This is the best ever keto spice cake recipe, full of fall spices while super-moist and delicious! Topped with a dreamy sugar-free cream cheese frosting.
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Spice cake. What comes to mind when you hear it? So many tastes and food experiences are associated with a memory. The sense of taste so easily triggers the mind to remember the good (or bad) times you’ve tasted it before.
For me, my brain forms a picture of me standing in front of the pantry as a kid. I’m staring at that box of spice cake mix in amongst the cornstarch, rice, and other boxes. I sigh thinking how dry it may come out and, “Why couldn’t it be chocolate?”
However, for my daughter, when you hear the words “spice cake” and smell those traditional spices, she goes somewhere else completely. She’s at a picnic style table at a cowboy chuckwagon dinner and western show. Actually, it’s one of her favorite places in the world, and they serve her favorite dessert on a tin plate, spice cake.
Just between you and me, I think this keto spice cake version is even better. Not only is it gluten-free and sugar-free, but it’s super-moist. Also, did I mention the amazingly delish cream cheese frosting?
It’s just about the perfect cake, according to my 10-year-old. I hope you like it too!
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe or PIN it here for later!
He who controls the spice controls the universe.
- Frank Herbert
What are the spices in keto spice cake?
I love a good strong spice mixture, especially when it includes warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. If it’s called a spice cake, I’m of the opinion you should really taste those spices. However, it is necessary to get a good balance.
Also, it’s so important to get good quality fresh spices. You know that plastic container of ground allspice that’s been in your cabinet for 7 years? Toss it. Buy new. You’ll thank me.
Here are the spices I like to use.
Cinnamon
First of all, cinnamon. For me, cinnamon is truly a sign of fall and the coming winter. It leads us from the first cinnamon spiced fall tea, to the Christmas mulled wine, and of course those fabulous winter keto cinnamon rolls.
When you see a cinnamon stick, did you know that roll is actually tree bark? Yes, cinnamon comes from the inner bark of several trees. I'm not an expert, but most of our cinnamon comes from China and Indonesia. There are different species of cinnamon, and I've found what's titled "Vietnamese Cinnamon" to have some of the strongest and best flavor.
Cinnamon has been prized as a spice for thousands of years. In ancient times, it was highly prized and valuable. In fact, it was considered worthy of the gods. There's an inscription on the temple of Apollo at Miletus, an ancient Greek city on the western side of Turkey, which records the gifts of cinnamon and cassia.
So take a moment to really enjoy and breathe in this sacred spice fit for royals and ancient gods.
Allspice
What is allspice? Actually, allspice is not a mix of nutmeg, cloves, juniper, and others as many people believe. In actuality, it's a berry, picked before it's ripe from a tree (the Pimenta dioica). It's found in southern Mexico, Central America, and other warm climates.
The berry is dried and made into a powder. It's called "allspice" in English because Europeans thought it tasted like a mix of spices. Columbus actually thought it was pepper, and to his credit, when dried it does resemble a peppercorn.
Do you use allspice? It's used in all sorts of dishes, from Jamaican jerk chicken to relishes, to spice cake. Try it out!
Nutmeg
Next, for a great spice that reminds me of zucchini bread and eggnog, nutmeg!
Where does nutmeg come from? I'm glad you asked! This fragrant spice comes from the seeds of a dark evergreen tree. The seed is dried out and tastes best when freshly ground.
It too is used to spice all sorts of foods, including stews, breads, puddings, you name it. Because I love history, I'm going to include that it was also prized in medieval times. Back then they used it for flavoring and food preservation. In addition, during Elizabethan times the price jumped dramatically because some believed it warded off the plague.
Cloves
Last but not least, I like to include ground cloves in my spice mixture for this low carb cake.
Cloves are a little different than the others because this spice actually comes from the flower buds of a tree (Syzygium aromaticum). Originally, like so many of these spices, they came from islands in Indonesia. The Spice Islands, and those surrounding, add an air of mystery and adventure to pirate stories.
