Low-Carb Chocolate Truffle Cake

This keto Chocolate Truffle Cake is such a treat for birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving and Holiday season, or any special occasion!

Super decadent, we start off with an easy low-carb chocolate cake, fill it with smooth chocolate buttercream, the top it all off with chocolate truffles and chocolate shavings.

If you’ve been keto for a while I’ll warn you that this cake isn’t “keto sweet”, it’s just sweet. Over time when we stop eating sugar our taste for it diminishes and sweet things taste overly sweet, that’s the case here so I’m giving you a few options on how to make it less sweet. Now, if you’re making this for an occasion where not everyone is low-carb then I suggest leaving it as is as it just tastes like an amazing cake and has the right level of sweetness that everyone will expect.

If you’re making it for just keto folks I would suggest reducing the sweetener in the icing by half, and adding a bit more cacao. You can also swap out some of the butter in the buttercream for cream cheese which will help it be creamy and airy without as much of the sweetener. Otherwise, give this cake a go and I’m sure it will become a favorite!

Preparation time

Hands-on:    30 minutes
Overall:      1 hour 30 minutes

Nutritional values (per serving)

Total Carbs	12.8	grams
Fiber	5.6	grams
Net Carbs	7.2	grams
Protein	9.3	grams
Fat	40.3	grams
of which Saturated	19.1	grams
Energy	421	kcal
Magnesium	116	mg (29% RDA)
Potassium	392	mg (20% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (7%), protein (9%), fat (84%)

Ingredients (makes 16 servings) Cake:

• 2 3/4 cups almond flour (275 g/ 9.7 oz)
• 1 1/4 cups powdered Erythritol or Swerve (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
• 1/2 cup cacao powder or Dutch process cocoa powder (45 g/ 1.6 oz)
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter or ghee (115 g/ 4.1 oz)
• 2 medium zucchini, pureed (240 g/ 8.5 oz)
• 2 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract

Icing:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (225 g/ 8 oz)
• 2 cups powdered Erythritol or Swerve (300 g/ 10.6 oz)
• 1 cup cacao powder or Dutch process cocoa powder (85 g/ 3 oz)
• 1 tbsp sugar-free vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (180 ml/ 6 fl oz) - plus additional if needed

Toppings:

• 1/2 batch Three Ingredient Keto Chocolate Truffles (1/2 recipe makes 8 regular truffles)
• 2 heaped tbsp dark chocolate shavings (28 g/ 1 oz) - use sugar free chocolate, or 85-90% dark chocolate, or even 100% chocolate.

Note: See intro for suggestions on how to reduce the sweetness and make this keto treat more bittersweet.

Instructions

1. Start by making the Three Ingredient Keto Chocolate Truffles. I used just half of the recipe. You can make 8 truffles, or up to 16 small truffles to have 1 truffle per each serving.
2. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 165 °C/ 325 °F and grease two 20 cm (8 inch) round cake pans. In two separate bowls mix together the wet and dry ingredients respectively.
   
   
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix together well. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Smooth out the top, transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
   
4. When the cake is done allow to cool completely before removing from pan. Carefully wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight if time allows.
   
5. To make the icing combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer 1 cup of frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star attachment.
   
6. Place one of the cakes on a cake stand with the bottom side facing up. Place 1 1/2 cups of frosting in the middle and spread outwards with an offset spatula until it’s evenly distributed with a bit of overhang. Place the other cake on top with the flat side facing down.
7. Top with remaining icing and smooth out the top and the sides. Now you can create whatever design you’d like on the sides. I used the back of a spoon to pull lightly through the icing to create vertical stripes.
   
   
8. Use the piping bag to place a line of frosting around the base. Place 8 stars of icing around the top of the cake and top each with a truffle, place another star between each of those and one in the middle.
9. Top with chocolate shavings and serve.
10. Store in an airtight container or covered tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
    

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