This classic yellow birthday cake resembles what my mom used to make, thanks to Pillsbury or Betty Crocker. My keto birthday cake is just as delicious but contains more nutrients! It's decked out with a rich chocolate frosting, moist yellow cake, and it's ready in one hour! This easy cake recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
Happy birthday to me! I'm 35 today and making my own keto birthday cake. I'm sure I will eventually regret disclosing how old I am publicly but I'm not there yet. Also, happy 8th birthday to my oldest daughter!
This post needed a bit of an update so I thought it appropriate to republish today, on my 40th birthday, five years after it was first shared! Happy birthday to me again. And my daughter is now 13!
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That's right, I share a birthday with one of my babies. When I found out I was due with my second child near my birthday I really hoped I wouldn't have her on the same day. I wanted her to have her own day.
It turned out that it didn't really matter because it has basically become her day anyway. If my husband and I go out to celebrate my birthday we always celebrate before or after because I don't think it would be fair to leave her with a babysitter on her birthday. I'm looking forward to celebrating with her someday with a girls' lunch out and shopping at the mall but we aren't quite there yet.
The classic yellow birthday cake with chocolate icing.
My birth with my birthday baby was long. My water broke on a Friday night and she wasn't born until Sunday afternoon. After having her I was starving but by the time we transferred to the postpartum room the cafeteria was mostly closed. I remembered that there was a piece of hospital chocolate cake on my lunch tray that I didn't eat because, ya know, I was too busy having a baby.
I asked my husband for my cake. He looked at me wide-eyed and admitted he threw it out when he brought my stuff to the new room. I had just given birth, after many, many hours, on my birthday, and he threw out my pathetic piece of hospital birthday cake. It's funny now but I may have cried then.
Can you guess what flavor that was? Yup. Yellow cake with chocolate icing.
Keto Birthday Cake Ingredients
Almond Flour - Almond flour gives a tender crumb in cakes, cookies, and biscuits.
Coconut Flour - Coconut flour helps to balance the oiliness of almond flour since it is naturally drier and absorbs more liquid than other alternative flours. Just a little bit of coconut flour goes a long way.
Sugar-Free Sweetener - I like to use a blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my recipes. By using a combination of sugar alcohols and stevia you can use half the amount required of regular sugar. Since these sweeteners can be more expensive this helps with my food budget. You can purchase this pre-mixed from the Trim Healthy Mama website or mix your own according to my recipe.
Baking Powder - Typical cake ingredient used to help the cake rise.
Vanilla - With the price of vanilla rising I now use Mexican vanilla extract and have been happy with the results.
Butter - I don't think this one needs an intro. I always use salted butter and normally just buy the regular kind from Wal-Mart or Costco.
Eggs - Another typical ingredient used as a binding agent and to help the cake rise.
Yogurt - I used Organic Whole Milk Yogurt when making my birthday cake this year. My husband is a good cook but doesn't bake much so I tend to just make my own desserts. Including my birthday cake. Yogurt makes a cake moist the same way sour cream does. If you prefer you can use sour cream in this.
How to make a keto birthday cake?
It's not any harder to make a low carb birthday cake than a traditional flour and sugar cake. You mix up the batter with a combination of wet and dry ingredients, add some eggs and liquid, pour into baking pans and bake.
The difference is the ingredients that are used.
Step One: Beat together the butter and sweetener in a bowl with an electric hand mixer. Stir in the yogurt and vanilla. Beat in the eggs next, continuing until everything is well mixed.
Step Two: Add the flours, baking powder, and salt, beating until combined.
Step Three: Divide the cake batter evenly among 4 round cake pans lined with parchment paper and cooking oil spray. Spread the batter out evenly.
Step Four: Bake at a temperature of 350°F for 20 to 22 minutes until the surface is golden when lightly pressed with your finger. Cool thoroughly.
Ingredients for Sugar-free Chocolate Frosting:
Butter - I use regular store brand salted butter
Powdered sweetener - a store-bought powdered sweetener works best for icings. It is hard to grind your own sweetener to a fine enough consistency.
Cocoa powder - any brand is fine, choose one that isn't bitter when possible.
Half and half or heavy cream - half and half is half cream and half milk
Whole milk yogurt or sour cream
Sugar-free chocolate chips or chocolate shavings, to garnish, if desired
Expert Tip: Making chocolate shavings is very easy! Simply run a vegetable peeler along the edge of a chocolate bar.
How to make Keto Chocolate Frosting:
This is a basic buttercream-based recipe that has butter combined with powdered sweetener. Adding in cocoa powder makes it chocolate and adding a little yogurt or sour cream balances out the sweetness. It just takes a few minutes and an electric mixer.
Variations
Icing: More varieties of icing to try include Caramel Icing, Keto Cream Cheese Frosting, Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
Sprinkles: I get sugar free sprinkles from Etsy. They are made by hand in the US.
Common Questions
Tips for Making a Yellow Cake
Yellow cakes get their color from the yolks of the eggs paired with the butter so make sure to use real butter and whole eggs for this recipe. Alternatively, white cakes like my keto vanilla cake use just the egg whites and coconut oil for a whiter color.
Can I make this with 2 layers? Or 3 layers?
There is something special about layer cakes. And the more layers the better in my opinion. A three-layer keto cake just seems fancier than a two-layer cake. And a four-layer cake beats them all. Since I have four round cake pans I decided to go fancy and make myself and my daughter a four-layer keto birthday cake. If you prefer you can make this a two or three-layer cake, just adjust the baking time accordingly.
How About Cupcakes?
Yes, this batter can also be used for cupcakes!
And if a big cake is just too much check out my adorable birthday themed Keto Mini Cheesecakes!
I hope you love this Keto Birthday Cake!
If you want to try a different low carb birthday cake recipe for your next celebration be sure to check these out:
Low Carb Cupcakes with Strawberries
If it's your birthday Happy Birthday from me!
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Yellow Cake Ingredients:
- 4 oz salted butter softened
- ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 6 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup whole milk yogurt
- 2 cups almond flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Icing Ingredients:
- 4 oz salted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sweetener
- ½ cup cocoa powder sifted
- 4 tablespoon half and half
- 2 tablespoon whole milk yogurt
- sugar free chocolate chips to garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter and sweetener until light and fluffy. Add the yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time mixing after each. Stir in the flours, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined. Divide batter between 4 round cake pans lined with parchment paper and cooking spray.
- Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and the edges are golden. Cool completely.
- Icing Instructions: Beat the butter and sweetener until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and half and half. Beat until smooth. Add the yogurt. Use to ice the cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Published on January 18, 2017. Revised and Republished January 18, 2022.
Renee says
Wondering about the cake layers looking so thin? Is it because it doesn’t rise very much or that you just didn’t use a lot of batter in each of the four pans? Thank you so much!
Taryn says
I didn't use a lot of batter in each pan. You could just make 2 layers if you want thicker layers.
Karen Hanans says
The recipe sounds do delicious I can wait to try it.
But what is whole milk yogurt?
Is that greek yogurt
Thanks
Taryn says
You can use Greek yogurt or just regular yogurt.
MArta says
What size are the 4 pans?
Taryn says
Standard round cake pan which is 9 inches.
Marsha Garces says
This is the best Keto cake that I have ever made. It is so moist and delicious! This will be my go to birthday cake recipe.
Allyssa says
Thanks a lot for this amazing and super easy to make birthday cake recipe! It's really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Wendy says
This is so good! Thanks for sharing.
Liz says
No one would guess this cake is keto! So perfect for birthday celebrations. Thanks!