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Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake

★★★★★★★★★★
4.5 stars, average of 35 ratings

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Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream CakePin itFollow us 148.4k

Strawberries with cream is what defines the beginning of summer for me. It's their beautiful sweet scent that always brings back the best childhood memories from when the summer break starts.

This cake is the perfect keto dessert for hot summer days. It's like a large version of your favourite strawberry shortcake. If you prefer a smaller treat, our Low-Carb Strawberry Shortcake can easily be scaled down or frozen in batches. It's such an easy low-carb summer cake and you won't have to use a piping bag to decorate it.

This strawberry & cream cake is simple yet pretty enough to be a birthday cake. Who can resist delicious layers of vanilla almond flour sponge cake filled with fluffy cream and fresh strawberries?

To make the cake base, I used a tweaked version of my Low-Carb Lemon Cake. The filling is simple and it's similar to my no-bake cheesecake recipe which I adore.

It's a combination of whipping cream, mascarpone, vanilla, lemon and sweetener, all topped with fresh strawberries. If you don't have mascarpone, use more heavy whipping cream, or use cream cheese instead. I added lemon zest which works really well with strawberries and vanilla but you could leave the lemon zest out.

This strawberry cake will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days but I dare you to keep it for so long. It's that delicious! If you make this recipe and share it on Instagram, make sure to tag me @martinaslajerova — I'd love to see all your creations!🍓

Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream CakePin itFollow us 148.4k

How To Make Dairy-Free Keto Strawberry & Cream Cake

For a dairy-free option, you could try substituting the cream and mascarpone with coconut cream or coconut yogurt (make sure it's thick). I haven't tried it but coconut cream is what I generally use instead of whipped cream so I think it should work.

How To Make Nut-Free Keto Strawberry & Cream Cake

If you can't eat nuts, try substituting the almond flour with an equal amount of ground sunflower seeds, or with coconut flour. If you use coconut flour, you will need to substitute each cup of almond flour with about 1/3 cup of coconut flour, plus add one more egg.

This means that instead of 2 cups of almond flour, you could use an additional 2/3 cup (80 g/ 2.8 oz) of coconut flour (a total of 1 cup) and two more eggs (a total of 6 eggs per recipe).

How to Make Fluffy Keto Cake

This cake is more on the dense and rich side as almond flour is naturally high in fat, ands we are using butter. For a cake that is light and fluffy, try some of these tricks:

  • Use defated almond flour instead of regular almond flour.
  • Add 1/4 cup (25 g/ 0.9 oz) whey protein isolate or egg white protein isolate powder. Collagen powder is another option. All of these options are going to replace the missing gluten and will help the cake rise.
  • Swap part of the melted butter for more almond milk. Less fat means lighter cake.
  • Instead of adding whole eggs, separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Whip the egg whites with a few drops of lemon juice or 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar (this will help them stay fluffy). To the bowl with the dry ingredients, add the yolks together with the almond milk mixture and then fold in whipped egg whites.

Hands-on Overall

Serving size 1 slice

Allergy information for Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake

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

Nutritional values (per 1 slice)

Net carbs5.9 grams
Protein7.7 grams
Fat31.7 grams
Calories347 kcal
Calories from carbs 7%, protein 9%, fat 84%
Total carbs9 gramsFiber3.1 gramsSugars4.6 gramsSaturated fat15 gramsSodium152 mg(7% RDA)Magnesium57 mg(14% RDA)Potassium271 mg(14% EMR)

Ingredients (makes 12 servings)

Cake base:
Topping:
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (360 ml/ 12 fl oz)
  • 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese or cream cheese (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
  • 1/4 cup powdered Erythritol or Swerve (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract
  • zest of 1/2 organic lemon
  • 450 g fresh strawberries, halved (1 lb)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 140 °C/ 285 °F (fan assisted), or 160 °C/ 320 °F (conventional). In a sauce pan, heat up the almond milk. Pour it in a bowl over the butter and let it melt. Then add lemon zest, eggs and vanilla (if using vanilla extract) and whisk until well combined. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  2. In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients to make the cake: almond flour, coconut flour, Erythritol, vanilla (if using vanilla powder), baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
  3. Using a mixer, process while pouring the wet ingredients slowly into the bowl. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  4. Pour the dough into a spring pan lined with parchment paper. (You can use an 8-inch or a 9-inch spring pan.) Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  5. Transfer into the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cake is set and the crust is golden brown. If unsure, use a wooden skewer and insert it in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is done. If you're not sure, leave it in the oven for a few more minutes, as long as the top is not too dark.
  6. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack until it reaches room temperature. Once cooled, run a sharp knife around the edges to release the cake, and carefully remove from the spring pan. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  7. When the sponge cake base is cool, prepare the cream filling. Place the cream, mascarpone, powdered sweetener, vanilla and lemon zest into a bowl. Use a mixer or a hand whisk to whip until stiff peaks form. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  8. Using a large sharp knife, carefully cut the cake widthwise. Spread slightly less than half of the cream over the cut side of the bottom half of the cake. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  9. Top with half of the sliced strawberries. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  10. Spread a thin layer (3 to 4 tablespoons) of the cream over the cut side of the top half. This will prevent the strawberries from "bleeding" into the cake. Place on top cut side down to "sandwich" the strawberries between the two halves. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  11. Spread the remaining cream on top and then add the remaining strawberries. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  12. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake
  13. Serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If you really need to, you could freeze any leftover slices in a sealed container for up to 3 months but the strawberries won't be as pretty once defrosted. Low-Carb Strawberry & Cream Cake

