My popular no-bake chocolate peanut butter dirt cake now comes in mini size! This is a sweet little low carb keto cake that serves 2 to 4 people.
I am a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad person. Because I have been holding out on you, saving this delectable keto dirt cake recipe for weeks and weeks. I made it back in mid-March, so that means it’s been 6 weeks or so. It’s such a glorious little low carb cake that I really have no excuse. I should have been taking out ads in all the major papers, plastering it on billboards, and just generally making a huge ruckus to get your attention. Because this cute little guy is the mini version of my ever popular full size Low Carb Chocolate Peanut Butter Dirt Cake. And despite his small stature, he is worth all the fuss.
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I made that full size cake almost three years ago now. It’s been one of the most popular recipes on my blog and with good reason. It’s no bake and relatively easy to make. Perhaps the biggest challenge is having the patience to let it set properly in the fridge for a few hours. It’s got a a delicious chocolate cookie-style crust. It’s got a creamy layer of peanut butter cheesecake goodness. And another creamy layer of keto chocolate pudding. And then it’s topped off with a little more of the cookie crust, crumbled over it to resemble dirt. I don’t know who thought of making cakes look like dirt but it’s an idea that seems to appeal to kids and adults alike.
I’d list that cake as one of the iconic low carb dessert recipes, because people always go nuts for it. It’s been shared and pinned and shared some more. But it is a large cake with 16 servings and if it’s only you and your honey at home (or you and your dog, or you and your friend, or your cat or your goldfish, or just plain old you), that’s a lot of dessert. I’d even venture to say that the full-size version is overwhelming if you don’t have at least a few other people to share it with. And while I advocate for eating dessert on a regular basis, I don’t advocate for eating dessert for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, AND dessert. You need some variety in your diet, my friends. One cannot subsist on dirt cake alone, no matter how much one might want to do so!
So making a mini version of this cake was on my mind ever since I started making all of my mini cakes. Dang, those things have been popular! And they are really fun for me to make, which helps keep this little trend of ours going. I love the challenge of it. It’s never so simple as just dividing all the ingredients by 4. Because when eggs are involved, you can’t always divvy them up easily. And I like to simplify the process for the mini cakes, since attempting to whip 2 tablespoons of heavy cream is kind of a pain in the behind. So it takes some re-jiggering of both the process and the amounts to get something I would deem blog-worthy.
This guy, though. This guy is blog-worthy. He’s cute and delicious and just the right size for 4 servings of rich, creamy low carb chocolate and peanut butter goodness!
My popular no-bake chocolate peanut butter dirt cake now comes in mini size! This is a sweet little low carb keto cake that serves 2 to 4 people.
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 3 tbsp whipping cream
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp almond milk
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/8 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp Lily's chocolate chips
- 1/2 tbsp butter
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In a small bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Stir in the melted butter until it begins to clump together. Remove about 1 1/2 tablespoons of this mixture and reserve for the topping.
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Press the remaining crust mixture into the bottom of a 4 inch springform pan. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sweetener until well combined. Beat in the whipping cream and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread over the crust as smoothly as you can (it's tricky in the tiny cake pans!)
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In a small saucepan over medium low, combine the almond milk, cream, sweetener, and egg yolk, whisking continuously until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and whisk in the xanthan gum.
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Add the cocoa powder, Lily's chocolate, and butter. Let sit a few minutes to melt and then whisk until smooth. Pour over the peanut butter layer.
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Chill the cake at least two hours, until chocolate pudding is set. Run a knife around the outside of the cake to loosen from the sides and then release the springform sides.
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Sprinkle the top with the reserved crust mixture.
Serves 4. Each serving has 4.84g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 290kcal Total fat: 25.96g Calories from fat: 233 Cholesterol: 103mg Carbohydrate 7.54g Total dietary fiber: 2.70g Protein: 6.12g
USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE (affiliate links are included):
DeAn West says
What kind of pan are you using? Can’t wait to try this!
Carolyn says
It’s linked right below the recipe. It’s a 4 inch cake pan from Wilton. http://amzn.to/2qlCLTw
DeAn West says
Just order it! Thanks!
summer says
Can I double this and use an 8″ pan? It’s all I have.
Deanna Paine says
EEEK!! This looks to be the love of my life!! YUMMOS!! All my fav ingredients all deliciously placed together into a beautiful dessert. I’ve been hesitant to make the BIG THM desserts because it’s must my hubbie & I eating on them…but this??!! Perfect! I shall send the THM police out immediately to arrest you since you’ve held out on us so long! heehee 🙂
Carolyn says
hahaha. Sorry I held out so long, I won’t do it again!
Beth M. says
Oh yum! I’m a bit worried it will be hard to resist eating the whole thing in one sitting, but it looks worth the risk. Would it work to use either heavy cream or whipping cream for both the chocolate pudding and the peanut butter layer? I’m always confused by the two anyway, because often the store stocks “heavy whipping cream”, and then I don’t know whether that counts as “heavy cream” or “whipping cream”. Thank you!
