Low-Carb Ombre Berry Celebration Cake

I’ve got a confession to make. I had originally planned to decorate this low-carb cake with pretty buttercream roses, but it was so hot and humid here when I was decorating it that they just wouldn’t work.

My other confession? Now that I’ve seen it, I like it better with fresh flowers.

This sugar-free and keto-friendly cake is a truly spectacular centrepiece to any celebration and I would be 100% thrilled to dig in to it for my birthday. It's a great Valentine's Day treat too!

The pops of dehydrated raspberries scattered through the whipped cream filling takes this healthy cake to the next level (I could have just eaten that with a spoon).

I will add a note though; beetroot powder can be notoriously difficult to use in a cake batter as it can react with the leavening agents, such as baking powder. So, if you don’t have the time or patience for a possible disastrous mistake, use a couple of drops of food colouring to tint your cakes instead.

Enjoy!

Preparation time

Hands-on:    20 minutes
Overall:     3-4 hours

Nutritional values (per serving, 1 slice)

Total Carbs	6.8	grams
Fiber	2.4	grams
Net Carbs	4.4	grams
Protein	8.6	grams
Fat	41	grams
of which Saturated	24.1	grams
Energy	423	kcal
Magnesium	25	mg (6% RDA)
Potassium	189	mg (10% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (4%), protein (8%), fat (88%)

Ingredients (makes 16 servings) Cake base:

• 1/2 cup almond flour (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• 1 cup coconut flour (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 2 sticks butter (226 g/ 8 oz)
• 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream (45 ml)
• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup granulated Swerve or Erythritol (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
• 2 tsp vanilla bean powder or 1-2 tbsp sugar-free vanilla extract
• 1 tsp xanthan gum or glucomannan powder
• 3 tbsp beetroot powder (18 g/ 0.6 oz) or few drops of natural pink food dye

Filling:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
• 1 tbsp confectioners Swerve or Erythritol (10 g/ 0.4 oz)
• 1/2 cup crumbled freeze-dried raspberries (20 g/ 0.7 oz) or 1 cup fresh raspberries (123 g/ 4.3 oz)

Frosting:

• 1 cup + 1 tbsp butter (240 g/ 8.5 oz)
• 1 cup full-fat cream cheese (240 g/ 8.5 oz)
• 2 tbsp confectioners Swerve or Erythritol (20 g/ 0.7 oz)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170 °C/ 340 °F. Remove the butter from the fridge and bring to room temperature.
   
2. Cream butter and Swerve until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, cream, salt and vanilla and beat slowly to combine. The mixture will look like it’s all wrong and curdled, but don’t panic it’ll come right.
   
   
3. In a bowl, combine flours, baking powder and xanthan gum and whisk to remove lumps. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat until it forms a batter.
4. Divide into four bowls and add colouring of choice, ranging from a very pale tint to a strong pink. I have a set of two loose bottomed sandwich cake pans, measuring 20 cm x 5 cm (7.9" x 2"), which are used for layer cakes. I used these tins in two batches.
   
   
5. Spoon your cake batters into your tin(s) and bake for 15-20 minutes. The length of time will depend on your cake tin, so check it regularly.
   
6. Remove cakes and place on a rack to cool completely and then bake your next batch.
   
   
7. To make the filling, whip your cream, adding sweetener. Crumble the freeze-dried raspberries.
8. To make the frosting, whip the butter, cream cheese and sweetener until light and fluffy. Divide the frosting in half, tint one half pale pink and leave the other half white. Set aside.
9. Trim the domed tops off the cakes and start with the darkest layer on the bottom.
   
   
10. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of raspberries and then the next layer of cake. Continue until you reach the palest pink cake on top. You can optionally leave some raspberries for decorating.
11. Invert this cake so that the bottom becomes the flat, even top.
    
    
12. Using an offset spatula, knife or spoon, gently apply the white frosting over the joins in the cake and then sit it in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm it a little.
    
13. Gently apply the white frosting all over the cake, leaving it a little rustic if that’s what you like.
    
    
14. Once that’s done, apply the pink frosting starting with a solid coverage at the bottom of the cake and finishing with a small amount at the 1/3 mark of the cake. Swirl these icings together with your spatula until you reach the desired effect. Refrigerate to set.
15. Decorate with fresh flowers directly before serving.
    
    
16. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
    
    

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