Easy Keto Chocolate Cake
Published June 6, 2020 • Updated July 20, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
I came up with this because I got tired of pulling out almond flour, cocoa powder, eggs, and six other things every time I wanted something sweet after dinner. Four ingredients. That’s all this takes. You crush up some keto double chocolate cookies, mix them with heavy cream, press the batter into a ramekin, and microwave it. The whole thing is done before your coffee finishes brewing. It has replaced every other quick chocolate fix in my rotation.
I’ve made a lot of low-carb desserts over the years, and most recipes like this one call for 8 to 12 ingredients and actual oven time. This skips all of that. No almond flour, no coconut flour, no eggs, no cocoa powder. The cookies already have the flavor and sweetness built in, so you’re basically remixing something that already works.
The texture surprised me most. I expected it to be crumbly or dry, but the heavy cream turns the cookie base into something genuinely cakey. Soft in the center with just a little bit of structure around the edges. Almost like a warm brownie but lighter. If you’ve tried my chocolate mug cake, this one is richer and denser because the cookie base gives it more body than a flour-based batter.
I top mine with a quick glaze (just sugar-free chocolate chips and coconut oil melted together) and that takes it from snack to actual dessert. The glaze sets into a thin shell as it cools, so you get that slight crack when you press your fork through it. You could also skip the glaze and add a scoop of ice cream on top or pipe on some buttercream frosting if you want it to look like a real celebration cake.
One thing I tested carefully was the microwave timing. I ran this through three different wattage ranges and the differences matter. A 1200 to 1700 watt microwave needs 60 to 70 seconds. A 1000 watt microwave needs 65 to 70 seconds. And if yours is 700 watts, go 70 to 80 seconds. Start with the lower end of your range and check it. You want the center to look just barely set because it firms up as it cools.
This is the keto cake I reach for when I want something warm and rich but don’t want to deal with a pile of bowls and measuring cups. If you like almond flour baking for other recipes, great. But for a weeknight when you need a single-serve treat with almost no cleanup, this is it. Four ingredients, one bowl, two minutes.
Explore hundreds of keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
4 Keto Double Chocolate Cookies -
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
-
2-4 tablespoons sugar-free chocolate chips
-
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Get a small bowl
In a small bowl, mash together the cookies with the heavy cream and mix until cookies are crumbled and a batter is formed.
Press & microwave
Press cake batter into a greased ramekin. You can also line the inside of the ramekin with parchment paper if you wish to pop your cake out of the ramekin after baking. Microwave for 60-70 seconds for a 1200 to 1700 Watt microwave. Microwave for 65-70 seconds for a 1000 Watt microwave. Microwave 70-80 seconds for a 700 Watt microwave.
Prepare the glaze
Remove from the microwave and let cool. Meanwhile prepare the sugar free chocolate glaze. In a small bowl, add chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is melted: stir between each interval.
Add the glaze
Top cake with chocolate glaze.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
Your Macros. Your Recipes. Calculated in 60 Seconds.
Get personalized keto macros and instantly see which recipes fit your targets. No more guessing what to eat.
Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Why use cookies instead of almond flour?
I wanted a cake that didn't need me to measure out five different dry ingredients. The cookies already have the sweetener, the cocoa, and the binding worked out. When I crush them with heavy cream, I get the same rich base without any of the extra steps. I've made plenty of cakes with almond flour, like my carrot cake, and they turn out great. But this method is just faster.
Can I bake this in a regular oven instead of the microwave?
I've done it. Press the batter into a greased ramekin and bake at 350F for about 12 minutes. The texture comes out a little firmer than the microwave version, more like a dense brownie. I personally prefer the microwave because the center stays softer, but the oven works if that's all you have.
How do I know when the cake is done?
The edges should look set and the very center should still look slightly underdone. I pull mine at that point because it keeps cooking for another 30 seconds from residual heat. If you wait until the whole surface looks dry, it will end up too firm once it cools.
Can I double this recipe to make a larger cake?
I've doubled it and used a small microwave-safe bowl instead of a ramekin. You'll need to add about 30 extra seconds of microwave time and check the center. It works, but I actually prefer making two individual ramekins side by side. They cook more evenly that way.
What can I use instead of heavy whipping cream?
I've tested coconut cream and it works well if you're avoiding dairy. The texture is nearly identical. I've also tried unsweetened almond milk and it does work, but the result is a bit less rich since almond milk is so much thinner. My preference is still heavy cream, but coconut cream is a close second.
How should I store leftovers?
I keep mine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds before eating. It tastes so much better warm. Honestly though, this is a single-serve recipe so I rarely have anything left.
Can I add different flavors or toppings?
I add a pinch of flaky salt on top of the glaze sometimes and it makes a big difference. A splash of vanilla extract in the batter is good too. For toppings, I've done whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate mousse, and a few extra sugar-free chips. My go-to is the glaze plus salt.
Can I freeze this cake?
I've frozen these and they hold up fine for about a week. I wrap the ramekin tightly in plastic wrap after the cake has fully cooled. When I want one, I microwave it for 30 to 40 seconds straight from the freezer. The texture is slightly denser after freezing but still good. I'd skip the glaze before freezing and add it fresh after reheating.
Gotta chocolate craving?? You need to fix it fast with a quick & easy 
To prevent the cake from sticking and to make it easy to remove from the ramekin, line it with a strip of parchment paper around the sides before you add the cake batter. You can also do a little circle of parchment paper on the bottom but this isn’t necessary.
Rich, fudgy smell when it came out of the microwave. That's when I stopped doubting it. I'd been skeptical about pressing cookies into batter for cake, figured it would taste like a workaround. It doesn't. Press the batter firmly and evenly into the ramekin before it goes in, mine came out lopsided the first time because I rushed that step. Worth dialing in the timing too: two minutes was long on my 1000-watt, 1:40 hit it better. Four stars because I needed a couple tries to nail the timing, not because anything's wrong with the recipe.
The 1:40 vs 2:00 gap is real. At 1000 watts, 20 seconds is the difference between fudgy and overdone. I always say start checking at 1:30 the first time and go from there. The lopsided thing is on me, honestly I never made it clear enough in the recipe that this batter's too dense to self-level like regular cake batter. You have to push it out to the edges like you mean it. Glad the smell did the convincing.
I made this with three cookies instead of four, a bit more cream. Less cakey, denser. Closer to a chocolate fudge cup, and after five tries that's where I landed. Cookie base pulls off a texture flour just can't get to. Two minutes is too long for my microwave, I pull mine at 90 seconds or the edges go rubbery.
no oven chocolate cake tho
6 net carbs on a chocolate cake is the kind of number that makes you suspicious. Made it anyway, two minutes later I was deciding whether to make a second one.
Two more minutes.
Forgot to grease the ramekin. Don't be me.
The teaspoon of coconut oil in the recipe coats it. Found that out the same way.
Two minutes and four ingredients read like a trick when I first saw this. I bake from scratch and have strong opinions about chocolate, so I figured microwave cake would be a sad compromise. The glaze changed that before I even tasted it. Watched the Lily's chips and coconut oil come together and it looked like actual ganache, not the grainy mess I expected. Batter pressed into the ramekin cleanly and the whole thing came out in one piece, which honestly surprised me more than the flavor. Real question for Annie: can the glaze be made ahead and reheated, or does it seize up? I want this on rotation for weeknights without starting from scratch each time.
Making these for movie night Saturday and trying to sort out timing with six people coming. Can I mash the cookies and heavy cream, press into the ramekins, and refrigerate for a few hours, then microwave right before dessert, or does the batter need to be fresh? Also the glaze. If I melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil early in the day, does it set solid, or can I stir it back to pourable? New to keto baking and genuinely have no clue how this stuff behaves sitting around for hours. Hoping to get all the prep done in the afternoon and just nuke them at the end of the night.
The batter is fine to prep ahead. Press it into the ramekins, cover, and refrigerate. I'd add about 20-30 extra seconds when you microwave since they'll be going in cold. The glaze is the one to watch: coconut oil sets solid once it cools, so what's pourable at 3pm will be a lump by 10pm. Ten seconds in the microwave right before you pour and stir, it loosens right back up.
double the cream in the batter. holds together better.
Drew, that tracks with cookie-based batter. I've gone up to 3 tablespoons but never the full double. Trying it next batch.
My wife took one bite and asked if I'd bought a box mix she didn't know about. Cookies mashed with heavy cream, a glaze made with Lily's chips, two minutes in the microwave. Her confusion was the best part.
Ha. That's the goal. Four ingredients, two minutes, and she's convinced it's from a box.
I've made at least six keto chocolate cakes and the flour-based ones always taste like compromise. This one doesn't. The ganache on top is what seals it.
Six versions is real due diligence. The cookie base is what changes everything - instead of fighting through almond flour to get to the chocolate, you're just... there.
Swapped the coconut oil in the glaze for butter and it completely changed the texture -- instead of staying soft, it sets up into this thin glossy shell that actually cracks when you press a fork through it. Found out by accident (I was mid-recipe, completely out of coconut oil), but now I do it on purpose every time. Also: let the ramekin sit in the fridge for about ten minutes before you unmold it. The cake holds its shape way better and the glaze goes on cleaner. Those two things alone make this feel like a totally different dessert. There's already so much chocolate flavor that the glaze just amplifies it, and with the butter swap the whole thing tastes richer than any two-minute microwave cake has any right to.
That crack when you press a fork through it is exactly what I want from a glaze. Haven't gotten it with coconut oil. The fridge step is smart too - mine has slipped on unmold more than once.
If you let the cake sit a few extra minutes before adding the chocolate glaze, it sets up thick instead of running straight off the sides. Found that out the hard way on my first try.
Yeah, 2-3 minutes makes a real difference. The top firms up just enough that the glaze has something to catch on.
Made this last night and the texture was completely off. Gummy in the middle, even after the full two minutes. I mashed the cookies into a smooth paste with the cream, and I'm pretty sure that's where I went wrong. Is there supposed to be some texture left in the cookie layer, or does it need to be fully smooth before pressing into the ramekin? Also wondering about wattage, because mine runs at 1200 and I've definitely overbaked things before without catching it. Flavor was all there and the glaze set up great, but that wet center was a miss. Want to get this right on the next try.
Yeah that's it. You want rough chunks, not paste. The cookie pieces give the center something to set around as it cooks - smooth batter just steams into gum. And 1200 watts is high, I'd start at 1:20 and check it. Center should still look wet when you pull.
Added a pinch of flaky salt on top of the glaze and I'm sorry but I ruined myself for the plain version. The bittersweet from the Lily's chips plus that salt hits completely different. Two minutes of work and it tastes like something I'd pay $14 for at a cafe.
Ha that $14 cafe comparison is right. Salt on the Lily's glaze and it doesn't feel like a two-minute cake anymore.
Made individual ones in ramekins for Easter dinner and my sister-in-law (who actually bakes) picked hers up thinking I'd ordered from somewhere. When I told her it was two minutes in the microwave she put it down and stared at it. The chocolate glaze is what sells it, looks way more legit than you'd expect from four ingredients. Already planning these for Mother's Day.
Ha. Four ingredients and she actually put it down to stare. The glaze does that.