Need a personal-sized low carb cake for someone special that takes minutes to make? Try this gluten-free keto birthday cake in a mug! It only takes 2 minutes to bake.
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Low Carb Birthday Cake In A Mug
Even though you might be on a low carb diet, you can still celebrate your birthday with a sweet frosted cake! In fact, this cute little low-carb and gluten-free birthday mug cake only takes two minutes to bake in the microwave.
I admit that this cake baking thing in the microwave didn't really appeal to me at first, but after seeing a lovely Valentine's Day mug cake recipe from Sugar Free Mom, I was sold on the idea.
So, I want to thank my fellow low-carb blogger Brenda for turning me around.
Let me tell you- This cake is the perfect mini size. You won't spend a lot of time baking it, and you won't have any leftovers that you'll need to store afterward.
It is perfectly-portioned for just one person - so you get your own little personal cake! It makes 4 cute-sized slices.
Ingredients Needed For Keto Mug Cake
All of the exact ingredient amounts are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, I'm going to share some more information about the ingredients.
Flour
To make this cake, I used a combination of almond flour and coconut flour because, out of all the flour combinations I tried, this gave me the perfect texture!
Liquid
Then, I added coconut oil and almond milk (because coconut flour soaks up wet ingredients).
Dry Ingredients
You'll also need baking powder, one egg, salt, and vanilla extract for the flavor and texture.
Sweetener
For the low-carb sugar substitute, I suggest either liquid or granular sweetener. Confectioner's substitute or brown sugar substitute will change the texture too much.
Frosting
I decorated this birthday cake with homemade keto buttercream frosting- This recipe is amazing!
It's whipping cream, sweetener, butter, cream cheese, and a few more ingredients. It's basically Heaven!
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low carb recipe.
Quick Tips:
- There are 4.1g net carbs in half of this cake. If you are really trying to watch your macros, you can make just one layer and cut the amounts in half.
- If you like chocolate, you can make a keto chocolate frosting too. Sprinkle the birthday cake with sugar-free sprinkles or add some sugar-free chocolate chips on top.
- Mug cakes are typically baked in a cup and left in there. Since I wanted this to be a miniature double-layer frosted birthday cake, I used a 2-cup round Pyrex storage container for each cake layer.
- A regular ramekin is another great dish for baking these keto birthday cake layers. If you have a wide mug, that would probably work as well. You just want to make sure whatever you use is microwaveable.
How To Make A Keto Birthday Cake In 2 Minutes
This is such a simple recipe! All of the detailed steps and ingredients are in the printable recipe card just a little further down on this page.
Mix The Cake Batter
The first thing you will do is mix the dry ingredients in a separate small bowl. Set this aside.
Then, in the ramekin or small bowl that you'll make the cake in, melt the coconut oil. Stir in the almond milk, egg, sweetener, and vanilla extract.
Next, beat the dry ingredients into the liquid ones with a fork until they are really well combined.
Bake The Keto Mug Cake
Put it in the microwave and cook it for about 1 ½ minutes or 2 minutes Basically, take it out when it is completely set, like in the pictures below.
Take the little cake out of the bowl or mug and let it cool on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes.
This step is really important if you want to decorate it with frosting. If you skip this step, the frosting will melt and look more like a glaze.
Add Frosting and Decorate!
Finally, decorate your cake with some low-carb buttercream frosting. My cake looks so simple because I only made enough icing to frost the cake and didn't have any left to decorate with.
Had I planned things better, I would have made a double batch of frosting so I could do the traditional birthday cake frills. Oh well. Maybe next year!
What To Serve With Low-Carb Birthday Cake
There are lots of things you can serve with a keto birthday cake that won't kick you out of ketosis.
- Add a scoop of chocolate avocado ice cream on the side.
- Some other fun low-carb sweets that would taste perfect with this little cake are some keto shortbread cookies or chocolate chip dip.
- Don't forget the Bulletproof tea or coffee!
Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Mug Cake
Take a look at these often asked questions before submitting a comment. You may find the answer you're looking for here.
Can you use a plastic bowl or cup for a mug cake?
I'm not a fan of plastics or using them in the microwave so I don't recommend baking these cake layers in plastic dishes.
