A warm, rich keto chocolate cake from four ingredients and about a minute in the microwave, two minutes start to finish. One ramekin, two servings, only 6g net carbs. No oven, no eggs, no special flours.
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. A pinch of flaky salt on top of the glaze makes a big difference. 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 small treat for two with almost no cleanup, this is it. Four ingredients, one ramekin, two minutes.
The inside stays moist and a little melted, almost like a lava cake.
Lining the Ramekin So the Cake Slides Out
This cake is very moist, so it sticks to the sides of the ramekin even when it is greased. If you want to pull it out for a nicer presentation, line the sides with a strip of parchment paper before you add the batter. A small circle of parchment on the bottom helps too, but it is not necessary.
No microwave? You can bake this cake in the oven instead. 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, because the center does not stay as soft. I prefer the microwave, but the oven works if that is all you have.
In a small bowl, mash together the cookies with the heavy cream and mix until cookies are crumbled and a batter is formed.
2
Press and 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.
3
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.
4
Add the glaze
Top cake with chocolate glaze.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/2 of recipe
Calories
336
Fat
31.2g
Protein
6g
Total carbs
23g
Net carbs
6g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 do I store or freeze leftovers?
I keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days and warm them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. They taste much better warm. To freeze, I wrap the ramekin tightly in plastic wrap once the cake has fully cooled. It holds up for about a week. I microwave it for 30 to 40 seconds straight from the freezer. The texture is slightly denser after freezing but still good. Skip the glaze before freezing and add it fresh after reheating.
I wasn’t sure these would travel, but lining the ramekin with parchment means it lifts right out. I stack a few in a container and glaze them the day I want one.
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.
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.
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 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.
Holds up fine. The coconut oil keeps it from seizing, so it comes back with 10 seconds in the microwave and a quick stir. I’ve made it three days ahead before with no issues.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tried this with coconut cream instead of heavy whipping cream and the texture got noticeably richer, almost fudgy through the middle. The glaze set differently too, more of a soft shell than a drizzle. Keeping it this way.
Made these in individual ramekins for a dinner party and a friend refused to move on until I shared the recipe. She could not believe two minutes in the microwave produced that.
