This Low Carb Valentine’s Day Cake is a super decadent play on a traditional red velvet cake (without the red food coloring) with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting, and a salted caramel drizzle. A small amount of steeped hibiscus flower concentrate is added to batter and the frosting for a light pink tint, a subtle acidity and floral note. Make this special treat for your keto loved one this Valentine’s Day to make their heart sing!
Here’s What You Need For This Low Carb Valentine’s Day Cake:
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 1 cup sweetener of choice (we used Ketose Sweet+)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp Sweet Leaf Stevia Drops (or, you can substitute for an additional 1/2 cup of your sweetener of choice)
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup sour cream, full fat
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1.5 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp steeped hibiscus concentrate* (optional, see notes)
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup baking cocoa
- 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt
For the white chocolate cream cheese frosting & toppings:
- 1 batch easy low carb cream cheese frosting
- 1/2 cup ChocZero white chocolate chips* (optional for the white chocolate flavor, use code AFullLiving for 10% off your order!)
- 2 tbsp butter* (optional for the white chocolate flavor)
- 2 tbsp steeped hibiscus concentrate* (optional, to create a pale pink color)
- a few tablespoons keto salted caramel vanilla sauce* (optional)
Recipe Notes:
We prefer to use real vanilla extract whenever possible, but if it’s not available or too expensive, imitation will work just fine, and it measures the same as vanilla extract.
Sweeteners: Please sweeten to taste! Especially the cream cheese frosting, which becomes quite sweet when the white chocolate chips are added. Adding the steeped hibiscus flower concentrate to our frosting toned down the sweetness and added some great color, a bit of acidity, and a light floral flavor. For this recipe, we used Ketose Sweet+, which measures just like sugar, and is made from a blend of allulose, stevia and monk fruit. We also added SweetLeaf Stevia drops to achieve the sweetness level we desired. We find that blending sweeteners often yield the best results, and this blend is a mixture of our 3 favorite sweeteners! These sweeteners won’t crystallize when kept in the fridge, which is nice for the texture of the cake and frosting.
Steeped Hibiscus Flower Concentrate: This is incredibly easy (and affordable) to make. You can do it a couple of different ways. We simply took our dried hibiscus flowers and placed them in a jar, them covered them with water overnight in the fridge. The following day, we strained the flowers away from the liquid and got a lovely concentrate with a deep fuchsia hue. You could also boil your flowers and let them steep on the stove for about 30 minutes, then strain away the flowers before using. You can use about 1/2 cup of flower to every 1/4 cup of water. Again, we are making a concentrate with a very vivid hue, so adding a small amount to your tea or drinks would would be appropriate. We wouldn’t recommend drinking the concentrate straight, as the flavor is well… very concentrated!
We do want to mention that this is an optional element. We used it to give our frosting a light pink color and a lovely, subtle acidity and hint of floral taste. We added it to our cake batter as well simply to tie the flavor in, but it doesn’t change the color of the cakes themselves. Just something to note. We like to add it because hibiscus is known to have many health benefits, and is sort of unofficially one of the ingredients associated with love and passion, so we found it to be fitting for Valentine’s Day.
Cake Layers and Cake Pans: We found our 9 inch heart shaped pans at a Goodwill near us, they are Wilton brand (a few years old!). They are so cute and easy to work with. Perfect for Valentine’s Day. This cake is 2 layers. If using regular 9-inch cake pans, you will probably need to add parchment paper to the bottom to prevent them from sticking. If you want to use a single layer cake, you probably could do that, but you will likely need to adjust the baking time.
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Tools:
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
- Metal Sieve
- Nesting Bowls
- Rubber Spatula
- Hand Mixer
- Heart Shaped Silicone Pans
- Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray
- Baking Sheet
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Let’s Make It!
You can make your hibiscus concentrate up to 10 days in advance if it’s kept in the fridge. Simply boil the flowers with water and let it steep for 30 minutes before using, or steep them with water overnight in the fridge, then strain the flowers away before using. See notes above for more details. You can also make your cream cheese frosting ahead of time. You will just want to bring it out of the fridge for about an hour so it comes to room temperature. Lastly, you can make your keto salted caramel vanilla sauce ahead of time as well, if you plan to use it (optional).
To begin, preheat your oven to 350F. Grease your heart shaped silicone pans with spray, place them on a large baking sheet, and set aside. If using regular 9-inch cake pans, you might want to add parchment paper to the bottom as well so the cakes don’t stick.
To make the cake: In a large bowl, begin by creaming together your butter and sweetener for a few minutes. Then, add in the eggs one by one, combining well. Now, you can add in your vanilla extract, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, apple cider vinegar stevia drops, and your optional hibiscus concentrate.
Add in your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients using a metal sieve. This will be important for a light and fluffy cake. Sift your almond flour, coconut flour, baking cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the mix, then combine well. Make sure to scrape the sides of your bowl with a rubber spatula a few times to make sure everything is well incorporated.
