Moist and spongy with buttery cinnamon swirled through every layer and a vanilla creme glaze dripping down the sides, this coffee cake tastes like a cinnamon roll you can slice. I tested Duncan Hines, Good Dee's, and King Arthur to find the keto cake mix worth buying, then combined two favorite recipes from this site into one pan. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes. 1.7g net carbs per slice.
I combined two of my favorite recipes on this site into one, and the result surprised me. This is a spongy, moist cake with buttery cinnamon swirled through every layer and a vanilla creme glaze drizzled on top. I make it when I want something that feels special but takes almost no effort.
Here’s why I keep coming back to this one. Three shortcuts make the whole process feel effortless, and the finished cake still tastes like I spent all morning baking.
Why this recipe works
A box cake mix handles the base. I’ve tested several keto brands and they all work here. Most larger grocery stores carry them now, and the texture is better than a lot of from-scratch low carb cakes I’ve tried. I reach for Duncan Hines or Good Dees depending on what’s in stock, but King Arthur works well too.
No rolling, no shaping, no dough stress. You get all the cinnamon roll flavor without making a yeast dough. I just swirl the buttery cinnamon mixture right into the batter. It takes about 30 seconds.
One pan, no fuss. I bake this in a square dish every time. Pour, swirl, bake. If you like easy one-pan baking, my keto pumpkin dump cake uses the same approach.
What I love is how the cinnamon fills the house while it bakes. My family wanders into the kitchen before I even pull it from the oven. I usually make this on a Sunday morning alongside a pot of coffee, but it works just as well baked the night before for a weekday breakfast. It reheats in about 15 seconds and tastes like I just pulled it from the oven.
The cinnamon swirl layer is the real star. I use a mix of butter, brown sugar-free sweetener, cinnamon, and a couple tablespoons of the reserved cake mix to thicken it up. When you drop it into the batter in small chunks, it creates pockets of gooey cinnamon throughout. Every slice looks different, and that’s part of the charm. Here’s what I figured out after testing this multiple times: the box batter stays lighter than from-scratch batters, which is exactly why those pockets hold their shape instead of absorbing into the crumb. If you’ve ever had the swirl disappear into a homemade batter, that's the reason. If you want a crunchy top, I've also tested a simple streusel made from almond flour, butter, and a little brown sugar-free sweetener. I crumble it over the batter before baking. The contrast between the crunchy topping and the soft cinnamon swirl inside is worth it if you're not a glaze person.
This sits right alongside my keto vanilla birthday cake and chocolate cake as recipes I come back to all the time. I like having a few reliable baking recipes in rotation, and this one earns its spot. For something smaller, my chocolate mug cake takes about 90 seconds in the microwave.
Keto cake mixes I trust
I stopped trying to justify from-scratch baking for this recipe a while ago. The right low carb cake mix gives me a better, more consistent result with a fraction of the work. I’ve tested a bunch of them, and these two are the ones I keep buying.
Duncan Hines: 4g net carbs per serving and produces the lightest crumb. My go-to for this recipe.
Good Dees: 2g net carbs per serving. I reach for this one when I want to keep carbs lower.
How to store and freeze leftovers
I think this tastes best served warm with a cup of coffee (obviously). But I always have leftovers, so here’s what I’ve learned about storing it.
Room temperature: Cover with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. It keeps for 1-2 days on the counter. After day two, the texture starts to dry out.
Refrigerator: I store mine in the fridge most of the time. It lasts 3-4 days and I just pop a slice in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to warm it back up. That quick reheat brings back the soft, spongy texture.
Freezer: I wrap individual slices in plastic wrap, then put them in a freezer-safe bag. They keep for up to 2 months. When I want one, I pull a slice out the night before and let it thaw in the fridge, then microwave for 20 seconds. Works perfectly for weekday mornings when I want something that feels like a treat without any prep.
Make-ahead tip: I’ve prepped the batter and cinnamon swirl the night before, covered the pan, and refrigerated it overnight. In the morning, I pull it out, let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes while the oven preheats, then bake as usual. The texture comes out just as good as baking it fresh.
Pull out 2 tablespoons of cake mix and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 °F. Spray a square baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
For this step
1 box yellow or white keto cake mix
2
Prepare cake mix
Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish.
For this step
1 box yellow or white keto cake mix
ingredients listed on the box to make cake
3
Buttery cinnamon mixture
In a separate medium bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar-free sweetener, cinnamon and reserved cake mix until smooth.
For this step
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar-free sweetener
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons reserved cake mix
4
Cinnamon swirls
Drop small chunks of cinnamon butter mixture into the cake batter.
5
Bake the cake
Bake cake at 375 °F according to the instructions on the box or until cake is set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven and set aside.
6
Glaze it
Make glaze by whisking together powdered allulose, milk and vanilla. Glaze should be a semi-runny consistency. Drizzle glaze over warmed cake.
For this step
1/2 cup powdered allulose sweetener
1 ½-2 tablespoons milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 slice
Calories
248
Fat
23.4g
Protein
4.1g
Total carbs
18.5g
Net carbs
1.7g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this from scratch without a box mix?
I've made it both ways. If you have a basic keto yellow cake or white cake recipe you like, use that as your base, add the cinnamon swirl, and bake according to your recipe's directions. I find the box mix version turns out lighter, but the from-scratch version has a denser, more traditional crumb that I also enjoy. The swirl and glaze work the same either way.
Can I make this as cupcakes or in a 9x13 pan?
