A pretty gluten-free low carb birthday cake recipe with moist low carb cake and sugar free frosting. The cake is filled with sugar free raspberry jam and lemon whipped cream.
Since it’s my birthday today, I wanted to celebrate with a pretty birthday cake. I actually made the cake yesterday and since I had all of the other recipes ready (the sugar-free raspberry jam and the sugar-free French buttercream frosting) I only had to concern myself with preparing and assembling the cake.
I’ve made homemade birthday cakes for my family for over twenty years. It’s something I really enjoy. Eight years ago I started baking gluten-free low carb birthday cake recipes. They aren’t any harder to make than regular cakes and I enjoy them even more. Maybe you’ve seen the low carb chocolate birthday cake or the low carb peanut butter chocolate birthday cake I shared last year? They were fun.
When I first began my low carb journey I wasn’t sure I would ever eat baked goods again, let alone sugar free cakes. That changed the moment I saw the beautiful cover photo of Elana Amsterdam’s cookbook, "The Almond Flour Cookbook", which featured a chocolate almond flour cake. I knew then, that enjoying the occasional low carb keto treat would be possible.
This is the first time I have shared a gluten-free low carb birthday cake recipe that was vanilla, although I do have a nice recipe for vanilla cupcakes. I usually post low carb chocolate cake recipes just because low carb vanilla cakes made with almond flour and coconut flour are so dark in color. There’s no way around it really. Of course, I could have used a cheaper butter (typically more pale in color) and egg whites instead of whole eggs, but I didn’t.
Like my other birthday cake recipes, this is a study in how combining a few basic recipes results in something unique. For another unique cake try the low carb sugar free coconut lemon curd cake (coming soon) - it’s perfect for spring.
[ABOUT THE RECIPE] Low carb baking can be simple with few ingredients or a little more complex with more ingredients. A few of us low carb bakers have found that combining several low carb ingredients results in the best possible texture - each ingredient has a purpose. It's often the difference between a good recipe and a great recipe.
HOW TO PIPE ROSETTES: Watch how to pipe roses from this video clip from Charm de Bon Bon.
This pretty gluten-free low carb birthday cake recipe serves 12, at 4 net carbs per serving.
[This post and recipe contain affiliate links.]
Best Gluten Free Low Carb Birthday Cake Recipe (Sugar-free)
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Sugar-free Raspberry Jelly (will use half of the recipe)
- 1 recipe Sugar Free French Buttercream Frosting
Cream Together:
- 6 oz unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup low carb sugar (or Swerve Granulated)
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 2 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite (or stevia drops to taste)
Mix Together (dry ingredients):
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup whey protein powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (binds ingredients together)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- ¾ cup buttermilk (cold)
- 3 large eggs (cold)
Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup low carb powdered sugar (Swerve Confectioners)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (optional)
- 1/16 teaspoon xanthan gum (about 3 small pinches)
Instructions
- 1.) Prepare the Sugar-free Raspberry Jelly the day before or up to a week before assembly. 2.) Prepare the Sugar Free French Buttercream Frosting the morning of or up to a week before assembly. 3.) Prepare the cake the day before or up to 5 days before assembly. Wrap well in cling wrap.
- Cake Preparation: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and position rack to the lower third. Trace the bottoms of two 6 X 2-inch cake pans on parchment and cut out the circles. Spray the pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment. Measure the dry ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk to combine and break up any lumps.
- Method: Place the butter, Sukrin :1 (or Swerve), vanilla, and stevia glycerite in a medium bowl and cream together until light and fluffy - about 1 ½ minutes. Add 2 large eggs and beat until completely incorporated, making sure to keep that nice light texture. (The mixture may break or separate a little - it's okay.)
- Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and beat until fully incorporated and the batter is fluffy. Add 1 egg and ¼ cup of buttermilk, beating until incorporated and until the batter is light and fluffy. Add ½ of the dry ingredients and beat as before, followed by 1 egg and ¼ cup of buttermilk. The goal is to keep everything light and fluffy. Add the last of the dry ingredients, beating well, followed by the last of the wet ingredients, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the two pans. The batter will be very thick - like a cookie dough, and will need to be spread into the pan with a small offset spatula or knife. Lift a pan a few inches off of the counter and let it fall onto the counter. Do this twice for each pan to help knock out any larger air bubbles.
