Keto Bundt Cake Recipe

Just because you're giving up sugar, going keto, trying to eat healthier, or all of the above doesn't mean you have to give up taste, texture, or decadent desserts. We know, it sounds almost too good to be true, but after trying this keto chocolate bundt cake, we know it's all possible! The natural sweetness of chocolate shines in this cake, whether it's in the cake itself which contains cocoa powder or in the glaze that includes pure dark chocolate. 

Chef Tara Rylie of RylieCakes developed this recipe with chocolate lovers in mind. Despite the lack of conventional cane sugar, Rylie structured this recipe like a traditional bundt cake starting off with creaming the butter and sugar. That being said, the process is one any home baker would know, and with just a few simple swaps, you've got a keto, gluten-free masterpiece that all your friends and family will adore.

As with any recipe, the first step here is to gather all of your ingredients and prepare them as needed. For this recipe, it's as simple as measuring everything out. This process is called mise en place. It ensures that everything is ready to go so when you begin creating the recipe, it all goes smoothly — you have all the right ingredients perfectly measured and ready to go. For this recipe, you'll need almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sea salt, butter, granular sugar replacement, eggs, nut milk of your choice, vanilla extract, pure dark chocolate or sugar-free chocolate chips, powdered sugar replacement, and hot water.

Preheat your oven to 350 F and coat a nine-inch bundt cake pan with cooking spray. Set the pan upside down on a piece of parchment paper until you're ready to use it.

To prepare your dry ingredients, whisk the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt together in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside and then move on to prepare your wet ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream ½ cup butter and sugar replacement together until light and fluffy. Typically when creaming butter and sugar, the mixture will double in size as it aerates. When using a sugar replacement, the mixture won't aerate as much, so it won't double in size — however, it will take on a light and fluffy texture. For this recipe, we used Swerve granular sugar replacement.

Once your butter and sugar replacement are creamed, scrape the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl with a spatula. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating 15 seconds between each addition on low speed. Finally, keeping your mixer on low, slowly pour in the nut milk and vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste can be swapped for the vanilla extract and adds a depth of flavor to the cake.

Once your wet ingredients are all added to the mixing bowl, remove the bowl from your stand mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl with a spatula. Then fold in your dry ingredients by hand with a spatula. Doing this step by hand will ensure your batter isn't over-mixed, keeping the texture of your final baked cake nice and light.

Pour your batter into the prepared bundt cake pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean — a few moist crumbs are okay. Over-baking this cake could result in a dry texture, so we recommend you take it out when it's more on the moist side. Bundt cakes also carryover bake, meaning they continue to bake in their pan as they cool, giving this cake a little wiggle room.

Let the bundt cake cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before inverting. To invert a bundt cake, place a serving plate or wire rack on top of the pan. Then, grabbing onto both the serving plate/wire rack and cake pan, flip both over simultaneously. Gently knock on top of the bundt cake pan to release the top of the cake from the pan, then pull up the cake pan. This bundt cake should slide out easily. Once inverted, let the bundt cake cool to room temperature while you make the glaze.

To make the glaze, place your pure dark chocolate or sugar-free chocolate chips and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave mixture in 30-second increments, stirring in between until chocolate chips and butter are melted and well combined. Add powdered sugar replacement to the bowl and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and somewhat crumbly — it won't look much like a glaze.

Add your hot water and continue to stir the glaze until smooth. The glaze should come together nicely, but if it's still a little chunky, you can use a whisk to break up the chunks. If necessary, place the glaze in your blender and blend it quickly until smooth. For this recipe, we used Swerve powdered sugar replacement.

To finish your bundt cake, spoon the glaze over top of the entire cake, letting some drip down the sides. Enjoy your masterpiece right away, best served with keto ice cream or hot coffee. You can also store your bundt cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days or in the refrigerator up to 10 days. If storing in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature again before serving. This cake only gets better with time, so feel free to make it ahead of when you need it and just let the flavors meld until you're ready to eat!