My Pyrex container was pretty hot taking it out of the microwave so use caution in removing the hot cakes. I also used potholders!
Can you make this mini cake in the oven?
This is a yellow gluten-free cake that bakes up nicely in the microwave, but you can bake it in the oven too.
Just follow my steps and then bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes! Check on them after 10 minutes so they don't burn.
What is the best low-carb frosting to use on the cake?
The frosting I used was the recipe from my gluten-free coconut cupcakes. The amounts given in that recipe were just enough to frost this two-layer mug cake.
If you prefer chocolate frosting, there's a great recipe listed on my chocolate frosted zucchini brownies. This is the perfect cake to bake up when you are craving something sweet but don't want a lot of servings.
The Best Keto-Friendly Birthday Cake- In A Mug!
This mini birthday cake can be a fun activity to do with the kids. The size kind of reminds me of the cakes from the Easy Bake Oven that I used to make with my older daughter. Of course, this is a much healthier cake than the mixes we used back then.
When I want a larger cake to share with family and friends also watching their carbs, I bake up a gluten-free carrot cake.
Just make sure to use low carb flours and keto sweeteners to keep the carbs low!
Other Cake Recipes To Try
If you enjoyed this keto birthday cake, then here are some more keto cake recipes you should try next. They are some of my favorites!
- Keto Chocolate Molten Lava Cake has rich chocolate oozing from the middle, so it's pure decadence.
- Low Carb Pumpkin Spice Cake has 3 layers made from mug cakes, but with the pumpkin spice flavor that you love.
- Keto Lemon Mug Cake is bright and refreshing and another one of my favorite mug cake recipes.
- Paleo Strawberry Mug Cake is made with 2 cute little layers and a yummy buttercream frosting.
- Blueberry Mug Cake is a really simple low-carb breakfast idea that tastes like a blueberry muffin.
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Recipe
Keto Birthday Cake in Minutes
Video
Ingredients
Each Cake Layer:
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- dash salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon almond milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon low carb sugar substitute
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional:
- Low Carb Frosting I used Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- Mix together almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
- Melt coconut oil in small round microwavable cup that will be used to bake cake. You can use a ramkin or 2-cup Pyrex storage container.
- With fork, stir almond milk, egg, sweetener and vanilla extract into melted coconut oil.
- Beat dry ingredients into liquid ingredients with fork until well combined.
- Microwave from 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until cake is no longer wet. It took 2 minutes to bake in my 900 watt microwave.
- Remove cake layer from pan and cool on rack.
- Repeat steps for each cake layer.
- Frost with icing if desired.
Notes
- ¼ cup softened butter
- ½ cup powdered sweetener
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- coconut milk or almond milk to desired consistency (about 1 tablespoon)
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published on April 15, 2015. Updated on January 19, 2021 with clearer images and recipe information.
Denise
Thank you so much for including oven directions. I'm going to try it in my air fryer too. We eliminated our microwave years ago and I really appreciate work-arounds.
Judy M
Hi Lisa, I’d like to try making this with stevia drops. I can’t eat Erythritol.
Do you think this would work with stevia drops,? Shoukd I add more of something else for the bulk? Thank you.
Lisa MarcAurele
It does work with liquid sweeter. You'll just need to adjust it to taste.
Judy M
Thank you so much Lisa! So many recipes don’t work no liquid sweetener because there isn’t any bulk. This will be a big treat for sure. Thank you for your reply
Natasha Siwik
I tried but it ended up very eggy tasting which the vanilla did not hide. Thanks for the efforts in posting this recipe though! It’s appreciated.
Sharon
I LOVE this cake! It is amazing. I have made it 3 times now. The thing is, it is so versatile. Made as is the first time. Next time I made a coconut cake using coconut extract. The third time I made a strawberry cake using strawberry extract. Next I might have to try lemon and maybe chocolate. I have been adding about 1 Tbsp of cream cheese to the frosting as well. This is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer
Do you need to refrigerate the keto birthday cake in minutes, if you are not eating it right away?
Lisa MarcAurele
I keep it in the refrigerator.
