Vanilla Keto Cake Diabetic-Friendly
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 07/31/2019 - Last updated on 06/23/2023
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This Almond Flour Vanilla Keto Cake is the most delicious, moist, and buttery diabetic-friendly birthday cake.
Plus, this vanilla keto cake has a dairy-free option, is gluten-free, and is made with only 6 ingredients in 1 bowl!
So keep reading to learn how to make the ultimate low-carb cake.
Is it your birthday, or do you need to make a keto-friendly cake for a friend on a low-carb diet?
This easy keto birthday cake recipe is exactly what you need.
What’s A Keto Vanilla Cake?
This keto sponge cake is a simple but super tasty sugar-free vanilla cake that is also gluten-free and diabetes-friendly.
Because it is made with low-carb flour and no all-purpose flour, it comes with very few carbs: only 3 grams of net carbs per slice!
If you follow the keto diet, this won’t hurt your macros, and you will stay in ketosis!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Keto Cake is absolutely amazing, it tastes like a classic cake, and it’s:
- Gluten-Free
- Diabetes-Friendly
- Paleo
- Dairy-Free Option
- Low-Carb
- Keto-Friendly
How To Make Keto Vanilla Cake
This is the perfect recipe for keto diet beginners, probably as easy as using a keto cake mix.
It is definitely a no-fail keto birthday cake recipe made in 1 bowl with only 6 simple ingredients.
Sugar-Free Vanilla Cake Ingredients
Let’s see what you need to make this moist and buttery sugar-free vanilla cake.
- Almond Flour – I recommend fine almond flour for this Almond Flour Vanilla Cake rather than almond meal. Almond meal would work as well, but the cake would be less moist. Find other recipes with almond flour.
- Eggs – this recipe is not vegan friendly. For a vegan cake, try my keto vegan mug brownie.
- Sugar-free crystal sweetener – I love Monk fruit, but erythritol or xylitol are great options as well. Check out my review of keto-friendly sweeteners for alternatives.
- Coconut oil – or any oil with a light taste will work very well here. Avoid vegetable oils. They are not keto. Good options are almond oil, flaxseed oil. If you are using melted coconut oil, make sure it is not burning hot when you add it to the cake batter. Hot oil will cook the eggs.
- Baking powder or half the amount of baking soda, meaning 1/2 teaspoon.
- Vanilla extract. Find all my recipes with vanilla extract.
Making Almond Flour Cake
Usually, keto cake batter made with almond flour sticks a bit more to cake pans, so it is crucial to use a non-stick high-quality, aluminized pan.
It may sound expensive to invest in a high-quality pan, but they last for years. The one below has been in my kitchen for 7 years, and none of my cakes stick to it.
Pan choice
I am using a 9-inch springform cake pan with a non-stick coating and a ridged texture at the bottom.
If your pan doesn’t have a ridged texture, your cake may stick slightly at the bottom. To prevent your keto cakes from sticking to the pan, I recommend a double-greasing method.
First, grease the whole pan, bottom, and sides with butter or coconut oil.
Then, cut out a piece of parchment paper, the same diameter as the pan, so in a 9-inch circle.
Place the piece of parchment paper at the bottom of the pan. It will stick to the pan since you grease it before. Finally, grease the whole pan again, including the paper.
This 2-step greasing method will ensure that your keto cake does not stick to the pan.
Making A Layered Cake
You don’t have to make a layered keto cake, but it does look more like a classic birthday cake if you do.
You can follow the keto vanilla cake recipe and serve this delicious almond flour cake in 30 minutes.
It is a good sugar-free vanilla cake to enjoy plain or with the vanilla buttercream frosting recipe provided.
I recommend making the layers and frosting, though, to have a lovely light and fluffy keto birthday cake.
To make the layers of this diabetic cake, I recommend baking 2 small vanilla cakes instead of slicing a bigger one. It means you repeat the entire low-carb cake recipe 2 times.
This is the best way to create a lovely keto sponge cake with even layers and a decent cake height.
Tip 1: Make the vanilla cake recipe provided two times
I know it is tempting to double up the recipe to save time and then divide the batter in half.
It would work, but I’m not too fond of this technique because it is challenging to halve the batter perfectly. Often, you end up with a layer thicker than the other.
Tip 2: Bake one almond flour cake at a time
Never bake two cakes at the same time in your oven. It will impact the baking time too much, and the baking will not be consistent.
There is always one cake that burns and one that is not cooked. So take the time and bake them separately.
Tip 3: Level the cake layers before frosting
Your sugar-free birthday cake will come up with a small bump on top.
