Low-Carb Red Velvet Cake

4.7 stars, average of 166 ratings

By Dearna Bond, updated June 13 202010

Theres something so beautifully striking about the rich hue of a red velvet cake. I’ve dyed this one naturally using raw beets, which results in a beautiful pink hue. To get the best results, leave the beet raw and blend it as per the method below — cooking the beet first seems to reduce the colour somewhat.

It is a bit of a trade off with this healthy low-carb cake to get the colour right — there is a slight earthiness to it from the beetroot, but it’s balanced out by the cocoa, low-carb sweeteners and keto-friendly icing. If you aren’t too concerned about the colour you could reduce the amount of beetroot, but my taste-testers where all quite happy with the subtle beet tones. But just a heads up in case you’re not a fan of beetroot! (You could always use a bit of natural red food dye.)

To get the best texture for this keto celebration cake, I mix all of the dry ingredients in a high-speed food processor to ensure the almond meal and erythritol is finely ground, which ensures the batter is properly combined and produces a slightly lighter crumb. If you are able to find fine almond flour, you could skip this step and simply sift the dry ingredients and combine in a bowl.

This keto treat is perfect for any occasions including birthdays, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day!

0 days, 0 hours, 30 minutes

Hands-on 30 minutes Overall 1 hour

Serving size slice

Allergy information for Low-Carb Red Velvet Cake

✔ Gluten free

✔ Dairy free

✔ Nightshade free

✔ Pork free

✔ Avocado free

✔ Fish free

✔ Shellfish free

Pescatarian

Vegetarian

Nutritional values (per serving, slice)

Net carbs5.4 grams

Protein10.1 grams

Fat33.8 grams

Calories371 kcal

Calories from carbs 6%, protein 11%, fat 83%

Total carbs9.4 gramsFiber4 gramsSugars4.2 gramsSaturated fat18.8 gramsSodium273 mg(12% RDA)Magnesium43 mg(11% RDA)Potassium260 mg(13% EMR)

Ingredients (makes 12 servings)

Pink cake base:

1 ¹/₃ cups coconut flour (160 g/ 5.6 oz)
³/₄ cup + 1 tbsp almond flour (80 g/ 2.8 oz)
¹/₂ tsp xanthan gum or glucomannan powder
2 ¹/₂ tbsp cacao powder or Dutch process cocoa powder (14 g/ 0.5 oz)
1 tsp baking soda
¹/₄ tsp sea salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 large raw beetroot, peeled and cubed (150 g/ 5.2 oz)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (30 ml)
1 tbsp lemon juice (15 ml)
8 large eggs
1 ¹/₄ cup granulated Erythritol or Swerve (250 g/ 8.8 oz)
1 ³/₄ sticks unsalted butter, melted (198 g/ 7 oz)

Cream cheese filling & frosting:

1 cup cream cheese (240 g/ 8.5 oz)
³/₄ stick butter, softened (85 g/ 3 oz)
¹/₃ cup powdered Erythritol or Swerve (53 g/ 1.8 oz)
¹/₂ tsp sugar-free vanilla extract

Note: For a dairy-free red velvet cake, substitute the butter with palm shortening (sustainably sourced), and the cream cheese with thick coconut cream.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted), or 200 °C/ 400 °F (conventional) and grease and line two 20 cm/ 8" springform pans.
Add the coconut flour, almond meal, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, erythritol and salt, to a food processor and process — this will help to break down the almond meal, making it super fine. Depending on your food processor, you may need to stop and stir the ingredients around a bit to help the process.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add the raw beets, almond milk, vinegar and lemon juice to the food processor. Blend until smooth and a vibrant pink.
Pour into the dry mix, stirring until combined. Add the melted butter and mix until combined.
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Lightly whisk the egg yolks, and then add to the cake batter.
Beat the egg whites in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold into the cake batter.
Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans. Bake for 25-30 min, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let cake cool for 10 minutes inside the pan. Flip out of the pan and let cool to room temperature before frosting.
To make the cream cheese frosting, add all ingredients to a bowl and mix on low-medium speed until combined.
To assemble the cake, place one of the cooled cakes on a cake stand or serving plate, and spread ¹/₃ of the icing on top.
Add the second layer, and use the remaining icing to cover the top and sides.
Slice and enjoy! If not serving the day of making, place in an airtight container in the fridge and store for up to 5 days. Eat chilled or bring to room temperature before serving.