Wilma
I’m following the recipe, but the batter will not rise. What am I doing wrong?
Lisa MarcAurele
The rise comes from baking powder and eggs.
Lauren
I am confused by the servings. The ingredients above are for one layer or two? Am I supposed to use these ingredients to make one layer and then do it again for another layer? So in total I would be using: (for two layers)
4 tablespoons almond flour
2tablespoon coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
dash salt
2 tablespoon coconut oil melted
4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon almond milk
2 egg
2 tablespoons low carb sugar substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lisa MarcAurele
I need to fix the recipe. The ingredients make one layer. For two layers you will need double the ingredients. Sorry about the confusion.
Gennesa
I don’t use a microwave, so wondering if I could cook in a toaster oven, and if so, how long would I cook it at 350? 10 minutes? Thx!
Lisa MarcAurele
I'd start checking it around 10 minutes for doneness.
Carmella
I made this for my son and his heart friend and they really didn’t like it. Too eggy for them. I tried it and didn’t like it either. I ended up making a new mug cake from a pumpkin recipe and they both loved it. I don’t know, maybe too much vanilla for us.
Brenda
Carmella I read your comment and I’m having trouble finding a recipe I can eat too. Would you mind sharing the pumpkin recipe please? Thanks Brenda
Susan
Not my favorite. Cake has very little flavor and frosting just tastes like Erythritol. I’ll be tweaking it and probably adding liquid stevia to balance out the Erythritol in both the cake and the frosting. Looked mighty pretty though.
MyDarlin
I used oat flour for the coconut, reduced the milk a bit bc I used Skinny Syrups Birthday Cake flavor. It made three mini waffles. Delicious!
Sandra McKenna
Just want to clarify the nutrition info.
Does this include the frosting?
If so what would the nutrition info be without the frosting?
Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele
It does not include the frosting as it's an optional ingredient.
Michell
I am allergic to nuts. So I can’t use almond flour. What other flour can I substitute!
Lisa MarcAurele
You can try sunflower seed or sesame seed flour.
Claire Rodgers
Love the fact you can have great food gluten free great work . Would you please send me all recipes thank you
Lisa MarcAurele
All recipes are in the recipe index linked in the main menu.
Janie
Love being able to serve my husband cake again with frosting without him worrying about his levels of sugar
Golf
What kind of flour use instead of coconut flour? I don't have coconut flour and I can't find it.
Lisa MarcAurele
You should be able to replace it with almond flour in this recipe.
Zaida
Thank you soo much for sharihg this super quick, easy and delicious recipe! I have multiple food allergies so this recipe is such a blessing. No need to feel left out at the next party / get together
Lisa MarcAurele
So glad you got to enjoy some cake!
Gabriele Lanhan
Shared it 🙂
Gen
I make this almost everyday. Your recipe is perfect and I love watching the cake rise while in the oven. It smells and sooo good and super yummy too!Thank you so much Lisa!
Lisa MarcAurele
So glad you're enjoying this quick and easy low carb cake!
Toni TenEyck
Wonderful recipe! I used whipping cream in place of almond milk and added some almond extract in it!
Jessica Friedlander
Just tried this and well...I must of done something wrong. After 3mins it was still wet. The outer part tasted good which is why I gave jt 5 stars. I warmed up the eggs to make it less eggy taste.
Lisa MarcAurele
Was the coconut flour the defatted kind? Apparently, not all products labeled as coconut flour is.
shelby
Grumpy was having a sweet craving tonight and wanted cake to go with his Rebel Ice Cream....and he wanted vanilla. He went on the search on his own and found your recipe! I made it for him and stole a taste with a little butter pecan ice cream before I handed it to him. It was absolutely yummy! It smelled great while it was baking in the microwave also!
Lisa MarcAurele
Happy the minute keto cake worked out!
Susie
I doubled this keto cake recipe and baked it in the oven (not microwave). Baked at 325F. Turned out amazing. It’s for my husband’s birthday and I will top with whipped cream, thank you. Found it on Pinterest.
Edith Garcia
How many minutes do you bake it for in your oven? And did you bake it all in one pan? Thanks
lucy
thank you for sharing the recipe. I need a recipe for pan 12 inches. How to make it?
