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Keto chocolate gooey cake
Okay, so now is the time for chocolate. While you can choose from a number of chocolate-something keto recipes here on My Sweet Keto, this is the number one recipe if you are into the gooey stuff.
I'm talking crunchy on the outside and delightfully gooey, almost runny, on the inside. Not to mention the amount of chocolate! Have I mentioned chocolate?
Make sure you get some quality cocoa powder. Ordinary (kind of reddish color) or Dutch (darker color), whatever tastes best to you.
This cake is not about rising up.
At first, it does puff up as it is baked but collapses when cooled. That's not wrong. On the contrary, it is the whole point of this heavenly chocolate dessert.
Keto Kladdkaka
No, that is not a typo. It is rather one of Sweden's most popular cakes. Kladdkaka is Sweedish for sticky cake. I have only discovered it recently. Been to this Scandinavian country on a couple of occasions years ago but didn't get to try this.
Now, I can close my eyes, remember the Swedish scenery and indulge in bites of its paradise. Low carb and keto-friendly version of Swedish paradise, that is!
Gooey cake tips
My guess is you are reading this recipe because you like gooey. If so, make sure you don't overbake the cake or it will become a dry chocolate sponge cake. Still delicious, though. This cake is so easy to make and bake, it should not be logistically impossible to prepare it just before your guests arrive.
It is best served warm.
If you don't plan on having guests, I won't blame you if the whole chocolate delight disappears anyhow. On the other hand, leftovers can always be heated up in a microwave on medium for 30 seconds.
Gooey fans, do not wait for too long; Go and bake this simple Sweedish chocolate delight!
Keto gooey chocolate cake
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoon butter - unsalted
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 oz cocoa powder - approx. ¼ cup, unsweetened
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 large eggs - room temperature!
- ¾ cup powdered sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease an approximately 7-inch springform pan.
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
- Using an electric whisk, whisk together the eggs, erythritol (plus optional stevia), and vanilla extract. Keep whisking for at least 5 minutes straight until you get a nice, pale, and foamy mixture.
- Carefully fold the flour-cocoa mixture into the egg mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fold in the melted butter. Stir until fully incorporated and then pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 18 - 22 minutes until the center is lightly set. Don't overbake if you don't want a gooey and not a dry cake.
- Cool for 20 minutes on a wired rack. Serve warm. The cake can be stored in an airtight container for 4 days. Before serving, warm a piece in a microwave on medium for 30 seconds.
Video
Nutrition
Michel Andersson Filipovic says
It looks ok, but we don't stir it around with an electric beater in Sweden. The Right way is to use a spatula and combine all ingredients by hand to make it really sticky as it is, now that is how the end result will make it a "Sticky Cake", aka Kladdkaka.
The Swedish way is not to use a spray can for the form either, you take a click of butter, take some paper, and do it the old fashioned way, and then you add dry bread crumbs and make sure that it sticks, save the rest of the bread crumbs for another day.
It's the old fashioned way that we do it in Sweden.
Tisa says
Wow, thank you for the insight, Michel. I will try the old fashion Swedish way, for sure!
Mary says
I made this for a Christmas luncheon. I whipped some cream & added peppermint flavoring. Before I dolloped it on the cake I added a couple of drops of red food coloring to the whipped crceam & swirled it. We had delicious Chocolate Gooey Cake with Peppermint Whipped Cream. So pretty & so, so delicious.
Tisa says
Sounds beautiful and delicious!
Anna says
Hi I’m going to try make this tonight! Looks yum.. I just logged it into my fitness pal though, and saw it is 13.3g carbs per serving, with only 0.7g of dietary fiber.. it shows no sugar alcohols (I pasted exact recipe). Any ideas?
Tisa says
Hi! The app might pull in erythritol that has all the carbs listed as total instead of sugar alcohol. When I used the app, I would input my own sweetener to make all the carbs count as sugar alcohols.
I guess this might be the problem.
