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Best Low Carb Chocolate Cake Recipe – Gluten Free

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The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.

The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.

I’d like to share my favorite low carb chocolate cake recipe with you. It’s been a hidden gem on this blog for over five years now.

The reason it’s been hidden is because it’s labeled as a German Chocolate Zucchini Cake. However, if you read the comments on that recipe, you’ll discover why it’s the best low carb chocolate cake recipe around!

I decided to repost the original recipe as a standard cake size. This recipe will produce two 9-inch rounds, a 9×13-inch sheet, or about 24 cupcakes. That’s the same as a regular box cake mix.

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When my sister-in-law asked me to make a gluten free cake for my niece’s graduation party at the beginning of the summer, I knew exactly which recipe to use. All who tried the cake could not believe it was low carb and gluten free. Why not give it a try? Find out for yourself why this has become the best low carb chocolate cake recipe for my family and friends! I am confident that it will soon be your favorite low carb cake recipe too.

The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.

You’ll also love that this is a super simple cake to make. I typically use a box grater to shred the zucchini, but you could save time by shredding it in a food processor. It takes about one large or two small zucchini to get 4 cups shredded. No need to be exact. And, you don’t have to drain it much as you want the cake to be moist.

The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.

If you want the cake to be extra chocolatey, go ahead and add the optional chocolate chips. You can use homemade chocolate, cut up a low carb chocolate bar, or use sugar free chip like Lily’s. This low carb chocolate cake recipe is great with or without the additional chocolate chips.

The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.

I topped off the cake with a low carb chocolate buttercream frosting. For a celebration cake, I’d recommend using a traditional vanilla sugar free buttercream like this one for decorating.

The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.

I’ve made this low carb chocolate cake at least once a year since I first discovered in the summer of 2011. Each time, it has always came out perfect. It’s a yummy way to use up those summer zucchini in the garden.

So far, I’ve baked this cake three times this year alone. Our garden is producing a lot of zucchini right now so I may be making some chocolate cupcakes this weekend using this recipe.

If you are still searching for the best low carb chocolate cake recipe, you need to give this one a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It has always been a hit when shared with my family and friends.

You may want to cut the recipe in half if you aren’t sharing it with others. It makes a good sized cake. But, it also freezes well if you can’t eat it all at once.

From my experience, the addition of zucchini really makes the difference when it comes to low carb cakes. It’s the secret ingredient in this moist chocolate cake. And, if you shred it up with a fine grater, no will will ever know you hid in a healthy vegetable.

Video showing how easy it is to make this cake

The Best Low Carb Chocolate Cake Recipe

The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.

Best low carb chocolate cake recipe
4.4 from 38 votes
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Best Low Carb Chocolate Cake

The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 24
Calories 96 kcal
Author Lisa | Low Carb Yum

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup Pyure All-Purpose or 1 1/2 cup Swerve or 3/4 cup Sukrin+
  • 1/4 teaspoon monk fruit powder see note
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
  • 8 large eggs beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 cups zucchini shredded

Optional:

Instructions

  1. In large mixing bowl, combine coconut flour, cocoa, Sukrin+, monk fruit, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt.
  2. Mix in eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla until well combined.
  3. Stir in zucchini (and optional chocolate chips if using).
  4. Spread out into greased 9x13-inch pan (or two round 9-inch pans).
  5. Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  6. Cool on wire rack. Once cool, frost with chocolate buttercream frosting if desired.

Recipe Notes

1/8 teaspoon stevia concentrate or 2-4 tablespoons of any sugar equivalent low carb sweetener can be used in place of the monk fruit.

Each serving contains about 1g erythritol

Nutrition Facts
Best Low Carb Chocolate Cake
Amount Per Serving (45 g)
Calories 96 Calories from Fat 67
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7.4g 11%
Saturated Fat 5.5g 28%
Cholesterol 62mg 21%
Sodium 179mg 7%
Total Carbohydrates 5.7g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3.2g 13%
Sugars 0.9g
Protein 3.7g 7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

The best low carb chocolate cake recipe ever! Shredded zucchini makes it moist and is well hidden. The kids will never know you are sneaking in a vegetable.

