This might just be the best low carb keto chocolate cake I’ve ever made. So rich and moist, it doesn’t need any frosting. And no need to heat up the kitchen when you cook it in your slow cooker or crockpot!
Watch and see just how easy this cake is to make!
Easy Low Carb Chocolate Cake Recipe
There is a serious dearth of low carb slow cooker recipes here on All Day I Dream About Food, and for that I apologize. See, slow cookers aren’t really my thing. At least, they weren’t until about a month ago. I know people who love them and swear by them and there are whole blogs devoted to them, but I never really saw the appeal. I understood the attraction of popping a whole bunch of ingredients into a slow cooker, setting the timer and walking away, but all the recipes I ever tried turned out rather flavourless and uninspiring. The most action my old slow cooker got was when I went through a bout of making homemade yogurt. It turned out to be pretty useful in that regard. But most meals were best made on the stovetop and in the oven, in my opinion, so my slow cooker hung out down in the basement, gathering dust.
I now think that part of my prejudice against slow cookers was due to not having a particularly good one. The old crock pot we had always gave off a funny smell when it was heating and it took forever to cook things through. I mean, I know slow cookers are supposed to be slow, but this one truly took ages. I finally gave up on it completely after a recipe for slow cooked cabbage and sausage never truly cooked at all and had to be finished off in our oven. That was it for me and slow cookers, I thought.
Fate, however, thought otherwise. I was invited to be a part of a slow cooker charity cookbook that will be coming out in the fall, and Hamilton Beach very kindly supplied me with a brand new slow cooker to test out for my recipes. I’d met the good folks from Hamilton Beach at a recent conference and they showed me then and there that slow cookers had so much more to offer than I ever thought. They were whipping up plenty of tasty items right there and one of them happened to be a chocolate cake. Um, chocolate cake in a slow cooker? I was floored. And determined to make a low carb, gluten free chocolate cake to rival it’s high carb, sugary counterpart.
Oh. My. Word. This cake was so good, so unbelievably moist and rich, I actually made it twice within three days. That is saying a lot, my friends. I love experimenting with recipes so much that for me to make something twice, exactly the same way, is a really big deal. It was a huge hit with the whole family, and if you own a slow cooker, you are going to want to make this as soon as possible. Like…right now! And if you don’t own a slow cooker but are looking for one, I highly recommend the Set & Forget 6 Qt Programmable Slow Cooker from Hamilton Beach.
PLEASE NOTE! I’ve updated this recipe to make it a little smaller and a little less carby. Although I loved the original, it was pretty big and each serving came in at a whopping 11.5 total carbs (about 5g net carbs). So I decided to try making it with 3/4 the amount of batter and you know what? It was just as good. Possibly better, because then I could top it with some ice cream and chocolate sauce and not feel overly full afterward. And interestingly, the cook time was exactly the same.
But for those of you who loved the original recipe, don’t worry…just scroll a little further down, it’s still there!
Find more great ketogenic recipes in my new cookbook! Order your copy now.
Slow Cooker Dark Chocolate Cake
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 205 Calories from fat 152 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 16.97 | 26% |
| Carbohydrate 8.42 | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.08 | 16% |
| Protein 7.37 | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
This might just be the best low carb chocolate cake I've ever made. So rich and moist, it doesn't need any frosting. And no need to heat up the kitchen when you cook it in your slow cooker or crockpot!
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp almond flour
- 1/2 cup Swerve, Granular
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp unflavoured whey protein powder (can sub egg white protein powder)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Grease the insert of a 6 quart slow cooker well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, whey protein powder, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in butter, eggs, almond milk and vanilla extract until well combined, then stir in chocolate chips, if using.
- Pour into prepared insert and cook on low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It will be gooey and like a pudding cake at 2 hours, and more cakey at 2 1/2 hours.
- Turn slow cooker off and let cool 20 to 30 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve warm. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
Serves 10. Each serving has 4.34g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 205kcal Total fat: 16.97g Calories from fat: 152 Cholesterol: 74mg Carbohydrate: 8.42g Total dietary fiber: 4.08g Protein: 7.37g
Original (larger) Cake Recipe
1 & 1/2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 large eggs
3/4 cup almond or coconut milk, unsweetened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips (optional)
Grease the insert of a 6 quart slow cooker well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, whey protein powder, baking powder and salt.
Stir in butter, eggs, almond milk and vanilla extract until well combined, then stir in chocolate chips, if using.
Pour into prepared insert and cook on low for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. It will be gooey and like a pudding cake at 2 1/2 hours, and more cakey at 3 hours.
Turn slow cooker off and let cool 20 to 30 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve warm. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Serves 10. Each serving has 11.65 g of carbs and 5.38 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6.27 g.
Food energy: 275kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 9.62g
Total fat: 22.94g
Calories from fat: 206
Cholesterol: 99mg
Carbohydrate: 11.65g
Total dietary fiber: 5.38g
Protein: 9.91g
Sodium: 209mg
This looks amazing- totally acceptable to start out my Monday morning with some Chocolate Cake, right? Pinned!
Thanks, guys!
Just came across this YUMMY-looking cake! Question: Is it bitter at all? I recently made some low-carb brownies with Stevia, and they were TERRIBLE! They smelled so good and looked awesome, but they were bitter and had no chocolate flavor. I want something that tastes like the real thing without all the sugar!
Anything with all stevia as the sweetener will be very bitter. Somehow, when it combines with chocolate, it gets very bitter. Use erythritol-based sweeteners to avoid this.
I did slow cookie cookie bars once and they ended up slightly burned on the outside and not quite done on the inside. I’ve noticed that when my slow cooker is less than half full that things over cook and cook unevenly. I bought a smaller crockpot for the small volume liwuid things and that works but I wonder if it would work for dessert too. Maybe I need to just get a programmable large one, since my big one is nothing fancy. But anyway love this cake! I’d love to add nuts to it.
