The Best Keto Chocolate Cake Recipe *Diabetes Friendly*
Think chocolate cake is off limits with diabetes? Think again! This keto chocolate cake recipe is the perfect sweet treat that won’t spike your blood sugar!
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Who says you can’t have cake when you have diabetes?! I’m here to dispel the notion that there is no way to make a chocolate cake for people with diabetes. This is simply not true! My new keto chocolate cake recipe is absolutely delicious and is suitable for anyone with diabetes and anyone following a low carb diet.
Let me tell you… this is the perfect chocolate cake for diabetics. With only 132 calories and less than one gram of sugar per serving, this will surely become your go-to keto chocolate cake recipe for birthdays and many other special occasions. Let’s dig into this delicious recipe!
Ingredients for this keto chocolate cake recipe
It is extremely likely that you already have most of the ingredients needed for my keto chocolate cake for diabetics. There are a few ingredients that I’d like to highlight because they are considered specialty ingredients, but luckily you should be able to find them at your local grocery store. If you can’t find these ingredients at your local store, Google is your best friend! There are plenty of online stores that sell these ingredients.
- Almond flour: Almond flour is exactly what it sounds like – flour made from almonds! It can be used in many other baking recipes, and has a nutty, sweet flavor. Since it is made from almonds (and only almonds), this flour is also gluten-free. Nuts in general are also one of my favorite dietitian-recommended foods that helps lower blood sugar. Using almond flour instead of regular wheat flour will remove the risk of any blood sugar spikes. The addition of almond flour in this keto chocolate cake recipe ensures that it can be enjoyed by people on low-carb diets, people with diabetes, and people who are sensitive to gluten!
- Erythritol: If you haven’t heard of erythritol before, the main thing you need to know is that it is a very low calorie sweetener that you can use in place of sugar. It is totally safe to consume and doesn’t impact blood sugar or insulin, so it is an amazing choice for a sugar free sweetener for people who have diabetes. Erythritol is my super secret ingredient in this chocolate cake for diabetics.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder: Cocoa has been used for centuries due to its delicious chocolate flavor. But did you know that cocoa also has some incredible health benefits? Cocoa powder is chock full of antioxidants called polyphenols, which are connected to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar, and reduced inflammation. These health benefits are especially great for people with diabetes to help offset the risk of developing heart disease. Not only is a diet rich in cocoa actually associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes… People who have diabetes may even reap the benefits of cocoa through improved insulin sensitivity and blood sugar balance! Just make sure you have an unsweetened version of cocoa powder in order to maximize the health benefits.
Some other ingredients that you will need for this keto low carb chocolate cake recipe include:
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Low fat milk
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
For the keto frosting, you will need:
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Erythritol or your preferred low calorie sweetener
How to make this keto chocolate cake recipe
If you have all of the ingredients listed above, you are ready to make my keto chocolate cake recipe! Make sure that you also have a greased 9×13 cake pan, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and let’s get baking!
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the milk, vanilla extract, and oil.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, combining well to create your cake batter.
- Add in half a cup of warm water, and mix.
- Pour batter into a greased 9×13 cake pan.
- Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
While the cake is baking, you have plenty of time to get started on the delicious keto vanilla frosting:
- In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks are about to form.
- Add the vanilla and sweetener, then continue to beat until peaks form.
Once your keto chocolate cake is baked, allow it to cool before topping it with the frosting. Once the cake is cooled and frosted, you are ready to enjoy a little slice of sugar free chocolate heaven!
FAQs
Can I use a different flour other than almond flour?
Almond flour is a nutritious and versatile ingredient that works really well in this recipe. If you want to try another flour, you most likely will not get the same results as you would if you stuck to my almond flour chocolate cake recipe.
Substitutions with gluten free flours are almost never a 1-to-1 ratio, and this is especially true with almond flour since it technically isn’t flour and has different properties. Remember, baking is a science and all recipes require specific kinds of balance in their ingredients. So, there isn’t a hard and fast rule for substituting almond flour for wheat flour and vice versa. I suggest staying to tried and true recipes to ensure success.
Almond flour is simply just ground up almonds. In fact, you can even make your own almond flour at home by adding raw almonds to a food processor or blender and grinding them up until it forms a fine powder. You won’t want to blend them up for too long because it will eventually turn into almond butter!
Another reason to stick with almond flour is because it is packed with nutrition. When you use standard all-purpose flour, you are getting mostly carbohydrates. With almond flour, you are also getting tons of micronutrients, protein, fiber, and healthy fats. As you can see, using almond flour actually boosts the nutrition of this keto chocolate cake.
If you are purchasing almond flour specifically for this recipe, be sure to store it either in the fridge or freezer. Almond flour doesn’t have as long of a shelf-life as wheat flour, and bears the risk of going rancid due to the higher fat content. Storing it in the fridge will prolong its shelf-life, allowing you more time to experiment with more recipes.
Do I need to use erythritol, or can I use a different sweetener?
To keep this recipe sugar free and low carb keto, I would recommend sticking with erythritol. If you switch it up to another sweetener that contains sugar or more calories, you will no longer have a low carb cake. Using this sweetener makes this the perfect chocolate cake for diabetics and anyone looking for blood sugar control.
Can I use sweetened cocoa powder in this keto chocolate cake recipe?
Switching to a sweetened version of cocoa powder will nullify the low sugar, low carb, keto properties of this chocolate keto cake. Also, sweetened versions will reduce the benefit of blood sugar balance that natural, unsweetened cocoa powder provides.
If you missed my discussion about the health benefits of cocoa powder, feel free to scroll on up to the top of this post to learn more!
Keto Chocolate Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
- 9×13 cake pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- 2 cups erythritol
- ¾ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk, low fat
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup hot water
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp erythritol or preferred sweetener
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, then add milk, vanilla, and oil.
- Add liquid ingredients into dry ingredients to create batter. Add in ½ cup warm water. Mix evenly.
- Pour batter into greased 9×13 cake pan. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Instructions for Frosting
- In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form.
- Beat in vanilla and sweetener until peaks form.
Notes
Nutrition
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Looking for more low carb keto recipes?
If you loved my keto chocolate cake recipe for people with diabetes or anyone looking for a low carb dessert, I’ve got some other recipes you are sure to be interested in trying: