This homemade Chocolate Kahlua Cake recipe is out of this world, topped with a decadent chocolate-Kahlua glaze and raspberries. With the perfect texture, this luscious cake isn’t too sweet or rich. It’s simply perfect.
If you love Kahlua as much as I do, don’t miss Chocolate Milk Jello with Kahlua, a jiggly party favorite!
The BEST Chocolate Kahlua Cake
Kahlua and chocolate are a magical combination. That’s because Kahlua contains coffee, and coffee intensifies the flavor of chocolate. So, this cake has an unparalleled dark chocolate flavor.
Kahlua also fuses with delicious, low-carb almond flour as well as butter, eggs and sour cream. The result is a very moist, chocolatey cake.
Kahlua brings rum and sugar to the cake too. But don’t worry. You can keep the carbs and calories relatively low. Instead of adding sugar to the batter, use a zero-calorie sweetener such as monk fruit or erythritol. No one will ever know that you didn’t add sugar.
Moreover, if you use a sugar substitute such as monk fruit, the cake becomes suitable for diabetics. I say this because my diabetic neighbor ordered it for her birthday and was happy it didn’t spike her blood sugar.
The almond flour also helps keep the carbs and blood sugar down, since it’s a naturally low glycemic index food with a glycemic index of under one.
This cake even boasts over 10 grams of protein per serving.
Moreover, the flavor of Kahlua does not overwhelm the cake. Instead, it merges with the chocolate, creating what one of my friends said was the best chocolate cake she’d ever had.
If you love chocolate cakes, don’t miss my Keto Chocolate Bundt Cake.
The secrets to a great chocolate cake
Use coffee or espresso powder
I always add coffee or espresso powder to my chocolate cakes because it intensifies the chocolate flavor. So imagine putting an entire cup of Kahlua coffee liqueur into your chocolate cake. The result is pure chocolate bliss. There really are no words to describe how yummy this cake is.
Use quality cocoa powder & chocolate extract
Some cocoa powders are better than others. I recommend using a premium cocoa powder such as Navitas Organic Cacao Powder or Ghiradelli Premium Baking 100% Cocoa.
Chocolate extract also increases cocoa intensity. So, I always add a chocolate extract such as Organic Chocolate Extract by Flavorganics to my chocolate cakes.
Prep your cake pan properly
Whatever you do, don’t spray your nonstick cake pan with cooking spray because it can leave a film on the nonstick surface. In fact, the film might never come off and your cake could ultimately get stuck in the pan. Baking sprays, on the other hand, don’t leave a residue on cake pans, but they aren’t gluten-free and contain flour that might leave a white residue on your chocolate cake.
So, I recommend brushing the pan with melted butter or shortening and dusting with cocoa to coat the pan.
If you use a springform pan or a nonstick angel food cake pan, I also recommend lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper so the cake pops out easily. Before flipping the cake, it’s also a good idea to gently run a plastic knife around the edges of the pan and inner cone, if necessary. This won’t damage the pan and will help the cake slide out easily.
Readers also love my Keto Orange Angel Food Cake.
The ingredients for Chocolate Kahlua Cake
- Almond flour – blanched or super-fine almond flour, not almond meal
- Granulated sweetener of choice – Sugar or a zero-calorie sugar substitute such as monk fruit or erythritol.
- Cocoa powder – unsweetened. Select a premium or organic cocoa powder.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Espresso power (optional) – boosts the chocolate flavor even more.
- Butter – use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Kahlua – The combination of coffee liqueur and chocolate is over-the-top yum!
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate extract (optional) – You won’t regret adding this to the cake, since it too intensifies the chocolate flavor.
- A chocolate bar – for the glaze. For fewer calories, use a sugar-free chocolatebar.
- Milk of choice or heavy cream – for the glaze
How to make Chocolate Kahlua Cake
This is a summary of the steps, so please see the Recipe Card below for the full instructions with measurements.
1. After preheating the oven to 180C/350F, whisk together the dry ingredients. Then mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Next, add the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into prepared nonstick pan and bake.
2. Remove the baked cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before flipping it.
3. Flip the cake.
4. Let the cake cool for at least an hour before applying the glaze.
How to make chocolate-Kahlua glaze
It doesn’t get much easier than this. To make the chocolate-Kahlua glaze, simply melt a sugar-free chocolate bar of choice. Then pour in some Kahlua and milk or cream and blend.
