A heavenly low carb, dairy-free cake cooked in your crock pot. Rich, tender and bursting with berries and coconut. Chocolate chips optional.
One of the advantages of having moved out west is the closer proximity to my sister and her family. My “little” sister (in quotes because she is 4 inches taller than I am) followed in my footsteps long ago and went to the University of British Columbia. Unlike me, however, she was almost instantly a Vancouver lifer. She apparently didn’t suffer from my wanderlust or the desire to move all over the continent. She settled in quickly, met her husband-to-be in second year, and even adopted what I consider to be a West Coast Canadian accent. And until last November, it had been over 10 years since we’d been in the same time zone. Just finding time for phone calls, let alone visits, was tough.
We’re already taking advantage of the fact that we now life only 6 hours apart. We spent Christmas up there this year and we just headed up again for the 4th of July weekend and the Women’s World Cup finals. And then my sister packed her two kids in the car and came down here for a few days. I was absolutely delighted to show her my new hometown of Portland, although I can’t say that she got to see all that much of this fun city. With 5 young kids in tow and 95 degree weather every day, it was more about keeping little ones occupied and staying cool. We visited a lot of playgrounds and a lot of splash parks and we spent one lovely afternoon at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). I would have loved to take her to dinner and show off the foodie side of PDX, but the most we could muster energy for was takeout from our new favourite BBQ joint, Podnah’s Pit. Oh well, I just have to imagine that we will get to explore more in future visits when kids are a little more self-sufficient.
Cousins!
I did get to show off my culinary skills a little bit during our visit. My sister is lactose intolerant and has been dairy-free for years, but she is now trying to go sugar- and gluten-free as well. We both inherited that sweet tooth gene, so I thought it might be nice if I baked up something delicious that met all of those requirements. Given the blazing temperatures outside, a new slow cooker cake was just the thing to avoid heating up the kitchen. My sister doesn’t have air-conditioning up in Vancouver but she does have a crock pot, so this is a recipe she can make for herself at home.
Thumbs up all around for this cake. It was deliciously tender and full of juicy berries. My original plan did not include chocolate chips but I asked my sister if I should throw some in. Of course she said yes; she is my sister, after all and chocolate is always welcome in our family.
This one’s for you, darling seester! Hope you save this recipe and put your slow cooker to good use this summer.
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3/4 to 1 cup Swerve Sweetener depending on how sweet you like it
- 1/4 cup powdered egg whites
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 3/4 cup almond or coconut milk
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/3 cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips (optional, but oh so good!)
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Grease the inside of a 6 quart slow cooker with coconut oil spray or similar. I like to use Kelapo coconut oil spray.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut, sweetener, powdered egg whites, baking soda and salt.
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Stir in eggs, melted coconut oil, almond or coconut milk, and coconut extract until well combined. Gently fold in berries and chocolate chips, if using.
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Spread batter in prepared slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hours. Turn off slow cooker and let cake cool completely.
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Top with lightly sweetened coconut whipped cream, if desired.
Serves 10. Each serving has 12.76 g of carbs (including the optional chocolate chips) and 6.1 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6.66 g.
Without chocolate chips:
Food energy: 333kcal
Total fat: 29.87g
Calories from fat: 268
Cholesterol: 75mg
Carbohydrate: 10.10g
Total dietary fiber: 5.04g
Protein: 9.90g
With Chocolate Chips:
Food energy: 362kcal
Total fat: 32.00g
Calories from fat: 287
Cholesterol: 75mg
Carbohydrate: 12.76g
Total dietary fiber: 6.10g
Protein: 10.43g
Joanna says
This looks great and I can’t wait to try it. I need to halve the recipe as I have a small crockpot. Also, I won’t be able to get powdered egg whites (I live in Ethiopia, luckily I’ve imported all the other necessary ingredients!) Since at 1/2 the recipe I’ll only need 2 Tablespoons, can you recommend a replacement or shall I just leave out? Was wondering about whey protein powder or ground flax instead ….
Carolyn says
I used the egg white powder as a dairy-free replacement for whey protein, so go ahead and use that.
Melissa says
This looks great! I have everything to make it today but powdered egg whites and a crock pot. What can I sub for the egg whites? I googled, and it said to omit some liquid if using regular egg whites, but which liquid? Also, would it work if I baked it at 350 for half an hour or so? Thanks!
Carolyn says
The powdered egg white was just a dairy-free replacement for whey protein powder. Use that if you have it instead. A dry protein helps things rise and hold their shape in absence of gluten, which is a protein. You can skip it altogether but it may not rise as much. yes, you should be able to bake it in the oven too.
Pat McCormack says
Cake looks great! I don’t like coconut. Can I just omit the coconut, substitute vanilla, etc? Would it effect the cake?
Carolyn says
Just use another cup of almond flour in place of the coconut.
Pat McCormack says
Thank you!
Sandy says
Good morning, this recipe does look great! I am going to ask the same question as Joanna. what can we substitute for the powdered egg whites?thanks for all your posts of great recipes
Sandy says
Oh my goodness I just read some replies and have my answer thank you everyone!
Carolyn says
Glad you found the answer!
Joan Hayes says
*Sigh* This cake looks too good to be true! Coconut, chocolate, raspberry — what an awesome trifecta! I will be making this in the very near future!
Becky says
Is this different from your other slow cooker cakes in that it’s to be left in the pot until it’s totally cool? Is it possible to line the pot with parchment and remove it as a whole cake while warm to cool the rest of the way on a rack, or does it need to be served directly from the pot?
Carolyn says
It’s always possible to line with parchment to remove, it just has a tendency to fold in on itself and you get a few funny little edges on the cake. Still let it cool completely before lifting it out as it will crack more easily when warm.