Carolyn says
They are very similar and you can usually swap one for the other. Whipping cream is a little less high fat than heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. 30% vs 36%
AZ@...And A Dash of Cinnamon says
OMG I loved dirt when I was little. This sounds amazing..esp with the pb
Susan says
Oh my gosh! I fell off the wagon, bad, about a year ago due to some tremendous and ongoing stress and I am midway through a 5 day egg fast to reboot and hopefully diminish the detox/craving effect. THIS is going to be my celebratory return to low carb sugar free baking!!! I’m glad you hoarded the recipe, the timing could not have been more perfect for selfish old me,this was the perfect reminder that eating right for me doesn’t have to be miserable. ?
Tracy says
I doubled the recipe because the smallest pan I have is 8″ but it didn’t come out very tall. I think I would have to multiply the recipe by 4 for my 8″ pan or get myself a 4″ pan. Also I subbed sun butter for the peanut butter because my daughter is allergic to peanuts and I needed to keep it safe for her. It was very yummy! My son said it tasted like oreos. This could be a game changer for me!
Carolyn says
You could have made the big version. 🙂 Then it would have been great in your 8 inch pan. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2014/05/low-carb-chocolate-peanut-butter-dirt-cake.html
Brian Trout says
Hi Tracy,
Quadrupling the recipe would have worked out closer to what you had in mind.
A 4″ round cake that’s 1-1/2″ tall would work out to around 19 cubic inches in volume.
An 8″ round cake that’s 1-1/2″ tall would work out to around 75 cubic inches in volume.
Using a 6″ pan would come out closer to what you might have been expecting using your double recipe.
Fun, fun. 🙂 I’m sure it was still delicious!
Cathy says
Took a few days to work in time to make this but oh was it worth it! Fabulous. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
First time for stove top pudding and it worked like a charm. I would love to make the big one but don’t think it would last 16 days as it is just me. Will have to find someone willing to share. Ha Ha. Stopping at one small slice was a challenge.
So glad you shared this now. It is really heating up where I live. Summer seems to be in full swing. Hit the spot perfectly.
Cathy
Carolyn says
Glad the mini cake hit the spot!
Stephanie Deal says
Yowie!! I made this tonight and it was perfectly yummy and incredibly easy!!! I will definitely make this again and very soon. Thx Carolyn!!
Katie says
If you wanted to make a full size cake with this recipe, what amount would you multiply the ingredients by for an 8 or 9 inch cake? Love that there are full cakes and minis since it is just me and my husband. But was curious what the ratio to convert a full to a mini or vice versa. . Thank you!
Carolyn says
There’s already a full size version. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2014/05/low-carb-chocolate-peanut-butter-dirt-cake.html
Luce says
It look’s yummy ? i was just wondering about egg yolk,could i replace it with something or even not put it at all?
Carolyn says
No, this really needs egg yolk to set properly.
Holly says
OMG! This was so good and really hit the spot! There are 2 of us in the household and this was perfect. We loved it and I’m going to add this one to my favorites. Thanks, Carolyn!
Katie says
I am egg intolerant. Will the pudding be ok if I omit it?
Carolyn says
No, sorry. The pudding requires the eggs to set properly.
Holly says
THANK YOU SO MUCH for creating this recipe! I made it today and my kids said it tasted even better than the Cheesecake Factory chocolate peanut butter cheesecake! I agree 100%! Plus, knowing that this is low carb and low sugar makes me so happy! 🙂 I wish you could have seen the look on my son’s face when he took a bite! He said that I need to make this on a regular basis! You bet I will! 🙂 It’s definitely a KEEPER!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Nicole says
i just made this (so it’s still chilling) but the little bits i’ve tasted are fantastic and i can’t wait to try it chilled. i’m thrilled that i have something so i won’t be tempted by the birthday cake we got for my brother on monday!
Carolyn says
Yay, hope it was as good as the little bits you tasted.
Julie says
Can this recipe be made without Xanthan Gum? It does terrible things in my digestive system.
Lynda says
What is the difference between the cream and whipping cream?
Carolyn says
No difference, it’s the same thing. I just forgot to write whipping in one part!
Sherry Thomas says
Can you substitute anything else for the Lily’s Chocolate Chips?
Carolyn says
You can try 1 tbsp unsweetened chocolate, which is about 1/2 ounce.
Sherry Thomas says
Thanks! I have that!
Jessie says
Hi! This recipe looks amazing! I just have a few questions… Can almond milk be replaced with regular milk? Also, do you have to use xanthan gum, or can you replace it with something else? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Yes, the milk can be substituted. But it won’t thicken properly without a little xanthan gum. Or you could try glucommannan