Interested in an even simpler option? This cake also looks and tastes amazing simply sprinkled with sugar-free powdered sweetener, i.e., sprinkle it through a sieve and it will look divine.
Or omit the Kahlua from the glaze and just make a chocolate glaze.
Whichever option you select, they all taste heavenly on this chocolate-Kahlua cake.
FAQs about Chocolate Kahlua Cake
- Should I line my cake pan with parchment paper or wax paper? You definitely want to line your cake pan with parchment paper. Its silicone coating gives it a non-stick, heat-resistant surface. Wax paper, on the other hand, is not heat resistant. It will melt and might stick to your cake.
- Is Chocolate Kahlua Cake keto? No, Kahlua isn’t keto or low-carb, but the rest of this cake is.
- Is there alcohol in cake made with Kahlua? The actual alcohol evaporates when you bake so you won’t get drunk on this cake.
- How much Kahlua is in each slice? The cake has 12 servings so there’s a little over a tablespoon of Kahlua in each slice.
- Does the flavor of Kahlua disappear in a chocolate cake? The Kahlua flavor isn’t at all pronounced. Instead, it fuses with the chocolate creating an incredibly delicious chocolate cake.
Also try these Keto Chocolate-Walnut Cookies.
What to serve with Chocolate Kahlua Cake
- Berries – my favorite. Raspberries taste great on this cake.
- Ice cream – There are quite a few sugar-free ice cream brands on the market. I love serving butter pecan ice cream from Enlightened’s keto collection (1 gram net carbs per serving) with my desserts.
- Whipped cream
- Kahlua – drizzle some on the cake.
Kitchen equipment to make this cake
- A bundt pan, 9-inch springform pan or a nonstick angel food cake pan.
- Mix the cake by hand or use a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.
How to store your Chocolate Kahlua Cake
To store: Store the cake for 1 day covered at room temperature. Otherwise, refrigerate for up to 4 days. I especially recommend using a special cake storage container that clicks shut. Other options include an airtight plastic container or plastic bag.
To freeze: Freeze in a sealed container or bag for up to 3 months. This cake freezes well.
This cake was inspired by my Keto Chocolate Bundt Cake.
DID YOU MAKE THIS CHOCOLATE KAHLUA CAKE RECIPE?
I’d love to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment/star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. And, of course, be sure to tag me on Instagram as I love seeing photos of the recipes you’ve made.
Chocolate Kahlua Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 10-12 cup bundt pan, or 9-inch springform pan, or nonstick angel food cake pan
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups Fine, blanched almond flour
- 1 1/4 cup Granulated sweetener of choice I make this with zero-calorie monk fruit.
- 1 cup Cocoa powder
- 3 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Espresso powder (optional) enhances the chocolate flavor.
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter unsalted
- 5 Eggs
- 3/4 cup Sour cream
- 1 cup Kahlua
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Chocolate extract (optional) enhances the chocolate flavor.
Chocolate-Kahlua Glaze
- 1 Chocolate bar of choice I used a dark chocolate bar.
- 4 Tbsp Milk of choice or heavy cream I use regular nonfat milk.
- 2 Tbsp Kahlua
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Mix the wet ingredients.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Pour batter into a prepared nonstick cake pan, i.e., into a well buttered/greased cake pan dusted with cocoa. Tap the pan a few times on your work surface to remove air bubbles.
- Bake 35-55 minutes until a knife or skewer comes out clean. It’s okay if there are a few crumbs on the knife (you just don’t want globs of batter clinging to it). If you overbake it, you will dry out the cake.
- Remove cake from oven and use your fingers to gently pull the cake away from the sides. Then let it cool for 10 minutes before flipping it. Any longer than 10 minutes and the sugars start to cool and can start to stick to the pan.
Chocolate-Kahlua Glaze
- Microwave chocolate bar a few seconds to melt it.
- Stir in milk or heavy cream and Kahlua.
- Adjust the ingredients, if needed. You can also add a dash of sweetener or cocoa powder, if needed.
Notes
Cathy, I thought I loved your lemon poppy seed the most but this chocolate cake is out of this world! Very flavorful; texture is just right. Not too sweet or rich; the taste is perfection. Thank you!
This cake is another winner, Cathy!