Lisa MarcAurele
Not sure if you noticed, but if you hover your curser over the number of servings at the top of the recipe, you can adjust the slider to increase the number of servings. You'll just need to bake the cake in an oven (325°F) until it tests done.
Melissa
Made this and it smelled like egg farts did i do something wrong only thing different i did was use stevia drops instead of granulated
Lisa MarcAurele
May have been the eggs. Sometimes they can have a sulfur smell if they are bad.
Nancy Black
Can I use regular milk instead of almond milk?
Lisa MarcAurele
Of course. They are pretty much one for one.
Garrison
Made this today and added sugar free chocolate chips on top.
This was much better than I expected! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Lisa MarcAurele
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. I like to use whipped cream and chocolate chips as an alternative to frosting.
Helen
I tried this the other day and it was so good.
Katrina
I hadn't tried out the recipe, but I think I might use the Monin zero calorie natural syrup (vanilla flavor) which has zero bad after taste and zero artificial sweeteners but am not sure how much I should add? Should I add a tsp instead?
Lisa
I'm not familiar with that syrup. If it's about the same sweetness as one-for-one sugar replacers, you'd use the same amount as the sweetener.
Adriana
Can it be baked instead?
Lisa
It can be, but you'll need to keep an eye on it and test for doneness. I recommend baking at 325-350°F.
Jennifer Taylor
Lisa, what temp and how long would you bake this in the oven if I quadrupled this to be a regular double cake size? I'm planning on making this this weekend for my step sons birthday and I'm wanting to know how to get a regular cake size baked in the oven vs the mug option. Thanks. Jenn
Lisa
I would bake at 325-350°F and watch it then test with a toothpick for doneness.
RaeLynn
This was so yummy! It's nice to see a keto friendly dessert that isn't chocolate! 🙂 I did pour some keto friendly caramel sauce over it and it was divine!
Lisa
The caramel sauce sounds yummy!
Ava
It was way blander than I was expecting. It just makes me sad because I am more of a sweet taste girl.
Lisa
You can definitely up the flavor by adding in more vanilla or another extract.
Tasia
Hello!
Can I use all almond flour instead of using coconut flour too?
Lisa
You can try as it should work, but no guarantee as I didn't test it that way.
Jean Ludwig
This cake was very tasty. Just wondering if someone has adapted this recipe to make a 13x9 pan of it? LOVED the taste, texture.
Halesypie
I would agree!!! I would love to make this in cupcake/large cake size......
Rachel Vargas
How do you prevent the egg taste? Did I do something wrong?
Lisa
It is an egg based cake, but the vanilla and sweetener so help.
KetoKitty
Try using 2 egg yolks instead a whole egg. The egg white is what gives it that srambled egg texture and taste. You may need to play with the moisture level with a little water. Nothing will completely eliminate because its egg based, but every mug cake I've ever made I used egg yolk and its much better. Hope this helps.
Deb
Any suggestions on how much water to add if using 2 egg yolks instead of a whole egg? What consistency should the batter be? Hubby doesn't care for the eggy taste and texture of many keto baked goods. Can I use more Swerve or extra vanilla to hide the taste? How much?
This sounds perfect for his birthday this week. It's just enough for the two of us, and you can't go wrong with a cake that bakes in less than 5 minutes! Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele
Extra sweetener and vanilla should help. I haven't tried it with two yolks, but the batter is somewhat thin unless you let it sit for the coconut flour to absorb.
Veronica
Thanks for great recipe. Would swerve or lakanto work in this recipe? And if so, how much should I add? Thanks
Lisa
It's the same amount. Natvia is a one-for-one sugar replacement.
Jen
Can you use hwc instead of almond milk?
Lisa
You might want to dilute HWC if used as it's quite a bit thicker.
Mrs.Brock
What is the carb count on this please?
Lisa
It was in the recipe notes, but since you didn't see it, I moved it to the label.
Andrea
Made this tonight for a low carb strawberry shortcake...so good! I swapped butter for the coconut oil & heavy cream for the almond milk. I didn't have Natvia so substituted a little Sukrin Gold and Xylitol for sweetness. So easy to make, but this has to be an occasional treat because hubby and I each wanted a whole one to ourselves!
