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Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake

4.4 stars, average of 71 ratings

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Two of my favourite things combined in one recipe… cake and slow cooking! We are making this keto cake in a slow cooker! This low-carb carrot and zucchini cake has all the wonderful flavours of your favourite carrot cake but made keto friendly.

If you’ve not made a poke cake before, they’re wonderful. By poking holes in the base, the lemon custard filling layer oozes down into the base so all the flavours mix through. It’s delicious.

Cooking this keto carrot and zucchini cake in the slow cooker makes the base lovely and moist and means you can nip out to do any jobs you need to do and leave it cooking away. When you return the whole house will be filled with the welcoming scent of cake!

Making a poke cake takes a bit more time as you need to let all the layers cool but it’s totally worth it.

This low-carb cake can also be frozen for up to 3 months, just let it naturally defrost before eating. I hope you enjoy it!

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Hands-on Overall

Serving size 1 slice

Allergy information for Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake

✔  Gluten free
✔  Dairy free
✔  Nightshade free
✔  Pork free
✔  Avocado free
✔  Fish free
✔  Shellfish free
✔  Beef free
Pescatarian
Vegetarian

Nutritional values (per serving, 1 slice)

Net carbs5.4 grams
Protein10.9 grams
Fat39.1 grams
Calories417 kcal
Calories from carbs 5%, protein 10%, fat 85%
Total carbs8.4 gramsFiber2.9 gramsSugars2.9 gramsSaturated fat19.3 gramsSodium158 mg(7% RDA)Magnesium73 mg(18% RDA)Potassium350 mg(18% EMR)

Ingredients (makes 13 servings)

Cake base:
Lemon custard filling:
Cream topping:
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream or coconut cream (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
  • zest of 1 small lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat the slow cooker on low setting. Make the cake base. Line your slow cooker (I used a 6-quart slow cooker) with strong parchment paper and turn the heat to low. (It is important to use firm parchment paper that doesn't tear, e.g. parchment paper lined with aluminium foil on one side)
  2. In a bowl, using a hand whisk, mix the wet ingredients for the cake base: eggs, lukewarm almond milk, melted butter and apple cider vinegar. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  3. Place all the dry ingredients for the cake in a bowl: almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein powder, powdered Erythritol. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  4. Add the carrots, zucchini, walnuts, ginger, vanilla powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
    Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  5. Mix until well combined. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  6. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl and process until smooth using an electric whisk. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  7. Pour the batter into the lined slow cooker and cover with a lid. Cook on low for 3 – 3 1/2 hours (until the top is set). When done, remove the lid and let the cake cool down until it reaches room temperature. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  8. Meanwhile, prepare the lemon custard filling. Juice the lemons. Place the egg yolks in a bowl. (Save the egg whites and use in another recipe.)
  9. Mix the yolks with the lemon juice and add lemon zest. Place the bowl over a pan filled with simmering water and stir continually, make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue stirring for 5 – 10 minutes or until the custard starts to thicken. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  10. Remove from the heat. Add the butter or coconut oil and mix until dissolved. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  11. Add homemade keto condensed milk and mix until combined. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  12. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke several holes all over the cake base. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  13. Pour the custard evenly over the cake base until covered and the holes are filled. Set aside. I left in a cool place for 2 hours to help the custard cool down and set. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  14. Meanwhile, prepare the cream topping. Whip the cream or coconut milk (add powdered Erythritol if preferred) until stiff peaks form. Spread over the cooled cake.
  15. Finish with an even sprinkle of lemon zest. Grab the parchment paper with both hands and transfer the cake into the fridge to chill until set. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  16. Once chilled and set, slice into 13 pieces (just like on the picture in this Keto Tiramisu Poke Cake recipe. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  17. Optionally, enjoy with a drizzle of heavy whipping cream.
    Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake
  18. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for 3 months. Low-Carb Carrot & Lemon Curd Poke Cake

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, 1 slice)

Net carbsProteinFatCalories
Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs)
0.2 g2.9 g2.2 g33 kcal
Almond milk natural (unsweetened)
0 g0 g0.1 g1 kcal
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed
0 g0.1 g7.1 g63 kcal
Apple cider vinegar
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal)
1.3 g3.3 g8.1 g91 kcal
Coconut flour, organic
0.3 g0.5 g0.5 g11 kcal
Whey protein powder (protein isolate, Jay Robb)
0.1 g1.5 g0 g6 kcal
Swerve, natural sweetener (Erythritol and chicory inulin based)
0.2 g0 g0 g1 kcal
Carrots, raw
0.6 g0.1 g0 g3 kcal
Zucchini (summer squash, courgette)
0.2 g0.1 g0 g1 kcal
Walnuts, nuts
0.3 g0.7 g2.9 g29 kcal
Ginger root, fresh
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Vanilla extract, powder (vanilla bean)
0 g0 g0 g1 kcal
Baking soda, raising agent (bicarbonate of soda)
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Salt, sea salt
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Cinnamon, spices
0.1 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Egg yolk, fresh
0.1 g0.6 g1 g13 kcal
Lemon juice, fresh
0.4 g0 g0 g1 kcal
Lemon zest (peel), fresh
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed
0 g0 g3.5 g31 kcal
Keto Condensed Milk, dairy-free (KetoDiet blog)
1 g0.6 g6.5 g61 kcal
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)
0.5 g0.4 g7 g68 kcal
Lemon zest (peel), fresh
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Total per serving, 1 slice
5.4 g10.9 g39.1 g417 kcal

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Jo Harding
Creator of ModernFoodStories.com

Jo Harding

Food is one of life’s most powerful medicines. I’m a true testament that once you find the right approach for you, you can overcome poor health through the healing power of food.

I believe the secret to radiant health starts and ends with a healthy gut so my recipes are all grain, gluten and refined sugar free. Most are also dairy-free.

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Comments (8)

Looks so delicious! I love the soft texture - this cake looks perfect for the season.

This looks amazing! I'll give it a try in the Instant Pot (on slow cooker mode). Any tips on adapting it for the Duo 6QT model would be welcome but I'm fine with experimenting. 😊

Hi Tammi, if I was to guess I'd say you need about 70% of the dough for similar results. For simplicity I would personally halve the cake base recipe and the topping (going by grams/oz and ml/fl oz), otherwise the cake would be too tall. As for the custard it's hard to divide an egg yolk so I would use 2 egg yolks, 60 ml lemon juice, 2 tsp fresh lemon zest, 3 tbsp butter and 2/3 cup homemade Keto Condensed Milk. You'll have more custard but I always think that's better than not having enough. I hope this helps!

You list egg white protein powder as a substitute for whey protein powder. I keep dried egg white powder (no additives) in my home because I'm pretty bad at separating yolks from whites. Is that the same as egg white protein powder?

I've tried dried egg white powder before in a bundt cake and it worked too so I think you can swap it! 😊

And if you don’t have a slow cooker . . . . ?  Can it be cooked in an oven?  It sounds so delicious, I would love to try it!

Thank you Christiana! You can bake the cake base in the oven 😊 Have a look at this recipe for temperature and time, it should be similar but it's always better to keep an eye on it as the ingredients are not the same and the baking time may be affected: Keto Key Lime Poke Cake

Thanks for that - will check it out!