I have several crockpots in different sizes and size is the key. They have to be the right size to fill 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full to avoid the problem you describe. I love using them – you just have to know how. As for this recipe I like Splenda – can that be substituted? I’m a diabetic whose blood sugar is hyper sensitive and I finally got around to trying almond flour and it really didn’t raise me up as much. So this recipe should work.
Yes, Splenda should work.
Is the size of the crockpot key to most anything? Filling it 1/2-3/4 full?
I think it’s the width and depth that matter most. What size do you have?
I’ve never tried baking a cake in my slow cooker – fun idea!
Yum! And when my old slow cooker died, three or four years ago, that Hamilton Beach is the one I replaced it with – it’s fantastic. (Always gets comments when I bring it to a party or a potluck, especially with the bits that lock the lid on.) Think I’ll have to make this later in the week…
Could you make this cake in a smaller crockpot? Just 1/2 the recipe?
Recipe looks good!
Patti 🙂
I think so, yes but the cooking time may vary a bit so keep your eye on it.
I have a 3 qt (or litre) slow cooker as well. I halved the ingredients, and am aiming for 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours. Would that be about right Carolyn?
For the first go round, I’d watch it after the 1.5 hour mark.
Thank you so much. On my bench tomorrow 🙂
This definitely takes all the worry and work out of cake baking. Love it!
OH, WOW.
I thought we were fancy for making oatmeal in the crockpot, once upon a time… this is a fab idea.
Anything done differently with an 8 qt?
I have an 8 qt Hamilton Beach…but it tends to burn everything more than hour before it’s supposed to done.
Okay, an 8 quart is big. I think you would want to cook it for 2 hours or less OR you could make it bigger by doing another 25% of all the ingredients.
Thanks, will try it with less time first.
Shoot, I read this comment about two hours too late. Flavor and texture were right on but my p.o.s. crock pot burned half of it and now I guess I know why.
Oh dear, I am sorry about that.
Oh my. This looks so dark, rich and sinful that it should be illegal.
My Crock Pot’s been rather neglected this summer, since we’ve been grilling almost every week. Might as well put it to use!
Did you preheat the crockpot, then add the cake ingredients?
Nope! Just add them in and set it to low.
This recipe sounds delish. Other than stuff like stewed apples I’ve never made a dessert in a slow cooker; especially not a low carb cake which has its own little niche. I’ll definitely be pulling out the cooker for this one even though it’s usually on lockdown until fall. Coincidentally I happen to own the same Hamilton Beach slow cooker which I totally enjoy. It has some really useful and nifty features like the 3 different ways you can use and program it (automatic, probe and manual). The probe is especially nice for roasts and I’ve only seen that feature on Hamilton Beach. Since I got this one a couple of years ago the other one I had seems primitive. I’m already greedily hoping you’ll be sending some more slow cooker low carb dessert recipes our way.
I haven’t used the probe yet, but I definitely like that feature!
I was wondering if you could use something than whey protein? I have all the other ingredients.
Do you have any egg white protein? It really needs a dry protein to help it rise. You can try it without but it may not rise as much.
Thanks for saying what the whey protein is for. I might have been inclined to leave it out.
I have heard about subbing gelatin for the protein powder. Not sure the conversion factor though. What do you think in this recipe?
Hello. This looks great ! Can i bake the cake in the oven ?
You could, but it won’t be the same at all. An oven is dry heat whereas a slow cooker is very moist heat. It may dry out too much. You can certainly try, though. I would bake at 325F with a pan of water in the oven too, to try to keep it from drying out.
I made this cake this morning, it was easy and cooked beautifully. The family loved it! It will be a favorite recipe for us that I am sure I will make often.
Thanks so much for the feedback!
I made this last night. I didn’t know if I should preheat the slow cooker or not, so I did preheat it. I then forgot about it and let it cook for about 3 1/2 hours, by mistake. It turned out beautifully. My husband, who usually dislikes all my non-sugar things, even loved it. Great recipe.
Wow, glad it still turned out! Very good to know. Phew!
This is, surprisingly, a VERY forgiving recipe!
Just in case it’s helpful to someone . . . I made this in my tiny 1.5 quart cooker last night. I used half the recipe and cooked for 3.5 hours, before turning off to cool. It came out lovely and brownie-like. Another 1/2 hour would have been more cake-y, I’m sure. I love it! Thank you so much for your amazing (life-saving) recipes, Carolyn!!
That slow cooker is really only 1/4 of my size, so I can imagine it took longer to bake. But so glad it worked!
Thank you! I had been reading through the recipe and wondered if my 1-1/2 qt slow cooker would work. I halved the recipe and cooked for 3-1/3 hrs on low (no pre-heating), then let cool for about 20 mins. Mine came out more cakey, with the sides nearest the bottom starting to get a little hard/overcooked. Next time I’ll cut the time to 2-1/2 hrs and cool for 30 mins to see if I can get the gooey, pudding like cake. The taste was awesome! I guess the brand of slow cooker might make a difference. The one I have is a “Kitchen Gourmet” brand. The cake is 2″ high, so while the slow cooker is 1/4 the size, I think 1/2 the batter came out perfect.
Thanks Rachel for passing on the information, I would have 1/4 the batter and hoped it came out okay. With your comment, I immediately printed the recipe, headed to the kitchen, and went for it!
Again Carolyn, another awesome recipe! So chocolatey and moist! I’m glad that you got a new slow cooker and will be posting more recipes for them. They are awesome, especially when it’s hot and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. It sounds like maybe you had a defective slow cooker that ruined your recipes previously. 🙁 The Hamilton Beach slow cooker looks like a really high end one- I’ve never seen one with a probe. I love the idea of the seal on the lid and being able to lock it in place for traveling without spills. I might have to put this one on my Christmas wish list!
Thanks again!