Being a romantic, I drink in all the adventure stories surrounding them.
As far as medicinal properties go, back in the day it was used as a natural anesthetic for dental work. Some say it's perfect for dental work being anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory. Now, imagine the aforesaid pirate with his knife and eyepatch getting a tooth pulled and sucking on cloves. Fun picture.
For you, perhaps you've poked cloves into oranges at Christmastime? If you haven't, well you should. 😉
🍽 Equipment
To make keto spice cake you'll need:
- large to medium-sized bowls
- a spatula
- whisk
- measuring cups
- blender (or -
- hand mixer or other
- 8" x 8" baking dish
🥘 Ingredients
- butter
- sweetener
- cream cheese
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- finely ground blanched almond flour
- fine sea salt
- baking soda (not baking powder, baking soda)
- cinnamon
- allspice
- nutmeg
- ground cloves
- heavy cream (or sour cream could be subbed)
- chopped nuts (optional)
🔪 Instructions
As I said before, the best cake is going to come from good quality fresh ingredients. Start off by assembling your ingredients and kitchen utensils. While they’re out, enjoy comparing the scents of the different spices.
Now to it. First, butter or otherwise grease an 8″ x 8″ baking dish and preheat the oven to 310 degrees Fahrenheit.
Second, start to combine the ingredients. In a high-powered blender, place the butter, sweetener, cream cheese, vanilla, and eggs. Blend it all together for about 30-40 seconds or until completely smooth. (Or mix it all together in a standing mixer).
Don’t you love how easy that sounds? I use a blender more and more lately for my baking, and it’s so quick and simple! You can always use a mixer. However, it’s more difficult to completely combine the ingredients like cream cheese and butter, without lumps.
Now, on the other side of your workspace, take out a large bowl. In it, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, (NOT baking powder!), salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ground cloves.
Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and incorporate them with a spatula or mixer. Once completely combined together, add in the nuts if using. As this cake is generally for a member of the family with an allergy to certain nuts, we tend to leave them out.
On the other hand, if you’re not restricted by an allergy, chopped pecans would be absolutely amazing with this. Stir them in the batter until they’re evenly dispersed. Next, spread the batter into the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick just comes out clean.
While the cake cools, it’s a good time to prepare the frosting. This cream cheese frosting is neither too sweet nor too bland. In my opinion, it’s just about perfect!
To begin, mix together the cream cheese, heavy cream, whipped cream, and sweetener with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. Easy peasy. Mix it long enough to make it slightly fluffy if that makes sense.
Then, once the cake is cooled, spread it evenly over the keto spice cake. If you want, sprinkle some nuts on the top to make it pretty and add a nutty crunch.
And voílà! Keto spice cake for everyone! Grab a piece because it won’t last very long.
Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor.
- William Cowper
🎂 Layered Keto Spice Cake
Are you looking for a low carb spice cake that’s great for a birthday or special occasion? Simply double this recipe and bake in 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. Then frost them as a layer cake and decorate with spices or as you wish!
Low carb cakes
Do you have a favorite low carb cake? A low carb spice cake, like our keto spice cake, is one we make a lot around here and everyone seems to like on a keto diet or not. This is one of the recipes I keep on hand for the inevitable cupcake the child takes to birthday parties for herself. And guess what! She likes it so much there are very few complaints about having to bring her own gluten-free cake.
Gluten-free, keto baking and cooking can be just as good as the originals, or even better, in my opinion. So embrace autumn, winter and spice. I’m willing it to come soon.
This is one cake you’re going to love!
Pin the recipe here!:
Tag me in your recipe pics on Instagram @explorermomma.
