If there is one thing I absolutely love about living next to the woods, it is the possibility of getting your shoes on and being out among trees in a matter of seconds. Pair that with June and early July and all of a sudden I can be out there picking the sweetest blueberries, taking them home, and baking a super moist keto blueberry cake. Writing this, a get a feeling I’m living in a fairy tale. What else to think but be extremely thankful for such possibilities.
Blueberries and chocolate
While both blueberries and chocolate, sound sweet, they can both be very keto-friendly and totally low-carb. Take dark chocolate (approx. 80% to 90%) to lower the sugar count to a minimum. Blueberries are a keto-friendly fruit and can even be a bit sourish if they don’t see enough sun.
Truthfully, blueberries are an excellent match for whipped cream or mascarpone. On the other hand, they combine perfectly with dark chocolate! The chocolate-blueberry combination results in an elegant dark French pastry-like cake. What is more, the moisture of this good looking and perfectly tasing keto blueberry cake doesn’t come just from the forest fruits alone. The moisty secret lies in zucchini. Yes, you read that right. We use zucchini in this recipe.
… and zucchini
Yup, to make the sponge cake layer of the cake as moist as possible without making heavy-on-the-stomach chocolate fudge, we use the combination of zucchini and cocoa powder. When baked, no one can taste a trace of zucchini. People literally wow in disbelief when they try the cake and learn it is partly made of zucchini.
While the cake is not the quickest and the simplest to bake (but not the most challenging either), you can start with making the moist sponge cake layer. If you run out of time for the day, you can either use the sponge cake layer as chocolate brownies or continue finishing the cake the next day.
Dairy-free (and almost allergen-free) keto blueberry cake
Skipping through the recipe ingredients, you will notice that we don’t use any dairy this time. Besides the zucchini, there is another “secret” green ingredient used for making the chocolate filling. That is avocado, of course. Make sure to buy perfectly ripe avocados for the recipe or give them enough time to sit at home and ripen.
Anyhow, except for the eggs, the keto blueberry cake is pretty much allergen-free. Isn’t that awesome? I do include an optional almond crunch in it because I believe that every delicious creamy dessert deserves a tad of crunchiness. However, you can always skip the almonds, use some other nuts, or skip the crunchy addition altogether.
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How to make the super moist keto blueberry cake
Moist sponge cake
To start with, shred the zucchinis. If they are not the youngest and the skin is not very soft, I prefer peeling them first. There is no need to drain the shredded zucchini if you want the cake to be super moist.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease two 9 or 10-inch round springform cake pans. I like using parchment paper in the bottom of the pans to make sure nothing sticks.
Next, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Those would be coconut flour, cocoa powder, sweetener of choice (I used erythritol and stevia extract blend), baking powder, and salt.
Now, beat the eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until foamy. Add in the dry ingredient mix and combine well. In the end, mix in the shredded zucchini.
Spread out into the two pre-prepared pans. Bake both sponge cakes for 30 to 40 minutes. Halfway through, I would switch the racks to make sure both sponge cakes are baked to the same degree. Check for doneness until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool down on a wire rack.
Almond crunch (optional)
If you are a fan of crunchiness, like me, take blanched and coarsely ground or chopped almonds and combine them with some sweetener. Roast on a pan, continually stirring until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Chocolate filling
Melt the dark chocolate chunks in a microwave (I used 90%) and let cool down a bit. Combine ripe avocados, melted chocolate, a bit of almond milk, vanilla extract, salt, a sweetener of choice (I used erythritol and stevia extract blend) in a food processor or blender until completely smooth. That’s it.
Blueberry topping
You can use fresh or frozen blueberries (unfreeze them first). Soak one package of gelatine in 1/4 cup water or blueberry juice for a few minutes. In the meantime, blend blueberries and a sweetener of choice (again, I used erythritol and stevia extract blend) in a high-speed blender.
Next, place the blueberry mixture and the soaked gelatine in a pot and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let cool to room temperature before using.
NOTE: If you don’t mind going a bit higher on carbs but still stay low-carb, I strongly suggest you double the number of blueberries. They are such fantastic fruit, aren’t they!
Assembling the super moist keto blueberry cake
Place one of the sponge cakes back into a springform cake pan. Evenly spread the roasted almonds on top (optional) of the sponge cake. Spread the chocolate filling on top of roasted almonds and cover with the second sponge cake. Pour the blueberry topping over the cake. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, ideally overnight.
Equipment
- Blender
- Food processor
- Shredder
Ingredients
Moist sponge cake
- 3.5 oz. coconut flour approx. 1 cup
- 3 oz. cocoa powder approx. 1 cup
- 8 oz. sweetener approx. 1 cup and 2 Tbsp.
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- 8 large eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 cups zucchini shredded
Chocolate filling
- 4 ripe avocados approx. 18 oz.
- 4.5 oz. 90% dark chocolate carefully melted
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 oz. sweetener approx. 6 Tbsp.
Blueberry topping
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 oz. sweetener approx. 2 Tbsp.
- 1 package powdered gelatin approx. 0.3 oz.
Instructions
Moist sponge cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease two 9 or 10-inch round springform cake pans.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine sieved coconut flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with coconut oil and vanilla extract until foamy.
- Add in the dry ingredient mix and combine well.
- Mix in the zucchini.
- Spread out into the two pans. Bake both sponge cakes for 30 to 40 minutes. NOTE: After 30 minutes, check for doneness every 5 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Almon crunch (optional)
- Combine the coarsely ground or chopped almonds with sweetener.
- Roast in a pan, stirring continuously until golden brown.
- Set aside to cool.
Chocolate filling
- Melt dark chocolate chunks and let cool down. The chocolate must still be runny before use.
- Combine ripe avocados, melted chocolate, almond milk, vanilla extract, salt, and sweetener in a food processor or blender until completely smooth.
Blueberry topping
- Soak one package of gelatine in 1/4 cup water or blueberry juice for a few minutes.
- Blend blueberries and sweetener in a high-speed blender.
- Place the blueberry mixture and the soaked gelatine into a pot. Bring to boil, constantly stirring.
- Cool to room temperature before use.
- NOTE: Use double the amount of blueberries if you don't mind a little extra carb.
Assembling and finishing the cake
- Place one of the sponge cakes into a cake springform pan.
- Evenly spread roasted almonds on top of the first sponge cake.
- Spread the chocolate filling on top of roasted almonds and cover with the second sponge cake.
- Pour the blueberry topping over the second sponge cake.
- Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, ideally overnight.
Nutrition
I don’t think you need to be reminded to enjoy the cake. Every cake, except for mug cakes, take some time and energy to make. Whatsoever, I don’t think you will be let down if you invest an afternoon of your time to make this cake, especially if you love chocolate and blueberries. And remember, in the end, you shouldn’t taste either zucchinis nor avocado in it.
This is one of our favorite birthday cakes! Which one is yours? Don’t forget to tell us in the comment below!