Sherrie Lee
what would you use instead of the whey protein. I’m allergic to it, and can you use a raw sugar instead of the sweetner?
You can try egg white or hemp protein. I am sure you can use another sweetener, as long as it’s not a liquid sweetener, which would introduce too much moisture.
Just mixed this up and realized there was one fact I didn’t know– is this to cook covered or uncovered? Almost everything in a crockpot should be covered to allow it to come to temp, so I put the lid on, but since cakes are usually cooked UNcovered, I thought I’d ask for future reference…
Covered. You want the moisture to stay in.
I wonder vanilla whet protein powder would work. That is all I have at the time.
I am sure it would, but I’d not put any extra vanilla in.
Oh you clever woman! Am busy making this right now! I have left out the chocolate, as I’m allergic to it, but have made it more vanilla like. Too hot here to bake in the oven so the crock pot is a genius idea!
Lucrecia, Could you share your recipe changes for a more vanilla cake and the results? I am very sensitive to caffeine (chocolate) and would love another version of this excellent recipe. I’ve made 2 of these cakes in 2 days and they’re just wonderful! I put German Choc. icing on one of them for my husband. You know, the junk in the can. I also put a piece of parchment on the bottom of the slow cooker to help enable the cake to come out in one piece, which worked beautifully.
Thank you,
Tina
I am not Lucrecia but I’d say you’re looking at substituting the cocoa powder with another 1 cup of almond flour. I might also do 2 tbsp or so of coconut flour to help “dry” it out a bit, since cocoa powder is so dry and powdery.
Thank you so much. I’ll try it and let you know how it goes.
Well, I tried this method (another cup of almond flour, 2 T. coconut flour and no cocoa powder). Once again, I forgot to watch the time and I ended up letting this one cook for 5 hours! Goodness, this is the most forgiving recipe! It is delicious. It probably would be better cooked for less time, but on the second day, it tasted like pound cake. Unbelievable recipe!
Thank you Carolyn.
You need to get yourself a kitchen timer! 😉
Such a great way to bake a cake!!
For the crockpot chocolate cake, what can I use instead of the whey protein powder. I can’t do dairy.
Thanks!
Hemp protein or powdered egg whites will do.
Is egg white protein the same as meringue powder. If it is could I use that for the cake, and do I measure it like the protein powder?
Yes, as long as the meringue powder is unsweetened (I get mine at Whole Foods). And yes, you can measure it like the whey powder.
Can I sub hwc for the milk? I’m out of almond 🙁
I would do have cream, half water
Thank you! I used to make an unhealthy version of this very cake! I was just thinking about how I would love to have a healthy version! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Hi!
This recipe had delicious results.
Being Australian, I replaced Swerve with Natvia sweetener which is available to us. Turns out this is the same thing, a pretty good quality 1-1 sugar replacement. I reduced it to 1 cup instead of 3/4 to be sure not to over sweeten. Next time I will add the full 3/4 because it was perfectly fine.
The batter turned out very runny. This may be normal though I think because it is going in a slow cooker which needs a bit more moisture for the long cook. It wasn’t a problem, the cake was perfect at the end.
My slow cooker was large, and so it cooked this cake in 1.5 hours.
CHEERS
Sorry, I meant to type “I reduced it to 1/2 of a cup”
Carolyn, you must have read my mind. I have moved a week ago from the very pleasant San Francisco Bay Area to HOT El Dorado Hills, were temps go too often way over 100 degree F. To turn on an oven is just unthinkable. Busy unpacking boxes, which seem to be multiplying, lol, I was sad to have no time to prepare treats for my visiting grandkids. This recipe is heaven sent! What would we do without you! As always you amaze me! Thanks! Barbara (Baerbel)
Thank you! Such kind words.
I added a tablespoon of dark rum to this and it added little caramel rum tasting goops that were just amazing. I don’t know if they came from something else, really didn’t expect it, but the goops were light brown in color and I couldn’t think of anything else causing it. Noms.
I made this cake this afternoon – poured the batter into the slow cooker, set it on low, and went out to the dog park with my pooch. An hour & a half later, when I got home, I realized I had forgotten to plug in the cooker! Oh well, what did I have to lose. I plugged it in and left it cooking for 2 3/4 hours, then let it sit for 20 minutes as you suggested. My husband and I just finished warm pieces of the most delectable rich chocolate cake (with ice cream on the side). This recipe is so simple and fast to put together, obviously foolproof, and absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Amazing! So good! Are there any substitutions for the almond flour that I might try to lower the cost?
Hmmm, not sure what would low the cost. You could try grinding your own almonds but it might not be fine enough.
I’m sorry if this is a 2nd post I don’t see the original one to this. How could I sub coconu flour into the recipe. Also for the kids I would like to use honey. How could I do that?
I’d use about 1/2 cup of coconut flour and add an extra egg. I don’t know how to sub honey because I never use it. It adds in some liquid so you’d need to cut back on the liquid content a bit.
I’m in the UK and I don’t understand what you mean by ‘the insert’? Do you mean the ceramic dish that one cooks meat etc in, in which case does the moisture come from the cake mixture itself? Or do you have something more like a cake tin than sits inside your cooker?
Whilst I am pestering you, please could you tell me how big your muffin cups are, regular size and mini?
Using US recipes here is challenging with a totally different measuring system, different sizes for eggs, different names for vegetables, unobtainable products etc, but I’m up for it with the necessary information to hand!
Yes, the ceramic part is the insert. You insert it into the metal part that heats up and that’s what my Hamilton Beach model called it. So no extra pans or anything. The problem with muffin cups is that they aren’t standardized and different companies make them slightly different sizes. But a standard muffin tin has 12 cavities that are about 1/2 cups to 3/4 cups each. The mini hold maybe a few tablespoons.
