My aunt Marie made these when I was young and it was always a bit!!
Carolyn,
I finally got through all of the comments and noticed that you answered the question about using the whey powder!
Hi Carolyn,
I love your recipes and want to try this one but can’t afford the whey powder. Can I ask what it is for? Or why you use it? Is there something else I can use instead?