This low-carb, sugar-free chocolate cake is made from almond flour and chopped walnuts, using Truvia as a sugar substitute. It is also gluten-free, as always.
Total preparation time is about 10-15 minutes, plus 20-30 minutes baking time.
Total 4g net carbs per 100g
389 calories, 35g fat, 13g protein
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cup of almond flour (120g, 4.2oz)
- 1 cup of chopped walnuts (100g, 3.5oz)
(this is optional – if you would prefer not to use nuts, substitute with 1 more cup of almond flour) - 4 tbsp Truvia
, or another heat-resistant sugar substitute such as xylitol or erythritol
(they tend to be sweeter than sugar so you don’t need much of it) - 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Green & Black)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 medium eggs
- 80g (3oz) butter (should be soft – take it out of the fridge in advance)
- 200g (7oz) cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
- 40ml (1.5oz) double cream
(this is the same as heavy cream for the US) - 2 tsp unsweetened vanilla extract
- pinch of cinnamon
All tsp and tbsp measures above refer to standard Imperial volumes:
1 tbsp corresponds to 15 ml of liquid, 1 tsp to 5 ml.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.
- Mix well the dry ingredients – almond flour, chopped walnuts, half the cocoa powder (2 tbsp), half of Truvia (2 tbsp), baking powder and salt.
- Lightly whisk eggs and add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- Add whisked eggs to the flour mixture and blend well.
- Pour into a greased cake tin.
- Cooking time will depend on the size of your tin (and let’s face it, every oven is different). When cooked, the surface should be firm and springy. Mine took about 20 minutes.
While your cake is baking, prepare the icing:
- Mix softened butter with cream cheese, double cream and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- Add the other half of cocoa powder (2 tbsp) and Truvia (2 tbsp) and blend well.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon.
Once the cake is baked, take it out and let it cool. Cut into slices (depending on the size and shape of your tin) and assemble your cake, spreading icing between the layers and on top. I also decorated mine with some shavings of solid raw cocoa.
Nutritional information:
In total, using the amounts above:
- per 100 grams of the mixture: 389 cal, 4g net carbs, 35g fat, 13g protein
- per 1 serving, assuming 8 servings are made from amounts listed above:
438 cals, 4g net carbs, 14g protein, 40g fat
Note about Truvia
Truvia consists of erythritol and stevia extract. According to manufacturer, it does not get processed as sugar by human body and has no effect on blood sugar or energy levels, and so effectively contains zero carbs and zero calories. If you are sceptical about such claims, please use another sweetener which you trust, and add on the nutritional values to the totals provided above. You will also have to find another sugar substitute if you follow a paleo diet, as Truvia would not be suitable for you.
Read more about artificial sweeteners in my recent post.
More recipes
- Check out my other low-carb recipes on this website
- I also recommend “The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking” cookbook by Peter Reinhart:
Read my review of the book | Buy this book on Amazon (UK)| Buy this book on Amazon (US)
3 eggs might probably be enough.
Thanks. I find that the amount of moisture required really depends on the flour you are using. There can be some variance with almond flour – across different brands, depending on how finely it is ground and also on its age, as it can dry out a bit over time. So if you feel that 3 eggs might work better with the type/brand of flour you normally use, this may well be the case.
If you do decide to make this, please feel free to experiment and let me know how it comes out, I will be very happy to add this on the page with a full credit and link back to you
This cake looks beautiful! I bought and extra deep round cake pan last year that should do justice to this recipe. I look forward to trying it next time I allow myself a sweet treat.
Great, thank you, please let me know how it goes.
are the macros you’ve stated correct? it’s just that the fat and protein content is higher per piece of cake than the amount per 100g mix
I’ve just made this cake btw and it’s amazing!!! thanks soooo much
Hi Rob, thank so much for your comment, I am very glad you liked the cake.
I double checked the macro counts and I think they are correct. The overall weight of the mixture was 900g, working out as 112.5g per slice (all those nuts making it quite dense!) – assuming the cake is cut into 8 pieces. So that’s why the macros are more for one slice than for the whole cake.
I hope this makes sense? Or is there something I am missing?
thanks for the quick response Carbophobic that all makes perfect sense now
You say to put in a cake tin, do you mean a round one? What size? Is this recipe for a single round cake tin worth? Your picture shows three layers, is that three recipes worth? Are the carb stats for one layer only or all three? Thanks for being patient, I need REALLY clear instructions, sorry!!
Hi Lori, you are right, it is a bit confusing, apologies.
I used a round 9-inch (23cm) cake tin to bake a single cake layer. I then cut it into three and assembled on top of each other with filling, and then sliced it again. My main concern at that stage was to create a photogenic-looking slice of cake, which I why I used three. It would be easier to just use two.
Using the amounts of ingredients listed above, you end up with about 900g total of cake and icing mixture (about 2 lbs).
The total stats for the whole thing are: 3500cal, 36g net carbs, 117g protein, 315g fat.
You can assemble them in any way that is convenient, and then calculate amounts per slice depending on how many slices you end up with.
Please bear in mind that this cake is very filling, so my suggested serving size – 1/8 of the overall amount – is a satisfying portion.
I hope this makes it a bit clearer, please let me know if you have any further questions.
I seriously just mixed all the ingredients into the batter… including the icing ingredients! Hahaha
I didn’t read the rest of the instructions! It’s now baking… oh god
Oh dear! Please let me know how it turns out. There is a chance it might still be nice…