Keto Victoria Sponge Cake tastes as good as it looks. With two layers of tender almond flour cake, a thick creamy filling, and a sugar-free raspberry jam, it’s elegant, delicious, and worthy of any special occasion. And fit for a king or a queen!
Have you ever had the Queen to high tea? No, me neither. But if I did, I would almost certainly serve her this Keto Victoria Sponge Cake. It looks and tastes like the classic British dessert (or pudding, as the Brits might say), but it’s gluten-free and keto-friendly. No one will believe it has only 3.8g net carbs per slice!
And despite the elegant presentation worthy of a royal visit, this keto dessert recipe is quite easy to make. No frosting or complicated assembly, just tender keto almond flour cake, whipped cream, and keto-friendly jam.
I first published this recipe in 2015, when in the throes of a Downton Abbey obsession. Turns out it’s just as delicious over a decade later!
★★★★★
Dana says: “Somehow missed this recipe when searching cakes. But, boy, am I glad I stumbled upon it. I’ve made it with blueberry chia jam and strawberry chia jam. Both are delicious! Love the sponge cake texture! Another homerun outta the ballpark, Carolyn!“
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: The cake layers in this recipe are the same as my keto birthday cake recipe. See the Tips for Success section for how to use coconut flour.
- Protein powder: This helps the cake layers rise better and hold their shape. You can use whey, egg white protein, or plant-based protein. I do not recommend collagen for this recipe.
- Sweetener: A granular sweetener helps whip air bubbles into the butter. Both erythritol and allulose work. See the Sweetener Options for more details.
- Whipping cream: Classic Victoria Sponge takes clotted cream, but it’s harder to find. Whipping heavy cream just past the “stiff peak” stage is a good substitute.
- Raspberries: You can use fresh or frozen.
- Grassfed gelatin: This helps create a jam-like consistency for the raspberries.
- Baking staples: Butter, eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, salt.
How to Make Keto Victoria Sponge
- Make the raspberry jam: Combine the berries, sweetener, and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the berries can be easily mashed. Whisk in the gelatin and let cool completely.
- Prepare the cake batter: Whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat the butter and sweetener until smooth. Beat in the eggs, then mix in the egg yolk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and the almond milk and mix until well combined.
- Bake the cake: Divide the batter evenly between two greased 8-inch round cake pans and bake until the tops are golden brown and just firm to the touch. Let cool completely.
- Prepare the cream filling: Beat the whipping cream and sweetener just past the “whipped cream” stage, until thickened and not quite smooth.
- Assemble: Spread one layer of cake with the raspberry jam. Spread the cream over top of the jam and place the second cake layer on top. Dust with powdered sweetener.
- Chill: Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to help set the filling before slicing.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
For a coconut flour-based cake, try using the batter from the Keto Coconut Cake. Leave out the shredded coconut and coconut extract. Bake at the same temperature but keep your eye on them in the oven as I am not certain how long they will take.
Whip the cream just past the stiff peak stage, so that it is thicker and looks a little lumpy. This makes it more similar to clotted cream in texture. Don’t keep whipping past this point, or it will start to release liquid and become butter!
Make the raspberry jam first, so that it has time to cool and thicken properly. You don’t want it melting the nicely whipped cream! Add just enough gelatin that it thickens, but isn’t like gelled.
You can use Knox gelatin, but you will need to bloom it first. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon over 1 tablespoon of water. Once it thickens, you can whisk it into the warm raspberry mixture.
Sweetener Options
This recipe requires a few different sweeteners for best results. For the cake, you want a granular sweetener. You can use erythritol or allulose, or a mix. Do keep in mind that a cake made entirely with allulose may darken quite a bit more on the top and sides. I used a 50/50 split of the two for mine.
The cream filling and the jam are best made with powdered sweeteners. I highly recommend using allulose (or xylitol) for the raspberry jam, so it doesn’t recrystallize. The whipped cream can be made with erythritol or allulose. Powdered sweetener is also dusted all over the cake after assembly.
More Delicious Keto Layer Cakes
Keto Victoria Sponge Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Raspberry Jam
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 3 tbsp (30.43 g) granular sweetener, allulose recommended
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp (3 g) grass-fed gelatin, See Tips section for using Knox gelatin
Cake
- 2 1/2 cup (280 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (54 g) whey protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup (75.67 g) butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (126.67 g) sweetener, erythritol, allulose, or a mx
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) almond milk or water
Cream Filling
- 1 1/4 cup (295.74 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp (20.29 g) powdered sweetener
Instructions
Raspberry Jam
- In a medium saucepan, combine the raspberries, sweetener, and water. Bring to a simmer and cook 7 minutes. Mash the berries with a fork or potato masher and remove from heat.
