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
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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I took this to a church potluck. no leftovers!
Great to hear!
I would love to try this recipe…I am hoping to get measurements of the ingredients for an 8×8 size pan so I can try it before committing to wasting ingredients if not liked. Do I half it or for with 2/3 of the recipe measurements? thank you so much in advance!
I mixed up the full recipe, put half in an 8″ square pan and half in an 8.5″ round cake pan. It came out just right.
Can I substitute a extra egg for the protein powder?
No, I am afraid not. That changes the wet to dry ratio.
One of my most favorite keto dessert recipes… it’s soooooo good!! I’ve made this one alot!!
Can another flour be used? I’m allergic to almonds.
You need to read the blog post, please. Thanks!
Is there a flour to substitute for almond? I have a nut allergy I’m trying to accommodate along with keto and GF guests, a few dairy-free but may just make an alternative option for them.
Try using sunflower seed flour: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/how-to-make-your-own-sunflower-seed-flour/
Would vanilla protein powder work ok?
Yes, just leave out any additional vanilla.
can I make this without the coconut? I’m allergic to coconut.
Yes, it’s not for consistency so just skip it.
This one came out a bit dry and crumbly. I think because I didn’t have the metric numbers and instead of weighing everything, I went with “one cup of…” and it was too much. I truly appreciate when metric weights are included and they weren’t listed on this one. I’m brand new to keto baking and am realizing just how important precision is with ingredients.
I think we should take our own responsibility in conversion. we are from all over the country and measure in different ways. I’m more comfortable in cups so when I come across a recipe in grams, I do my own research. These are free recipes, that Carolyn has created, developed,given her time, money and all to.. so appreciated. I wish you the best on your keto journey.
What do you use to grease your pan?
Usually butter. If I think it’s going to stick and it’s a cake I want to flip out (this one gets cut out of the pan), I usually grease with butter and then spray with avocado oil.
Would it be possible to sub the coconut for something else or leave it out? I’ve LOVED every one of your recipes I’ve baked! And so has my family! 🤍
You can leave it out.
I’d love to make this but I don’t have whey protein powder or egg white protein powder on hand. However I do have a pea/chia seed protein powder. Would that work? I realize that peas aren’t keto but would it affect the texture?
That should work… the pea protein should be low carb still. It’s not the carb part of the peas they extract!
Can I use Splenda instead of Swerve and what happens ifidonthave protein powder?
I don’t use Splenda so I really can’t say. Protein powder helps the cake rise properly.
I’m anxious to try this! earthquake cake was my favorite as a kid! I was wondering if it would work to use collagen peptides in place of the whey protein?
In most recipes, I would say no. It makes things gummy and hard to cook through. But it might work in this weird cake.
Any substitutions for the whey protein powder?
Egg white protein powder.
I tried this recipe and mine turned out more of a brownie than a cake. It was delicious.
OMG!!! These are so rich and decadent! By far the best bar out there! Thank you!