Have you been searching for a keto birthday cake recipe that doesn’t sacrifice flavor and texture for the sake of being healthy? This keto vanilla cake is exactly what you’ve been looking for! This sugar free birthday cake has three layers of low carb cake with cream cheese frosting and while it looks impressive on a cake platter, it’s surprisingly easy and can be made in one bowl.
Keto Vanilla Cake Ingredients
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for low carb birthday cake, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
For the cake:
Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The best sweetener for keto cakes, because it not only tastes and bakes like sugar, it also makes them very moist. See other options below. Butter – I prefer to use grass-fed butter for nutrition and flavor, but feel free to use any unsalted butter. Eggs – Use large eggs. Unsweetened almond milk – You can use store bought or homemade almond milk, just be sure it’s unsweetened either way. This can also be substituted with other keto milk, such as coconut milk beverage (the liquid kind from a carton, not the thick kind from a can) or watered down heavy cream.Vanilla extract – A must for yellow vanilla cake! But if you like other flavors, feel free to add other extracts.Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – My recommended brand because it’s super fine and blanched. Other brands come in varying consistencies and moisture levels, so may turn out differently, and you definitely want to avoid almond meal, which would make your cake gritty.Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour – Like the almond flour, this one is super fine, and also has the right moisture level. Made with premium organic coconuts. Baking powder – Make sure your baking powder is fresh so that your cake rises, which tends to be more difficult with low carb cake recipes.
For the cream cheese frosting:
Cream cheese – I recommend full-fat, but any kind of plain cream cheese will work.Butter – I prefer to use grass-fed butter for nutrition and flavor, but feel free to use any unsalted butter.Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The powdered version of Besti, to use for frostings.Vanilla extract
How To Make Keto Birthday Cake
This section shows how to make keto vanilla cake with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Beat butter. In a large mixing bowl, beat together Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend and butter until fluffy.Add wet ingredients. Beat in eggs, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
TIP: Make sure your milk and eggs are at room temperature. Otherwise, they can solidify the butter.
Add dry ingredients. Beat in Wholesome Yum Almond Flour, Wholesome Yum Coconut Flour, and baking powder.Bake. Transfer 1/3 of the cake batter into the lined springform pan and bake. Repeat with remaining 2 layers. Set aside to cool.
TIP: If you have three pans, this will go much faster. You can bake all three at the same time, on the same oven rack.
Cool. Let your vanilla keto cake cool completely before removing from the pan and assembling.Make frosting. Beat together cream cheese, butter, Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend, and vanilla extract until it is smooth.
Layer cake. Place one layer on a cake stand or platter and spread some of the frosting on top. Repeat with the other two layers. Frost the top and sides of cake.Top with chopped pecans. The keto birthday cake looked prettier with the nuts on top, and I didn’t have to obsess about making the frosting perfectly smooth on top. But, if your frosting skills are better, feel free to skip the nuts and decorate the top however you like!
Can you have cake on keto?
No, traditional cake is not keto. But, this keto vanilla cake recipe will satisfy all of your cake cravings without the sugar crash.
Is this keto yellow cake gluten-free?
Yes, this sugar free birthday cake is also gluten-free.
Can I use only almond flour or only coconut flour?
No, sorry, you do need both flours for the right texture and moisture in this low carb birthday cake recipe. You can browse my almond flour recipes or coconut flour recipes to see other options with each of these flours.
Can I use a different sweetener?
Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend is the closest thing to sugar I’ve found (and it’s why I created it, I didn’t love the alternatives!), and in particular, it makes the moistest cake. I’ve made this cake with other sweeteners in the past and it’s not as moist. But, if you need other options, you can use a granulated sweetener for the cake (like allulose or erythritol) and a powdered sweetener for the frosting (like powdered allulose or powdered erythritol). The amounts you need will vary depending on the sweetener, so check my sweetener conversion chart.
Can I use a different frosting?
Yes, you can any keto frosting! Try a keto buttercream frosting or keto chocolate frosting to switch it up. Feel free to add sugar-free sprinkles as well!
Storage Instructions
Store the cake in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Can you freeze cake?
Yes, you can freeze cake for 2-3 months. To do so, place it on a sheet pan, uncovered, and freeze until solid. Once solid, wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and foil to freeze long-term. To thaw, unwrap the layers and thaw in the fridge overnight.
More Easy Keto Cake Recipes
If you like this keto friendly birthday cake, you might also like some of these other keto dessert recipes:
Keto Chocolate CakeKeto Red Velvet CakeAlmond Flour Lemon CakeKeto Angel Food Cake
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it! Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/24 of entire recipe
