Keto German Chocolate Cake
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My keto German chocolate cake recipe features two layers of moist chocolate cake, enveloped in sheets of gooey coconut-pecan frosting. It’s a delicious twist on classic chocolate cake and only 3 grams of net carbs.
I love surprising my family with a tiered cake every now and then. It makes the day feel special and allows us to indulge in our sweet tooth. When I want a keto chocolate cake with a little something extra, I make my sugar-free German chocolate cake.
What sets German chocolate cake apart is the sticky coconut-pecan filling. I took my mom’s recipe, swapped the sugar for allulose, and thickened the filling with a little xanthan gum so it stays perfectly gooey without being runny.
The result is a rich, moist chocolate cake with layers of caramel-like coconut-pecan filling that no one would believe is low in carbs.
Table of Contents
Recipe highlights
- Moist, rich, and gooey. Every bite has fluffy chocolate cake, caramel-like coconut filling, and crunchy pecans.
- Naturally gluten-free. Almond flour keeps the cake tender and moist while making it grain free.
- Easier than it looks. Layer cakes can seem intimidating, but this one comes together just like any frosted cake- the filling simply takes the place of a traditional frosting.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Almond flour. I prefer blanched almond flour for cakes as it yields a lighter crumb than almond meal.
- Cocoa powder. I used Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder. For a richer, darker flavor, I sometimes use black cocoa powder.
- Baking soda and salt.
- Butter. Unsalted and softened to room temperature. This makes it easier to mix into the cake batter.
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs are best.
- Liquid stevia. For sweetness. Double-check you’re using liquid stevia specifically made for baking, as I’ve found that some brands lose flavor at high temperatures.
- Vanilla extract.
For the German chocolate frosting:
- Evaporated milk. This is essentially a sugar-free version of condensed milk. You could also make my homemade sugar-free condensed milk, but skip the added sweetener in my frosting recipe.
- Xanthan gum. Thickens the filling without needing cornstarch. Please be careful when measuring this out, as even a little bit extra can throw off the other ingredients.
- Butter. I like using salted butter here, as it amplifies the sweet flavors. If you only have unsalted, add a tiny pinch of salt.
- Granulated sweetener. I used allulose because it dissolves like sugar, but I also had luck with monk fruit sweetener.
- Egg yolks. Gives the filling a gooey texture.
- Pecans. Roughly chopped and unsalted pecans.
- Shredded coconut. Make sure it’s unsweetened. The larger the flakes, the thicker the frosting.
- Vanilla extract.
How to make keto German chocolate cake
Step 1- Prep work. Preheat the oven and grease 2 springform pans.
Step 2- Mix the cake batter. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet until you have a thick batter.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the mixture into the cake pans and bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let them cool before frosting.
Step 4- Make the frosting. Combine evaporated milk and xanthan gum in a saucepan. Whisk in the sweetener, egg, butter, and vanilla, and stir until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pecans and coconut.
Step 5- Assemble. Once the cake has completely cooled, place one cake on a platter and spread in half the frosting. Add the second cake layer and cover in the remaining frosting. Refrigerate until firm.
Arman’s tips and variations
- Let the cakes cool completely. If the layers are even slightly warm, the coconut-pecan filling will soften and slide off rather than stay neatly between the layers.
- Prefer a smoother filling? Use finely-shredded (macaroon-style) coconut instead of long coconut flakes. I do this when I make it for my partner who ‘hates large coconut chunks’ (seriously).
- Making a smaller cake? Halve the recipe and bake it as a single-layer cake.
- Enhance the chocolate flavor. Add a shot of espresso! Don’t worry; you won’t be able to taste it, but it’ll make the cake taste richer.
- Enhance the coconut flavor. Swap the evaporated milk for full-fat coconut cream (just the solid part; discard the liquid).
Frequently asked questions
I wouldn’t recommend using coconut flour as it’s more absorbent than almond flour and would change the texture. If you want to use coconut flour, make my coconut flour chocolate cake with low-carb substitutes.
Yes! In fact, I think it’s even better after it’s had a few hours (or overnight) in the fridge. The coconut-pecan filling has time to firm up, making the cake easier to slice and allowing the flavors to meld.
I’ve had many readers ask if they can replace the liquid stevia for a granulated sweetener and unfortunately, for the cake layer, it’s not possible. Substituting it would require more liquid ingredients added. An alternative is to make my almond flour chocolate cake and add the coconut-pecan filling to that instead.
Keto German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour 224g
- 1 cup cocoa powder 85g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter softened, 225g
- 8 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon liquid stevia * See notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the frosting
- 2 cups evaporated milk 480mL
- 2 teaspoon xanthan gum 5g
- 2 cups allulose 400g
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup butter 225g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut 160g
- 2 cups pecans roughly chopped, 220g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line two 8-inch springform cake pans and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, stevia, and vanilla extract, until combined. Gently fold through the dry ingredients into the wet until a thick batter remains.
- Distribute the cake batter evenly amongst the two greased pans. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pans completely. While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting.
- In a small saucepan, add the evaporated milk and xanthan gum and mix well. Add the sweetener, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla extract and bring to a simmer. Once it begins to simmer, stir the mixture regularly, until it begins to boil and thicken. Once it is thick, remove it from the heat. Stir through the coconut and pecans. Let the frosting cool for at least an hour, or until room temperature.
- Place one of the cooled cakes onto a flat surface. Spread a layer of the frosting, before adding the second cake on top. Spread the remaining frosting all over and around it, before refrigerating for 30 minutes, to firm up.