- Place the pans in the oven and turn the oven up to 400 for 8 minutes, then back down to 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are firm, but still springy to the touch. Remove the pans from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pans until cool enough to handle. Loosen the cakes by running a slender knife along the edge of the pan and turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate until needed.
- Assembly: Whip the French buttercream frosting and refrigerate. Whip the heavy cream with sweetener and lemon zest until soft peaks form. Add the xanthan gum and beat until very stiff. Carefully slice off the tops of the cakes to level the tops. Slice the cakes in half, horizontally and place one on the serving plate.
- Snip the corner off of a quart ziploc bag ( ½-inch up from the corner ) and insert a large round tip, if you don't have one, just use the bag. Starting on the inside edge of the sliced cake, squeeze concentric circles (one inside the other) to cover the cake. Top with a cake half and press gently to level it. Squeeze another circle of whipped cream along the outside edge of the new cake layer to form a dam. Spread half of the raspberry jam out to the whipped cream. Top with the third cake layer and level. Again, squeeze concentric circles to fill the cake layer. Top with the remaining cake layer and level.
- Decorate: Remove any whipped cream that may have squeezed out from between the cake layers. Whip the frosting one more time and thinly frost the sides and top of the cake. Refrigerate the remaining frosting and cake for 20 minutes. Cut the tip of a quart ziploc bag about ½ inch from the corner. Insert a large closed star tip into the bag and fill with the remaining frosting. Pipe roses onto the top of the cake - see link in the post. Pipe stars in any space in between. Refrigerate the cake until the frosting has hardened before lightly covering in cling wrap.
- To Serve: Remove the cling film from the cake and allow to come to room temperature for 20 minutes before cutting. The frosting will be soft and the cake still chilled. Serves 12.
- Total Time: Sugar free jelly - 30 minutes, French buttercream - 30 minutes, Cake 40 minutes, Assembly 30 minutes. 2 - 2 ½ hours total time.
Notes
Nutrition
Gluten-free Chocolate Birthday Cake (sugar-free, low carb)
Gluten-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Birthday Cake (sugar-free, low carb)
Kitaara
Hi there, I was just wondering if there is anyway to make this recipe low-fat, I have gestational diabetes, I am also coeliac and lactose free. It's my birthday soon and I would love to eat a slice of cake, but the fat content might spike my blood sugar since fat blocks insulin from working properly. Also is there a subsititute for the whey powder? Any information would be most helpful. Thanks
Kim Hardesty
Hi Kitaara. I can give you some ideas on substitutions, but I can't guarantee that they will produce a great product as I tested the recipe with the ingredients written many times until I got the result I wanted.
First, fat does not raise blood sugar. Read: "Fat and Diabetes". If you eat a HIGH CARB meal, fat will slow down and soften the insulin spike, but will keep blood sugar elevated for a longer time. If one is on a low carb/keto diet, then carbs are very low and will minimally raise blood sugar. BUT, I am NOT a doctor nor a health practitioner so do your own research. Make sure to read current articles, not outdated information.
For the cake: 1. You are looking for lactose free... Use coconut milk instead of the buttermilk, but add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the recipe. 2. Instead of butter, you can use non-hydrogenated shortening and add a little butter flavoring. 3. The whey improves texture. Try adding 2-3 tablespoons of coconut flour as a sub.
Frosting: Use non-hydrogenated shortening, butter flavoring, vanilla and sweetener and make an "American buttercream". Use that between layers and just decorate the top, making a "naked cake". Using a smaller amount of frosting and leaving the sides "naked" will reduce the fat.
I just want to say that one serving of the cake as-is, is 8 grams TOTAL CARBS and 5 grams NET CARBS. This is about half the amount of carbs in a low sugar store-bought yogurt and should not spike blood sugar. I urge you to research low carb diets. I really like Dr. Atkins original books ("Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution" or Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution"). He does an excellent job explaining how carbs, protein and fat affect the body; including the insulin mechanism and cholesterol.