Anna says
Thanks for the tip. Just made this and wow, it is amazing! I doubled the recipe because I only had a larger pan, I also was one egg short but followed the recipe exactly apart from that and it’s perfect! Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Tisa says
That's so great to hear, Anna! Thank you for your feedback. 🙂
Anna says
Thanks for the tip! I made this last night and it’s absolutely delicious! One of the nicest cakes I’ve ever had, keto or not! I doubled the recipe because I only had a bigger pan, and I was short one egg but other than that I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect 🙂 thank you!!
Yomaira says
I just made this recipe but I find the cake way too greasy. I know that itMs a gooey cake but I had butter bubbles coming from the cake when baking. I followed the 7tbsp butter and I had melted butter at the bottom of the pan and the cake itself was greasy, should I use less butter next time? Not sure what was wrong with it. Also, I used granulated erythtinol and I think this gave the cake a “spicy” aftertaste. Any recommendations for next time?
Tisa says
Hi. Did you use blanched almond flour or almond meal? The latter could result in too much grease not being soaked up by the flour. Plus, the sweetener should be powdered as stated in the recipe instructions. If you find erythritol spicy, you might want to try a blend, for example, erythritol monk fruit blend or swerve or anything to your liking.
Angie says
Hi... followed the recipe exactly, except 1/2 cup swerve instead of 3/4 cup. It was delicious ... but it was a moist spongy cake - not sticky and gooey. Baked at 350 degrees F for 19 mins - but I guess that was too long. The top wasn’t crisp though...
Is it also possible that I beat the eggs and sweetener too much? I was trying to get it to look like the second picture, and did get there after a while of whisking! I definitely want to try again... really hoping for a gooey cake.
Thank you for the recipe.
Tisa says
Hi, Angie! I am sorry to hear that and wish I knew what's going on in your case. I don't believe beating eggs too much is the problem. I'd rather guess that the oven is hotter than you think. Ovens, unfortunately, vary a lot int their functioning. I'd suggest you try baking at 320 or 310°F or shorten the baking time to approx. 15 minutes.
All the best!
Angie says
Thank you for the advice.... much appreciated. Finally tried it again (after a flurry of blueberry-baking to get through the fresh blueberries!) - turned out better, as in a little more dense and a touch wet, but not quite gooey ... hahaha. 15 mins @ 310 degrees - knife inserted came out totally coated. Left it in a tad too long thereafter! Was still a great cake. Plan to try again...
Thank you.
Alyssa says
Hello. Am I supposed to use powdered erythritol or granulated? I used powder and my egg mix did not fluff up at all. The end mixture was also very thick?
Thank you for this recipe btw.
Tisa says
Hi. It's hard to say where things went wrong without having all the info. Maybe the mixing time was too short or the bowl wet ...? Eggs + powdered sweetener + long mixing time should result in fluffy egg mix at some point.
Kerrie Prentice says
Delish and oh so easy!
Luka says
Thanks Kerrie!
Brenda says
You note calorie count, but how many carbs and fiber per serving? Thanks!!
Luka says
Hi Brenda! One slice comes out to be approximately 125 Calories. Fat: 11.2 g (of which Saturated: 7.0 g, MUFA's: 3.2 g), Total Carbs: 3.0 g, Fiber: 1.7 g, Net Carbs: 1.3 g, Protein: 3.6 g.
Patricia says
An granulated monf fruit sweetener be used jnstead?
Tisa says
Granulated monk fruit sweetener is usually a blend of erythritol and monk fruit extract. To me, it has less aftertaste than erythritol alone. I suggest you try it out yourself and see if you like it.
Momma Bags says
Hooray! I found my brownie KETO fix! You call it gooey cake.. but this is how I like my brownies! My eggs didn’t get white and creamy... I kind of threw it all in my stand mixer and it turned out amazing! I used a bread loaf pan. That’s my input! I love it!
Tisa says
That's awsome, thank you for the feedback!