This is in my slow cooker right now. Can’t wait to experience the results. I was thinking, after reading the comments, that this might make a good jumping off point for coming up with a slow cooker gingerbread. Once we get toward the holidays, do you think you might come up with one? I may experiment on my own, but I’m sure yours would be better! Thanks for this – it’s nice to make a cake without heating up the house.
Great idea, I will definitely consider it!
Can you tell me the measurement for trivia in place of swerve? That’s the only sweetener I have. Thanks!
I don’t know for sure because I don’t use Truvia but it their baking blend is meant to measure cup for cup, then you can do a direct substitution.
Hi Carolyn, I’ve been having great results baking with ZSweet natural sweetener. I’ve even used it in coleslaw-measures 1 for 1 like regular sugar and tastes so very close to the real deal!
Making this cake as soon as I finish your chocolate coconut cookies, which I adore 🙂
Made this tonight! Use xylitol instead of swerve. I made it in my Hamilton Beach 6 qt slow cooker, and I turned it off at about 2.5 hrs. It ended up a bit dry, the whipped cream helps 🙂 I will try again and stop closer to 2 hrs. Thanks for the recipe!
Okay I don’t have the baking blend just regular truvia. But thanks for answering! I’ll give it a go, the cake looks wonderful!
Do you think I could add zucchini to this without messing it up? how much could i add?
Good question. I think if you did about 2 cups fresh, drained it REALLY well (salted, let it drain for at least an hour and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible), and then added less liquid (maybe 1/4 cup less?), it would work. Can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it!
Looks Yummy!! Chocolate is my favorite food group! 😉
Can the slices be frozen?
I didn’t try to do that, but I can’t see why not.
I have a 7quart crock pot. Are there any changes I should make to the recipe so that it comes out right?
I think your time will be a bit shorter so I’d start checking it at 2 hours.
Made this today. Tasty and moist!! Super easy too! But, very minor small problem. . . it is crumbling apart a bit. I was wondering if xanathan gum might help? How much xanathan gum would you recommend if I wanted to try adding that to help it hold together?
It’s strange that it was crumbly. It shouldn’t be, not with all those eggs. But if you want to use xanthan, I do about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp.
Oh gosh, please disregard my comment. It was only random parts of it that crumbled. And the middle (and edges on some parts) was amazing. I think my slow cooker is cooking uneven. Its an older one. I will be asking for a new one as a Christmas present this year. 😉
I have been making this cheesecake in a mug recipe that I found on Pinterest. It turns out like a very very thick cheesecake pudding. . . A light went off in my head last night and I slice the cake in half, layered some of the chilled cheesecake in the middle and then put some of my home made starwberry sugar free jelly on top of the cake. Its so amazing. So so amazing. Thanks for the great recipes!
The best part about slow cookers is that even pretty good ones aren’t that expensive!
Whoa- I just made this cake and I was so floored by how amazing my house smelled while it was cooking that there was no possible way I could save it til’ after dinner! I sampled it (hopefully nobody will notice, lol) and my mind is blown! I have been low-carbing for 14 years off and on and I have never come across a cake recipe that tastes this decadent…..thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!
You are welcome! So glad it made the grade.
This sounds delicious! Would almond flour work ok? I really do not like the flavor of coconut at all.
Please forget stupid question I posted about using almond flour instead of coconut. Didn’t read recipe right. Must have been thinking of another one. But maybe you can still answer. Can almond flour be used instead of coconut for most recipes?
It really depends on the recipe. Coconut flour and almond flour behave so differently. Coconut is extremely dense and requires far more eggs and liquid than almond so the recipe won’t just work with a direct substitution.
Oh, I just posted and I used coconut flour! My mistake!
Oh yes, I can imagine that that amount of coconut flour would be a mess! Yikes!
I just made this cake and I have to say it is my favorite recipe thus far. Everyone in the family thought it was delicious. Thank you so much for helping us low carbers not feel like we are missing out in life. Excellent job, Carolyn!
Don’t know what happened! But it didn’t turn out. Not enough liquid, went in dry and crumbly, came out dry and crumbly!
I am really allergic to all protein powders so I tried out substituting 2 tbsp Great Lakes kosher gelatin for the protein powder. I didn’t change any other ingredients. It worked great! Delicious and moist and it did rise so I would call it a success.
Good to know about the Great Lakes gelatin. Love that stuff!
Which can of Great Lakes gelatin did you use?
Just made this tonight, and it’s amazing. I had chocolate whey protein on hand, so I used that instead of unflavored, worked great. Thank you!!
Ok, this was so good it might be a really bad idea to have so much of it in the house! I don’t have a smaller crock pot, but I’m wondering if I could make a half batch, spoon the batter into silicone muffin cups, and put them in my slow cooker to bake. Any guess on how to adjust the cooking time? I may have to just experiment.
I think the cooking time would be at least an hour less. I’d watch it carefully the first time.
Are you kidding me? This cake is ridiculous! Soooooo YUM!
I have been making a lovely slow-cooker praline cheesecake for a couple of years. It tastes as good as cheesecake from “that famous restaurant,” and has a perfect texture…except it’s sugar-free, and only a few carbs per slice. I use a 7 inch souffle pan set on top of an aluminum foil ring inside my slow cooker insert, and do the water bath in the insert, with a dish towel under the lid to catch any drips. I usually use pecan meal for the crust, although most recently I used your Cinnamon Crunch cereal, which was spectacular.
Well that’s interesting because I was planning on trying cheesecake in my slow cooker!
Rae, can you please post your full cheesecake recipe?
This just sounds (and looks!) amazing! Might be a reason to _finally_ get myself a slow cooker… I didn’t even know that you can make cake in it! Thanks for a great recipe!
Definitely do it, Elviira. They can be so useful and until a few months ago, I didn’t know you could make cake in it either!
Just put this in my crock!