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, slice)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Coconut flour, organic
1.4 g	2.3 g	2 g	49 kcal
Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal)
0.6 g	1.4 g	3.5 g	39 kcal
Xanthan gum, thickening agent
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Cocoa powder, raw (cacao)
0.2 g	0.2 g	0.2 g	3 kcal
Baking soda, raising agent (bicarbonate of soda)
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Salt, sea salt
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Beetroot, fresh
0.8 g	0.2 g	0 g	5 kcal
Almond milk natural (unsweetened)
0.1 g	0.1 g	0.2 g	3 kcal
Wine vinegar
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Lemon juice, fresh
0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs)
0.2 g	4.2 g	3.2 g	48 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
1 g	0 g	0 g	4 kcal
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed
0 g	0.1 g	13.4 g	118 kcal
Cream cheese, soft (full-fat)
0.6 g	1.4 g	5.6 g	49 kcal
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed
0 g	0.1 g	5.7 g	51 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1 kcal
Vanilla extract, sugar-free, alcohol-based
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Total per serving, slice
5.4 g	10.1 g	33.8 g	371 kcal

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Edyta 2 years ago # Reply

I was wanting to make a red velvet bundt cake with this recipe, any idea how long to bake for and temperature?

Martina @ KetoDiet 2 years ago # Reply

Hi Edyta, I would probably bake it for the same amount of time using the same temperature, possibly a few minutes less. You can test for doneness with a toothpick.

Patrick 2 years ago # Reply

I get a much higher carb count mostly due to swerve (1 tsp = 4g carbs). Are you discounting these?

Hi Patrick, if could be the sweetener if your tracker doesn't count it correctly. We newly added a complete breakdown for each ingredient so you can check which ingredient may be different.
To explain more about our database: We use a verified database to calculate all nutritional information so all details are accurate (we use the same database in our app: ketodietapp.com/). Many apps/websites/calculators use crowd sourced data that contain errors and inaccurate nutrition facts. Even some brands would list partial or estimated values. Some brands list values "per tbsp" and round the numbers up or down. When you calculate values per 100 g or larger quantities, there are inaccuracies too - we simply rely on verified data in generic foods rather than brands. As for sweeteners like Swerve and erythritol, the vast majority of carbs are not absorbed and have no effect on blood sugar. The issue with food databases is described in detail in this post: Barcode Scanning and Food Database in the KetoDiet App

Pauline 2 years ago # Reply

I prefer almond flour to coconut. Do you know how to eliminate the coconut flour and do you need the xanthum gum?

Hi Pauline, xanthan gum helps but is not essential. It helps keep the cake together without crumbling. You can substitute it with some psyllium powder or flax meal. Coconut flour can be used but you will need to use more eggs and liquid ingredients so that the cake is not too dry and dense. I hope this helps!

tracy 2 years ago # Reply

Hi. This looks delicious! Do you think you could use beet powder instead of the raw beetroot?

Absolutely! You may need to add a dash of almond milk if the dough is too dry but otherwise it's a great alternative 😊

Louanne Campbell 2 years ago # Reply

If I leave out the best, and just have chocolate cake, does it change the consistancy of the cake?

It will be less moist and you may need to add liquids - you may want to use this recipe instead and add your favourite frosting: Low-Carb Chocolate Truffle Cake
My partner promised to make the truffle cake for me for Valentine's so fingers crossed! 😊