📋 More keto fall recipes
- Low Carb Cinnamon Pecan Cookies
- Keto Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Smoothie
- Creamy Keto Italian Sausage Soup
- Keto Chili With Bacon
- Keto Peanut Butter Frosting
📖 Recipe
Best Ever Keto Spice Cake
Low carb and keto spice cake, full of fall spices while super-moist and delicious! Topped with a dreamy sugar-free cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Spice Cake
- 4 tablespoon melted butter
- ⅓ cup sweetener
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 beaten eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 tablespoon heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sweetener, such as Swerve Confectioners
Instructions
- Butter an 8" x 8" baking dish and preheat the oven to 310 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a high-powered blender, place the butter, sweetener, cream cheese, vanilla, and eggs. Blend it all together for about 30-40 seconds or until completely smooth. (Or mix it all together in a standing mixer).
- Take out a large bowl, and whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ground cloves.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and combine with a spatula or mixer. Once completely mixed together, add in the nuts if using. Stir until they're evenly dispersed.
- Spread the batter into the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick just comes out clean.
Cream cheese frosting
- Mix together the cream cheese, heavy cream, and sweetener with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth.
- Spread the frosting onto the cooled spice cake. Garnish with extra nuts if using.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Servings 16.0 Amount Per Serving 1 piece Calories 231 Total Fat 22 g Saturated Fat 8 g Monounsaturated Fat 7 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g Trans Fat 0 g Cholesterol 59 mg Sodium 172 mg Potassium 128 mg Total Carbohydrate 4 g Dietary Fiber 2 g Sugars 2 g Protein 6 g Net Carbohydrate 2 g
*Nutrition Facts per MyFitnessPal.com. For most accurate facts, calculate your own with the exact ingredients you use in the recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 231Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Mar says
Easy! And does well with a half recipe!
Jodi says
This is delish and so easy to make. Question, how do you store it? I am thinking the refrigerator?
Lauren says
Yes! Keep it in the fridge up to about a week.
Amelia says
Can this be made into cupcakes too? Does the baking temp or time change?
Kelly says
What brand of sweetener do you recommend?
Lauren says
I use Swerve or Lakanto Monk Fruit most often. I like Swerve, but my daughter likes the monk fruit so we go back and forth!
June says
is this a 1:1 sweetener? I use Pyure sweetener (1/2 cup equals 1 cup sugar)
Lauren says
Yes, it is a 1:1 sweetener. I'm not familiar with Pyure but would use half the recipe amount if 1/2 cup equals 1 cup sugar.
Lindsey says
Great cake. The spices are fantastic. I added more cinnamon as we love it 🙂
Very moist cake and the whole family loves it.
Lauren says
Awesome! Thanks for commenting - I'm glad it went over well! I too am a big fan of lots of fall spice.
MamawEnns says
This was fabulous! Thank you for sharing.
I made it last night and am enjoying it for breakfast with a side of bacon.
I only had 3 oz of Neufchatel cheese to work with, and granulated sweetener. It turned out great!
Patti says
Can I double this and make a layer cake? Sounds delish!
Lauren says
I'm sure you could! My daughter suggested we try it that way for Thanksgiving - I'll post a picture if it happens!
Brenda says
This truly is THE best sugar free spice cake - and no after taste!
Robin says
You may want to post the same ingredients and measurements in both places. The recipe that pulls up on Pinterest lumps the cream cheese into one measurement. So I would up putting way too much cream cheese in my cake and had none leftover to make the frosting.
Lauren says
Hi Robin - so sorry it was confusing! Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of control over how Pinterest pulls the ingredients! I would just always suggest checking the recipe card in the blogpost for any recipe.
Robin says
Lesson learned lol!
Tori says
Taste is great but mine fell apart ? What did I do wrong?
Lauren says
Oh no! Make sure to let it cool before icing it or taking it out of the pan; if it didn't cool long enough perhaps that was the problem. I like to leave it at least 20 minutes before putting it on the rack to cool completely for the layer cake. Other than that I'd just double-check the ingredients. I'm glad it tasted good!
Yvonne Lash says
New to keto, and have judt made this cake. Absolutely gorgeous, thank you for the recipe. One question, if someone was unable to eat almonds what could you substitute for the almond flour? It is the main ingredient!
Hadassah says
Maybe coconut flour
Clarissa says
I would try hazelnut flour, great compliment to fall flavours!