Lisa
Great idea!
Caroline
can i swap out coconut flour for almond flour? If so do I have to change anything else ? Thank for your help. -Caroline
Lisa
It's not a 1 for 1 sub. Typically only 1/4 to 1/3 of coconut flour is needed versus almond flour and typically egg and or liquid is increased. It's best to find a recipe using all coconut flour.
Melissa
About how many inches wide if the mug/ ramekin that you used? Thanks!!
Lisa
I used a 2 cup Pyrex which is about 4.5 inches in diameter.
sheri
I made a few adjustments to this recipe and put it into my waffle iron. I added some peanut butter, skipped the vanilla. I didn't have almond flour, so just used the coconut flour. It cooked in about 2 minutes and got crispy on the outside. I think it would have been better if I used more stevia (I just used one packet) or if I had put something on top of it like agave, etc. But it turned out surprisingly well for an experiment.
Lisa
Sounds really interesting! I never thought to bake it in the waffle iron.
Stephanie Quilliams
Seems unfair to mark it less than 5 stars, though. I mean, you did change the recipe almost entirely....
telissa Carpenter
right? Gee
Erin
Exactly!
Karen
I'm confused about the servings. At the bottom you wrote, "each cake layer is 2 servings". Isn't each layer one serving so that the total cake is 2 servings?
Lisa
I got four servings from this cake. The data is for 1/4 of the cake. If you'd rather eat a half cake serving, you'd need to double the numbers.
melanie
I'm confused about this as well...in the info at the start of recipe it says servings 1 cake layer...then at the end of the recipe it says .5 of a layer
Lisa
I eat 1/4 of the cake which is half a layer. Sorry for the confusion. Fixing!
sharon
before my low carb life i enjoyed spice cake with peanut butter frosting. soo good. would love to see a makeover for that here.
Lisa
I like that idea! Sounds yummy. I need to work on it!
Nicole Foster
Yum! I didn't make the frosting because I have a ton of local strawberries and wanted strawberry shortcake. This recipe was perfect for that. I loved the texture - it reminded me of spongecake. And it wasn't super sweet which was perfect for the strawberries and whipped cream. My only problem is this is so easy and fast that I'm going to want this every night! Lol
I am loving your recipes. Thank you!
Lisa
Strawberry shortcake is such a great idea!
Evelyn
Thanks for a small serving recipe. I live alone. So many recipes serve 6 or even more. Not so good when you are on your own. I realize that people with families need recipes but I really appreciate a recipe that serves just one sometimes.
Lisa
The rest of my family aren't as strict on carbs so I'm always looking for sweet recipes that don't make a lot. It keeps me from overeating low carb treats.
Alicia
Oh how cute!!! Love little mini desserts. I will try this next time I have a cake attack.
Patty
Holy Tomatoes...I'm gonna need to add some flavor to this. I'm not use to this kind of stuff, so I will work at making it more flavorful. Nice texture though.
Lisa
You could add extract flavoring or use flavored stevia drops for some of the sweetener.
Bethany
Made this the other night (well just the cake part) It was really good. I was looking for a non-chocolate non-snickerdoodle mug cake and this was great. I used creme and a bit of water instead of almond milk and butter instead of coconut oil. It was delish! I squeezed a bit of lemon juice in which added a yummy zing. Definitely will make again!
Lisa
Thanks for the giving it a try and letting us know that your adjustments came well too!
Shannon @ Dinner from the Heart
I love this!! I sometimes have a craving for cake or something like cake. This would be perfect! Happy Birthday! Today is also my son's birthday. 🙂
Lisa
Happy Birthday to your son! I'll be making more of these cute little cakes. Much better than making a full size one.
Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago
I like the idea of a mini cake instead of a cupcake - sounds perfect for two people.
Lisa
This cake is pretty filling. I ate the whole thing in four sittings.
Christie
What a fabulous way to enjoy some birthday cake without eating an entire big cake.
Lisa
Yes! I made a full size low carb cake for my daughter early in the month and ended up eating more than half the cake. That's why I opted for this mini cake.