Black Velvet Cake (Gluten Free, Keto)

Name: Black Velvet Cake (Gluten Free, Keto)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 105 min
Ingredients: 192 grams granular erythritol ((1 cup) ); 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature ((1 stick)); 4 whole eggs, room temperature; 224 grams almond flour ((2 cups)); 28 grams coconut flour ((1/4 cup) ); 90 grams black cocoa powder ((3/4 cup) ); 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum; 120 milliliters strong brewed coffee, room temperature; 300 milliliters whole milk; 30 milliliters apple cider vinegar, divided ((2 tablespoons)); 15 milliliters vanilla extract ((1 tablespoon)); 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature ((2 blocks)); 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature ((2 sticks) ); 144 grams powdered erythritol ((1 cup)); 15 milliliters vanilla extract ((1 tablespoon) ); 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 135 grams black cocoa powder; 180 milliliters heavy whipping cream ((added slowly to thin the frosting) )

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This Black Velvet Cake is the perfect cake for Halloween! This rich, moist and decadent cake is made with dark black cocoa powder for a spooky look, without any weird junk. This layer cake is delightfully delicious, gluten free, and keto friendly!

super spooky Black Velvet cake with 4 layers, and spooky Halloween decorations surrounding it

This isn't your ordinary chocolate cake, as you can see! It's the perfect hue for Halloween, and has the tender crumb and deep flavor similar to a red velvet cake recipe. Our version is made with almond and coconut flour, no sugar, no food coloring, and is topped with a rich chocolate cream cheese frosting.

It's only 5 net carbs per slice, so you don't have to be spooked out by extra carbs or sugar with this recipe! Save all the scares for your Halloween festivities! 🙂

Read through to get step-by-step instruction on how to make this cake. Or, you can skip to the recipe card to get right into it. We do recommend reading this post fully if you have any questions, since we take time to answer them in the body of the text. This post is also available as a Google Web Story!

slices of black velvet cake with dry ice, an a skeleton hand reaching for the cake with a bag of bob's red mill almond flour

Disclosure: This post is brought to you in partnership with our friends at Bob’s Red Mill. We used their superfine almond flour, coconut flour and xanthan gum to make this drool-worthy cake! We love using Bob’s Red Mill products to craft the most delicious baked goods. Thank you for supporting the brands that help to bring fresh new content to A Full Living!

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour & coconut flour – Our preferred gluten free and low carb flour. Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour is just that, super finely ground, so you’re not going to get a bunch of grainy bits. We also use a bit of Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour for the perfect balance in texture. Make sure you don’t substitute the almond flour for coconut flour however. Coconut flour is very drying, and is not a 1:1 substitute for almond flour.
Sugar free sweetener – Something granular to replace regular granulated sugar will be your best bet for the cake. You will need powdered sweetener for the cream cheese frosting. You could use powdered sweetener for the entire cake if you prefer, but you may need to add slightly more powdered sweetener in the cake batter, as it weighs less than granular sweetener.
Black cocoa powder - Black cocoa powder is essentially Dutch process cocoa that has been further alkalized to reduce the acidity, and leaves you with a rich color & Oreo like taste. It doesn't take quite the same as regular cocoa, so if you like a richer, deeper chocolate flavor, you could substitute some of the black cocoa powder for regular Dutch process cocoa. Just be aware that you will lose some of the deep color that black cocoa powder provides. You can substitute black cocoa powder for Dutch process cocoa powder 1:1.
Xanthan gum - We love Bob’s Red Mill Xanthan Gum for binding our gluten free baked goods. This xanthan gum will keep the cake from crumbling.
Kosher salt - To balance and enhance the sweetness and flavor in this cake.
Baking powder & baking soda - To make this cake rise. Both are needed in this recipe.

Wet ingredients:

Unsalted butter - Allow the butter to sit out at room temperature for a couple of hours to make the cake and the frosting. We like to use unsalted for this frosting so we can control the salt level easier.
Cream cheese- Room temperature for the frosting.
Eggs- That have been sitting out for a few hours so they aren't too cold.
Whole milk & apple cider vinegar - We combine these to make a buttermilk substitute by combining them for 10 minutes before adding them to our cake. You could also just use buttermilk instead of whole milk. Either way, you will need a bit more apple cider vinegar in addition to what is used to make the buttermilk to help this cake rise enough.
Strong brewed coffee- For a lovely flavor in the cake. Allow it to cool and become room temperature before adding to the batter.
Heavy whipping cream - To thin the frosting slightly, room temperature.
Vanilla extract - Used in both the cake and in the frosting.

