Keto Vanilla Cake

Yes, you can have home baked, delicious treats while following keto/low carb. This one is also gluten and nut free for those who have sensitivities. 

I usually don’t bake with coconut flour as the texture can be a little funky (for me) sometimes. I didn’t find that at all with this cake. It is a little different than a “regular” vanilla cake but I still loved it! 

I doubled the recipe to get the cake in the photo here. As written, the cake makes one - 8 inch cake. 

According to MyFitnessPal, one serving is (recipe makes 12):

Without frosting: 125 calories, 10.7 fat, 3 carbs, 1.7 fibre, 4 protein. 1.3 net carbs

With frosting: 250 calories, 24 fat, 4.7 carbs, 1.7 fibre, 4.7 protein. 3 net carbs

Keto Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup Swerve brown sugar (or granular)

2 tsp vanilla

6 eggs 

Pinch salt

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

Frosting

1 pkg sugar free Jello vanilla pudding powder

2 cups whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8 inch pan with parchment paper (or 12 muffin tins with paper liners).

Beat together butter, Swerve, vanilla, eggs, and salt. Add in coconut flour and baking powder and stir until well mixed. 

Spread into prepared pan (or divide evenly amongst the 12 muffin tins). Mixture will be very thick.

Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes (15 for cupcakes), until toothpick inserted near centre comes out clean. Top should be a deep golden brown. Don’t undercook or cake will be eggy. 

Let cool in pans for about ten minutes then run a knife around the edge and invert onto wire racks. Let cool completely before preparing frosting.

*See how beautiful that crumb is? Not a weird texture at all! * 

Frosting - beat together the sugar free pudding powder and whipping cream until spreadable consistency is reached. Frost sides and top of cake.

Note - I doubled the recipe so I could get the layer cake pictured below. 

Decorate as desired. Raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries are always a good choice. 

You can also make 12 cupcakes instead of an 8” cake if you prefer. 

I was very pleasantly surprised by the texture. If you follow us at all, you know that I am sensitive to food textures and have trouble with things that are too different. 

This is not at all. It’s not “normal” but it’s also not weird. (IMO) 

The crumb is very cake-y and the flavor is very vanilla-y. There is a hint of the coconut from the flour but not enough to make it not-vanilla, if that makes sense. 

Let us know if you give it a try! 

 

Keto Shepherds Pie

 

One of the things that keeps me sticking with low carb/keto is coming up with recipes that are as close to “the real thing” as possible. This keto version of shepherds pie is just that! 

I use ground turkey but you could easily sub ground beef or pork. 

The recipe, as listed here, makes 6 servings. I tend to make them in individual containers as they freeze very well for future use. If you prefer you can bake it in a 9x13 pan instead. 

Keto Shepherds Pie

Ingredients

Topping

2 cups mashed cauliflower

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp cream

1/2 cup aged cheddar, shredded

Salt & pepper

Filling

1 Tbsp oil

1 lb ground turkey

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup chopped (or shredded) carrots

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup broth (chicken/veg/or beef)

1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire 

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Salt & pepper

Sprinkle of paprika and dried parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. 

Prepare filling - Heat oil in pan and cook turkey until browned. Add in tomato, carrots, peas, onion, and garlic and cook about 5 minutes: until vegetables soften. 

Whisk together broth, Worcestershire, s&p, and xanthan gum. Add to pan and simmer until thickened. Set aside. 

Prepare topping - heat mashed cauliflower and add in cream, butter, s&p, and cheese. Mix until cheese is melted. 

Divide filling between 6 individual containers (or pour into a 9x13 pan). Top with the mashed cauliflower and sprinkle on a little paprika and dried parsley. 

Bake at 425 until bubbly, about 15 minutes. 

Serve immediately or let cool completely before freezing. Will store in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

So good! I love that it looks like mashed potatoes on top even though it is cauliflower! 