Kim says
I didn’t add enough sweetener but it was still amazing and satisfied my sweet tooth. Making it again today
Luka says
Thanks Kim! Hope you like it the next time as well!
Marie Swope says
I didn’t read the recipe thoroughly before I started and ended up mixing the batter in with the cocoa powder… At that point I decided to just throw everything in and mix it with a handmixer… It turned out very flat but still very delicious… Next time I will follow the recipe! Lol
Rona says
Beam me to your kitchen!
Loretta says
Did not care for gooey cake. Flavor bad. Must be erythrital. Wonder if monk fruit would be better.
Luka says
Some don't like the aftertaste of erythritol in general. You can always use any other sweetener and let us know about the outcome.
We would love that!
If you are interested in other sweeteners and how to use them in keto baking, we have an in-depth article available here: https://www.mysweetketo.com/keto-sweeteners-for-baking/
chantal says
I am chocolate free it would be so nice if you could put a sub for the choco like carob or ........ Life is hard without it ....
Luka says
Carob is full of sugar and can't be used as an ingredient in a keto recipe. But if you are not following a strict keto diet and looking for alternatives, do it with carob and let us know about the outcome. Maybe we can do a low-carb version of this recipe?
Why are you chocolate free?
Janice Young says
How on earth do you measure 1/16 of a teaspoon of stevia?? And is that really enough with the bitter cocoa? Cheers Janice
Tisa says
Hey, Janice. I couldn't help myself but laugh because, yes, you are right. This is one of my oldest recipes where I would still combine erythritol with a dash (true, who can measure 1/16 tsp, haha) of stevia to get to the sweetness of sugar. These days, I encourage people to either use sweetener blends they like or make their own. So yeah, in the original recipe, erythritol + stevia are supposed to balance the bitterness of cocoa, not just a dash of stevia.
Ruby says
Would I be able to use coconut flour instead?
Tisa says
Hi, Ruby. You can try, but lesser the amount by about half. It acts differently - it is way more absorbable.
Katherine Nelson says
I only have 9 or 10 inch springform pan. Do I need to do anything to adjust the recipe since it says to use a 7 inch springform or is the 9 inch going to be ok?
Tisa says
Your cake is going to be much thinner, so you might want to double the recipe and use he 10-inch. That's what I would do.
Tisa says
Hi, Ruby. You can try, but lesser the amount by about half. It acts differently - it is way more absorbable.
Martha says
I don’t see baking powder in this recipe?
Tisa says
That's because none is used. This is not a leavened cake.
Marion says
i'm about to make this but confused at the "1oz cocoa powder. approx 1/4 cup". 1 oz is half of 1/4 cup... so which is it? 1 oz (.12 c) or 2 oz (.25 c).
Tisa says
I'd always suggest measuring in weight rather than cups, but some desserts here are not delicate enough to worry about that too much, and a lot of US folks find it easier to measure in cups. 1 oz. can measure out less than 1/4 cup if you tap it down or there if the cocoa powder isn't "airy" enough in the first place. So, I'd go with 1 oz.
RachelH says
@Marion - you are comparing oranges to ORANGES. 1oz cocoa powder by weight = 1/4 c by volume.
No sure why this wasn’t clarified, but interested to hear if you made it . . .
Laurie Faubert says
why is it when I click on print the page comes up blank
Tisa says
Hi. We'll check that with our technical staff. In the meantime, have you tried switching browsers?
Patricia says
I’ve made this three times and every time the dough has been too thick at the end, no matter how exactly I follow the recipe. The dough turns out lime a cookie dough it thick brownie dough that I have to spoon into the pan and press in. What am I doing wrong?
Tisa says
I'm sorry to hear that, Patricia.
I wish I could say but the only thing that comes to mind is that maybe the almond flour you are using absorbs too much liquid?
Having all sorts nut flours out there with different properties makes keto baking quite difficult sometimes.
Vicki says
Can I use splenda and can i use a pie pan with parchment paper as I do not have a spring foam
Tisa says
Yes, to both questions. I hope you like the recipe!
