This naturally gluten-free Keto Black Forest Cake is absolutely mouthwatering. Soft and velvety, it’s made with almond flour, avocado and a delicious sugarfree cherry-liquor sauce that gushes with that classic black forest flavor.
You might also like my gluten-free Black Forest Bundt Cake or my traditional Black Forest Layer Cake.
Keto Black Forest Cake is a delicious twist on the classic German dessert
If you’re a fan of all things black forest, then you must try this Keto Black Forest Cake. Delicate and moist, this cake will wow you with its great chocolate flavor and luscious chocolate-cherry sauce.
After testing this cake over and over again these past few weeks, everyone on the block agrees: the best Keto Black Forest Cake starring chocolate, cherries, cherry liquor and whipped cream has arrived.
Trending now: Keto Chocolate Bundt Cake with Strawberry Roses.
Now that I’ve got your attention, let me show you how to make this Keto Black Forest Cake inspired by the timeless classic that comes from the Black Forest region of Germany.
Trending now: Low-Carb Red Velvet Cake.
What is more: This cake is actually fairly healthy, since it’s made with delicious, mildly nutty, low-carb almond flour instead of refined flour. So, if you also use a zero-calorie sugar replacement such as monk fruit, this cake will be relatively low in calories and not likely to spike your glycemic index.
THE INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
For the chocolate cake batter
ALMOND FLOUR – Fine, blanched almond flour, not coarse almond meal.
GRANULATED SWEETENER OF CHOICE – Sugar or for fewer calories, opt for a sugar-free sweetener such as monk fruit.
COCOA POWDER – regular or organic.
BAKING POWDER – as a standard leavening agent.
SALT – a small amount brings out the chocolate flavor.
INSTANT COFFEE OR ESPRESSO POWDER (optional) – above all boosts the chocolate flavor.
AVOCADO – one large puréed avocado
EGGS – provide structure, leavening and richness.
VANILLA EXTRACT – for flavor, aroma and especially to enhance the other flavors.
CHOCOLATE EXTRACT (optional) – also enhances the chocolate flavor.
DAIRY-FREE MILK OF CHOICE – I use unsweetened almond milk.
For the black forest cherry-liquor sauce
CHERRIES – pitted, frozen, halved dark sweet cherries or fresh cherries. Frozen cherries actually work really well in the sauce since they get mushy quickly.
COCOA POWDER – regular or organic.
GRANULATED SWEETENER OF CHOICE
XANTHUM GUM – Gently thicken it with a small amount of xanthum gum.
CHERRY BRANDY (Kirschwasser in German) – Cherry brandy is key for this recipe since it gives this cake its characteristic black forest flavor. I made several versions of this cake. When I added the cherry liquor to the cake, it baked off. So, I brush the baked cake with cherry liquor and add some to the cherry sauce.
For the keto black forest cake layers
CHERRIES FOR THE LAYER AND TO CROWN THE TOP OF THE CAKE – fresh, pitted, halved cherries. If fresh cherries aren’t available, dark red, pitted & stem-on bada bing cherries are delicious and look great on top of this Keto Black Forest Cake. You could also opt for bright red maraschino cherries. You’ll find both in glass bottles at supermarkets.
HEAVY CREAM – to make gently sweetened whipped cream for the layers.
GRANULATED SWEETENER OF CHOICE – to lightly sweeten the whipped cream.
SEMISWEET OR DARK CHOCOLATE BAR – Firstly, use a vegetable peeler to thinly slice a chocolate bar lengthways. Then sprinkle the shavings on top of the cake.
Also popular: Healthy Carrot Cake.
Equipment to make Keto Black Forest Cake
- Mixer – Personally, I like to use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for the cake and a whisk attachment for the whipped cream. However, you can also use an electric hand mixer.
- 2 round pans – 8-inch or 9-inch pans.
- Parchment paper (optional) – If your pans require it.
- Brush – to brush on the cherry brandy.
- Piping bag – to pipe the whipped cream and the rosettes on top.
- Piping tip: I used an 849 closed-star piping tip to pipe the rosettes.
How to make Keto Black Forest Cake with cherries
Now that you have the ingredients ready, let’s make a cake! Here’s a quick overview of how to make a Black Forest Bundt Cake:
Make the black forest cherry-liquor sauce
You can make the cherry-liquor sauce in advance or while the cake cools. Simply heat and combine the puréed cherries, cocoa powder, granulated sweetener of choice, and xanthum gum which thickens the sauce. Let it cool and stir in the cherry brandy. Note: Add the cherry brandy when the sauce has cooled. If the sauce is still hot, the cherry brandy may burn off.
Make the chocolate cake
Combine the ingredients and pour into cake pans. I recommend lining your cake pans with parchment paper and spraying the sides with baking spray.
