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This keto marble cake is a moist almond flour pound cake with chocolate and vanilla layers. Plus, it’s a healthy marble cake for you with no sugar, no gluten, no dairy and only 3.8 grams net carbs per slice! Keep reading to learn more.
As a French girl I have eaten a lot of French marble cakes after school. Not always homemade ones! Indeed, I had way too many of the sugar-loaded, store-bought ‘French Savane Papy Brossard’ pound cake as a kid. So this keto pound cake recipe is my healthy marble cake recipe that brings back some lovely childhood memories, without the sugar or carbs.
How to make a marble cake?
A marble cake is a chocolate and vanilla layer cake. Therefore, you need two batters to create a marble cake, one with vanilla flavor and one with chocolate flavor. The easiest way to make a marble cake is to first make a large vanilla batter. Then, separate a part of the vanilla batter in a different bowl and flavor with cocoa powder.
A moist marble cake recipe with oil
The trick to make a moist marble cake is to use oil in the recipe – not butter! That makes a whole lot of difference giving the most delicious moist texture to the almond flour pound cake. The best healthy oils to use in this recipe are melted coconut oil, avocado oil or almond oil. Of course, if you want to use coconut oil, make sure you melt it first and cool down before adding in the batter. In fact, hot oil can cook your eggs and create lumps in the batter.
Easy almond flour pound cake
A marble cake is basically a pound cake, with a two layers with different flavors. The trick to make this easy marble cake is to use all ingredients at room temperature. Let’s see what you need to make a healthy marble cake keto and gluten free.
Almond flour – fine, not almond meal
Coconut flour
Eggs at room temperature
Sugar-free crystal sweetener – erythritol, xylitol or combo of Monkfruit/erythritol. Check out my keto sweetener converter to convert from one sweetener to another.
Oil – avocado, almond or coconut oil, melted at room temperature. Note: vegetable oils are not keto friendly so don’t use these oils.
Vanilla extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Coconut cream or heavy cream at room temperature
More low carb pound cake recipes
If you love this keto pound cake recipes, I have plenty to try :
Keto Orange Pound cake
A moist keto pound cake with orange flavor and orange glazing
This keto lemon cake recipe has only few ingredients and steps to follow. It doesn't require fancy equipment or ingredients and you will quickly and easily make this in 15 minutes
1/4cupCoconut creamcan of coconut cream, shake can before measuring (or use heavy cream) at room temperature
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Instructions
Before you start, make sure all the ingredients including, oil, cream, eggs, flours are at room temperature to avoid lumps. The best is to take them out of the fridge 3 hours before you start the recipe
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Oil the paper if yours tends to stick to food. Set aside.
Vanilla cake layer
In a medium mixing bowl, lightly whisk eggs with sugar-free crystal sweetener, vanilla and coconut cream.
Stir in coconut oil (at room temperature! hot melted coconut oil will cook your eggs you don't want this to happen), baking powder, coconut flour and almond flour.
Whisk quickly to evenly combine. The vanilla cake batter is thick but spreads easily, shiny, with no lumps. If there are lumps (it shouldn't have some if you used ingredients at same temperature). If so, use an electric beater, beat few seconds to get a smooth batter.
Chocolate cake batter
In another medium size mixing bowl, add 1 1/2 cup ( 1 cup + 1/2 cup ) of the vanilla batter you just made.
To create the chocolate cake batter, stir in this medium bowl unsweetened cocoa powder and coconut cream until it forms a smooth chocolate batter. Now, you should have 2 bowls of batter, one with 1 1/2 cup of chocolate cake batter and one with vanilla cake batter.
How to make a marble cake?
Alternate dollops of vanilla cake batter with chocolate cake batter until no more left. I highly recommend watching my recipe video tutorial below to see how to make marble cake steps by steps.
When no more batter left, use a knife to swirl the top of the batter. Insert the knife into the loaf and gently swirl into the batter, once or twice, to create a marble swirl effect.
Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 50-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean with few to no crumbs on it.
Cool marble cake for at least 4 hours, or overnight, on a cooling rack, before slicing. Don't slice too early or the cake would crumble apart. You should be able to slice 14 slices in this loaf.
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight cake box, in the pantry for up to 3 days or freeze slices of cake in individual boxes/bags.
Defrost the day before, can be rewarm in a toaster or oven if desired.