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Comments

  1. I’m such a skeptic when it comes to most low carb baking, but I made this recipe into cupcakes and they are amazing!! I’m so impressed! I’m hoping to make these for an upcoming party I’m going to and not tell anyone they’re low carb. I’m waiting for my non-low carb boyfriend to come home and try them so I can see if they pass the test, but I’m pretty sure they will! And heck, I’m not sure I really care anymore because I love them! Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply

    • It passed the test with my regular eaters. They kept asking if it was really a low carb cake when I served it at a birthday party.

      Reply

  3. I made this last week and I agree that it’s the best lc chocolate cake. Maybe the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tried! It will be my go-to recipe from here on. The frosting added a decadence to it that made it a real treat. Unfortunately we have learned that my husband is sensitive to coconut oil and flour and so although he loved it, he can’t have it any more. (Darn!) I did freeze part of it and will serve it to my ladies group when we meet here in a couple of weeks. Many of them are having to watch carbs and so I know they will love it also.

    Reply

    • Sorry to hear that your husband isn’t able to have coconut flour. That is a bummer. I’m not sure what a good sub for it would be. Maybe oat fiber would work, but amount may be different.

      Reply

  4. Have you ever used a combo of regular sugar and sweeteners to improve taste for little ones? What would you think would be a good combo of sugar and sweetener ?

    Reply

    • I find using a blend of erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit gives a taste most similar to sugar so there’s no need to add in any high carb sweetener.

      Reply

  5. Hi,
    I am preparing this recipe for my Brother’s birthday and wondered whether you think this recipe is enough for a 3 layer, 9″ round pan cake? Or by how much should I increase and how long do you reccomend each layers to be baked?? Thanks!!!

    Reply

    • The recipe should make 2 regular size 9-inch rounds. So, you might be able to get 3 thinner rounds. You may want to increase by half the recipe for 3 regular size layers. Baking time should be anywhere from 35-40 minutes so just start to test doneness at about 30 minutes.

      Reply

  6. Lisa….OMG….I made this cake with chocolate buttercream icing (that I whipped for an especially long time) and it is FABULOUS!! I LOVE your recipes! My husband had a gaming night with a few friends last night and it was a big hit with them as well. They would never have guessed it was low-carb, sugar-free. Haha, in fact they said it was reminiscent of the McCain frozen chocolate cake with whipped frosting…..much better of course and denser!! No one guessed it had zucchini in it either. It is an incredibly moist delicious cake! I added about 1 1/2 ozs of cream cheese to the frosting….kept butter the same! THANK YOU for your hard work and incredible recipes! Love you for it! Cheers! 😁🤗👍

    Reply

    • I’m so glad the guys liked the cake. It’s my absolute favorite low carb cake. I make it all the time and it never disappoints.

      Reply

  7. I am so sorry to report the cake was disgusting, it only tasted of egg to the point of being repulsive. I followed the recipe as is and this has pretty much killed any desire to lchf any longer. Whats worse is that I made a delicious ganache with lots of expensive 70% chocolate.

    Reply

    • We did not find the cake eggy at all. I served it at a birthday party last summer with a sugar free buttercream frosting and no one could believe it was a low carb cake. Sorry LCHF didn’t work out for you. The longer you are on it, the more you appreciate the recipes. Unfortunately, many people are addicted to sugar and it takes a while to adjust tastes coming off the addiction.

      Reply

  8. Does the cake need to be refrigerated or can I leave it on the counter covered? Yes it has the frosting on it and yes it was delicious. My 3 kids loved it even after they saw me putting zuchinni in it lol

    Reply

  11. Could you bake this cake in a Bundt pan? For how long? And do you have a vanilla or marshmallow frosting? This sounds so good! I’m going to make it for Easter.

    Reply

  12. Excellent cake! Super moist! Everyone enjoyed it! Left out of the monk’s fruit powder but didn’t increase the Swerve as recommended. I thought it was plenty sweet but my grown son said it could have been just a little sweeter. The frosting was really good as well. I did substitute a few tablespoons of the butter with cream cheese. Will definitely make this cake again soon!

    Reply

    • The sweetener amount in the cake is already reduced a bit from a sugar recipe, but I find I like the cake best less sweet if adding frosting.