How to store Keto Black Forest Cake
Refrigerate for up to 5 days in a sealed cake container. I don’t recommend freezing this cake because the whipped cream will get runny when you thaw the cake.
DID YOU MAKE THIS KETO BLACK FOREST 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.
Keto Black Forest Cake
Equipment
- 1 Mixer I like to use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for the cake and a whisk attachment for the whipped cream. However, you can also use an electric hand mixer.
- 2 Cake pans Two round 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans.
- 1 Piping Bag If you don't have one, you can cut off the corner of a food-grade plastic bag. Why use a piping bag? It makes it easier to evenly apply the whipped cream to each layer.
- 1 Piping Tip I used an 849 closed-star piping tip to pipe the whipped cream onto the layers and to make the rosettes.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 3 Cups Almond Flour
- 1½ Cups Granulated Sweetener of Choice
- 1 Cup Cocoa Powder
- 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Instant Coffee or Espresso Powder optional
- 1 Cup Pureed Avocado usually 1 large avocado, pureed
- 6 Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Teaspoon Chocolate Extract (optional)
- 4 Tablespoons Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 4 Tablespoons Cherry Brandy
CHERRIES FOR EACH LAYER
- 1½ Cups Cherries, cut in half. You'll need some extra stem-on cherries to decorate the top
CHOCOLATE-CHERRY BRANDY SAUCE
- 2 Cups Cherries with their juice Frozen cherries are great for this since they leave juice when they thaw.
- 6 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 4 Tablespoons Granulated Sweetener of Choice to taste; amount varies depending on the cherries used, so you may need more
- 2 Teaspoons Xanthum Gum thickens the sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Cherry Brandy I add one tablespoon of cherry brand to each cup of sauce
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM LAYERS
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar or Sugar Substitute
TO DECORATE THE TOP OF THE CAKE
- 8 or more Fresh Stem-on Cherries – either a cherry per slice or strew cherries all over the top. If cherries aren't in season, stemo-on bada-bing cherries which come in a jar also look great on top. Some people use canned maraschino cherries.
- ¼ cup or more Chocolate shaving to strew on top. To make them, use a vegetable peeler to peel a bar of semisweet or dark chocolate.
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line your round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides with baking spray or butter.
- Sift dry ingredients together (almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, baking powder, optional instant espresso or coffee powder) and whisk until fully combined.
- Add wet ingredients (pureed avocado, eggs, vanilla extract, optional chocolate extract, unsweetened almond milk) and mix well.
- Divide batter evenly between two prepared pans, using a kitchen scale so the layers are the same height.
- Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 F until the edges pull away from the pan and it is springy in the center. Remove from oven. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pans. Then gently move them back and forth on your work surface, so the sides release. Then, flip and brush each cake with 1-2 tablespoons of cherry brandy.
SLICE THE CHERRIES
- Cut the pitted fresh or frozen cherries in half and divide them so you have equal amounts for each layer. You will press about a ¾ cup of sliced cherries onto each layer.
- THE CHOCOLATE-CHERRY BRANDY SAUCE
- In a pan on the stove, cook 2 cups of cherries with their juice (frozen cherries are great for this, since they are juicy and mush quickly). Once the cherries are mushy, stir in 6 Tablespoons of cocoa powder and granualated sweetener of choice (amount varies depending on the tartness of your cherries).
- Once the sweetener has dissolved, turn off the flame.
- Purée the mixture in the pan with a handheld immersion blender or use a regular blender.
- Return to pan and stir in 2 Teaspoons of xanthum gum which will thicken the sauce.
- Once the sauce has cooled a bit, stir in 2 Tablespoons of cherry brandy (1 Tablespoon for each cup of sauce). At this point, you can refrigerate the sauce until you are ready to assemble the cake. It will thicken a bit more in the refrigerator.
MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM
- Combine 2 cups heavy cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sweetener and using your whisk attachment beat until stiff peaks form. You definitely don't want runny whipped cream for this cake.
FOR THE ASSEMBLY
- Brush each cake with 1-2 Tablespoons of cherry brandy.
- Smear about half of the chocolate-cherry brandy sauce on top of the bottom cake.
- Then pipe on dollops of whipped cream.
- Place about a ¾ cup of sliced cherries vertically on top of the whipped cream. This is important because the cherries support the cake and keep the whipped cream from squirting out when you slice the cake.
- Place the second cake on top.
- Smear the remainder of the chocolate-cherry brandy sauce on top.
- Then place about a ¾ cup of sliced cherries vertically on top of the sauce.
- Next, pipe rosettes on top of the cake.
- Decorate each rosette with a stem-on cherry.
Notes
Wow! Unique and so good. We loved it. Thank you! Angie