Fully cool the cake, then use a knife or a cake leveler tool to remove that bump and create 2 flat cake layers.
This will make it much easier to frost them later on.
Assembling Keto Vanilla Cake
First, make sure your low-carb cake layers are cool at room temperature to prevent the frosting from melting.
Then, I recommend using a turning table and icing spatula. You can use the frosting below or use any of my other frosting recipes:
- Keto Chocolate Frosting
- The Cream Cheese Frosting from my Keto Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe.
Add a tablespoon of frosting to the center of the turning table and place the first cake layer on it.
This frosting is not cream cheese frosting, and so it will act like glue and stick the cake to the table.
Next, add 1 cup of frosting to the middle of the cake. Spread the frosting with an icing spatula turning the table at the same time to spread evenly.
The frosting will fall on the sides, and that is ok. Finally, add the second cake layer and repeat this process until you have covered all the top of the cake. Use more frosting to cover the edges.
I hope you enjoyed my 36-year-old diabetic birthday cake recipe. Happy birthday to you if you try this recipe for your birthday today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Almond Flour have carbs?
Yes, Almond Flour does contain some carbs but far less than all-purpose flour. It gives about the same texture to baked goods as regular flour though.
What can I use instead of Almond Flour?
If you don’t have almond flour or are allergic to almonds, you can use Sesame Seed flour. It’s also keto-friendly and bakes similarly.
You can also use all-purpose flour, but it wouldn’t be keto-friendly.
Can I use stevia instead of erythritol?
You can’t use pure stevia extract as Erythritol provides both sweetness and texture to this recipe. You need something that brings a sugar-like texture.
A stevia and erythritol blend works. Allulose would also work.
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
No, this vanilla cake wouldn’t work with coconut flour instead of almond flour as coconut flour is 4 times more water-absorbent.
It would make the cake very dry and gritty and would alter the flavor.
Can I Add Chocolate To The Batter?
You can add chocolate, but I recommend instead making my Keto Chocolate Cake.
More Healthy Cake Recipes
If you love this low-carb birthday cake recipe, I recommend you also try my other healthy cake recipes or my diabetic cake recipes:
Or browse all my recipes in the low-carb cake recipes category
Is this keto sugar-free vanilla cake recipe too large for you? Then, try my keto vanilla cupcake recipe instead
Also, don’t forget to share a review or comment below! I love to hear your feedback on my keto recipes
Did You Like This Recipe?
Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page for tips, our Instagram page for inspiration, our Pinterest for saving recipes, and Flipboard to get all the new ones!
Keto Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 4 large Eggs
- ½ cup Granulated Sweetener Monk Fruit or erythritol
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil melted or melted butter
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Vanilla Buttercream frosting
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter soft, out of the fridge for 4 hours (5.3 oz) – or vegan butter.
- 1 ½ cups Powdered Erythritol
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2-3 tablespoons Heavy Cream or coconut cream
Instructions
Vanilla cake
- Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Grease a 9-inch round springform pan with coconut oil or butter. Cut out a piece of parchment paper into a 9-inch circle and stick it to the bottom of the pan. Grease the paper and pan sides again. These steps prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with sugar-free sweetener, oil, and vanilla. Process as if you whisked a breakfast omelet. It should not take more than 30 seconds to 1 minute, all you want is to combine the ingredients.
- Whisk in almond flour and baking powder and whisk until evenly combined.
- Pour the vanilla cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 minutes in the center of your oven. The fan-bake mode is ideal if you have one. Otherwise, use the regular mode. Your cake is cooked when a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or with few to no crumbs on it.
- Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then release the cake on a cooling rack. Cool for 1 or 2 hours before adding the frosting, or enjoy plain.
- Note that this is a gluten-free cake. It doesn't rise much. You should expect a small bump raise in the middle, not more. The recipe is made to create flat cake layers to make a layered birthday cake.
Layer vanilla cake
- Repeat the vanilla cake recipe one more time to create a second vanilla cake.
- Make sure you clean, dry, and grease again the cake pan before baking the second cake.
Light and Fluffy Buttercream frosting
- Add the soft butter cubes and vanilla to a stand mixer. Make sure you use the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until it forms a pale, smooth, and fluffy butter.
- Reduce to low speed and gradually add the sugar-free powdered sweetener, half a cup at a time. When all the sugar-free sweetener has been added, mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until it forms a fluffy cream.
- Add cream and keep whisking for 1 minute to incorporate.