- Sprinkle the surface with the gelatin and whisk quickly to combine. Let cool completely.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease 2 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and grease the parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sweetener and beat until lightened and well-combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at time, scraping down the beaters and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
- Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, then beat in the almond milk. Beat in the remaining almond flour mixture until well combined. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and spread to the edges.
- Bake 18 to 23 minute, until the tops are golden brown and just firm to the touch. Let cool 30 minutes in the pan before flipping out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Filling
- Beat the heavy cream with the sweetener until it holds stiff peaks. Then continue to beat a little longer until it becomes thicker and begins to look less smooth and even a little clumpy.
- Place one cake layer on a serving platter and spread with the raspberry jam. Spread the clotted cream over top of the jam and place the second cake layer on top.
- Dust powdered sweetener over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to help set the filling before serving.
Notes
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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Carolyn — you are genius!! I just watched the final episode of Great British Baking and was thinking how hard would a LC Victoria Spounge be? LOVE Downton also 🙂
Blessings!
Gail
Could I sub in a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder to get a chocolate cake, or doesn’t it work that way?
No, that wouldn’t be chocolate-y enough. Use the chocolate cake from this recipe instead: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2013/11/chocolate-pound-cake-french-toast-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
Jo, that sounds like a great idea, maybe with a chocolate ganache and coffee whipped cream. Mmm… Sounds great!
Made this tonight. Tasted like a scone in cake form. AH-MA-ZING.
Thank you!
Looks great! I also love DA! If you aren’t familiar with Georgette Heyer, you should get ye to the library because you will LOVE her books. She basically invented historical romance as a genre. And she is very witty.
Victoria sponge was a huge hit, made a blackberry jam for the filling (neither of us is a big raspberry fan). Now I am stuffed full of cake and cream, and still have half a cake left. Looks like he will get dessert in his to go lunch. Poor thing!
So glad you liked it! Blackberry sounds lovely too.
OMG! I been waiting for this recipe since you posted it in Instagram, can’t wait to try it.
Carolyn, could I use whey protein isolate interchangeably with the whey protein powder?
I’m not Carolyn but I saw your question and just wanted to let you know that I do use my Unflavored protein isolate on all her recipe and it comes out great, it works with both.
Great, thank-you!
Thanks for replying. I’ve never used it so that was helpful!
Your welcome, glad to help
Love Downton, the fashion & food of a time gone by we can visit via TV. Thought I would fill this wonderful cake with vanilla custard and top with strawberries. Will need to get out the china tea cups I think a tea party is in order, my granddaughters love coming over for a real “Victoria BC Tea”.
Is this like an angel food? Wondering if you could just bake in a bundt pan. Bet it would be good with strawberries and whipped cream.
No, it’s definitely not like angel food cake. It’s not nearly so light and airy.
Oh, but you could easily bake it in a bundt pan!
This looks wonderful!!—do you think it would be ok to sub the almond flour with sunflower meal??
You may get a greenish cake because of the way sunflower seeds react with baking powder. Try a few tbsp of lemon juice to help offset that. No matter what, your cake won’t have quite the same colour, because sunflower meal has that greyish colour.
I watched the Great British Bake-Off too, and they made this very dessert in the finale last night! They called them Victoria Sandwiches, but it was the same thing, cupcake version. I too love British period shows. I highly recommend The Paradise. It’s on Netflix if you have it. Also Call the Midwife. Love them!
This is amazing! Such a pretty cake!
!!
This is exciting, because I just watched THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF and was tootling about, trying to deconstruct and remake Mary Berry’s whole orange sponge cake. This gives me a quick leg up, and thank you very much!
Oh well now I HAVE to try that one!!!
Can you leave out the protein powder if you don’t have it?
Yes, but your cake won’t rise as well.
Carolyn, you have made my day, too! LOVE Victoria sponge and have always wished for an LC version. I have been re-reading some old Rosamund Pilcher books over the past few weeks and the characters are always having tea and scones…or gingerbread…or Victoria Sponge. Every time I put down the current book, I feel like running out to the nearest bakery posthaste! (Yes, Downton Abbey has the same effect.) This will be appearing soon on our tea table here in ever-so-refined St. Augustine, FL!
This is amazing; I have always wanted to try a Victoria Sponge & so I shall at last! I too, love British Period pieces and can frequently be found watching some BBC or Masterpiece show on Netflix or Amazon (so much so my roommates just look at the screen and say “British?” when the enter the room). I’m so excited to try this, thanks Carolyn!
So glad!
OMG! You just made my day. Low carb Victoria Sponge! I am probably the biggest anglophile on the planet. I even married one. I lived in London as a kid and oh man I remember the sponges you could buy in the high street, scrumptious!
Downtown Abbey is also my all time favorite, and I TiVo it to watch the next day, so can’t wait!
I have all I need so will make it TODAY!
Thank you, thank you!
You are very welcome!