Sweetener: if you are not on keto diet, you can use same amount of any crystal sweetener you like. A healthy option will be coconut sugar (contain carbs and sugar but paleo! Net carb per slie : 3. 8 grams, cake serve 14 slices
I didn’t try this option as oat flour is not keto approved. However, oat flour often works as a 1:! substitute to almond flour so it should come out great if you want to try this option. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
I must have done something wrong the recipe says add another 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the chocolate mix and it made mine very runny. It took over the vanilla and did not cook very solid. Help please!
It is barely possible since 1/4 cup is only 60 ml it shouldn’t change the texture to runny liquid. Are you sure you are using US measuring cups ? Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Hi, thank you for your amazing recipes. Unfortunately, I don’t understand the conversion table for converting the amount of stevia powder I have. If anyone could help I would really appreciate it as I want to make the marble cake.
This recipe use sugar crystal sweetener like erythritol or xylitol but the recipe won’t work with stevia powder. Stevia powder doesn’t add bulk in cakes and bread so you shouldn’t use it here. Enjoy! XOXO Carine
My friend loves marble cake and I plan to bake her a sheet cake then cut into a shape and ice. Will this recipe work for that? And any idea how many times I will need to double or triple the recipe?
It very depends of the width of your sheet cake pan. My cake is baked in a 9 inches x 5 inches loaf pan, it means a 8 cups pan. If your pan has the same volume you don’t need to double or tripe the recipe. For exampLe a 8×8 square pan is 10 cups, a 9 x 9 is 12 cups. So if you are using one of these sizes you keep double the recipe by it won’t fit the whole pan. But if your sheet pan fit 16 cups then doubling the recipe will be perfect. And since its a sheet cake it will be way thinner than my loaf and it will bake faster too. I hope it helps, XOXO Carine
Yes sure, as the pan will be wider it will make a thinner cake and it will bake faster. Check the baking with a pick inserted in the middle of cake to see if it is ready after 40-50 minutes
Hi, Unfortunately you can’t swap almond flour for coconut flour with a 1:1 ratio. Coconut has 4 times mre fiber than almond flour and usually a recipe calling for almond flour will nee aroun 4 times less coconut flour and way more liquid to hold. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Hello, would it be possible for this recipe to work using something to replace the eggs or even maybe 3 of the eggs? if so what would you suggest? I can cope with a bit of egg but not much
I didn’t try the recipe with egg replacement but some followers report success using this brand of egg replacer (note that this is my affiliate amazon link). Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine
First time ever to leave comment .. but this is the most amazing cake recipe I have ever made. It’s moist, delicious and better than even a regular one… Thank you ❤️
I want to know what I can substitute the almond flour with. My 95 year old mother became allergic to nuts at the age of 90 and can not have anything with almonds in it. Is it possible to substitute it with rice flour?
Hello! I am sorry to har that. Good news is, you can substitute almond flour by same ratio of sunflower seed flour in any recipe (that is the keto low carb option). If she is not on low carb diet, oat flour is an option too, very nourising and provide a similar texture. However I wouldn’t use rice flour, the cake will be chewy. Enjoy the recipe. XOXO Carine.
Hello Carine! I just wanted to let you now that I made this cake and it was so delicious and moist! The only thing I think I’d do is add a bit more sweetener. I tasted the batter before baking and it was great, but fatter, the sweetness had pretty much vanished. I’m considering slicing the leftovers and making them into biscotti. My family loved it and so did my in laws on 2de Kerstdag (Christmas)!! Think you for this delicious, not at all dry or weird-textured cake. I love when I win with Keto. ????
Hello! Merry Christmas to you and our family. Thanks so much for sharing this marble cake recipe with the one you love. Re- sweetener, it very depends on brands too, some blend fae when baked. I love to use Lakanto or Swerve brands FYI. This said, if you can’t find those brand you can increase sweetener in the recipe. It will come out great. Or add few drops of vanilla stevia drops for a strong sweet boost without changing the texture! XOXO Carine.
Leave a comment
Hi Carine!
Can I substitute the almond flour for oat flour in a 1:1 ratio?
Thank you!
I didn’t try this option as oat flour is not keto approved. However, oat flour often works as a 1:! substitute to almond flour so it should come out great if you want to try this option. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
This marble cake is so moist and delicious! Even my non-Keto family members love it. Thank you!!
I must have done something wrong the recipe says add another 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the chocolate mix and it made mine very runny. It took over the vanilla and did not cook very solid. Help please!
It is barely possible since 1/4 cup is only 60 ml it shouldn’t change the texture to runny liquid. Are you sure you are using US measuring cups ? Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Awesome ????????