Lisa says
Is the temperature fan bake?
Lauren says
No, it's not fan bake. You'd need to adjust the temp for fan.
Mark says
I just want to confirm the baking temperature of 310 Fahrenheit. It just seems low. Is this temperature correct? Thank you!
Lauren says
It is the correct temperature. I know it's a little different, but it works!
Mark says
Thank you for the reply! Also, when do you remove the cake from the pan? After it’s totally cooled or after a certain timeframe? Look forward to making this, thank you again.
Lauren says
I wait until it's completely cooled to remove it, as with most almond flour baked goods. If you want to take it out sooner, after cooling for 20-30 minutes, I would make sure to line the pan with buttered parchment paper so it can be removed easier. Hope you enjoy it!
Mark says
Thank you again! I’ll let you know!
Connie says
The title is correct!! The BEST cake. Of all the cakes I have made this is by far the best! I mixed the sugar with both Swerve white sugar and Swerve brown sugar and added a bit of coconut. Almost seemed like a carrot cake without the carrot carbs!! Absolutely delicious. Thank you, this is a great and easy recipe, it will definitely be made countless times in my house. Everyone loved it.
Lauren says
Thank you for sharing! I like the coconut idea!
Caitlyn says
I'm not on a keto diet, but I am needing a sugar free cake. I would like to try this using all purpose flour. It says online that it's a 1:1 ratio with almond flour, but that it might require less binding agents. What would you recommend?
Lauren says
I don't work often with all-purpose flour, but as almond flour has more oils in it I would assume you'd need to add more for the right texture. Sorry, I can't really advise on this one, but good luck!
Casey says
This cake was delicious!! I followed the recipe ingredients as written and the results were great! I lined my pan with parchment paper, let the cake cook for quite some time, and lifted it right out of the pan. The cake stayed together wonderfully and had a very smooth texture - as did the frosting. This cake was super easy to make and will be on regular rotation in my home - especially with the holidays approaching! Thanks!
*I also wanted to mention that I did bake on convection at the temperature suggested for 27 minutes and the cake came out perfect.
Kristy says
Looking forward to trying this recipe! Do you use the same Swerve Confectioners sweetener to make both the cake and icing?
Lauren says
I usually use Swerve Confectioners or Powdered Lakanto Monkfruit. Yes, I prefer the powdered in both the icing and the cake. Enjoy!
Evan A says
I wanted a spice cake after seeing one in a tv mystery. But how to have one that is low carb? And then I found your recipe. I made it today and it is delicious. Thank you.
Lauren says
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed it.
Andrea says
Absolutely amazing! The only thing I did different was a little more sweetner in the frosting. This is the BEST keto cake recipe ever!
Crystal says
Can you make this a few days ahead- make layers and freeze? Then, bring out and frost?
Lauren says
I haven't done it that way before as cakes are generally much better fresh. I wouldn't hesitate with a cream pie prep, but with a cake I would prefer to make when needed. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
John Atkinson says
@Lauren, May the recipe today and I ended up with a really stiff cookie dough. There's no liquid in your recipe as shown on the site. I improvise and added half and half until I got a cake batter and then put it in the pan and I'm waiting to see how it turns out.
Lauren says
The batter for this is thicker than a regular cake batter. It does work as the recipe is written as the eggs, cream cheese, and melted butter act as the liquid!
Mary Manello says
I’d like to make this recipe into cupcakes! Would you happen to know how many it would make, and how long to bake? I see you have a Muffin Recipe, that states 12 muffins, baked at 325 for 25-30 min. Should I use that as a guide? Thank you so much!
Lauren says
Surprisingly, I haven't made these as cupcakes! I would fill the cups 2/3 full and guess about 12 cupcakes. Start checking them at 20 minutes but about 25 minutes at 325 should be about right.
Mrs Abbott says
30 minutes wasn’t long enough baking time for mine. Cool be the elevation I’m at.
