Classic Italian Cream Cake goes low carb and keto! This rich layer cake is a truly special dessert recipe, and it’s worth the time and effort.
Some recipes make me do the happy dance. And this keto Italian Cream Cake is one of those recipes. I really am quite excited to bring this one to you today as it is seriously fantastic. I rank it up there among my best cake recipes, easily.
So here’s the deal. As most of you know, I’ve been hard at work on a keto dessert cookbook. Easy Keto Desserts will be coming out on July 3rd and I am so excited about that one. Because let’s be honest, that’s where my heart lies. Creating healthy low carb desserts just makes me happy. And apparently it makes a lot of you happy too. But the recipes in that book are, obviously, on the “easier” side of things. They are delicious treats you can whip up without a whole lot of effort and without getting out every pan and whisk in your kitchen. They are still creative and innovative, but they aren’t overly complicated.
And while I know many of you will appreciate that, I actually have a bit of a thing for more complicated desserts – the kind that really do have you getting out multiple bowls and beaters and whisks. The sort that has every cupboard open and every spare surface of kitchen counter covered. When I have the time for them, I really love those recipes…just burrowing into my kitchen and losing myself in the creation of something delicious.
I’d never heard of Italian Cream Cake before I moved to the US. It’s just not a Canadian thing…and with good reason. It’s actually not really Italian at all, but instead a kind of vintage southern cake recipe. But regardless of origins, it’s an astonishingly good cake and makes for a perfect low carb makeover. I realized it was perfect as a recipe to showcase Bob’s Red Mill products, because I would not only be using almond flour, but also their unsweetened shredded coconut and a little coconut flour as well. I always rely on their low carb flours and meals, as I know they will produce excellent results. And they came through for me as always!
How to Make Keto Italian Cream Cake
One thing I would do differently for this cake, however, is use smaller 8 inch pans. At the time of creation, I only had 9 inch round pans. They worked just fine but the layers weren’t as high and impressive looking as I would have liked – the cake was rather wide and squat-looking…but the amazing flavour more than made up for it. If you choose to use 8 inch pans, the baking time will be longer, of course. My guess is anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes longer. This is a big, rich cake, so whether you bake it in 9 inch pans or 8 inch pans, it serves about 16 people.
So here’s to easy desserts and here’s to complicated desserts. They both have a place in my heart!
Want more amazing keto cake recipes? Check out my new Keto Desserts page. All recipes under 7g TOTAL carbs!
Love to bake? You need this cookbook!
Low Carb Italian Cream Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 4 large eggs, room temperature, separated
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla , extract
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Garnish
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut, lightly toasted
- 2 tbsp chopped pecans, lightly toasted
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease two 8 inch or 9 inch round cake pans very well (the 8 inch pans will take a little longer to cook but the layers will be higher and I think they will look better). Line the pans with parchment paper and grease the paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until well combined. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, whisk together the almond flour, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat into the butter mixture until just combined.
- In another large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they hold stiff peaks. Gently fold into the cake batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and spread to the edges. Bake 35 to 45 minutes (or longer, depending on your pans), until the cakes are golden on the edges and firm to the touch in the middle.
- Remove and let cool completely in the pans, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment from the layers if it comes out with them.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Beat in the sweetener and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Slowly add the heavy whipping cream until a spreadable consistency is achieved.
To Assemble
- Place the bottom layer on a serving plate and cover the top with about 1/3 of the frosting. Add the next layer and frost the top and the sides.
- Sprinkle the top with the toasted coconut and pecans. Refrigerate at least half an hour to let set.
Video
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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Hi, this looks fabulous! I only have truvia that’s granulated or powdered swerve. Can I use powdered swerve in the cake? Thank you!
You should be able to use the powdered for the cake.
SIMPLY DIVINE!!! I made this a week ago and it turned out fabulous! So much delicious-ness – the flavors, the texture. The cake is light and moist and flavorful and the icing is cream cheese heaven! I stored the whole cake in the fridge and when I’d cut a slice I’d warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds – just enough to make it slightly warm and the frosting where it’s just starting to melt! OMG! OMG! OMG! Thank you Carolyn!!! You rock my dessert world!!!
So glad you liked it!
Fabulous! I made a small, 3-layer cake by cutting the recipe in 1/2 and baking the batter in 3 mini 5″ springform pans for about 20 min. With a 1/2 recipe of frosting, I was able to frost between the layers and also cover the top and sides. I reserved some of the chopped pecans from the batter and used them to decorate the top of the cake. End result was a tall, beautiful (and very tasty!) celebration-worthy layer cake perfect for a small gathering. Thank you Carolyn for all your wonderful & creative recipes & cookbooks!