Divide your batter as evenly as possible into the two cake pans, then smooth with a spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, it’s time for your low carb cream cheese frosting to come together. We jazzed it up a bit with some ChocZero white chocolate chips and some hibiscus concentrate for a lovely pale pink color with a subtle hint of flavor. Again, the add-ins are optional, but fabulous.
If adding the white chocolate, gently melt your chocolate chips together with some butter over a double boiler. Make sure to do this slowly so that the chocolate doesn’t burn and harden. After it’s made, let it cool for a few moments, then add it to your cream cheese frosting and mix with a hand mixer. Then, fold in your optional hibiscus concentrate for a nice color.
You will want the cakes to cool completely (about an hour) before frosting. Now, I’m not a baker, but simply smooth the frosting over top of the cake carefully! That’s really it on my end. I don’t have many tips and tricks to share, and I’m sure I’m probably not doing this completely right.
If you wish, drizzle your keto salted caramel vanilla sauce over top. I went a little crazy, as you can see. Totally optional, just adds another layer of decadence!
Check out those layers. Simply serve and enjoy!
Happy Valentine’s Day to all! If you decide to make this treat, be sure to share with us on Instagram @afullliving! Looking for a classic? How about this low carb chocolate lava cake? It’s always a hit.
Until next time,
Briana & Chamere
This Low Carb Valentine’s Day Cake is a super decadent play on a traditional red velvet cake with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting, and a salted caramel drizzle. A small amount of steeped hibiscus flower concentrate is added to batter and the frosting for a light pink tint, a subtle acidity and floral note. Make this special treat for your keto loved one this Valentine’s Day to make their heart sing!
- 1 cup sweetener of choice (we used Ketose Sweet+)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp Sweet Leaf Stevia Drops (or, you can substitute for an additional 1/2 cup of your sweetener of choice)
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup sour cream, full fat
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1.5 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp steeped hibiscus concentrate* (optional, see notes)
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup baking cocoa
- 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt
- 1 batch easy low carb cream cheese frosting
- 1/2 cup ChocZero white chocolate chips* (optional for the white chocolate flavor, use code AFullLiving for 10% off your order!)
- 2 tbsp butter* (optional for the white chocolate flavor)
- 2 tbsp steeped hibiscus concentrate* (optional, to create a pale pink color)
- 2 tbsp keto salted caramel vanilla sauce* (optional)
We prefer to use real vanilla extract whenever possible, but if it’s not available or too expensive, imitation will work just fine, and it measures the same as vanilla extract.
Sweeteners: Please sweeten to taste! Especially the cream cheese frosting, which becomes quite sweet when the white chocolate chips are added. Adding the steeped hibiscus flower concentrate to our frosting toned down the sweetness and added some great color, a bit of acidity, and a light floral flavor. For this recipe, we used Ketose Sweet+, which measures just like sugar, and is made from a blend of allulose, stevia and monk fruit. We also added SweetLeaf Stevia drops to achieve the sweetness level we desired. We find that blending sweeteners often yield the best results, and this blend is a mixture of our 3 favorite sweeteners! These sweeteners won’t crystallize when kept in the fridge, which is nice for the texture of the cake and frosting.
Steeped Hibiscus Flower Concentrate: This is incredibly easy (and affordable) to make. You can do it a couple of different ways. We simply took our dried hibiscus flowers and placed them in a jar, them covered them with water overnight in the fridge. The following day, we strained the flowers away from the liquid and got a lovely concentrate with a deep fuchsia hue. You could also boil your flowers and let them steep on the stove for about 30 minutes, then strain away the flowers before using. You can use about 1/2 cup of flower to every 1/4 cup of water. Again, we are making a concentrate with a very vivid hue, so adding a small amount to your tea or drinks would would be appropriate. We wouldn’t recommend drinking the concentrate straight, as the flavor is well… very concentrated!
We do want to mention that this is an optional element. We used it to give our frosting a light pink color and a lovely, subtle acidity and hint of floral taste. We added it to our cake batter as well simply to tie the flavor in, but it doesn’t change the color of the cakes themselves. Just something to note. We like to add it because hibiscus is known to have many health benefits, and is sort of unofficially one of the ingredients associated with love and passion, so we found it to be fitting for Valentine’s Day.
Cake Layers and Cake Pans: We found our 9 inch heart shaped pans at a Goodwill near us, they are Wilton brand (a few years old!). They are so cute and easy to work with. Perfect for Valentine’s Day. This cake is 2 layers. If using regular 9-inch cake pans, you will probably need to add parchment paper to the bottom to prevent them from sticking. If you want to use a single layer cake, you probably could do that, but you will likely need to adjust the baking time.
Macros: Makes 10 servings, 445 calories per serving, 10 total carbs – 4 grams fiber = 6 net carbs, 41 grams of fat, 9 grams protein. We included estimated Macros using MyFitnessPal and cannot guarantee the accuracy. Nutrition facts don’t include keto salted caramel vanilla sauce.