Jayne says
Not sure I made this correctly. The batter was very thick, almost like wet dough not cake batter. Because I didn't used the recommended amount of sweetener, it tasted more like a muffin than a cake. Should the batter have been more liquified?
Lauren says
The dough for this cake is pretty thick, but if it's as thick as a bread dough, you can mix in 2 tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk at a time until it will spread in the pan easily. It should be thicker than a regular cake batter.
Martha says
what is the sweetener that you use?
Lauren says
I usually use Swerve Confectioners, but you can also use a erythritol/monk fruit mix like Lakanto.
Lauren says
My husband said this is the best low carb cake I’ve ever made! The only change I made was doubling the spices. Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe!
Lauren says
That makes me so happy! I'm glad you both liked it!
Carol B says
I'm wondering if anyone has doubled the recipe to make a 9x13 cake. If so, did you double all of the spices? It seems that some of them would be too much doubled. Thanks for any input.
I have another recipe for an upside down apple spice cake (apple and pecan topping) and wanted to use this recipe in place of the boxed spice cake mix called for in the other recipe.
Dawn says
I ended up with very dry mix help?! Lol more dry than wet and the cake is powdery and clumpy
Lauren says
When you make the cake, the cream cheese and eggs should be room temperature, not cold straight out of the fridge. I have never had trouble with the recipe so perhaps it's ingredient temperature or different brands of ingredients. I'll try to make a video soon to show what the batter should like.
Miranda says
The flavor is good but the batter is very thick and the cake comes out dry. Would another egg or some milk in the batter get rid of this problem?
Lauren says
You could add some almond milk 2 tablespoons at a time and mix it in to thin it out slightly. However, the batter should be thick. It could be different brands of ingredients as I've never had it come out anything but super moist - also watch the bake time so it's not overbaked. Enjoy!
Britani says
Is it supposed to rise. My cake mix turned out pretty dry and is not rising… I hope it’ll be ok.
Lauren says
It does rise but not a lot - if it's dry add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and mix.
Debbie says
This was fabulous. Everyone who had some of this loved it too.
Lauren says
Thanks for sharing! Glad you liked it!!
Debbie says
This was a very delicious and moist cake. I didn't think it would come out moist as the dough was very stiff. But to my surprise, it was very moist! I loved it but the others I made it for said it could've used more sweetener, at least in the icing. I will add more next time but this recipe is a keeper for sure.
Lauren says
You can definitely add more or less sweetener to your liking. So glad you enjoyed it - it's one of my favorites!
Lynette says
Can I use the blender or food processor to combine the wet and dry ingredients as well?
Lauren says
I often use the blender for the wet ingredients, but then pour them into the dry to mix as it can get super thick and difficult to get all out of the blender if everything's mixed in there.
Heloa says
Can you use honey as sweetener?
Lauren says
I've never used honey so I don't know what it would do to the texture.
Chris says
Delicious cake. Very moist like a cake should be w/o being soggy or heavy-but dense. Frosting I tried to improvise w/o cream cheese and ended up putting some in. Best kept in the fridge the flavors get better and the cake texture still remains. Making it again today. Thanks.
Lauren says
Awesome!! It's one of our favorites - so glad you liked it!
Sam says
I wanted to make this, but I do not have almond flour. I have rice flour, chickpea flour, coconut flour, and King Arthur gluten-free measure for measure. Would any of those work?
Lauren says
I've not made it with those flours before so I don't know how it would turn out.
Debbie says
This was delicious! I did make the mistake and put in the baking powder vs baking soda, so I added the baking soda just to see what would happen. The cake was light and fluffy with no bitter taste. Whew!
Lauren says
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Cheryl says
My cake didn't rise much at all - maybe my baking soda wasn't fresh enough? But I'll call it a Spice Cookie and go with it!
Cheryl says
@Cheryl, updated: I took this to a family thanksgiving gathering for one person who doesn’t eat gluten or sugar. EVERYONE raved about it and several asked for the recipe. I’ll be making this a lot!
Lauren says
I'm so glad!! Love this, thanks for sharing!