Anita Calivas says
Do I use exact measurements as if not using Splenda? Thanx a
Tisa says
I think Splenda is sweeter than erythritol so I would watch for the sweetness and use maybe 3/4 of the amount.
Athalie says
Thanks. Tried it and it was great! =)
Tisa says
Awesome! Thank you for the feedback!
Srvvrcrml says
I made a double recipe of this yesterday and I couldn't get the egg mixture to lighten and thicken like your pictures either and I beat it on high speed for at least 8 minutes and used large eggs. The cake turned out amazing regardless though! So yummy! My kids who are wary of all the new keto stuff I'm making highly approved! Could the lack of thickening be due to using cold eggs instead of room temperature maybe?
Tisa says
Hi.
Well, it could be that the eggs were too cold. It is still weird, though, that they wouldn't foam and become fluffy even after 8 minutes. Maybe the eggs were also a bit aged? Newer fresh eggs will reach more volume and have greater stability when beaten than older eggs.
I am happy that the result was still delightful for you and yours!
Athalie says
Do you think i can replace cocoa powder with cacao powder in this recipe?
Tisa says
Hi, Athalie,
Yes, I think this wouldn't be a problem.
Diane taber says
Would like these recipes please thank you bye
Tisa says
All of my recipes are available on MySweetKeto.com free of charge. I'm not sure what you mean.
Paula says
Hi, could I used powderedr stevia instead of powdered erythritol? If yes how much should I use? Thanks
Tisa says
Hi. I don't think this would work very well due to loss of bulk. You can only use very tiny amounts of pure stevia powder (maybe a 1/8 tsp if its pure extract) and the result will probably not be the same. But you can always try. Bests,
Nikki Chaffin says
My result was completely by mistake and absolutely wonderful oh, so I must share. So I began by putting the 3/4 cup of erythritol into the coffee bean grinder which turned it into the confectioners type pretty much instantly. Then I put the 1/2 cup of almond flour and quarter cup of cocoa powder into the coffee grinder and pulsed that for a few seconds and then dumped that into the already ground erythritol. Dumped the bowl of dry ingredients through the sifter to sift them together. Took the butter that I'd already melted and beat two eggs into it dump some, vanilla into that. Then poured the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stirred well with a spoon. Put into mini muffin tens and baked for 20 minutes. So I got all the ingredients right I just had not followed the steps well and it was too late to correct so I just mixed everything together without going through all those steps. And these couldn't possibly be more wonderful. I wish I could share the pictures.
My Sweet Keto says
Sounds wonderful! If you wish, you can always send us a pic of your muffins via [email protected].
MC says
So delicious, and so easy to make. Had this with cherry’s and Greek yogurt. Yummmmm
My Sweet Keto says
The combination sounds amazing. Yum. Thank you for the feedback!
Tina says
Hi,
For you 3/4 powdered sweetener, is the 3/4 before or after grinding it? If after how much do you use to start?
Thank you so much
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Tina. It's 3/4 powdered, so after grinding. I would start with only 1/2 cup and taste for sweetness. It might be enough if it is a sweetener as sweet as sugar.
Patti says
I have both Monkfruit in the Raw and Stevia cup for cup. Which do you think would come out better? I like monkfruit personally, has less of an after taste. Would I grind it into a powder or use it as is? And if so, how much of the original product would you suggest? I’m not a fan of trying things over and over again if I don’t have to. I’m making this for someone else or I’d be less picky lol. Your recipe just looked worth trying, so figured I should ask
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Patti. I don't have any experience with either brand, but as I can tell, Stevia cup for cup is as sweet as sugar and should, therefore, add bulk to the recipe as erythritol does. I would personally add 1/2 cup + 2 T instead of 3/4 cup as erythritol is less sweet. And yes, grind it into a powder if you can.