      Reply

    • You could try replacing the coconut flour with a suitable flour that doesn’t bother you like finely ground sunflower seed. However, you’d need more of it and the eggs and liquid would need to be reduced. It’s not an easy substitution.

      Reply

  14. I know this recipe is for a low carb cake, but if I can’t use the sweeteners in the recipe, monk fruit powder and Pyure All-Purpose, approximately how much granulated sugar should I use?

    Reply

    • You’d have to make other changes as coconut flour and almond flour are not one for one subs. Usually, for every cup of almond flour, you’d use 1/4 to 1/3 cup coconut flour plus additional eggs and liquid.

      Reply

  17. Can I use stevia in the raw instead of pyure? I already have it in bulk and how much would I use?

    Also, is there a difference between monk fruit powder and monk fruit in the raw?

    I don’t know how to shred zucchini but I have a ninja that can purée it. Would that work?

    Reply

    • Monk fruit powder is concentrated and in the raw is not. You’ll need twice as much stevia in the raw than Pyure. I’m not sure how pureed zucchini would work. I guess that’s worth an experiment.

      Reply

  18. I made this over this cake and frosting on Saturday, after reading all the comments. It is fabulous!!!!! I used the small grate side on my box shredder, had no problems with the batter being dry and it had a beautiful rise. It does have a minty, cool after taste but my hubby and I didn’t mind. The frosting turned out great also, I used the cream cheese advice, no after taste.
    One question, can I use ZSweet instead of the Swerve? It is easier for me to find and a bit easier on my budget, just wondering. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

  20. This cake is really good, but the frosting is to die for! How long would you cook if you made this as cupcakes? 20-22 minutes

    Reply

  22. I made this over the weekend for my son’s 8th birthday. I had to fudge on a few of the ingredients since I can’t quite reconcile spending so much money on Swerve, so I used a combination of what I had on hand. I added about 1/4c of coffee that was left from the morning. And I didn’t have zucchini, but had yellow squash to use up. It turned out amazing.

    My son claimed it was the best cake he’s ever eaten. He had it again for breakfast this morning and I didn’t even feel guilty. 🙂

    I also hate the word moist, but this case was MOIST, delicious, and absolutely amazing cold! THANK YOU!!!

    Reply

      • My bf birthday is coming up Saturday I want to make him a chocolate cake he was diagnosed with diabeties and also has to majorly cut his carbs or the dr said he would be dead in 5 yrs. if he knew I was putting a vegetable in his cake he wouldn’t eat it. So my question is can u see the shredded zucchini??

        Reply

        • It’s very difficult to detect. If you want to eliminate the green, you can peel it first. I brought it to a birthday party and no one knew there was zucchini in it.

          Reply

  23. I’ve made this several times as cupcakes and they are so flipping good. If you’ve been eating low carb for a while and just need a sweet treat, this is a must! I’ve shared with all my keto friends. Thanks!

    Reply

  24. Since this cake was touted the “best” I decided to give it a try. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but it turned out to be probably the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. I don’t think using coconut oil AND flour is a good idea. Neither was adding zucchini. I found another recipe online using almond flour, milk & butter that turned out much better. On a positive not, the chocolate buttercream frosting was amazing.

    Reply

  25. I just made this. Me & hubby enjoyed it. When yo haven’t eaten regular cake this hits the spot! Can’t make this but on very special occasions. With a few changes mines came out way more net carbs than yours. I used trivia, added coffee & used cream cheese icing w/ a few teaspoons of cocoa powder. Thanks, this is a keeper

    Reply

  26. I was a little concerned when the cake didn’t “rise” in the oven. No matter how long I baked it the bottom was still gooey, so I decided to take a chance and cool it and my oh my did that make a difference!It was still better with my low carb chocolate ganache of sorts ( I made this with 4 bars of ghirardelli 100% cacao, about 1/4 cup whole milk, 1-2 tbsp almond butter and some swerve and splenda-micrwaved to melt the chocolate till the milk bubbles and just stirred it all together). Refrigerating the whole thing with the chocolate ganache made a big difference and the cake was a hit with my to be in laws!Thanks so much for the healthy recipe!

    Reply

  27. Love this recipe! Made it for my family for Christmas, and they all loved it. I was wondering, could I use this to make a zucchini bread? I would omit the cocoa powder, and bake in a bread pan. What would you suggest for cooking time? 50 min or so? Also, should there be any other modifications you suggest? Thanks so much!