I hope these subs work for you, again, it's a lot of subs and now we're completely changing the recipe with-out testing it. I suggest making just the cake (sponge) as a run-through to see if the changes work. You can always freeze the leftovers to be eaten at another time as a snack, or as trifle, or as a base for a cheesecake. Happy Birthday. -Kim
Grace Choi
This was really delicious. Wow. It tastes amazing and is FILLING in comparison to regular sugar-heavy cakes. This is the only vanilla cake recipe I have ever written down and kept. I was wondering if the calorie count was for just the cake bit or for the cake and frosting combined?
Thank you again and again.
Kim Hardesty
I'm glad you liked the cake, Grace. The calorie count is for everything - that took a lot of figuring since I combined several recipes. I can't guarantee that the numbers are 100% correct, but I worked hard to get them as accurate as I could. Thanks for coming back and letting me know you enjoyed the recipe. Have a nice week. -Kim
Kathy Suppan
I just had to let you know I LOVED this cake. 6 months ago I started keto and your site has been a great help to me and I have loved everything I have tried so far. I used this cake to make a strawberry shortcake when the berries were locally ripe. Divine! I just wanted to say thank you for putting all these great recipes out there for those of us who don't have time to do it all ourselves!
Kim Hardesty
I'm so happy you have enjoyed the recipes you've tried, Kathy. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to let me know by leaving a comment. I appreciate you! -Kim
Deborah
Could you bake this in an 8 x 8 pan?
Kim Hardesty
Yes, Deborah, but it would be a pretty thin cake. I'm assuming that is what you have and that you don't want to buy a another pan. I've moved to 6-inch pans for layer cakes because low carb cakes are so filling and nutrient dense (calories and fat are high). I find that even a small piece of a 6-inch layer cake (which is about 4 1/2 - 5 inches tall) is enough for most people. I'm not trying to convince you to buy a 6-inch cake, I'm just feeling chatty and thought I would explain my reasoning. Have a nice week. -Kim
TJ
Hi there Kim.
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but am excited to do so soon for my sons birthday. Have you baked with Allulose? Can it be substituted into this recipe?
Thanks!
Kim
I just bought some Allulose, but haven't tried baking with it yet, TJ. Carolyn Ketchum said it can cause a mushy texture in cakes. It is also much less sweet than sugar - about 60% the sweetness so you have to use more - and it's expensive. Sukrin USA sells Tagatesse, formerly known as Tagatose, which is a sweetener made from milk - like Allulose. I have use the Tagatesse in a custard recipe and it was great. The Tagatesse is twice the sweetness of sugar so you use less, but it has some calories so it may impact blood sugar slightly depending on how much is used.
Currently, I"m using a mixture of 1:1 Bocca Sweet and Sukrin :1 that I like. The Bocca Sweet allows me to use 1/2 the amount of erythritol which helps combat the recrystallization problem with erythritol and also cut the sharp flavor or cooling. I like it, but I still can't find any info on where it is being broken down in the body. I suspect it's being broken down in the liver (like fructose), and altthough the company insists that it does not impact blood sugar, being down in the liver would make a fatty liver. So, I don't know.
There, I just confused things for you. No, I haven't baked with Allulose. I know that Maria Emmerich has some recipes that use it, but she is a big affiliate for it, too. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. -Kim
Talia
What do you use to spray your pans? My spray coconut oil seems to brown the outside very quickly. What do you recommend?
Kim
Hi Talia. I used Pm for years. Now, I use olive oil or butter. I bought a cool manual pump/mister for the olive oil that I LOVE. It's classic to melt butter and brush it all over the pan... I sometimes use a thin layer of very soft butter to grease my pans. I hope this helps. -Kim
Mallory
Super yummy cake! I doubled the recipe to make 3 -9 inch rounds. I also didn’t have any whey protein powder so just added more coconut flour. The texture was amazing. Super dense and moist. I filled the layers with a raspberry cream cheese mixture and frosted with a lemon buttercream. We will definitely be trying more of your cake recipes!
