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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My eyes cannot believe this is a low-carb dessert! SO GORGEOUS. I’m definitely bookmarking for when I need a treat!
I made this but used some leftover frosting from the lemon strawberry cupcakes. It was wonderful. Almost like a strawberry shortcake.
Oh my goodness Carolyn, you’ve outdone yourself with this sponge cake! I made a hazelnut espresso meringue torte and your sponge worked perfectly. It took the hazelnut syrup I brushed on it without falling apart and tasted heavenly with the whipped ganache between the layers, The crispy meringue and espresso Swiss meringue buttercream went perfectly with it! I was thrilled with the results. I wish I could send you a pic. It turned out gorgeous!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Do you think it’d work for a tiramisu as well?
Thanks for all of your lovely recipes!
I’ve already got a recipe for that! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-pound-cake-tiramisu/
I love this cake, I made it for a church coffee hour and no one knew it was wheat free or sugar free
I’ve made this twice. It was perfect once and more “scone-like” the second time. I don’t know where I went wrong the second time. Can you tell me, what is the ideal consistency of the batter when you pour it in the pan? Should it be more liquid, so you can just “shake the pan” to smooth it or should you have to “work it smooth” with the knife before baking?
A good low carb almond flour batter won’t pour…it needs to be spread to the edges of the pan. But it shouldn’t be scone like so it makes me wonder if you forgot an ingredient or something.
I made a perfect ‘serving for two’ version of this for my husbands birthday (I didn’t want to be tempted to keep eating!) and it was simply wonderful! I had never thought about making smaller servings before but had enjoyed your cheesecake brownie for two so much, decided to see if I could do it to this as well. It worked great and I will definitely be making this again, maybe even the whole version! Highly recommended.
I’ve been planning on a mini version of this one myself. Glad it worked out!
This was delicious! I used honey instead of swerve in my whopping cream and it turned out super yummy!
I haven’t had this cake since I was in London years ago! I love how delicate it looks, pinning and sharing:)
Hi can you use watered down heavy whipping cream rather than almond milk?
Absolutely!
Thank you. As a English mum, my children wanted a cake to have with tea. Can’t wait to try it.
Now only if I could find an English scone recipe for afternoon tea!
I made this last month and it was really nice. My husband (who normally shuns all gluten-free food) even loved it. I live in England where clotted cream is very reasonable so used clotted cream and it worked out fine.
I hear you can make your own clotted cream and I want to try that.
@Carolyn: it is SO easy to do! Simply pour into a shallow pan, (9x13glass) cover with foil and “cook” on very low heat (180F) for 12 hours. When done top should be very light brown. Let cool, move to fridge for 12 hours until solid.
Preferred is UNpasteurized or at least NOT ULTRA pasteurized (Organic Valley is ultra…). but I have done it with both and it turns out well using ultra as well as unpasteurized.
Also, SOME recipes add thickeners or other ingredients like sour cream greek yogurt, powdered sugar, even mascarpone! That is NOT TRUE clotted cream! Clotted cream has ONLY heavy cream in it.
Ah, yes, the clotted cream will need to be skimmed from the liquid at the bottom… Oddly, the ultra pasteurized clots almost all of the liquid!
hi! this looks incredible, however i dont eat nuts due to sensitivity. could coconut flour work here? i dont have whey protein either due to dairy/lactose sensitivity. i have hemp protein powder but the taste is like ash and i wouldnt want to ruin the cake! hope you can help xxxx
Coconut and almond flour work very differently and are NOT able to be substituted for one another. Whey protein can be switched out with egg white protein powder.
Carolyn often suggests using sunflower seed flour but it may turn your creation green if you don’t add a Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the batter.
Oh wow, sounds delicious. Do you think it’s possible to make it without protein powder too or substitute it with something else ?
Thank you so much 🙂
Protein powder helps things rise and hold their shape. You can skip it but it will not be as fine a cake, just FYI.
I make my own clotted cream all of the time! 🙂 Preheat your oven to 180* and pour 4 cups of heavy cream (any kind will work, even pasteurized) into a shallow baking dish. Cook for eight-twelve hours. Remove and allow to cool completely. Skim the clotted cream off the top and refrigerate for eight hours. And you’re done! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe! (How did I manage to overlook it for so long?) I caught the Victoria Sponge “bug” several years ago when I watched the movie, “Calendar Girls”. (Stars Helen Mirren, Annette Crosbie, Julie Walters, Celia Imrie and, for the gorgeous male, they tossed in Ciaran Hinds.) I liked sponge cake long before that, but was convinced that there had to be something different, if it was called, “Victoria Sponge”. I’ve found other recipes, tried them and enjoyed them, so I will add this to my repertoire. Thank you for yet another!
Hi Carolyn! This recipe is delish! I made half the recipe and made it in a small loaf tin (increased the cooking time a little) also used a little xylitol instead of Swerve (we don’t get it here in South Africa) and it turned out great! Put a blob of cream on it plus some chia jam and it was freaking amazing! My absolute favourite cake is a vanilla sponge so this recipe has helped to keep us on the low carb track! Thanx again!
Made this over the weekend and it is by far my favorite LC cake EVER. It is also gorgeous. The cake is a thing of beauty only amplified by the whipped cream and jam (I used La Nouba’s sf raspberry spread from my pantry). You are the LC baking queen, Carolyn!