- Spread the frosting between the 2 cake layers and on sides using an icing spatula. Watch my video to learn how to frost your layer cake easily.
- Place the cake in the fridge for 2 hours to set up the frosting if desired.
Storage
- You can make this cake 24 hours before, store it in an airtight cake box in the fridge to prevent the frosting from drying.
- Store leftover for up to 4 days in the fridge or freeze in ziplock bags. Defrost the day before at room temperature.
Notes
- A simple one-layer vanilla keto cake will have 3g of net carbs per slice.
- A double-layer cake will have 6g of net carbs per slice.
- A triple-layer cake will have 9g of net carbs per slice.
Tools
Getting Started What Is Keto? Macro Calculator Sweetener Converter Meal Plans Recipe Ebooks Intermittent Fasting Keto Fruits Keto Vegetables Keto Flours Fighting Keto Flu Healthy SweetenersWant My Kitchen Equipment?
About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
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Disclaimer
The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. You must consult with your doctor before starting on a keto or low-carb diet. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only.
The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sweeteners from the total Carbohydrates. As an example, a recipe with 10 grams of Carbs per 100 grams that contains 3 grams of erythritol and 5 grams of fiber will have a net carbs content of 2 grams. Some sweeteners are excluded because they are not metabolized.
You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.
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I’ll be making this cake for my mom’s birthday this weekend, but was wondering if the frosting is enough for a layer cake. I need to buy ingredients so I want to make sure I get enough hehe.
Yes the frosting is for a two layer cake. Happy birthday to your mum, XOXO Carine
Hi Carine,
Loved your frosting. I just wanted to know its net carbs separately from the actual cake. Thanks!
The frosting is zero net carbs it has only butter and erythritol. Enjoy ! XOXO Carine
First time making this cake and it turned out great! Instead of frosting I made a homemade lemon whipped cream and topped it with strawberries and blueberries. So good!
This is my first sugar free cake and it’s delicious. The icing is a little to sweet for me, but my family loved it. As others mentioned it is “crumbly” and sticks to the pan but it looked great. I’d upload a picture if I could because I’m so proud of this birthday cake for my daughter’s birthday.
I tried it for my birthday, i don’t know if its because i overbaked it or maybe not enough baking powder but it was flat as a cookie and crumby.. But taste really good
If its flat and crumbly it means you have you have either too much dry ingredients compared to the liquid or you use almond meal, which is a coarse version of almond flour and it makes cakes crumbly. I will recommend using ultra thin almond flour, weight ingredients for precision or make sure you use the scoop level method to fill your cups. The cake batter must be thciker than a wheat base cake but still easy to run and spread in the pan. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
I made this and my cake stuck to the pan, even with butter. I’ll have to use parchment paper next time. The frosting however…I cut the recipe in half because I’m making a small cake (baked the cake in a 9” square pan, will cut in four squares and layer those four squares.) Once I taste tested the frosting it was WAY too sweet. I added another 1/4 c of butter and about 1 tablespoon of cream, but still it is VERY sweet. Not sure why, or how to tone it down…
To avoid a cake to stick to a pan, keto or not, you must use a non stick high quality pan. Since you said that you greased well the pan with butter and it sill stick, this means that your pan doesn’t have high non adhesive properties, and that is ok! You can either fix that by adding parchment paper in the pan, well greased too or invest in a new high quality pan. Regarding the frosting, the sweetness may be different based on the powdered sugar-free sweetener you used. I am using erythritol which is less sweet than erythritol stevia blend for example. I would recommend using pure powdered erythritol. I hope it helps you ! XOXO Carine
I tried to give 5 stars, but it would only let me click4 stars. This is my second time baking with almond flour, erythritol, etc and I’m amazed how delish my cookies and now cake turned out! I’m filling my cake between the layers with sugar free vanilla pudding and strawberries. Being summer, I thought it would be appropriate. I took a bite off of the top of cake before flipping it over to have flat side up and it’s so good, so can’t wait to try tomorrow. My husband and father in law will enjoy this as a nice Fathers Day treat.
Hello,
Not sure what I did wrong but my batter came out like cookie dough. First time baking with Almond flout. 🙁
It looks like your ratio of liquid to solid is wrong as you refer to a overly dry batter. This can happens if you used coarse almond flour or almond meal. First choose an ultra thin almond flour, gold in color, not brown (this would mean almond skin has been left in the flour and it dry baked goods). Then always make sure you weight flour for precision using a kitchen scale or if you use cup, make sure you are using the scoop/level technique don’t pack the cups or it will result in too much flour that will make the batter dense and dry. Finally, make sure you are also using large eggs. I hope it gets better next time, Enjoy, XOXO Carine
Could I use melted butter (cooked enough to not cook the eggs but still liquid), instead of oil?