    Reply

  28. I am baking this cake right now. Is the batter supposed to be so thick you can barely stir it? I’m nervous it’s too thick…had to spread it in pan like it was almost clay. Thanks. I double checked all ingredients over and over.

    Reply

  29. Lisa – Thank you for this and all of your awesome recipes. I have never been a cook in my life but with the change to low carb six months ago I discovered your site and have found your recipes so easy to follow I feel like I am now a great cook! Thank you for making this way of eating a breeze to stick to. -50# YAY!!

    Reply

  30. Thank you so much for this! I made this a few days ago and it’s already nearly gone. I love chocolate and knowing that i can still have amazing cakes like this on a LCHF diet makes life so much better! I know that i am not poisoning my body when eating this, if anything, i’m nourishing it! You can’t even tell that there is zucchini in it. I didn’t strain the zucchini, so it was lovely and moist. I added the sugar free chocolate bar too, and it was HEAVEN!

    I was looking for a cake i can make for Christmas that no one will be able to tell its sugar free, and this is winner.

    Thank you so much, it’s amazing!!

    Reply

  32. I have erithritol and powderd stevia but none of the sweetener blends you suggest. Can you let me know if either of those will work or if I need to do some kind of combo (half and half maybe)? I do have the monk fruit for that part.

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • You’ll need about 1 3/4 cups to 2 cups sugar equivalent. You could use about 1 cup erythritol and 3/4 teaspoons stevia powder (about 1 1/2 tsp liquid stevia).

      Reply

      • Hi, this sounds amazing and I miss cake so much but I only have stevia, I don´t have Pyure all purpose, I live in Mexico and it is really hard to get it, how much stevia should I use?

        Thank you

        Reply

  34. Everything low carb uses coconut 😝, I know substituting almond flour for at least 1/2 the coconut flour will require less liquid, but can I use butter instead of coconut oil?

    Reply

  36. I made this cake as cupcakes this weekend and put a little whipped cream on them (both reg and chocolate whipped cream) right before serving. Wow, they were awesome! But for next time can I use vegetable oil instead of coconut oil? Too many saturated fats in the coconut oil. Had to give my sister the recipe-she loved it!

    Reply

    • How many vegetables do you know that have mass amounts of fat? Olive oil is about the only one; but it isn’t ideal for baking due to flavor. Despite current food pyramid guidelines, saturated fat (and all fat), when combined with a low-carb diet, is not unhealthy. Saturated fats are, in fact, good for you. Vegetable oils are all unhealthy, as they are chemically produced.

      This recipe is best with coconut oil or butter. And it’s delicious!! My kids are none the wiser 😉

      Reply

  37. Hello, I tried the cake and its very good.
    I’m just not sure if I got the right measure. How large is a cup? I find 340 g in internet but this seems a lot, so I used 150 g but I think it was still too dry.
    But it is stil very good.

    Reply

  38. I had high hopes after reading the comments. Purchased, made exactly as listed and had it tonight for a desert for a dinner party. Everyone agreed it was very bland, awlful tasting cake. Good texture but flavorless, even with the exactly made link of frosting receipe. An epic fail and waste of money.

    Reply

  40. I’ve tried so many low carb cakes and this is BY FAR the best. Thank you!! Next time I make it I was thinking of substituting the tsp of cinnamon with some coffee (because I assume the cinnamon is only there to enhance the chocolate flavor?? is that true?) and then topping with a mocha frosting. Do you think that might work?

    Reply

  41. Hi Lisa. I am making a cake for my son’s birthday, and of course he wants a dinosaur cake. I have a low carb/coconut flour recipe I have used before that is great to work with for decorating and carving out shapes (we did a TuTiTu cake last year), but it tends to be a bit dry. Yours sounds like dryness is not a problem, but do you think it will hold up to the carving and decorating required to make a T-Rex? Thanks

    Reply

  42. One cup cocoa powder seems so much. But doesn’t seems to be an error,when I look at the other comments. Will try as is. Love your recipes btw

    Reply

    • It’s a big cake. You could try reducing to 3/4 cup, but I wouldn’t go lower than that. The original recipe was a 9×9 and used 1/2 cup.