Kim
I'm happy you enjoyed the cake, Mallory. I love your filling and frosting idea. It sounds lovely. Have a great evening. -Kim
Theresa
There is a major problem with this cake--I couldn't stop myself from eating half the batter, it's so good! I even burned it really badly (totally my fault) and it *still* tastes good! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm using the cake recipe as the base for my anniversary cake with guava filling, a Cuban favorite I didn't think I'd be able to imitate in a keto fashion, but thanks to you and no sugar added guava paste, I think it's gonna work!
Kim
Lol! Thanks for the laugh, Theresa. Your guava filling sounds amazing. Happy Anniversary to you! Let me know how the cake turns out. -Kim
Theresa
Thanks again, Kim! It came out great, and my non-keto Cuban-American husband loved it, even ate the burned pieces I cut off. I think this cake is superbly delicious and that you should fill a hole in the keto blog-o-sphere- a google search yielded zero keto wedding cake recipes. This recipe is is good enough to be a wedding cake! You should tweak it to make it wedding appropriate (maybe a fancier flavor other than vanilla?) and market it as such.
Kim
I am so glad it turned out and was enjoyed by your husband. Thank you for the nice compliments. I have had people use some of my layer cake recipes for weddings, lol. Ugh, that would be a lot of work, but I would consider it. Thank you! -Kim
Alli Boyd
My husband is a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic. When his birthday rolled around, I began to search for a low carb cake. I previously had some experience with almond flour but was not impressed by the results. Until this cake...
My kids and I made this and we were all delighted to celebrate with a great cake! My husband loved it and my 6 year old even wants it for her birthday! That is high praise since our family is from the south and we love baking cakes! Thank you for saving birthdays in my house! Can’t wait to try the others on this blog.
Kim
I am so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed the cake, Alli. A very Happy Birthday to your husband. -Kim
Brandy
Kim, what sweetener has the least gritty texture in your opinion? Lakanto Monk fruit with erythritol or xylitol or a combination? My soon to be 4 year old's birthday is coming up and I am trying to get the smoothest frosting possible. Thank you!
Kim
Hi Brandy. That's a great question. Erythritol sweeteners will always have a little grit. To complicate this even further, is their tendency to recrystallize after melting. Lakanto is going to do the same thing because it is an erythritol blend. Xylitol resists crystallization. You could do a combination of the two and it would reduce the "grit" and it's my opinion that you get a better sugar-flavor when you mix up sweeteners. Just so you know, Trim Healthy Mama has a sweetener that blends erythritol, xylitol and stevia. It is nice to buy one product instead of having 3-4 sweeteners lurking around in the cabinets (like I did many years ago!). Also, there is a sweetener from Sukrin USA that I like very much. It's called Tagatesse. It has a pure sugar taste and is twice as sweet as sugar so you only have to use half of the amount. I have used it in custards and some baked goods and love it. It does have some carbs, but because half the amount is used, it is still considered very low carb. I guess if I had a personal choice, I would use a blend of erythritol/xylitol/stevia/Tagatesse, but I don't because people would go poor buying the products. Lol. I hope this helps. -Kim
Cheryl
I made this for my husband's birthday (exactly by the recipe) and it was so incredibly yummy! I loved how the different flavors complimented each other. I am going to make this, again, but will try skipping the lemon zest and raspberry and just go with the French Buttercream frosting and whipped cream. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It is the best low-carb cake I've had, yet!
Kim
I am so happy you liked the cake, Cheryl. Have fun finding new ways to make it your own! Enjoy your week. -Kim
Donna
So I made this cake for my birthday last week, WOW, DELISH! I didn't have any raspberries, so made the jam with organic strawberries and it was great! I used Great Lakes gelatin and upped the amount to 1 tsp with success. I also made your pastry cream to fill the other 2 layers (instead of whipped cream). Lastly, I made a chocolate (American) buttercream to frost the cake. Some substitutions I made out of necessity: subbed 2 TB coconut flour for the whey protein powder, subbed 3/4 C homemade full fat yogurt for the buttermilk and eliminated the stevia glycerite since I didn't have it and don't care for stevia. The cake was moist and really delicious. Thanks for making my first low carb birthday a huge success!!!