How To Make This Spooky Halloween Chocolate Cake:

Step 1: Make The Cake Batter

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray four 6 inch round cake pans with baking spray and set aside. Start by combining 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with the milk and allowing to sit for 10 minutes to create a homemade buttermilk.

Beat together butter and sweetener at medium speed, gradually increasing the speed for a few minutes to combine well. Mix in eggs one at a time until the mixture is well combined.

beating together butter and sweetener in a mixing bowl

adding eggs to butter and sweetener in a mixing bowl

Slowly sift in your dry ingredients, mixing on low speed and incorporating gradually.

egg mixture with some dark cocoa powder dry mix ingredients added to the bowl

cake batter mixture in a mixing bowl with a halloween towel nearby

Add in the coffee, homemade buttermilk, remaining apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Make sure to scrape the bowl to ensure everything is well incorporated.

dark chocolate cake ingredients in a bowl getting ready to be mixed

Step 2: Bake The Cake Layers

Divide the cake batter evenly and place into the four greased cake pans. We find this is about 325 grams of batter per pan.

Bake for 42-52 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer to a wire rack until completely cool. Once cool, you can trim the excess from the tops of the cake layers to create even layers if desired.

Step 3: Make the Frosting

To make the frosting, mix together cream cheese and butter on medium speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer until completely combined. This should take about 2 minutes.

Gradually add in the kosher salt, vanilla extract, black cocoa powder and powdered sweetener, mixing on low speed to combine, then gradually increasing the speed to whip together.

Pour in heavy whipping cream in a slow stream to incorporate until desired texture is reached. Make sure to give the bowl a good scrape and mix one more time for a few seconds to ensure there are no pockets of unmixed frosting.

creamed butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl

creamed butter, cream cheese, and black cocoa powder, powdered sweetener and kosher salt in a bowl

Step 4: Frost the Cake

After the cake has cooled completely, frost the cake!

frosting a large black velvet cake with dark chocolate frosting

layers of a black velvet cake with dark chocolate cream cheese frosting

Step 5: Decorate & Dig In!

Now all that's left to do is decorate, and dig in to this lovely cake!

bob's red mill black velvet cake with super cute cake toppers

That's it! Serve and enjoy!

pulling out a large slice of black velvet cake with dark chocolate frosting

Tips For The Best Dark Chocolate Halloween Cake:

Xanthan gum will help keep the cake from crumbling but is not 100% necessary.
Make sure all ingredients are room temperature before making the cake for best results.
This cake can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 3 months.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days in a covered, airtight container.
If refrigerated/made ahead of time, allow to sit out at room temperature for at least one hour before serving for the best texture.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I Use Plain Milk Instead of Making Homemade Buttermilk For This Recipe?

No, we don't recommend it. While both milk and buttermilk will make cakes extra moist, buttermilk or homemade buttermilk plus the addition of more apple cider vinegar are necessary acids in this recipe.

We need additional acid in this recipe because we are using black cocoa instead of natural cocoa. Black cocoa powdered is alkalized, so we need to add more acid to contribute to the leavening, tender texture and lovely taste of this cake.

In other words, don't skip buttermilk or homemade buttermilk and the apple cider vinegar!

flat lay shot of black velvet cake slices on black plates with a skull and dry ice

Can I Substitute The Almond Flour?

No, we don't recommend it, at least not at this point! This cake is carefully tested multiple times by us, and is designed specifically to be low in carbs and gluten free.

The texture is perfect, and we are unable to provide a good substitution that will produce the same results for this cake.

Can I Use Food Dye If I Don't Have Black Cocoa?

Yes, you can, but we do still recommend using Dutch process cocoa so the texture of the cake isn't impacted at all.

You should also opt for gel food coloring, so you don't add too much extra liquid to the batter.

More Recipes Made With Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour:

We are super fortunate to partner continuously with our friends at Bob's to bring you great recipes! Check out some of our favorite creations featuring their almond flour!

close up shot of cutting into a slice of spooky black velvet cake for Halloween

More Halloween Recipes To Try:

inside of a black velvet cake cut into to see the inside

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black velvet cake slices on black plates with a spooky halloween scene in the background and a bag of bob's red mill almond flour

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Until Next Time,
Briana & Chamere