A rich low carb chocolate poke cake with chocolate peppermint pudding. This is the healthy holiday dessert recipe that’s going to blow your guests’ minds!
You are so going to hate me for this recipe. I mean, you’re going to love the recipe, there’s no question about that. But you are going to hate me because it’s 9 days to Christmas and I am completely messing with your holiday menu plans. If you are one of those organized people who has it all mapped out by the beginning of December, you are going to be cursing my name to the heavens as you rearrange everything to fit this awesome low carb poke cake into the mix. Because you can’t not make this cake. You just can’t. It’s a must.
I am now very enamoured of this poke cake trend. I really wasn’t so sure about it before, because poke cakes usually take boxed pudding or jello for the filling. Even sugar-free boxed pudding or jello is just not something I want to purchase anymore, and it’s not something I want my family eating. I also didn’t really see the allure of poking a bunch of holes in a cake in order to sink some pudding or jello into it. Until I tried it, and then I was sold. First of all, it’s fun. You can take out a little aggression or frustration poking holes into your cake! Second of all, it produces some of the moistest cake you will ever eat, the way the pudding works itself into every bite.
Sadly, you can’t see the pudding worked into every hole, the way you can with some poke cake recipes. In this Peppermint Mocha Cake, the colour of the pudding and the cake is just too similar to stand out against each other. Nevertheless, I assure you that it’s in there and I double triple infinity assure you that it’s delicious! So for all those of you missing the sugar-laden Peppermint Mochas at your favourite coffee shop, let’s raise a piece of low carb, grain-free poke cake instead. Cheers!
PS – for those of you who would prefer just Chocolate Peppermint Poke Cake, you can easily adapt this recipe. Leave out the instant coffee and replace the brewed coffee with water or almond milk. Voila, low carb chocolate peppermint poke cake. I am nothing if not accommodating!
Peppermint Mocha Poke Cake
Ingredients
Mocha Cake:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated Swerve Sweetener
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp liquid stevia extract
- 1 cup cold coffee
Chocolate Mint Pudding:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/8 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter in 3 pieces
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Mocha Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9x9 baking pan well (can also use 8x8 but may take longer to bake).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powered, coconut flour, whey protein, instant coffee, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat butter with sweetener until well creamed. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and stevia extract and beat until well combined.
- Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, then beat in coffee. Beat in remaining almond flour until well combined. Spread batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake about 25 minutes, until firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Remove and let cool completely, then take a kitchen skewer and poke holes all over the cake.
Chocolate Mint Pudding:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine almond milk, whipping cream and sweetener. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sweetener.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolks to temper. Then slowly whisk tempered yolks back into saucepan.
- Reduce heat to medium low and sprinkle surface with xanthan gum, whisking vigorously to combine. Whisk in cocoa powder and cook until thickened, about 2 or 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in chopped chopped chocolate and butter until smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Let cool at least 15 minutes and then pour over cooled cake. Tap pan firmly on the counter to get the pudding to sink into the holes. Chill at least 2 hours.
Whipped Cream Topping:
- In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream with sweetener and vanilla until it holds stiff peaks. Spread over filling. Sprinkle cake with crushed sugar-free peppermint candies and shaved dark chocolate, if desired.
Notes
Total fat: 25.08g
Calories from fat: 225
Cholesterol: 119mg
Carbohydrate: 10.43g
Total dietary fiber: 5.07g
Protein: 8.72g
Nutrition
Other Low Carb Poke Cake Recipes
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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We love peppermint! (Skipped adding mocha). It is a wonderfully dense chocolate cake and turned out just like Carolyn’s pretty photos. This is at the top of our favorite desserts! Will try making it with your caramel sauce and ganache.