Chocolate Layer Cake
Two moist, dark chocolate layers with a fluffy chocolate cream cheese buttercream. Hot coffee in the batter deepens the chocolate without tasting of coffee. This is the birthday cake.
Nutrition per serving
1 slice (1/12 of an 8-inch cake)- Net carbs
- 4.4g
- Calories
- 386kcal
- Protein
- 8.4g
- Fat
- 37g
- Total carbs
- 33 g
- Fiber
- 4.1 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Chocolate peanut butter: Peanut butter replaces the cream cheese in the frosting, for a chocolate-peanut butter cake that tastes like a candy bar.
- Beat the peanut butter with the softened butter in place of the cream cheese, then continue with the buttercream as written. Add an extra tablespoon of cream if it is too stiff to spread.
Nut-free (coconut flour): Coconut flour and two extra eggs replace the almond flour, for a nut-free chocolate cake with a lighter, springier crumb.
- Whisk all six eggs with the sweeteners. After adding the coffee, let the batter stand 5 minutes to thicken before dividing it between the pans.
- Bake 20–25 minutes; coconut flour cakes dry out if overbaked, so check early.
Chocolate raspberry: A layer of lightly crushed, sweetened raspberries between the cakes cuts through the rich chocolate.
- Lightly crush the raspberries with the allulose. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the bottom cake, pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge as a dam, then spoon the raspberries inside it before adding the top layer.
- Decorate the top with a few whole berries. Chill at least 1 hour so the filling sets.
- Cake
- Chocolate buttercream
- Cake
- Chocolate buttercream
- Cake
- Chocolate buttercream
- Also add
- Cake
- Chocolate buttercream
- Also add
Estimated cost $19.24 for 12 servings ($1.60 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment circles.
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Whisk the almond flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
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In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the erythritol and allulose for 1 minute. Whisk in the melted butter, sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
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Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until combined, then whisk in the hot coffee; the batter will loosen and turn glossy.
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Divide between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake 22–28 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
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Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges, turn out and peel off the parchment. Cool completely, about 1 hour — almond flour cakes are fragile while warm.
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For the buttercream, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered erythritol and cocoa and beat on low, then medium, until combined. Beat in the cream, vanilla and salt and whip 2 minutes more until light and fluffy.
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Set one layer flat-side up on a plate and spread with about a third of the buttercream. Top with the second layer and cover the top and sides with the rest. Chill 30 minutes to set, then serve at cool room temperature.
Tips for success
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Chill the cooled layers for 30 minutes before stacking; cold almond flour cake is far less likely to crack or slide. - Dutch-process cocoa gives the darkest color and smoothest flavor. Decaf coffee works just as well as regular.
- The small amount of allulose keeps the crumb moist; an all-erythritol cake is drier and can have a cooling aftertaste.
Nice to have, not needed
- An offset spatula makes smooth sides easier — the back of a large spoon gives a pretty swirled finish.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 5 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Let slices stand 20–30 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Prep tip: Bake and freeze the layers well wrapped; thaw them in the fridge and frost on the day you serve the cake.
Cover and refrigerate up to 5 days; let slices stand 20–30 minutes before serving. Unfrosted layers freeze well, wrapped, for up to 3 months.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosChocolate peanut butter
FlavorPeanut butter replaces the cream cheese in the frosting, for a chocolate-peanut butter cake that tastes like a candy bar.
- cream cheese → natural creamy peanut butter
5.7 g net · 417 kcal · 10 g protein · 40 g fat · ≈$1.58 per serving (+1.3 g net carbs vs the original)
Nut-free (coconut flour)
DietCoconut flour and two extra eggs replace the almond flour, for a nut-free chocolate cake with a lighter, springier crumb.
- blanched almond flour → coconut flour
- + 2 large extra eggs
3.9 g net · 308 kcal · 6.3 g protein · 29 g fat · ≈$1.32 per serving (−0.5 g net carbs vs the original)
Chocolate raspberry
FlavorA layer of lightly crushed, sweetened raspberries between the cakes cuts through the rich chocolate.
- + 2 cups raspberries
- + 1 tbsp extra allulose
5.5 g net · 398 kcal · 8.6 g protein · 38 g fat · ≈$2.03 per serving (+1.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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