Notes
Nutrition
More impressive keto cake recipes
Originally published February 2021
definietly going to try this!!!!!!!!
Please do, and let me know how you go! 🙂
Arman, Thanks for this great recipe and all of your others! Need your help though. I don’t tolerate Allulose (or Monkfruit) unfortunately, sends many of us to the bathroom. Can you recommend a replacement? Would a 1:1 Erythritol & Stevia granular work? Or even Splenda Stevia which is .5:1 (worried about volume)? Or Swerve confectioners (which doesn’t have Allulose in it yet)? It’s getting too expensive to experiment. I’d appreciate a quick reply so I can make this for Valentine’s Day 2/14/2026. Thank you!
Hi there! I would think the easiest substitution for the allulose in the frosting would be Swerve Confectioners, as it will be closer to a 1:1 swap. The texture should very similar but it may get a little firmer once chilled. Hope this helps and I hope you have a great Valentine’s day.
I have made this recipe for my husband’s birthday for the past three years. It is perfect for people who are following aKeto diet!
That’s so nice to hear! It truly is a delicious cake. Thanks for taking the time to provide some feedback.
Well my boyfriend became diabetic so life changed. This is a fine cake recipe with the changes I made being the cake I added chocolate protein powder and the espresso the frosting i used the coconut cream and unflavored geliton. This my first time making a German chocolate cake in my life so so far so good 👍
Hi Terri, thanks for sharing these alterations and I’m glad you’ve found some success with this recipe!
Can you sub allulose for the liquid stevia in this recipe for the cake?
I don’t recommend it- the liquid and dry volume is not interchangable.
Getting ready to try this recipe but will be using granulated or powdered allulose/monkfruit sweetener for the cake. I am correct I would substitute 2 cups of the granular to replace the liquid stevia? Any other changes needed to accommodate the added bulk?
Hi Bob, I would start with just 2/3 to 1 cup of sweetener, depending on what you’re using as you don’t want to overpower the cake base. If the batter looks loose/runny you can add another tablespoon or 2 of almond flour to help balance it out. Let us know how you go 🙂
I used coconut flour and it didn’t work. Why?
Hi Claire- I don’t recommend using coconut flour in this recipe. It only works successfully with almond flour. Coconut flour would need a completely different make-up of ingredients to compensate for it’s super absorbent texture. I’d stick with the original recipe.
The icing is fine. I guess if you’re just using the cake as a vehicle for the icing, maybe you won’t notice how bad the cake is. But, it’s really bad. Inedible on its own. Not sweet, not fluffy, not even chocolatey. Just takes like bitter, greasy dense sponge. Look elsewhere for a better recipe. Very disappointed.
Hi CJ- I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the cake. I’m wondering if it was the liquid stevia you used, as if you found it not sweet and dry, it comes down to that, as the other ingredients all contribute to a moist and rich cake. If you let me know the brand I can troubleshoot for you.
Help! I am trying to make this today and in the main section, you mention to add salt to bring out the sweetness, but you don’t include an amount. Thanks. I am going to wing it now, but in case I mess it up, how much salt goes into the cake?
Hi Lisa, half a teaspoon is plenty to deepen the chocolate flavor 🙂 Hope this helps!
German Chocolate Cake is my favorite! I started the Keto diet and was thinking I wouldn’t get to eat my favorite cake for my birthday. My daughter found this recipe and surprised me. It was AMAZING!!! Everyone loved it! I have made several keto cakes that were very disappointing. Just about gave up ever having a good tasting cake again. This one will not disappoint!!!
OMG!! German chocolate cake was always what I picked for my birthday cake when I was a youngster!!! My mom would always let us choose and that was always my choice! I haven’t had it in YEARS and I am so excited to try this keto recipe! Thank you!
Let us know how you go!
Can you replace the liquid stevia with liquid allulose? And is there anything that can substitute the egg yolks in the frosting?
No, there is not for the egg yolks Laura. You’ll need to adjust the liquid allulose ratio as liquid stevia is wsy more potent 🙂
Hello
Thank you for sharing.
Can I use evaporated coconut milk instead?
Yes, Stacey- that should work fine.
Made this for my son’s 37th birthday today. It’s incredible! Thank you for you hard work in creating this!
Made this for my son’s 37th birthday today. It’s inedible! Thank you for you hard work in creating this!
I am allergic to stevia – I see you state that it is replacing 2 c of sweetener- do you think I could try coconut sugar instead? Ideas for how much to substitute? Thank you
Yes that should be fine- try 1 cup.
Could I use agar agar in place of of the Xanthan gum?
Hi Jes- I haven’t tried it for this cake, but I’ve worked with both before, and find agar agar better for puddings and mousses over something like a thickening agent for the filling. I’d stick with xanthan if you can.
Wasnt impressed…..baked for the allotted time and it came out dry. Salt– Brings out the sweetness of all the ingredients…….No salt in this recipe, not sure why that was listed even. The Xantham gum clogged up a lot when mixing it with the heavy cream, will try to dissolve that another way next time.
Hi Teri! Sorry to hear that. If the cake came out dry, I wonder if you overbaked the cakes? Almond flour does bake quicker than traditional white or AP flour. There is salt listed in the ingredients.
The xanthan gum should be completely mixed in- if it clogged, it sounds like it’s the brand used and perhaps could have benefited from it being sifted (if it was clumping beforehand).