Sure, it will be delicious too. Enjoy the cake, XOXO Carine
Thank you!! This was an amazing recipe and it turned out so well. It taste so much more like “cake” than other keto recipes I’ve tried. So thank you a million times over, this is just what I needed.
Amazing news! Enjoy the keto recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine
Help! The cakes won’t come out of the pans even though I greased them with butter. Any advice??
This can happen for few reason. First, you cool down the cake for too long in the pan and it sets into it resulting in a cake that stick to the pan material. Next, the quality of your pan is low or the pan is old and your antiadhesive properties are low which explain why butter is not enough to release the cake. Finally, what you can do is run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. But, if the cake sticks to the bottom there’s not much you can do You can eventually place a plate on top of the pan, flip over and see if it comes out. But for next time, invest in a new pan or roll out a sheet of parchment paper that’s large enough to cover he bottom of the pan, cutting a circle shape.Enjoy, XOXO Carine
I went ahead and used coconut flour because that’s what I had on hand. I had to add unsweetened almond milk to counter the dryness and bake a little longer but it came out wonderfully.
Like a dummy, I accidently got Coconut flour instead of Almond flour. Has anyone tried it with coconut flour?
Yes, I added unsweetened almond milk to counter the dryness. I also had to bake a little longer 10-15 minutes and it came out nice and moist.
Argh, that will be very dry with coconut flour simply because coconut flour contains 4 times more fiber than almond flour and therefore it will soak up al the liuid in the recipe. You can try my coconut cake made with coconut flour if you don’t have almond four available. Enjoy! XOXO Carine
Can i use a 6” pan instead of a 9” for the same amount of batter?
You can use a smaller pan to bake the whole recipe but it will take longer to bake since the cake will be thicker. It may increase baking time by 10-15 minutes.Insert a pick in the cener of the cake every 5 minutes after the regular baking time recommend and see how it goes. When the pick is clean, it is ready. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
OMG I baked this cake yesterday for my mom’s birthday, she is diabetic, and she LOVED IT, in fact all the members of my family loved it, it is super easy to make, thank you thank you Carine for sharing your recipes, you make the world is a little bit happier and Healthy place thanks to you!!! XOXO!! From Mexico
Thank you for sharing your picture for me on instagram and happy birthday to your mum I guess it was a celebration cake right? Take care, XOXO Carine
yeah it was a celebration cake, 😀 thank you Carine, I am so excited to try another of your recipes 😉
My pleasure! I can’t wait to see what you are trying next, XOXO Carine
Hi, do you melt the coconut oil and then take 2 level tbsps or scoop out 2 tbsps and then melt it? I only ask because whenever I take 2 spoons of solid coconut oil it’s more than 2 spoons of liquid oil. Thanks!
You melt some coconut oil first, then you measure the amount required by the recipe. If you met too much it is ok to bring it back to the jar, it won’t lose its properties and solidify again. Enjoy the recipes, XOXO Carine
I want to make this in 3 4” in pans to make a mini cake. Do you think this is enough or should I make two batches?
I would double the recipe because my recipe is for a 9 inches pan so it means it can only fill 2 x 4 inches pan, if you want to make three layer with one bach of the recipe the layer might be thinner but still good. Otherwise double the recipe for thicker layers. Enjoy. XOXO Carine
Hello Carine,
I follow many of your recipies but cannot find a really nice white bread recipe. I have Crohns also, so need to watchful of ingredients.
I would be so, so grateful if you have one & send to me via email.
Thankyou very much & I look fwd to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Sue
Maybe you can try my almond flour bread recipe . Enjoy ! XOXO Carine
Hi! Did you use granulated or powdered sugar for the cake?
My recipe never use sugar as they are all sugar-free. I always us granulated erythritol in my keto cake recipes. The powdered erythritol is used for frosting or no bake dessert. Enjoy, XOXO Carine
I have always loved white cake with white frosting. The sweeter the better. Will it pull my fillings loose? It’s perfect. This cake was exactly perfect white cake with white frosting. I rarely like KETO sweets, but this was absolutely amazing. And really easy to make. And it worked in an 8″ square pan that I tried out of desperation because I did not have a round pan. Thank you!
am glad to hear i worked well in your 8 inches pan too ! Thanks for the lovely review, Enjoy the recipes on the blog, XOXO Carine