Kim
Great, Donna! I'm so glad you liked it. I love how you made this recipe your own with your creative subs. It sounds like it was really wonderful. I love the idea of filling with the jam! I hope you had a wonderful birthday and I wish you many more. -Kim
L
Hi! My girlfriend and I love your recipes! I'm trying to make her a cake. Would I be able to omit the whipped cream and use the buttermilk on the inside if I want to use a different frosting so I can decorate the outside?
Kim
I'm not quite sure what you are asking. The buttercream is a a fiddly frosting with low carb ingredients, so if you haven't made a Swiss or French buttercream before, then I suggest using my Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting recipe instead. Will this work or did you have something else in mind? -Kim
L
Oh, I was asking if it were possible to use the French buttercream on the inside of the cake instead of the whipped cream filling. Or would that ruin the texture of the inside cake?
Kim
Oh, sure. You can use the French buttercream inside the cake. That would be delicious. -Kim
Polly
I made this and it’s absolutely amazing!! The icing actually tastes like buttercream! I made a few changes since I didn’t have a couple ingredients and it still turned out amazing. I only used swerve as a sweetener and I ommited xantham gum ( since I didn’t have it readily available) and it still turned out perfect!!
And, the taste?! I can’t convey how delicious this was. I literally ate so much while making that I physically felt ill... went to bed and woke up down another pound this morning! This cake makes enough for your event with some left over for snacks the following few days. Plus, it tastes great as an after work snack; straight from the fridge!! This really hit the spot and killed all cravings!! Will def make again!!
Kim
Polly! Thank you so much for bringing this comment over from Instagram. I am so happy that you liked the recipe and that it tasted like real cake for you. And you're down a pound? Hooray! Thanks again for taking the time to comment on the recipe and for rating it. Enjoy your weekend. -Kim
Cathy
Hi!
Are the cake pan sizes 6x2! Seems small?
Thanks,!
Kim
Yes, Cathy, the cake pans are 6 inches in diameter. You can make the recipe in 8 inch pans, but the cake will be thinner and baking time will need to be adjusted. I chose the 6 inch pans for 3 reasons: 1. Desserts can be a trigger for people and keeping them smaller helps, 2. The cake is rich and keeping the pieces smaller helps keep the carbs down, 3. I have a family of 4 and larger cakes just don't get eaten. The serving is more than adequate since the ingredients are nutritionally dense and very filling. I have to say that after going to a 6 inch cake pan (and cheesecake pan!) I will never go back to the 8 inch standard pan. Anyway, I hope this explains why I chose such an "odd" size pan for the recipe. It's a good cake. Enjoy your day. -Kim
Jennie
What would a substitute for the swerve or surkin be? I'm not a fan of erythritol or any product that contains it (or xylitol. I have a dog) but still want to keep it sugar free.
Thanks!
Kim
Jennie, you would be looking at Splenda. You could try a liquid or powder Stevia or Monkfruit sweetener but it would effect the texture. -Kim
Alexis
This was the first cake I’ve ever made from scratch and the simple instructions were easy to follow! The cake was delicious and was even a hit with party guests that don’t eat gluten free or low carb! A friend has even asked me to make it for her birthday! Total crowd pleaser!
Kim
Thank you for coming from Facebook to leave a comment, Alexis. I appreciate it so much. The picture of your cake was absolutely amazing! I thought it was store-bought. Thank you again for taking the time to comment on and rate the recipe. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Jenn
What would be some options for the whey protein powder/oat fiber 500? hoping to make this tomorrow for my birthday - can i use vega protein powder as I am dairy free?
Kim
Hello, Jenn. Happy Birthday. You could try adding 3-4 tbsp more of coconut flour to sub for the protein powder, but I haven't tested that variation. Several of my older recipes are dairy free as we were a dairy free family at the time. I will link to a few.