April says
Yes. I’ve made this twice, using while eggs and the “thick, white, whipped consistency” never occurred. Went exactly by the recipe (two whole eggs, 3/4 C powdered 100% natural erythritol and 1tsp vanilla)
It’s still a runny, yellow consistency after beating on med speed for nearly 10 minute!
My Sweet Keto says
I don't know what else to suggest, I'm sorry.
Whenever I beat eggs for a few minutes (on HIGHest speed possible), I get a creamy, thick consistency, especially when powdered sweetener is added. Not as much as if I was only beating egg whites, but the mixture does get pale yellow and creamy as seen on the instruction picture. Could it be that the eggs are kind of old and runny in the first place? Also, it is important that they are not smaller than "large" so that there is enough proportion of egg white. Just a thought ...
Ann says
Ok, recipe calls for eggs but in this reply you talk about egg whites. The photo definitely looks like egg whites, and they would tend to create the “lift” the recipe needs. Are we supposed to be using 2 egg whites instead of whole eggs?
Tisa says
Although the procedure photos are, admittedly, a tad lousy, those are whole eggs. The mixture is a pale yellow foamy mixture which you get if you mix room temperature eggs long enough on high speed. But, some eggs are more yellow than others, depending on what the hen had been fed.
Kristina says
Can I use the confectioner Swerve and how much
My Sweet Keto says
Yes, use maybe a Tbsp less than the recipe calls for because erythritol is less sweet than sugar and Swerve is as sweet as sugar. Just to make sure it will not turn out too sweet for you.
Rebekah says
Made this last night. I was going to take a picture but the kids devoured it, when I went to get the camera. I made some whipped cream and raspberries with it. I used a 6 in springform pan. This recipe is a real winner.
My Sweet Keto says
Thank you Rebekah, this makes my Saturday!
Tommy says
This is very good!! However I am not sure how in the world you made this with only 3 carbs per serving ??? I’ve yet to find any sweetener with less than 145 carbs for entire recipe. Would love to know the brands used to come up with the macro you have listed. Thanks
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Tommy. I use either So Nourished erythritol or monk fruit-erythritol sweetener or Sukrin erythritol. As most of it does not get digested, the carb count is roughly 0.5 g per Tbsp.
Rosemary Pfeiffer says
What other kinds,sizes of pans can I use because I dont have any springform ones ?
My Sweet Keto says
Any kind of a pan that is 7-inch or smaller. If it is considerably smaller, you might need to bake the cake for a couple of minutes longer. I would use anything that can go into the oven.
Patrica says
Hello.On my first try of making cake, I baked for 20 minutes and it was cake like but tasty. It barely covered bottom of pan and came out very thin unlike your picture/video which looked like a thicker cake. Was you recipe doubled in the video? If not, what made your cake thicker? I am trying a second time now. I used all the ingredients in your recipe so no substitutions.
My Sweet Keto says
I used an 8-inch pie pan and didn't double the recipe. If you don't have a smaller pan, try doubling the ingredients or choose 12 servings in the instructions instead of 8.
Patricia says
Thanks for the tip. My second version came out the same way. Baked for 16 minutes and confirmed I used a 10 inch spring form pan. Thin and cakey. I will use a smaller pie pan on the 3rd try.
My Sweet Keto says
I'm sorry it hasn't turned out for you so well, Patricia. I hope you mix the eggs for a few minutes so that they get big in volume and foamy. From then on, everything is supposed to be stirred in carefully so that the mixture stays fluffy and big.
Michelle Thomason says
We are sensitive to the sugar alcohol substitutes. Have you tried it with just Stevia? Do you think it would work? If so, any idea about the amount? I think a quarter cup of Stevia would be way too much.
My Sweet Keto says
When I use stevia, I only take pure extract which is used in dashes. Some don't like the taste of stevia without any other sugar substitute added, but if you don't mind it, I would give it a try in this recipe.
Erythritol and other sugar-like sweeteners do add bulk and texture to recipes, though. So it might turn out a bit moister when you only use like a 1/8 tsp. of stevia powder instead of a bulk sweetener.