Thank you for this!!! My 4 year old helped me make this as a birthday cake for her very health conscious father (well, we all are, but he was excited to hear about the ingredients.) My daughter loved to help. I made it with chocolate protein powder because I didn’t have plain and also used 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup coconut oil because I just didn’t have a 1/2 cup butter. Turned out great. Oh, I used coconut sugar instead of Stevia. The whole thing was delicious. Thanks so much!
So glad everyone liked it!
Made this for the second time today– even better. I lined my entire slow cooker with parchment paper then put cake batter in *awesome* entire cake slides right out afterwards. Mine is done at the 2-2.5 hour mark. I have topped it with your cream cheese butter cream frosting and freeze it in slices. Have the most scrumptious chocolate cake on hand now. It is just excellent- I may say the best choc cake ever or best I’ve had in a LONG time. Thanks Carolyn!
It’s fast becoming a favourite in my house!
Loved this cake! So easy and very moist as you said. Was wondering how long to cook it if I wanted to use same recipe for cupcakes or regular cake pans and would it stay as moist? Only problem with crockpot cake is that it is not too pretty to look at just out of the crockpot so not very suitable for serving to guests.
I think you could try it in the oven but you’d want to add a pan of water to help keep it moister.
I made this last week and we LOVED it!! Took it to church picnic to share with our LC friends. Served with toasted pecans and HWC. As my friend says, it’s a “do again!” My favorite cake of all time is a mayonnaise cake so next time I make this, I’m going to try subbing mayo for the butter and eggs.
I just bought a rice cooker that has several functions on it, one of them being Slow Cook. The instructions say that the Slow Cook function operates as a traditional “High” Slow Cook function, and your instructions say to use Low setting. Would adjusting the time work with this recipe and if so, by how much? I have no experience with Slow Cookers so any advice would be appreciated from anyone who has the experience. Thanks.
This is hands-down the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted! I made it for our anniversary last night, but while it was cooking, hubby grabbed me and took me out to eat, and I forgot about the cake. My slow cooker has a “warm” function that keeps food hot until you turn it off. This morning I remembered that the cooker was still on and thought the cake would be doomed. But incredibly, it was just as rich and luscious as could be–we just can’t stop eating it!
Wow, so glad it survived all that!
Thank you for such a delicious recipe! Could I ask your recommendations on a few substitutions? (1) I’m really sensitive to caffeine as well and would like to decrease the cocoa powder. I thought about cutting it down to 1/2 cup or 1/3 cup cocoa powder. How much should I increase the almond flour by and should I add coconut flour? (2) Would it be possible to substitute the butter for olive oil?
Sure, cut the cocoa powder back. Add the same amount of almond flour that you cut back the cocoa powder, and then add a tbsp or two of coconut flour. I am sure olive oil would work but it will impart an olive oil taste. Hope that works!
Looks great.
You know, I do love my slow-cookers (I have four), and I have pretty much adapted all of my soup and stew recipes to take advantage of slow-cook convenience, rather than using new “slow” recipes; but this summer I did discover the lovely ease of cooking corn cobs the slow way– simply tossing as many shucked cobs in there as will fit, adding a little oil or butter and some marinade or herbs, and 1/4C water. I like rosemary and orange-flavored oil as a combo, then cook on high for a couple of hours or low for 4/5. The corn is so infused with flavor, you need no salt or butter, and has great texture. And it doesn’t heat the kitchen as does boiling.
Is there an alternative to using whey protein powder? I’m allergic to whey. This recipe looks delicious, I hope to try it if I can figure out how to replace the whey! Thank you for sharing your tips and recipes!
Sure, you can use hemp protein or powdered egg whites.
I made this yesterday for my husband’s and also my bday (same day). It was very good! I think it’s just as tasty as the usual sugary cake. I also made chocolate icing so it would be super rich.
There were a few minor issues. My cake was too moist after turning off the crock pot and letting it cool. It seemed undercooked even though my setup was almost identical. The cake was perfect the next day, just some sticking to the pot. Also, it was impossible to remove after cooling it so I just put the icing on top and left it in the pot. The individual pieces were somewhat messy.
Still, I thought it was very yummy. My husband and 4 year old son loved it too. 🙂
I used Anthony’s blanched almond flour, Jay Robb protein powder, almond milk, granular erythritol, and PAM for the pot (which I don’t normally use). Maybe the PAM couldn’t withstand the slow cooking. I also have a 6 qt Hamilton Beach cooker so I don’t know why it seemed undercooked. The optional chocolate chips maybe?
Bonnie, I use coconut oil for the sides of the slow cooker and parchment over the oil on the bottom. This makes it easy for the cake to come out in one piece beautifully.
Now that I’ve over-cooked these cakes twice, I’ve come to the decision that I need to cook it for 4 hours in the slow cooker (average sized cooker), then turn it off, take the lid off, take the crock out and let it cool for a half hour. After that I put a plate on top, turn the whole thing upside down and the cake slides right out!
Huh…okay so same slow cooker? Or maybe a different model that’s not as hot. I’ve never used anthony’s almond flour so I can’t say if that’s the issue. I doubt it’s the pam and it’s definitely not the chocolate chips because I used them in mine.
It does sound like your slow cooker is less hot than mine, so yes, perhaps a little undercooked and more like “pudding cake”!
Made this a few days back, and it was utterly superb. I did have a few issues when it came to removing it from my slow cooker, as I didn’t use any parchment paper I just greased the slow cooker with butter but it still stuck to the bottom. Other than that, it tasted awesome and everyone I’ve given a sample to couldn’t praise it enough. So next time I’ll make sure to use parchment paper and some coconut oil for easier removal. Thanks for this recipe and all the others, they’re great. Keep up the good work!!
Glad to hear it! Mine didn’t stick to the bottom at all but slow cookers differ quite a bit so who knows.