Almond flour cake: https://www.lowcarbmaven.com/low-carb-strawberry-almond-shortcake-cake-version/
Chocolate cake: https://www.lowcarbmaven.com/strawberries-cream-chocolate-torte/
Chocolate walnut cake: https://www.lowcarbmaven.com/strawberries-cream-chocolate-torte/
Enjoy your birthday and the rest of your week. -Kim
Alicea
I found this recipe on Pinterest months ago and decided to give it a try as a possible wedding cake since my fiancé and I are both on keto. It turned out great both times I’ve made it, and I’m currently in the process of baking it for our wedding this Saturday! Thanks for the excellent recipe!
Kim
Alicea, Wow! First, I want to wish you and your fiance my congratulations and wish you a beautiful day on Saturday. I read this comment and actually teared up because it reminded me of the sheer joy I felt on my wedding day. I'm giddy that you will be able to have something you can eat and enjoy on your big day and over the moon that this cake will make an appearance. I wish you many years of joy, friendship and love. May Saturday see your hopes and dreams realized. Enjoy your special day! (Please send a photo!) All my best! -Kim
Janet
I don't see what in the sugar free butter cream frosting has gluten. Can you let me know? One of our priests has celiac disease so I have to be extremely careful when I cook or bake for him
Kim
All of the recipes in this cake are gluten-free. Most of the recipes on the site are gluten-free. Make sure to use a gluten free protein powder for the cake. -Kim
Marie
Hi, this looks beautiful and I'd like to try making it but wondering how to adapt quantities to make the cake with 9 inch pans? also did you use food coloring in the frosting to make it look yellow like this or did you use lemon?
Kim
Hmmm. Good question, Marie. Those are big pans. If you hover over the serving size on the recipe it will scale for you. Maybe scale it up by half? The frosting is yellow because of European butter and the egg yolks. It is not very sweet (it tastes like sweetened butter) so you may need to adjust per your taste. I would double the jam recipe and use any leftover on yogurt or low carb baked goods. I hope these suggestions help. -Kim
monika
6 X 2-inch cake pans ?
That doesn't make sense.
How many pans and what size?
Thanks!
Kim
Hi Monica. I used 2 round pans and each were 6 inches in diameter and two inches high. I will make any corrections if needed when I get to my lap top. I hope this helps. Have a nice evening. -Kim
Anne
I'm deathly allergic to almond flour. Is there a substituteI can use?
The cake is gorgeous, and I'd love to make it.
Thank you, Anne
Kim
Anne, I do not have an all-coconut flour cake recipe yet, but you may use any cake recipe that you can have and then fill it with the jam and whipped cream. I used 2, 6-inch cakes and each cake was about 1 3/4 inch tall once cooked. Drop the Sugar has an all-coconut flour cake recipe I believe. -Kim
Anne
Thank you. I'm wondering if I can use cashew flour, since it's flavor neutral?
Kim
I've never used cashew flour. That sounds interesting. I don't know how it would work. -Kim
Allison Heck
Hi! I was wondering if you think fresh strawberries in the centre with the whipped cream would work?
Kim
Absolutely, Allison. In fact, you can frost the whole cake in whipped cream if you want. If you just want the whipped cream for the filling, whip 3/4 - 1 cup of whipped cream. I hope this helps. -Kim
Laura S.
Happy Birthday to you!
Thank you for the recipe, my birthday is coming up very soon and I think I will try to make this, yum! :)
Kim
Thanks so much Laura. Happy Birthday to you, too! I hope it is a great one. -Kim
MELANIE STEPHEN
Just so I am understanding this correctly…If I want to make this into a 13×9″ cake I would need to quadruple this recipe? That would be 16 eggs?? Thx so much! Would like to make for my son for his birthday.
Adina
Happy Birthday, Kim! What a beautiful cake, it looks just perfect!
Kim
Thanks, Adina. That's high praise coming from you, who has beautiful recipes on your blog. I hope you have a nice week. -Kim
Billie
Happy Birthday!!! Mine is Friday and I was going to pass on cake, but not now!! Thank You!!!
Kim
Thank you. Happy Birthday to you, Billie. I hope it is everything you wish for. -Kim