Strawberry & Cream Cake
Step by Step

★★★★★★★★★★
4.5 stars, average of 35 ratings
Strawberry & Cream Cake
A classic summer strawberry cake made low-carb and keto. Layers of gluten-free vanilla sponge filled with fluffy vanilla lemon cream and fresh strawberries.
Hands on30m
Overall2h 30m
Servings12
Calories347 kcal
Pin it

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 140 °C/ 285 °F (fan assisted), or 160 °C/ 320 °F (conventional). In a sauce pan, heat up the almond milk. Pour it in a bowl over the butter and let it melt. Then add lemon zest, eggs and vanilla (if using vanilla extract) and whisk until well combined.
  2. In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients to make the cake: almond flour, coconut flour, Erythritol, vanilla (if using vanilla powder), baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
  3. Using a mixer, process while pouring the wet ingredients slowly into the bowl.
  4. Pour the dough into a spring pan lined with parchment paper. (You can use an 8-inch or a 9-inch spring pan.)
  5. Transfer into the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cake is set and the crust is golden brown. If unsure, use a wooden skewer and insert it in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is done. If you're not sure, leave it in the oven for a few more minutes, as long as the top is not too dark.
  6. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack until it reaches room temperature. Once cooled, run a sharp knife around the edges to release the cake, and carefully remove from the spring pan.
  7. When the sponge cake base is cool, prepare the cream filling. Place the cream, mascarpone, powdered sweetener, vanilla and lemon zest into a bowl. Use a mixer or a hand whisk to whip until stiff peaks form.
  8. Using a large sharp knife, carefully cut the cake widthwise. Spread slightly less than half of the cream over the cut side of the bottom half of the cake.
  9. Top with half of the sliced strawberries.
  10. Spread a thin layer (3 to 4 tablespoons) of the cream over the cut side of the top half. This will prevent the strawberries from "bleeding" into the cake. Place on top cut side down to "sandwich" the strawberries between the two halves.
  11. Spread the remaining cream on top and then add the remaining strawberries.
  12. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
  13. Serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If you really need to, you could freeze any leftover slices in a sealed container for up to 3 months but the strawberries won't be as pretty once defrosted.

Nutrition (per serving, 1 slice)

Calories347kcal
Net Carbs5.9g
Carbohydrates9g
Protein7.7g
Fat31.7g
Saturated Fat15g
Fiber3.1g
Sugar4.6g
Sodium152mg
Magnesium57mg
Potassium271mg

Detailed nutritional breakdown (per 1 slice)

Net carbsProteinFatCalories
Total per 1 slice
5.9 g7.7 g31.7 g347 kcal
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed
0 g0.1 g5.7 g51 kcal
Almond milk natural (unsweetened)
0 g0.1 g0.1 g1 kcal
Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs)
0.1 g2.1 g1.6 g24 kcal
Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal)
1.5 g3.6 g8.8 g98 kcal
Coconut flour, organic
0.4 g0.6 g0.5 g12 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.6 g0 g0 g2 kcal
Vanilla powder, dried (from vanilla beans, vanilla pods)
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Lemon zest (peel), fresh
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Cream of tartar, raising agent
0.1 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Baking soda, raising agent (bicarbonate of soda)
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Salt, sea salt
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)
0.8 g0.6 g11.4 g110 kcal
Mascarpone cheese
0.2 g0.6 g3.5 g35 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.2 g0 g0 g1 kcal
Vanilla powder, dried (from vanilla beans, vanilla pods)
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Strawberries, fresh
2.1 g0.3 g0.1 g12 kcal
Lemon zest (peel), fresh
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal

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Martina Slajerova
Creator of KetoDietApp.com

Martina Slajerova

I changed the way I ate in 2011, when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. I had no energy, and I found it more and more difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

That’s when I decided to quit sugar, grains, and processed foods, and to start following a whole-foods-based ketogenic approach to food.

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Comments (13)

This was very delicious but ours did not rise enough to slice in half so we only had one layer?

Oh I'm sorry to hear that! Did the batter look similar as in the photo (consistency)? Or perhaps you may have used a larger baking tin?

Did you really get that rise??! My gluten free cakes always come out short. How do you manage to get it rise so much?!

I did although you can see that the middle collapsed slightly - it's not straight when you're looking at the slice. It's still good thought and I don't mind but if you want a better rise, add about 1/4 cup whey protein isolate or egg white protein powder. I hope this helps!

Hi Martina
I have made this gorgeous cake, however when sliced in half it was too moist and not baked, I did check with a skewer and left it baking  for 48 minutes using a fan oven at 140C. Could you please advise how I can improve for next time
Many thanks Gail

Thank you for your kind words Gail!
When you say moist, was it undercooked (raw) or was it a bit moist as in not as dry as a regular sponge cake? The cake will always be a bit more moist compared to a regular cake as it's higher in fat but it shouldn't be too much and it should definitely not be raw. I'm just thinking if it maybe needed 5-10 more minutes? Mine took 45-50 minutes and it was just a bit moist inside, as much as most other keto cakes made with almond flour.

Hi Martina
Absolutely love all your recipes.
Can I just check most of the terms are US terms. When you say Baking Soda is that Baking powder?
Thanks

Thank you so much Viviane! Baking soda is also known as bicarb soda so it is only a part of what baking powder is made of. When you combine baking soda (alkaline) with and acidic ingredient like cream of tartar, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, you get the same effects as you would with baking powder. If you only have baking powder, skip the baking soda and the cream of tartar and instead use 4 teaspoons of baking powder.
The rule is: 1 tsp baking powder = 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar.
I hope this helps!

Excellent thanks so much makes perfect sense

You make the BEST low-carb cakes. Always so moist and fluffy. This classic is beautiful.

Awww thank you so much Jo!

This looks very delicious and perfect for summer 🥰🥰 Thanks Martina for providing this awesome content for the keto community 💓

You are very kind Syrine, I hope you enjoy!