I’ve made this twice now, and I LOVE this recipe. I wanted to try to slim down the recipe a touch, so this time I use 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup kefir cheese ( had some I needed to use up, next time I’ll use greek yogurt which I expect will work as well), 2 eggs and 2 eggbeaters (only because I ran out of eggs). I also left out the chocolate chips because last time the chips completely disappeared into the cake in the baking process. I can’t tell any difference in the end product, and the nutrition stats are slightly less decadent.
This cake is currently in my slow cooker, but I had to comment right away! I know it’s going to be great just by licking the spoon. This is the first low carb and/or gluten free treat I’ve ever made that had batter that tasted like REAL batter. I can hardly wait for the cake to be done!
Thank you so much, Carolyn!!!
Hope it lives up to the promise of the batter!
Just made this yesterday. My cake does not look that lovely dark color of yours. It is a lighter brown.
My 16 year old son absolutely loves it. I warmed it up and served it with real whip cream. This cake is a real winner. This does not taste SF at all. I also used some monk fruit sweetener I had, erythritol and some brown sugar blend from Splenda.
I substituted coconut flour for the whey and used coconut milk from the can.
This cake is a total winner!
I cooked mine for about 4 hours, turned off the crockpot and left it in over night.
It probably didn’t turn out as dark because your cocoa powder was a lighter variety. I have used Hershey’s Dark and regular and it’s good either way.
I don’t have a 6 quart slow cooker – instead I have a 4 quart and a 7 quart – would you go with the 7 and shorten the time?
Yes, I’d probably go with the 7 and watch it from around the 2 hour mark.
Hi,
Looks brilliant. What can I use to substitute Swerve? I live in the UK and 1lb of Swerve is about $120.00.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swerve-300115-Sweetener-16Oz-1Lb/dp/B004X71550/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1418247550&sr=8-8&keywords=swerve+sweetener
Thanks
Tim
What brand of erythritol or xylitol can you get?
Hi,
I will use what Adrian points to below.
Thanks
Tim
I have been using Xylitol but it really pushes up my blood sugar.
Tim – I’m in the UK and I buy Sukrin 500g, which is about £6.50 from Apollo Active, here’s the link.
http://apolloactive.co.uk/products/sukrin-granulated-natural-sweetener-500g?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=773860839&gclid=CJuG6tHWvcICFTDJtAod2SYALA
I’m from the UK too! I recently bought a German brand of erythritol from amazon, and it’s now at £7.99 for 1kg. Used it today for this recipe and it turned out really well.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natur-Total-Erythritol-erythritol-substitute/dp/B00NSLAM88/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419455650&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=erthriyol
Can I replace the eggs with white eggs? Can I replace the butter with coconut oil? Thank you so much.It looks delicious
For egg whites, you want at least 1.5 times the eggs…so I’d say 6 egg whites. Coconut oil shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Do you have a link for the charity cookbook?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501023411/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1501023411&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20&linkId=U4VBOL3Y5VEFA7FD
Can I replace whole eggs with white eggs? Can I replace butter with coconut oil? Thank you!
Oh ..sorry ..I didnt see your answer above.Thank you!
This dessert looks absolutely yummy!! I’ve read through all the comments and I’m not sure how to modify for a 4-quart slow cooker. It’s all I have right now. Can I just use all the same amounts of ingredients and cook longer? Thanks for your time!
I think you’re better off to do 3/4 of the recipe. Or 2/3 but I don’t know that it will cut down that well for 2/3.
Thank you Carolyn! I need to get a bigger crockpot but I might just try this at 3/4 of the recipe. Happy New Year!
First of all, you are an amazing cook! You inspire me and I wish my mind was creative like yours is 🙂
I made this cake and it tasted amazing, definitly a ‘company’s coming’ over dessert and easy to make! However, I found it a tad dry, should I add a touch more liquid? I cooked it on low for 2hr 30m, should I try less time? Or maybe I put something in it I shouldn’t have ( I have a tendency for that :s haha my lesson: always check what you pull out of the cupboard before dumping it in…
Just wondering though as I will definitely be making this again so I figured I should ask 🙂
Hmmm, if anything this is an overly moist cake. What sweetener or almond flour did you use? One of those might be the culprits. Otherwise, I would cook it for less time, until it’s just set in the middle. Maybe 2 hours.
Just made this for the first time. WOWSA! You’ve really outdone yourself (again!) Carolyn! One question … after you turn off the slow cooker, do you let it cool with the lid on or off for the 20 to 30 minutes? Thank you again for all the wonderful support, and for sharing your ample talents!
You can leave it in there. I leave mine in there for a whole day…but it’s so moist, you do need to refrigerate after the first day.
Is there anything you could use to substitute for the whey protein?
Powdered egg whites are your best option.
This is the second recipe using cocoa that everyone has raved about but mine has turned out bitter. Could it be the brand of cocoa I’m using? I’m using premium cocoa purchased from a candy factory. I made 1/2 the recipe for my small slow cooker. In addition to the Swerve sweetner this time, I added about 15 drops of Stevia Clear as well as 1 T. of Erythritol. I was able to counter some of the bitterness, but not all. Any insights to my problem with the bitterness?
I think it must be the cocoa powder, but you may also be really sensitive to stevia. Stevia can be bitter in chocolate. Do you experience any bitterness with it in non-chocolate recipes?
Sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try this recipe this weekend. I was wondering, how do you think it would work with chocolate protein powder instead of unflavoured? Have you ever tried that? Thanks 🙂
No but I can only imagine it will deepen the chocolate flavour.
I finally made this wonderful cake in my old round crock pot using half recipe. I used EVOO, which I use in most baked items. After reading the comments, I used half gelatin/wpp. Cooked for 1′ 45″ and after cooling, lifted it right out of the crock. Really great results but I may add more chocolate…..maybe in place of the whey.
Made this cake last night, YUM!! Cake-y on the outer edge, soft gooey chocolate goodness in the middle. Great chocolate flavor! I used coconut milk (didnt have almond) and I only had 3 eggs so I used a chia “egg” for the 4th. Cooked on low for 2 hours, my crockpot is a hot one even on low. I will definitely be making this again, will cook for 1 hour and 40 min next time. Thank you Carolyn!!