If you like your shepherds pie a bit spicier, try adding some jalapeño or red pepper flakes. And feel free to change up the spices to your favourites. (Just remember it will change the nutritional counts if you keep track) 

According to MyFitnessPal, one serving is: 260 calories, 16 fat, 6 carbs, 1.4 fiber, and 19 protein. That’s 4.6 net carbs. (Recipe makes 6 servings) Pair it with a green salad for a hearty and delicious keto friendly meal. 

Keto Chocolate Mug Cake

 

This keto mug cake can be whipped up in about 15 minutes. Seriously. From start to completely finished in a ridiculously short amount of time.

I’ve been following keto eating for a long time and when the need for a sweet indulgence hits, trust me, this comes in super handy! According to MyFitnessPal, the nutritional counts are: 

Without frosting - 306 calories, 27 fat, 8.7 carbs, 4.3 fiber, 12 protein

And

With frosting and chocolate candy - 520 calories, 45 fat, 10.2 carbs, 4.3 fiber, 13.6 protein.

Mug cakes can be tricky to cook so I always start with a lower time, check it, then add more time if needed. If you start off with too much time you might overcook your cake! 

Keto Chocolate Mug Cake

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp Swerve granulated

3 Tbsp almond flour

1 Tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp instant coffee granules

Splash of vanilla

1 egg, beaten

Frosting

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp no sugar chocolate pudding mix 

1 no sugar Russell Stover chocolate, chopped

Directions

Melt butter in ramekin or coffee mug in microwave (about 15 seconds should do it). 

Stir in Swerve, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant coffee, vanilla, and egg. Stir very well.

Microwave 60 seconds and check if done. Toothpick should come out clean. If not done, microwave in 20 second increments until cooked through. I found for my microwave I do 1 minute, check, then 30 more seconds and it’s perfect. 

Let cool 5 minutes before running a knife around the edge and inverting onto wire rack. 

Pop cake into freezer while you prepare the frosting (or enjoy warm without frosting!) 

Prepare frosting - beat whipping cream with sugar free pudding mix until stiff. This only takes a minute or two. 

Frost cooled cake.

Sprinkle crushed sugar free chocolate on top. 

Enjoy now or refrigerate until ready to serve.

There are 2 cakes in these photos because this recipe is also super easy to double. 

I make 2 batters up at the same time but cook them individually as cooking both at the same time changes the microwave cooking time. If you do both at once, start at 1:00 minute and check every 20-30 seconds until done. FYI - the icing amount listed here will cover both cakes albeit thinner. If you want to cut a few calories then don’t double the icing. 😊 

A prefect keto friendly Valentine’s treat for you and your partner! 

Also note - make sure your batter doesn’t go more then halfway up the side of your baking container. In the microwave it bubbles up and if your container is overfilled it will make a mess! 

You can also bake these at 350 if you don’t want to microwave them. I would start checking at about 12 minutes for done-ness. 

Carrot Brownies

 

Our mom saw this recipe in a magazine and insisted we give them a try. They were called “Cold-fighting Brownies” because of some of the healthy ingredients. 

They turned out very brownie-ish. My only complaint would be the sunflower seeds overpower the flavor so I would substitute nuts instead. Mom liked them but she thought the texture was more cake-like than brownie. Overall about a 6 out of 10. We enjoyed them but wouldn’t make them again. It is a fabulous way to sneak veggies into a treat as you would never know there was carrot in them. 

Give them a try and let us know what you think! 

Carrot Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/2 cup puréed carrot

1/4 cup oats

1/2 cup flour

3 Tbsp sunflower seeds 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper, set aside. 

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from heat and whisk in other ingredients (except for sunflower seeds.) 

Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle seeds on top. 

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until top looks dry. Do not over cook or they will be dry. 

Let cool completely before removing from pan. 

Cut into squares and serve. 

They look and taste like “regular” brownies, except for the sunflower seeds. They were a little strange to me. If you don’t like sunflower seeds, definitely replace with nuts or even mini candies! 

Looking for a way to healthify a chocolatey treat? Give this “cold-fighting” brownie a try! 

Side note - we are again trying a new way to post so this is being done from my iPad! Please let us know if it appears strange in any way! We are still learning 😊