I've found erythritol - monk fruit sweetener to be a great mixture for keto desserts. I can't handle any sugar alcohols, either, except erythritol, but need to watch the amounts. Since pure erythritol is less sweet than sugar, you usually need to add a bit too much of it for my taste and gut. The monk fruit mixture is as sweet as sugar, and it doesn't cause any gut problems for me if you ever want to consider using it.
Kristina says
I have a stevia erythritol blend called Pyure so can I use that?
My Sweet Keto says
Yes. If it says it's as sweet as sugar, I would use 1/2 instead of 3/4 cup at first just to make sure that the batter won't get too sweet for you. Pure erythritol is less sweet than sugar, that's why.
Michelle says
Thanks so much for this! My husband can't eat gluten, and this is one of the recipes we miss the most! Do you have a recipe for plain gooey butter cake?
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Michelle!
Not yet, but it's a good idea for one of the next recipes I'm about to make!
You are welcome and all the best to you and your husband!
Felicia says
Can u use regular butter ? Why unsalted ? And I don’t have the stevia extract .... do I need it
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Felicia.
That is regular butter listed in the recipe. Unsalted to make you more in control of the amount of salt in the recipe. You can use salted butter, though, if you wish.
Stevia extract is there to bring the sweetness of erythritol to the same level as sugar. You can use any sweetener you desire. There are a lot of options out there that are mixtures of erythritol and stevia or monk fruit which are as sweet as sugar already.
Nancy says
I made this tonight and was surprised to finally find a keto dessert that didn't have that sugar substitute taste. Of course I didn't have any powdered sugar so I made my own from monk fruit that I had on hand (which I find out was simple and much cheaper to make). Thank you for sharing this recipe! Now I have a go to when I am having a sweet chocolate craving!!!
My Sweet Keto says
Hi, Nancy! I'm very happy that you like this keto dessert. It is excellent that you made powdered sweetener out of monk fruit!
Lisa says
Nancy would you please provide the proportions/ingredients of your homemade monkfruit sweetener?
Kathy Harlan says
This cake is outstanding! Very chocolately. I baked mine for 20 minutes and that was a tad too long. Will do 18 minutes the next time. I upped the ante on the cake and added chocolate buttercream frosting(only .83 additional carbs). This cake is to die for!!! Thank you ever so much.
My Sweet Keto says
That’s great, Kathy! I’m so glad you like it!
Jennifer says
I didn’t have erythritol so I subbed with Truvia and the cake tastes so good. I’ve finally found my chocolate fix on this diet. I couldn’t be happier
Erica says
Just tried to make this- it was terrible! Batter barely covered the bottom of the pan, was very bitter tasting even using high quality cocoa powder.
My Sweet Keto says
Oh, shoot, too bad! I can't tell what happened ... Have baked this cake a few times and it's always been one of the easiest and gooiest desserts. It is true, though, that without the pure stevia extract, listed in the ingredients, I wouldn't find it sweet enough.
I am so sorry this didn't work for you, Erica.
Dawne says
What if I dont have the erythritol? Is there a sub?
My Sweet Keto says
Any other sweetener of your preference (xilytol ...)
Brittany says
Could you use granular erythritol ?
My Sweet Keto says
Yes, you can, but if you use a grinder to turn it into powder, it's better.
Rachael says
Coukd i use coconut oil insead of butter
My Sweet Keto says
Yes, I think coconut oil should work perfectly well.
Patrik says
Hi!
Nice to see you do a version of our beloved LCHF kladdkaka.
// Patrik
Wendy says
Can you use something non dairy in place of the butter? If so, what could be used?
My Sweet Keto says
I would suggest coconut oil. It might end up a bit oilier than butter but should still result in a nice and tasty fudge cake.
Linda says
Is this supposed to be “egg whites” instead of eggs? We used eggs as directed and they look nothing like your example.
My Sweet Keto says
Whole eggs should be fine. Huh, what exactly happened with your cake?