Hi There! Any chance that you can make this without a slow cooker? I don’t have one, eek!
Yes, you can bake it in the oven at 350F. I recommend covering in foil to keep as much moisture in as possible. Not sure how long but it will probably take at least 20 minutes in a 9×13 pan. I would check it frequently.
This may sound dumb but how do you get this our of the crock pot?
I didn’t. I cut it in the crockpot like snack cake and served it from there. But you can line the crockpot with parchment and lift it out if you want.
Made this for Mother’s Day. When I tried to flip it, it fell apart (sad face), but omigosh was it tasty. I whipped something else up real quick for dessert at Mom’s and kept this for myself. Have been eating it with some butter melted over it all week for breakfast. Yum! Next time, I would just cut it from the slow cooker instead of trying to flip. So delish!
I simply cut mine out of the pan, I never tried to flip it out.
This was SO GOOD! My daughter wants something like this in a vanilla cake, or something we could add flavorings to like banana (extract). I am terrified to waste the ingredients and experiment. How could you turn this into a vanilla cake? We use vanilla whey protein powder in any case.
I made this cake today and mine cooked in 2 1/2 hours and came out fine. It was a little bitter or just not sweet enough. I used Swerve and canned coconut milk. Also it seemed a little course like It had nuts in it. Was this because I used Bob’s almond meal/flour? Should I add more Swerve or something else. I think it would be wonderful if it was a little sweeter. Maybe I should just put icing on it????
Sweetness can be such a personal thing so sounds to me like you really need a bit more of that. And yes, Bob’s might be a little coarse for this recipe. Maybe try adding this chocolate sauce for a sweeter treat. Or sweeten some whipped cream. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2015/01/the-best-low-carb-hot-fudge-sauce.html
I really appreciate all of your recipes! Thank you so much!
Finally got to make this cake today!! I believe it is the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten, and definitely the best CAKE I’ve ever made!!! I have a 5 qt. crockpot and cooked it for 3 hours and it was moist and delicous! I didn’t put a thing on it! Thank you so much for all your recipes!!
I love hearing that, Jennifer!
I just put this in my crock pot and can’t wait to try it!
I’m new at this low carb healthy cooking thing. Lol. So I have 2 questions about this recipe.
1. I used trivia baking blend, was that the correct thing to use?
2. I’ve never used whey protein powder before. I didn’t want to buy a giant container of the stuff, so I used a packet of Ray Robb’s whey protein, vanilla flavored. It looked like it was a sample packet to use to make a single shake or something. I know your recipe said unflavored, but was what I used basically the right thing?
I am not sure, I’ve never used the Truvia baking blend but if it measure like sugar than it should be fine. The packet of whey protein should be just fine!
Holy cow! Made this in my 3 qt, cooked for 2 hours on low and am eating it as lunch because I’m a grown up and I can 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!
It’s good being a grown up 😉
Hi Carolyn, I have made many of your low carb desserts with great success and have LOVED all of them with the exception of this Crockpot chocolate cake. I found it to have very little flavor and almost no sweetness. Oh well, one thumbs down among the 10 or so other desserts I have made and found to be incredible!
Wow, I am surprised. This is one of our favourites. Ah well…
trust me, you have provided me with some of the most incredible low carb recipes I have ever had. A really big help for a Diabetic with a sweet tooth. Thank you so much!!!!!
My husband is allergic to almond– is there a substitute for the almond flour?
Thanks!
Your best bet is sunflower seed flour.
I used a 3.5 qt oval “hook-up” crockpot. It’s about 11″x8.75″, so is big, but shallow. I made the full recipe. It came out beautifully. I stopped right at 2.5 hours. It’s actually very cakey. Next time I may go less to get that pudding cake texture. It was still moist, but definitely needed whipped cream both for the moistness and to cut the chocolate (very rich!). The flavor is nice and chocolatey. I did add a tbsp of instant coffee (I stole that from a few other of your chocolate cake recipes).
I wonder if the “hook up” crock pot runs a little hotter. I was expecting to need to cook another 30-69 minutes since I only used a 3.5 qt, but if anything, it could have gone a touch less time.
Another success! Thank you!
I am not sure what kind of crockpot that is but I am glad it worked!
This sounds amazing!! What does the protein powder do for the cake? I saw someone said they used gelatin. Can beef gelatin be used?
No idea if the gelatin would work as I haven’t tried it. A dry protein helps the cake rise and hold its shape.
Literally, I have been so sceptical about keto baking after trying out a few failed recipes but this cake is amazing and you have restored my faith that I can stick to a low carb diet as one of the only things I really missed was cake! when cut up they are actually like really nice little chocolate brownies.
THANK-YOU!!!
You are most welcome, Jessica. I agree, dessert is the key to being able to stick it out for me, so yay you found something you liked!
I just made this, made just a couple substitutions – used Splenda as the sweetener (and added a touch more than the recipe calls for, as it didn’t taste sweet enough for my taste being the sweet toother that I am), used chocolate whey protein (because that’s what I had on hand), Special Dark cocoa, and 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup water mixed together instead of the almond milk. I also added a touch more cream when I added the extra Splenda to help balance the dry / liquid ratio. OMG! This is one of the very best low carb desserts I’ve ever made! Super delicious – rich, chocolatey, creamy, amazing! I originally used the heavy cream since I didn’t have any almond milk but I think I will continue to use watered Dow cream in the future, as I think that made it extra creamy and rich…..what a happy accident 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
So flat it worked out so well!