      Reply

  45. I would love to make this but just can’t get myself to spend almost $30 for the monk fruit. Any replacements for monk fruit?

    Reply

  46. How long can I leave this cake on the counter? I prefer that the icing be creamy since the fridge makes it firm. Great recipe! Thank you

    Reply

  48. I just made this cake and it smells so good in the oven! I did have a comment- I put these ingredients in my FitnessPal app and it came out to 17 carbs and 2.4 g of fiber (net carbs 14.6). I checked the ingredients list and the coconut flour and the unsweetened cocoa are the largest carb contributors. Should I have used a specific type of coconut flour and cocoa powder to lower the carb count?

    Reply

  49. Made this today and it was awesome!! Absolutely love the frosting also. Thanks for sharing . Is it best to keep in refrigerator ?

    Reply

  51. Hi, can I clarify – are there two types of sweeteners in this? Sukrin / Pyure / Swerve and then monk fruit or the monk fruit substitute?

    I have stevia which is plenty sweet enough with 1/4 teaspoon – would you recommend any recipe adjustments where I could omit the former altogether? I really don’t need additional sweetener. Thank you very much

    Reply

    • For the whole recipe, it would be better to use at least 1/2 to 1 teaspoon stevia. You could taste the batter and adjust to taste. With the amounts listed, it’s not a very sweet cake.

      Reply

      • What type of stevia powder are you referring to? I use Sweetleaf, but buy the type with no filler in it whatsoever. So, for example, 1/16th of a teaspoon makes a sweet cup of coffee…as if you used two splenda packets. Which kind are you referring to? The Sweetleaf in the grocery store has filler. Thanks for the clarification.

        Reply

  52. Can an all purpose gluten free flour mix be use in place of the coconut flour? If so, what, if anything, needs to be reduced?

    Thank you!

    Reply

  53. I made this cake last week with buttercream frosting and it was a huge hit. The cake is really fantastic!
    The only problem I had, was, that I obviously do not tolerate coconut flour. I was the only one, my kids and my partner didn’t have any issues.
    So, my questions is, can I substitute almond flour or almond meal,, for the coconut flour and if so, I would have to reduce the eggs, or not? Or how should I otherwise adjust the recipe?
    Thanks in advance, Tanja

    Reply

    • You’ll want to reduce the eggs and possibly add more almond flour. Also, the liquid which comes from the zucchini may need to be reduced when using almond flour. It’s hard to say without experimenting with the recipe.

      Reply

  54. Mother of all things Yum! Yes! This does deserve the name you have given it. I have made many low-carb cakes in my day, but I do believe this is the best. Thank you! I loved it. My husband loved it. People who don’t do low-carb or sugar substitutes had no idea. Perfect recipe for a moist low-carb chocolate cake.

    Reply

    • So glad it was a hit for you! I’ve served this one to those who don’t do low carb as well and they could not tell it wasn’t the real thing.

      Reply

  56. Can I use zucchini puree instead of shredded zucchini or would I have to decrease some of the oil to use this substitution?

    Reply

  57. This is so delicious, made it today and iced with chocolate cream cheese icing…all low carb. I added a teaspoon of instant coffee into the batter…so moist. Thankyou for a great recipe.

    Reply

    • A bit of coffee does enhance the chocolate flavor. Will have to try next time! And, the chocolate cream cheese frosting sounds super yummy!

      Reply

  59. Hi. What do these ingredients do? And how can I substitute. I don’t recognise the names. Are they available in Australia?

    3/4 cup Sukrin+ or Pyure All-Purpose (or 1 1/2 cup Swerve).

    Ta
    Kathleen

    Reply

  60. I’m totally making this because I’ turning 50 this week and dang it, I want cake but I am not willing to get out of ketosis!

    Reply

    • It’s a concentrated sweetener. You can add another 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar equivalent of any other low carb sweetener to taste. I like monk fruit because it has zero carbs and no aftertaste.

      Reply

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Lisa at Low Carb Yum
Hi! I’m Lisa, a part-time blogger, full-time engineer, and mother of three. I’ve been low carbing since 2001 and love to try new recipes. This blog started in 2010 as a way to save and share my recipes with others. Read more….
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