I made a vegan version of this and it is sooooo good! If anyone else is interested in doing a vegan version, here are the substitutions I used:
Egg Yolks – Mixture of 8 tbsp Soy Yogurt (2 per egg) + 1 tbsp Ground Flax Seed
Egg Whites – Mixture of 1 tsp Baking Powder + 1 tbsp Canola Oil + 1 tbsp Water
Heavy Whipping Cream/Heavy Cream – Thai Kitchen brand Coconut Cream
I couldn’t find Swerve near me, so I substituted with a Stevia/Erythritol blend. I also added more shredded coconut to the frosting because I love it.
All in all a great recipe, thanks!
I made the receipe as is directed but it crumbled some coming out of the pan and felt a little hard but when I put the second layer it broke some but I was able to put it back together, not sure what I did wrong.
It’s very hard for me to say what went wrong here but it definitely shouldn’t crumble like that. Sorry!
Made this tonight and it’s a winner! Husband approved! Thank you!
So glad to hear it!
I cant wait to make this! Does it have to be refrigerated once completed? Not just the 30 minutes to set…but until it’s all eaten up. Thanks!
It should probably be refrigerated if you aren’t going to finish it within the firsts 3 days.
This cake was so awesome! I used a different sweetener (chicory based) plus several drops of liquid stevia. I also lightly toasted all the pecans and coconut. Otherwise, followed the rest of your directions to a tee. This recipe rocks it! So grateful for such an elegant and special treat of yummy low-carb gourmet!
That’s great to hear!
Italian creme cake is my mom’s favorite cake. She is diabetic now and having issues w/her sugar level. I can’t convince her to go on the keto diet, but I am looking for low sugar healthy recipes this looks like it might fit the bill. It should be okay for diabetics, right? I would think so. Looking forward to making it for her. Thanks for sharing it!
I am a diabetic so yes! 🙂
This cake was incredible! Thank you so much! It was enjoyed by everyone and my 8 year old proclaimed it my best ever. I will tell you, I was nervous when I unpanned them because the edges were very crumbly and dry but I iced it and let it sit in the fridge for several hours prior to serving and the edges soaked up some moisture. There wasn’t anything dry about it! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made this cake and it’s super tasty but I’ve noticed in a few bites a weird sour taste. Do you have any suggestions as to what I could have done wrong? The parts that aren’t sour are delicious!
Well it absolutely shouldn’t have a sour taste. I wonder if one of your ingredients had gone off? How do you store your almond flour?
I store my almond flour just in a canister that’s sealed. It’s definitely possible that it ingredient was off but I would think with that the entire cake would taste sour but it’s not the entire cake it’s maybe one bite out of a slice. It’s very odd. I think I’ll have to make it again And see if I’m still tasting this weird sour flavor.
Omg! My third day into keto and this was a Hit!!!! My non keto family members are it and loved it! I will definitely make it again! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Only 3 days and you tackled a complicated cake like this? I am impressed! Keep up the good work, it’s worth it.
I made this today for my mom’s birthday, and OMG it’s fantastic! Everybody loved it!
Made this cake last night and it is sooooooo good and moist…. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!!!
This recipe came out delicious, thank you!
My dad was really happy to eat this on his birthday.
It made a beautiful presentation.
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. I baked it last night and it tasted good except that it came out a bit dry and not moist. Reading over the comments i realized few people have encountered this. I followed the exact recipe with just 1 exception. I used Stevia powder instead of swerve. Do you think that could have caused it. The batter was a very thick and a bit difficult to fold in the egg whites. Any other idea on what could have caused it to be dry?
One doubt that i do have is – how long should one beat after adding heavy cream to whites? What should the consistency be at this stage? I think the batter started to get thick right after added it.
Also it would be great if you could do a video on this. It would help us understand where we might be going wrong. I did look through your youtube channel but could not find for recipe. Apologies if i missed seeing it.
Thank you ????
Yup a change of sweeteners would be an issue. And now I am really confused because you don’t beat heavy cream into the whites at all. You add cream of tartar. If you made that substitution, it would also be an issue.
Oops sorry for typo. I meant to write – after adding heavy cream to the butter/sugar/egg yellow mixture. How long should i beat at this stage after adding the heavy cream.
Just beat until combined.