I used my InstaPot on the SlowCooker setting— fabulous!! It was messy to get it out, but the flavor, texture and moisture were fantastic! Also, I used Xylitol instead of Swerve, it was great! Tank you so much for this recipe 🙂
I actually turned this into a mug cake it and was delicious. I halved the recipe and left out the protein powder just because I don’t have any, and filled about 1/3 of the cup. I cooked it for about a minute and a half and it was still a little fudgey. There is a good amount and batter leftover.
Sounds delicious!
WOW this recipe is truely amazing. My hubby who is not a low carver even loved it! He’s tried another recipe like this I’d tried before and didn’t even eat a spoonful, this time however I couldn’t stop him from eating… thank you restoring my faith in baking a low carb way as I was starting to lose faith after a few fails
So glad to hear it!
Tried this twice over Christmas. Served it once with a Brandy/Rum Hard Sauce and once with lightly whipped cream. A real keeper either way!!
Oh hard sauce would be fabulous on the cake. I may have to do that!
You’ll love it, Carolyn. Trust me! 🙂
this sounds wonderful. I have one of those crock pots that are like a cake pan. any idea how long I would cook this?
thanks.
Is it 9×13? If so, I imagine it would be 2 hours. Not positive so you may want to keep your eye on it.
Hi Carolyn, Just wondering what the amount/measurement of chocolate would be in weight, as I was going to use Lindt 90% Chocolate Bar instead of chocolate chips?
Good question. I am going to say 2 ounces or around there.
After letting this cool do you turn it out just like a normal cake pan? Flip the pot over? It’s cooling now..
No, I simply cut it out in pieces like a snack cake!
Hi – I am probably the only one, but I can’t see some of the ingredients in the “new version”…eggs, milk, butter….
I just went with the older version and it is good. Thanks for all you do!
Ok, maybe I’m losing my mind- but there are no measurements or ingredients listed for eggs, milk and butter…sooo here I sit with all of my dry ingredients in a bowl, but can’t make it because I don’t know what to add!
Looking into it!!! Sorry, it must have been cut off when we made the switch to the new recipe card. I will fix it ASAP.
Sorry, I am having difficulties fixing the recipe and working with my tech person. But…it’s 3 large eggs, 6 tbsp melted butter, 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, 3/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips.
Thank you! 😉 I took my best guess prior to reading this. I used 3 lg eggs, 1 stick of melted butter (so a little extra) and 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk, so we will see how it turns out!
I think that should work! Turns out it was one of my security plugins not recognizing my recipe plugin. it’s so fun to be a website owner! 🙂
I hear ya! And, it did turn out! I never put the connection together that the 5 min peanut butter mousse is also your recipe! It’s my fave! I made a batch of that to put on top!
Hi! I think the wet ingredients are missing, can you add those in? At least the new print version is missing them…
I fixed that yesterday afternoon but sounds like your computer has cached the old version so that’s all you can see. Clear your cache and the new one should be there
Hi, I still cant get the print version with the wet ingredients and i just tried on 2 different computers that i had not gone to your site with in the past, so noting to clear, because clear cache did not work on my main computer, still looking elswhere on your site for the smaller version…
it’s 3 large eggs, 6 tbsp melted butter, 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, 3/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips.
Hi, I too can not get the wet ingredients in the print version of the smaller cake. I cleared cache but still not working, then i used other computers that have never been on your site and still no go. Is the recipe in another place on your site or in your new cookbook I pre-ordered?
sorry about the second comment, it did not show on my other computer, so i thought it did not go through since i was not signed in… oops…
it’s 3 large eggs, 6 tbsp melted butter, 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, 3/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips.
Holy Cow what a great cake – this is now my favorite cake – I made the larger. Boy, I’m I glad I did. My family and friends ate the whole thing yesterday. I whipped 2 cups of heavy cream with lemon extract and monk fruit sweetener for a topping. And I used the sugar free chips in the cake. I like cake the next day better so I hid a small (2 x 2″) piece that I cut right out of the middle- hehe… So amazing! with my coffee. You are definitely the SuperStar of low carb cakes and cookies. I tell anyone asking about low carb cakes to check out your recipes because yours are so spot on perfect for texture, taste and sweetness and not being overly sweet. Thank you….. I can’t wait for your cookbook…..
I am so glad you liked it!
I just started putting ingredients together for the lower carb recipe (smaller) cake. What are the wet ingredient measurements?? Do I use from the original recipe?? Help! I’m ready to put it crock pot!
They are there, I promise. Sounds like you have a cached version of the blog on your browser. You need to clear your cache to see it properly. But it’s 3 eggs, 6 tbsp butter, 2/3 cup almond milk, 3/4 tsp vanilla and 1/3 cup chocolate chips.
How many eggs and how much almond milk in the new recipe?
Oops, just saw you answered that
Any way you can edit the smaller version and add in the amount for the wet ingredients? 🙂 Made this the other day and everyone loved it! So rich and moist!!
Nevermind! Just saw that you answered the question already. 😂 everyone I shared the recipe with hasn’t seen the wet ingredients either…wonder what’s up with it?
There is some sort of caching issue I am trying to figure out!
I made this in my small crock pot (not exactly sure of the size, maybe 4 cups?) and the batter filled the crock about half way. It rose almost to the lid during baking. It turned out moist and perfect!
Good to know!
I have found that newer crockpots cook waaaaaaay hotter now a days. So I always place a Pyrex in my crockpot so it isn’t touching the bottom. I also put some water in the crockpot for moisture bc hotter tends to dry stuff out. Do you think that method would work for this cake? I hate to ruin something so delicious with expensive ingredients.
I haven’t tried that method with this cake so I can’t really tell you. But my crockpot is a recent model so it works for this recipe.
I have chocolate whey, would it work?
Should work just fine.
Hello,
I don’t have a slow cooker..can I make this in a regular oven?
Yes, but I am a little unsure how long it should bake for. Depends on the pan size, I guess. A 9×9 pan would take longer than a 9×13. I’d do a 9×9 and start with 25 minutes at 325F.