Keto Black Velvet Cake

This Low Carb Black Velvet Cake is the perfect cake for Halloween! This rich, moist, 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!

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!

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

Jump to:

• 🖤Why we love this recipe
• 👻Ingredients
• ✨Substitutions & variations
• 📋Instructions
• ✨Tips & tricks
• 💭Frequently Asked Questions
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Community

🖤Why we love this recipe

• Naturally gluten-free and low carb - This is one of those desserts that folks would never be able to tell are gluten-free or low carb! It's incredibly tasty, but secretly suited to these diets. 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! 👻
• No-artificial food dyes - We try to steer clear of any added dyes whenever possible. This cake is made dark black by the use of dark cocoa powder!

👻Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need for the cake. You can find information about substitutions and variations below.

Dry ingredients

• Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour & coconut flour – Our preferred gluten free and low carb flour, both by Bob's Red Mill. They are both very finely ground, making for 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.
• 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.
• Xanthan gum - This xanthan gum will keep the cake from crumbling.
• Kosher salt
• Baking powder & baking soda
• Unsalted butter - Softened.
• Cream cheese - Room temperature for the frosting.
• Eggs - Room temperature.
• 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 - Room temperature.
• Vanilla extract

✨Substitutions & variations

• Swapping black cocoa powder for Dutch-process cocoa powder - You can substitute black cocoa powder for Dutch-process cocoa powder 1:1, but you will lose some of the deep, dark color.
• Using food dye - You can use food coloring if you can't get your hands on dark cocoa powder. We recommend using gel food coloring so you can use less. Start with a few drops, and add more as desired to create the dark color.
• You can swap the sugar replacements in this recipe 1:1 for granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
• Xanthan gum will help keep the cake from crumbling but is not 100% necessary. 
• Conventional version. We have a traditional black velvet cake recipe, as well as these black velvet cupcakes.

Unfortunately we cannot offer suggestions on using other flours, or for swapping the buttermilk (or homemade buttermilk) in this recipe at this time. If you try any alternatives, feel free to let us know how it goes in the comments!

📋Instructions

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.

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

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.

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.

Step 4: Frost the Cake

After the cake has cooled completely, frost the cake!

Step 5: Decorate & Dig In!

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

That's it! Serve and enjoy!

✨Tips & tricks

• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before making the cake for best results. 
• Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale. Measuring cups vary in size. Weighing ingredients will ensure you have the proper amount every time.
• Make sure your oven is at the right temperature before baking. Many ovens run hotter or cooler, so it's important to make sure it's at the right temperature before beginning.
• Use fresh baking soda and baking powder. Since this recipe uses melted butter instead of softened butter, fresh baking powder and baking soda are crucial to making the muffins rise! Both baking powder & soda should be replaced about every 30 days or so. To test if your baking soda is fresh, add about a teaspoon to a small bowl. Add in lemon juice or vinegar and if the mixture bubbles vigorously, it's good to go. For baking powder, add 1 teaspoon to a bowl with hot water. If it bubbles, it's fresh!
• 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

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📖 Recipe