I use almond meal , avocado oil, and heavy cream. Nice and moist
Hi, thank you for your amazing recipes. Unfortunately, I don’t understand the conversion table for converting the amount of stevia powder I have. If anyone could help I would really appreciate it as I want to make the marble cake.
This recipe use sugar crystal sweetener like erythritol or xylitol but the recipe won’t work with stevia powder. Stevia powder doesn’t add bulk in cakes and bread so you shouldn’t use it here. Enjoy! XOXO Carine
My friend loves marble cake and I plan to bake her a sheet cake then cut into a shape and ice. Will this recipe work for that? And any idea how many times I will need to double or triple the recipe?
It very depends of the width of your sheet cake pan. My cake is baked in a 9 inches x 5 inches loaf pan, it means a 8 cups pan. If your pan has the same volume you don’t need to double or tripe the recipe. For exampLe a 8×8 square pan is 10 cups, a 9 x 9 is 12 cups. So if you are using one of these sizes you keep double the recipe by it won’t fit the whole pan. But if your sheet pan fit 16 cups then doubling the recipe will be perfect. And since its a sheet cake it will be way thinner than my loaf and it will bake faster too. I hope it helps, XOXO Carine
How much of coconut sugar should i be using instead of erythritol?
Same amount, but the recipe won’t be keto low-carb anymore. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Can I substitute coconut oil with melted butter?
Sure ! Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine
Hi Carine, Thank you for the recipe. I would like to ask it is possible to use 8″ springform Pan or 8×8 Baking Pan. Please advise. Thank you.
Yes sure, as the pan will be wider it will make a thinner cake and it will bake faster. Check the baking with a pick inserted in the middle of cake to see if it is ready after 40-50 minutes
Hi Carine, can I replace almond flour with coconut flour and if so how much quantity shall I be using, thanks
Hi, Unfortunately you can’t swap almond flour for coconut flour with a 1:1 ratio. Coconut has 4 times mre fiber than almond flour and usually a recipe calling for almond flour will nee aroun 4 times less coconut flour and way more liquid to hold. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Hello, would it be possible for this recipe to work using something to replace the eggs or even maybe 3 of the eggs? if so what would you suggest? I can cope with a bit of egg but not much
I didn’t try the recipe with egg replacement but some followers report success using this brand of egg replacer (note that this is my affiliate amazon link). Enjoy the recipe, XOXO Carine
Can one replace this recipe with flax eggs ? Will it work
No sorry, none of my keto cake recipe works with flax eggs. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
First time ever to leave comment .. but this is the most amazing cake recipe I have ever made.
It’s moist, delicious and better than even a regular one… Thank you ❤️
Thanks SO much for such a lovely comment! You made my day beautiful. Enjoy my recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
I made this cake today… It’s lovely and now I can have a little treat everyday without feeling like I’ve slipped off the wagon… Thank you
Yeah! That is all I love to read. Treat is good even on keto. Enjoy the keto recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
This by far the best cake I have found to make on Keto Low Carb
Yeah! That is the most beautiful feedback I read today, thank you, XOXO Carine.
I want to know what I can substitute the almond flour with. My 95 year old mother became allergic to nuts at the age of 90 and can not have anything with almonds in it. Is it possible to substitute it with rice flour?
Hello! I am sorry to har that. Good news is, you can substitute almond flour by same ratio of sunflower seed flour in any recipe (that is the keto low carb option). If she is not on low carb diet, oat flour is an option too, very nourising and provide a similar texture. However I wouldn’t use rice flour, the cake will be chewy. Enjoy the recipe. XOXO Carine.
Hello Carine!
I just wanted to let you now that I made this cake and it was so delicious and moist! The only thing I think I’d do is add a bit more sweetener. I tasted the batter before baking and it was great, but fatter, the sweetness had pretty much vanished. I’m considering slicing the leftovers and making them into biscotti. My family loved it and so did my in laws on 2de Kerstdag (Christmas)!! Think you for this delicious, not at all dry or weird-textured cake. I love when I win with Keto. ????
Hello! Merry Christmas to you and our family. Thanks so much for sharing this marble cake recipe with the one you love. Re- sweetener, it very depends on brands too, some blend fae when baked. I love to use Lakanto or Swerve brands FYI. This said, if you can’t find those brand you can increase sweetener in the recipe. It will come out great. Or add few drops of vanilla stevia drops for a strong sweet boost without changing the texture! XOXO Carine.