Pam says
My slow cooker bit the dust, can I do this wonderful cake in the oven?
Dee Gee says
Carolyn, the recipe sound terrific! I’m going to make it for Friday night dessert with the in-laws.
Thanks for your explanation of why you used powdered egg whites and the chemistry involved. I’m trying to understand better leaveners, protein, acidity, fats, etc and why they are used.
Carolyn says
You’re welcome!
Vicky says
Hey Carolyn, this cake looks amazing. I wanted to say how I admire your photography and use of darker lighting. Makes your photos very interesting and eye catching!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
I love the pic of the cousins. And I love imagining you all in the heat having fun anyway! Yummy looking cake 🙂
Joshua Hampton says
You had me at coconut cake. I love coconut cake, and those chocolate chips are a must for me. I also like the idea of making it in a slow cooker. Thanks for this recipe.
Sarah says
I do better eating coconut flour. Do you know what the amount would be to substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? I know it’s less flour and more eggs, but not sure of the amounts, to if it would still turn out. Is there a general “rule of thumb” for this type of substitution?
Carolyn says
Read about subbing coconut flour for almond flour in this post: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2013/02/low-carb-basics-baking-with-almond-flour.html
krickt says
75 MICROGRAMS of Carbs? How did you get that number with 12.5 grams of fiber? I’m confused.
k
Carolyn says
You’re reading the wrong numbers… 75 mg goes with cholesterol and 12.76 g goes with the carbs. Read it again, you will see.
amanda says
So yummy!!!
Melisa says
I found this cake a crumbly, sticky, bland mess! What did I do wrong?
Carolyn says
What ingredients did you use?
Lucia says
This looks great!
Two questions, though: can I replace the powdered egg whites for something else? And, how do I prevent the berries from falling to the bottom?
Thanks
Carolyn says
The batter is thick enough that you shouldn’t have a problem with berries falling to the bottom. If you don’t need to be dairy free, sub whey protein powder for the egg whites.
Mary says
Hi, t put this cake batter in my crock pot for 3 hours. Turned it off at 2 hours as it was already getting too done on the edges. Your recipes says put it on low. Did you mean warm? Or is my Crock Pot brand crock pot cooking at just too high of a temp? If anyone knows let me know. However, the cake was easy to make and deeelicious!! Great recipe. Thanks.
Carolyn says
The edges do get a little brown but you need to make sure the middle gets cooked. My slow cooker does High and Low, but “warm” is just for keeping things warm after they are cooked. Not sure what yours is like.
Ann Legere says
Carolyn, your recipes are absolutely amazing! I live in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada and I recommend your website to many friends and associates! Thank you for your work in providing us with great choices for gluten-free, delicious baking! Ann Legere
Carolyn says
Thank you, Ann!
Dianne says
Awesome cake, made it yesterday and the family just loved it!
Gerard says
Hello! First off, I love all of your recipes. They have made watching my carb/sugar intake so much easier…and oh so delicious! I just wondered, what would you suggest to take the place of the coconut flakes & coconut oil in this recipe? I love coconut but my partner doesn’t care for it. Thanks, in advance, for your help!
Carolyn says
You can just do more almond flour and melted butter in place of the coconut oil.
Jennifer says
Hi Carolyn. This recipe looks and sounds wonderful. I want to substitute the powdered egg whites with whey protein. Would it be measure for measure? Can the cake be removed from the crock pot without it cracking or tearing up once it has cooled?
Carolyn says
Yes, you can sub cup for cup. As for getting it out in one piece, you will need to line the crockpot with parchment, leaving some overhang to live it out more easily.
Kathy U. says
Thank you for this recipe! My oven has been broken for weeks now, and we are ordering a new one soon but that will take 2-3 weeks to arrive. So nice to know I can ‘bake’ a cake!
Theresa says
I really enjoy your recipes.
This is in the crockpot right now.
I used blueberries instead of raspberries and I only had vanilla whey powder and I had to use a 1/4 cup of granulated erythritol as I ran out of Swerve.
So here goes!
Carolyn says
Hope it’s still delicious!
Sibelle says
Maria Emmerich’s conversion chart (almond flour/coconut flour) :
http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/chai-tea-glazed-donuts/.
1 cup almond flour = 1/3 cup + double eggs in recipe + increase water (doens’t say how much water).
Cheers!
Carolyn says
I don’t find that there is any sort of simple conversion, personally. I always go by feel.
Jennifer says
Can I use ground hemp or flax seeds as an alternative for the egg-white powder? I can’t do whey powder (dairy-free) and I don’t have any egg-white powder.
Jennifer says
I ended up using flax seeds ground up instead of egg-white powder. Looks wonderful! My slow cooker didn’t have low setting, so I cooked it in the oven at 350F for 50 minutes. Turned out perfect. Just waiting for it to cool to taste it. Smells delicious!
Jennifer says
I’m not too fond of raspberry, do you think this would work well with other frozen berries?
Carolyn says
Yep, sure would!
Lou Ann Benson says
I would like to make this cake in a regular cake pan and bake in the oven. I’m wondering if a 7×11 pan or 9×13 pan would be the best substitute for the 6 qt. slow cooker? I see Jennifer had good success baking 50 minutes at 350 degrees, but didn’t mention the size of the pan… Any suggestions?? Thanks for your help!
Carolyn says
I would do 9×13 but you may not need to cook it for 50. That seems excessive. I would try it for 25 minutes to start and then check, every 5 minutes after that.
Grace J Schmidt says
I have a smaller crockpot, will it still cook on low for three hours?
Carolyn says
How small is the question???