Imagine a low carb cake that’s moist, flavorful, perfectly sweet, and is drizzled in a vanilla glaze. That’s precisely what you get when you make this Keto Vanilla Cake! Perfect as a keto birthday cake, for dinners, or any other occasion you can think of. This easy keto cake has only 3.2 net carbs per slice and is low carb, sugar-free, and gluten-free.
If you’re anything like me, part of the fun of going to events like weddings, dinner parties, and birthday celebrations is for the CAKE! Nowadays, many people eat low carb or gluten-free diets, so it’s becoming more frequent that there are desserts and other foods readily available. But, even if there isn’t, I know that I can make my own dessert when I get home and will be just as satisfied.
Cake has always been a weakness because it’s so delicious! Thankfully, now that I make this keto vanilla cake, I can enjoy it without all the guilt. It’s made of much healthier ingredients, and the texture and flavor are delightful and are sure to cure your sweet tooth. And if you are in the mood for some chocolate, try this classic yellow birthday cake with chocolate icing. YUM!
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Switching to Low Carb Baking
Making the switch to using alternative flours and sweeteners can be challenging. I know if you are just starting out eating low carb, there is a learning curve. But this keto cake recipe is very good. I promise! After you get the hang of low carb baking, you will find that the desserts are just as good if not better than the original traditional recipes. Is this keto cake identical to something that isn’t low carb? No, it’s not, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious! Try it for yourself, and you will see how great it is.
Ingredients For Keto Vanilla Cake
All you need is 11 super simple ingredients to make this tasty keto cake recipe. Don’t you just love recipes that aren’t a lot of fuss to make?
Almond Flour & Coconut Flour - I use this combination in most of my baked goods. It gives a tender crumb and keeps the product moist.
Refined Coconut Oil - I choose refined so this doesn't have a coconut flavor.
Sweetener - My sweetener of choice is a blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia. The recipe for my sweetener is here. It tastes great and is twice as sweet as white sugar. I do offer alternatives in the recipe card if you prefer to use another sweetener such as a monk fruit blend.
Egg Whites - I chose to use just egg whites in this recipe so it was white in color. I wanted a white cake, not a yellow cake. If you don't care about that you can use 3 whole eggs instead of the 6 egg whites.
Clear Vanilla - Using clear will keep the vanilla from changing the color of the cake or icing. You can use regular vanilla if you prefer!
Sour Cream - The sour cream will give it a rich and moist flavor.
Powdered Erythritol - Using powdered erythritol is how the icing gets its sweetness without refined sugar.
Heavy Cream - Add some healthy fat and texture to the icing with the heavy cream.
Baking Powder - Always make sure your baking powder is within the date and fresh.
What Is Clear Vanilla?
If you don’t do a lot of baking, you may not have ever heard of clear vanilla. Clear vanilla is actually just like regular vanilla extract, except that it doesn’t have that traditional dark brown color anymore.
When baking a dark-colored cake, regular vanilla is perfect because you can’t even tell what color it is. When you make something with white or even yellow color, often, the regular vanilla will change the color. So, the solution is clear vanilla. It’s perfect if you are baking, and it’s especially great for the icing that is drizzled on this keto vanilla cake.
How To Make Keto Vanilla Cake
Just a few simple steps and you will be indulging in a piece of keto vanilla cake in no time! Here are the easy directions:
First Step: Warm the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a loaf pan by adding parchment paper and giving it a spray or non-stick cooking spray.
Second Step: Cream together the butter and sweetener until it becomes light and fluffy, then add in the sour cream and vanilla. Once combined, add in the egg whites one at a time. Mix after adding each one.
Third Step: Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix together. Pour the cake batter into the pan.
Fourth Step: Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until set and cool completely.
Fifth Step: Mix together the powdered erythritol, heavy cream, and clear vanilla until they are smooth. Drizzle onto the top of the cake and serve.
More Flavor Ideas
Frosting: Swap out the glaze for icing. This is delicious with cream cheese frosting, chocolate frosting, raspberry frosting, or even a caramel frosting.
Strawberry Shortcake: This vanilla cake makes a lovely base for a strawberry shortcake. To make this classic into a keto dessert just skip the glaze, top with some sugar free whipped cream, and serve with berries.
Lemon: For a lovely lemon flavor swap out the heavy whipping cream in the glaze for lemon juice and then top with some lemon zest.
Can I make this into cupcakes? Or a layer cake?
Yes, to make this keto cake into cupcakes you can simply put the batter into a paper-lined (and sprayed with cooking spray) muffin tin. It will make 8-12 cupcakes. They need to bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.
As is, this will only make one layer of a layer cake. To make two layers just double the recipe. I recommend lining your cake pans with parchment paper just like I lined my loaf pan.
This makes a delightful low carb keto birthday cake when the batter is doubled and baked in two 9-inch round cake pans. Then just frost with your icing of choice and decorate with some sugar free sprinkles!
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 6 egg whites
- ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 3 tablespoon powdered sweetener
- 1-2 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In a bowl with an electric mixer mix the coconut oil and clear vanilla. Add the sour cream and beat until combined. Add the sweetener. Add the egg whites one at a time mixing after each.
- Stir in the flours, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined. Spread in the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. The center should be set and not jiggly. Cool completely.
Glaze
- Stir together the glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Transfer cake to a serving platter and drizzle with the glaze.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Roxanne Grove says
I made this and my first thought was after I had just the batter done…because it was runny… I’m not gonna like this. It went in my convection oven for 20 minutes. Pulled it out and before letting the cake cool down, my husband and I tried it. He immediately said absolutely not liking this. I thought it was more like a soufflé and didn’t think it was bad but was never going to make it again. We went out of town and after the cake sat in the fridge for 2 days it was thee best cake keto or not I’ve ever had or made. Omgosh so so good!!!!
Taryn says
Haha. I'm glad you liked it after it cooled. I find many keto baked goods are better after they are chilled. I like to chill brownies and then rewarm them individually. After that they have the perfect texture!
June says
what if I decide to use the egg yolks would it just make a yellow cake or would it change the texture??
Taryn says
It would be slightly more yellow. You would use 3 eggs. The texture will be similar.
Justin says
If I used this recipe for muffins, French financiers, friands, etc., would I reduce the baking time to 15-20 minutes?
Taryn says
For standard sized muffins, yes. I'm not sure about the others. It would depend on the size. I would start checking at 10 minutes.
Justin says
This recipe is amazing! Lovely texture and taste. A keeper. I used it for making 8 friands (oval shape, a bit bigger than muffins, about 125g size).
Michele says
Made this with my grandkids today. Didn’t have clear vanilla, so we made lemon and served it with keto raspberry “ice cream” for dessert. So delicious. Thank you for sharing such awesome recipes.
Jody Grimmer says
I just added about 1 cup of rhubarb. Deliciois