Low Carb Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Kindi Lantz February 17, 2019

Almond Flour Vanilla Cake with Sugar-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

Vanilla cake recipes are about a dime a dozen. Low carb vanilla cake recipes are a bit harder to come by. And good low-carb vanilla cake recipes are nearly impossible to find.

We know there are a lot of people out there looking for the perfect vanilla cake recipe, but those looking for one that is low-carb or sugar-free are usually coming up empty-handed—or at least, with nothing more than mediocre recipes.

I developed this recipe with those folks in mind. It’s chock full of protein, extremely low carb, and contains no sugar (aside from those that occur naturally) or artificial sweeteners.  So how do I get that sweet flavor? I use liquid stevia. Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from a leaf that resembles a peppermint leaf. It has zero calories and is absolutely delicious! I just add a tad because I don’t like an overly sweet cake, but you can add as much or as little as your sweet tooth desires.

I also utilize one of my favorite ingredients for baking, ground gourmet vanilla beans from Madagascar! It is so incredibly flavorful and provides a deep vanilla flavor to the cake without added alcohol from extracts.

I hope you like this cake as much as my family did. Enjoy!

Recipe for Low Carb Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the vanilla cake

• 2 cups finely ground almond flour
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoon grade A ground vanilla
• 1 teaspoon fresh-ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ pound salted butter, softened (but not melted)
• 6 cold egg whites plus two of the yolks
• 1 cup greek yogurt
• Two teaspoons low carb liquid sweetener (I used a combination Stevia & Monk Fruit drops)

For the vanilla cream cheese frosting

• 1 cup softened cream cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup prepared vanilla protein shake of your choice or vanilla-flavored almond milk
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons coconut flour
• Low carb sweetener as desired

Procedure

For the vanilla cake

1. Preheat oven to 350℉
2. Mix together all the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. Mix the egg whites and sweetener drops on high, until thick peaks form. Making sure both the egg whites and the mixing bowl are cold will help with this process.
   
   
4. Mix in the Greek yogurt, followed by the butter.
5. Once smooth, add the 2 egg yolks you set aside earlier.
6. Add the dry mixture to the wet ¼ cup at a time.
7. Thoroughly grease a cake pan and pour the batter into it.
8. Check after 45 minutes. Poke the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, pull from the oven and set aside to cool at room temperature.

For the vanilla cream cheese frosting

1. Blend together the cream cheese and sour cream.
2. When thoroughly mixed together, add in the protein shake, sweetener, and vanilla extract and continue mixing.
3. Add the coconut flour a little at a time until desired thickness is achieved.
4. Blend to smooth.
5. Place the frosting in the refrigerator until you are ready to frost your cake.

Serving suggestions:

Frost your cake using a spatula (tip: wet it in cold water between dips to ensure it spreads smoothly). Top with fresh berries, edible flours, edible gold leaf, or anything else your heart desires!

Just look at how moist this vanilla cake is!

The wet-to-dry ingredient can be a temperamental balancing act when cooking with low-carb flours. Ground vanilla is a perfect solution. It won’t upset the balance and still provides a deep vanilla flavor! You can find ground vanilla here.