This low carb gingerbread cake roll is holiday happiness in a sweet little package. Full of sugar-free vanilla cream, it’s a keto dessert you won’t want to miss.
You can’t see me, but I am dancing around with excitement at sharing this recipe with you. It’s the first day of December and I do declare Gingerbread open for the season. And the absolute best way to celebrate is with this spectacular low carb gingerbread cake roll. Seriously, this is the bomb-diggity. And I don’t say that lightly. In fact I never say it at all. It’s a phrase that heretofore has never passed my lips. So you know it’s going to be good, if I stoop to using teenager-like terminology to describe it. Wait, is that even teenager terminology? Maybe it’s too old for that. Those kids have probably moved on to much more interesting phrases. So I am stuck here in old fogey-land, trying to make myself sound hip and cool and messing it all up. But what do I care? My mouth is too full of this cake to pronounce it properly anyway.
So yes, serious holiday deliciousness that you don’t want to miss. It’s my new favourite low carb cake, honestly. Actually, don’t listen to me when I say stuff like that because I say it all the time. I am a fickle cake lover, and am always switching allegiances to whatever new cake strikes my fancy. I have many favourite cakes and if you held a gun to my head, chances are I wouldn’t be able to name the one I love the most. Boston Cream Poke! No wait, White Chocolate Cranberry! Ohhh, hold on a sec, is that Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter? Look, something shiny! Oh no, wait, that’s just chocolate ganache pouring over Death By Chocolate Cheesecake.
You catch my drift? That said, this really is a delicious cake and worth all the trouble of whipping the egg whites and carefully rolling the cake in a tea towel while you make the filling. It’s an impressive looking thing, too. So you can make it for holiday gathering where all those non-low carb naysayers will be talking about how nothing can taste as good as wheat and sugar. Oh no, they are so glad they don’t have to eat low carb or gluten-free, because that stuff tastes like sawdust. But look at this pretty gingerbread cake roll, you must try a slice! It’s so good, it just has to be made with high carb ingredients. Right? Right?
Word to the wise on low carb cake rolls. You really don’t want to skip the grassfed gelatin, as it helps it be flexible and not crack as much. You may be able to sub in an envelope of Knox gelatin but I am not certain because I have yet to try that.
Now go. Go make this bomb-diggity cake and impress the heck out of your friends and family. And yourself. Happy Gingerbread Season!
Low Carb Gingerbread Cake Roll
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup (108 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp grassfed gelatin
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cloves
- 4 large eggs, room temperature, separated
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) granulated Swerve Sweetener, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cream of tartar
Vanilla Cream Filling:
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups (357 g) whipping cream, divided
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F and line an 11x17 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and pan sides very well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, powdered sweetener, cocoa powder, gelatin, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
- In another medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with 2 tbsp of the granulated sweetener until lighter yellow and thickened. Beat in the vanilla extract
- Using clean beaters and a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar until frothy. Beat in the remaining two tbsp sweetener until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the whites. Then gently fold in the almond flour mixture, taking care not to deflate them, until no streaks remain.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the top springs back when touched.
- Remove from the oven and let let cool a few minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen. Cover with another large piece of parchment paper and then a kitchen towel. Place another large baking sheet overtop and flip over.
- Gently peel the parchment from what is now the top of the cake. While still warm, gently roll up inside the kitchen towel, starting from one of the shorter ends. Don't roll too tightly or it will crack. Let cool while preparing the filling.
Vanilla Cream Filling:
- In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with 1/4 cup whipping cream until smooth.
- In a large bowl, beat the remaining whipping cream with the sweetener and vanilla extract until it holds soft peaks. Then add the cream cheese mixture and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Do not over-beat. Remove 1/2 cup and set aside for decorating.
- Gently and carefully unroll the cake. Do not try to lay it completely flat, let it curl up on the ends. Spread with the remaining filling to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Gently roll back up without the kitchen towel. Place seam side-down on a serving platter.
- Sprinkle with some more powdered sweetener, if desired. Pipe remaining vanilla cream mixture in stars or other shapes down the center of the top of the cake.
- Refrigerate 1 hour before slicing. Store in the refrigerator.
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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Oh my…This is delicious!!! I had minor issues with the cake (I misread the instructions which led to having to troubleshoot ingredients) and was worried that it wouldn’t turn out right, so it was a relief when everyone agreed it was great. I will definitely be making this in the future! Thank you so much????
Can this be made with allulose? My stomach doesn’t appreciate erythritol! Thanks
And mine doesn’t do well with allulose. I am sure it would be fine in the cake, though.
Hi, I have a questions if I can use different sugar instead of Swerve Sweetener? Is no able to buy it in my country. Thanks
What can you get?
Oh, Carolyn! How did I miss THIS one?! I have it down for the holidays this year! Looks delicious! I’m the same way with my “favorite cake”! This could be adapted with any of the new delicious low carb ice creams (I will refrain from brand names but you probably know the ones). 😉
I want to try this. Only 1 question….what is the cocoa for?
Thanks!
Hi Jan, I answer that question right in the blog post!
Where? I read the entire blog post twice and even searched the page for “cocoa” but I don’t see any explanation about what the cocoa is for. Chocolate triggers my daughter’s heart arrhythmia, but she loves gingerbread, so I’m also wondering how necessary the cocoa powder is for this recipe.
Love these cake rolls!! Love the gingerbread in this one with the filling! It’s delicious!
This is absolutely amazing!! My family really loved it!
What a gorgeous recipe. Maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to try it!
Okay, this recipe was just amazing! Can’t believe its healthier for you too! Perfect for the holidays!
I LOVE this recipe & love that it’s healthier too! Will be making it again and again!
Would this turn out okay with egg substitutes? Such as maybe chia eggs, flax or something else? I want to try it soooo badly but we can’t eat eggs! Thanks!
I am sorry, I have no idea but I rather doubt it.
will this work in another size glass baking dish like 9 inches by 13 inches?
No, it will be too thick.
Hi Carolyn… Question, would this be able to be made with Coconut flour? I seem to have stomach issues with the almond flour.
I haven’t tried this with coconut flour. If I were to, I would use only 1/3 cup. It may even need a bit more liquid if that batter is too thick.
This cake is the BEST! I did cheat and cut it into 4 pieces and stacked it instead of rolling it. Hey I was born in an Oregon lumber town and had to make the log into a new product! Delicious!
Fair enough! As long as it tastes good. 🙂
Do I wait until it is cool to unwrap it and frost it?
It will be mostly cooled by the time you’ve created the filling.
Hello Carolyn
My Family loves chocolate more then anything
Can I make this a Chocolate roll cake? What substitutes would you
Recommend? Thank you in advance we so love your recipes!
Thanks Candy
Please search my blog for a chocolate strawberry cake roll and you will find exactly how to make a chocolate version. You can use this filling.