Both work. For cupcakes, pour the batter into a lined muffin pan, drop a small spoonful of the cinnamon mixture into each one, and bake at 375 degrees for 20-24 minutes. I check mine at 18 minutes since my oven runs a little hot. For a 9x13, double the recipe. The cake comes out thinner, so I reduce the baking time by about 5 minutes and start checking early. I haven't tried a bundt pan myself, but if you do, grease it well (I use butter and a dusting of almond flour) and keep an eye on the center with a toothpick.
Can I use cream cheese frosting instead of the vanilla glaze?
I've done cream cheese frosting on this and it works well. I mix softened cream cheese with powdered allulose and a splash of vanilla until smooth, then spread it on while the cake is still slightly warm. It gives the whole thing more of a cinnamon roll feel. I usually stick with the vanilla glaze because it's faster, but cream cheese is my pick when I'm serving to guests. If you love that cream cheese angle, my mini cheesecakes scratch the same itch.
Why does my swirl sink to the bottom instead of staying distributed?
I had this happen the first time I made it. The cinnamon butter mixture was too warm and too thin, so it melted straight through the batter. What fixed it for me: keep the butter mixture at room temperature (not melted), and drop it in small chunks rather than large spoonfuls. The thicker consistency holds its position while it bakes, and the reserved cake mix thickens it enough to stay suspended. If you use a plant-based butter (I used Miyoko's), it melts a little faster, so I refrigerate the mixture for about 10 minutes before dropping it into the batter. Regular and dairy-free butter both work once the mixture holds its shape.
How many net carbs are in a slice?
Each slice comes out to 1.7 net carbs. Here's how I count it: I take the total carbs from the mix and add-ins, subtract the fiber, then subtract the allulose and erythritol in the sweeteners, since those sugar alcohols don't spike blood sugar the way regular sugar does. What's left is the net carb number, and for a slice of this cake that lands at 1.7 grams. I cut the pan into 12 slices to get there.
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I’ve been making coffee cake from scratch since my mother taught me, so reaching for a keto cake mix had me skeptical before I even preheated the oven. She made a streusel-top version every Sunday morning, and I spent two years on keto unable to touch it. The texture here is different from hers (denser, which I actually prefer), and the cinnamon butter swirl gets a fudgy quality in the center her crumb topping never had. My one criticism: the swirl sweetener runs more candy than bakery. Another half teaspoon of cinnamon would fix it. But the vanilla glaze is what got me. That scent coming out of the oven is exactly what Sunday mornings smelled like in her kitchen. Didn’t expect to feel that in a keto recipe.
Making this Sunday and only have granular Swerve, not powdered allulose for the glaze. Will it set the same or should I just blitz it in the blender first?
A July cookout isn’t the obvious moment for coffee cake, but I had half a pan left from the weekend and brought it cold. Cut it into squares at the table, and the cinnamon swirl got more attention than I expected from people who weren’t keto at all. Three people asked if I’d made it from scratch. Not a keto question, just a baking one. Refrigerate it and slice on-site in summer, the glaze holds.
Cut and store without the glaze if you’re batching this for the week – the allulose goes tacky, and by day two the slices are stuck together and to the container. I mix the drizzle separately and add it per slice when I pull it. Five seconds, and the cake stays clean through day four. At 1.7 net carbs it fits the morning routine without recalculating, and I’m on my third weekly batch.
My daughter walked in while I was dropping the cinnamon butter into the batter and asked what we were celebrating. Might be the best thing anyone’s ever said to me in this kitchen.
The cinnamon butter chunks sinking into the batter are where this thing lives. My only note: it went from perfect to slightly overdone in like a 3-minute window at 375, so watch it toward the end. Still making it again.
My daughter is 14 and her review for anything I make is ‘it’s fine.’ She said that about beef stew I slow cooked for eight hours. So when she walked into the kitchen while this was still cooling, caught the cinnamon smell, and said ‘wait, is that actual coffee cake?’, I almost dropped the pan. She had two pieces and then texted her friend about it. The cinnamon butter swirled into the batter is what does it, I think, because the smell fills the whole house while it’s baking. First keto bake I’ve made where the reaction came before anyone even tasted it.
Made this on Sunday to have something ready for the week and I was not sure a coffee cake would hold up in the fridge for four days. It actually gets better. By day two the cinnamon layer sets and has more of a distinct flavor, almost like the swirl is more concentrated. Cut it into 12 slices, wrapped them individually, and had breakfast handled Monday through Thursday. The cake mix shortcut is what made me try it in the first place, and I’m glad I didn’t talk myself out of it.
My daughter has zero interest in keto anything, but she had a slice of this before I said a word about what it was. She came back an hour later asking if it was from the bakery we used to go to on Saturday mornings. The cinnamon butter swirled through the top is what got her (the smell while it bakes is something else). Not mentioning the 1.7 net carbs.
Cinnamon rolls were the one thing I actually missed when I started keto. Sunday mornings just weren’t the same. Made this last week and sat with my coffee for a minute before eating it because I didn’t want to be disappointed. The cinnamon swirl baked right into the cake is exactly the flavor I’d been missing, and at 1.7 net carbs I don’t have to negotiate with myself about Sunday mornings anymore.
My daughter (9, deeply suspicious of anything I label ‘keto’) claimed the last two pieces before I could even wrap them up. The cinnamon swirl layer was apparently non-negotiable. Making a double batch next week just to have enough for the rest of us.
Used browned butter in the cinnamon swirl instead of softened and it changed everything (more caramel depth, less just-sweet). The house smelled incredible. Four stars only because my edges got a little dark at the original time, so I’d pull it 4-5 minutes early if your oven runs hot.
Browned butter in the swirl is such a good call. The caramel thing it adds just works with cinnamon. And yeah, 4-5 early is right if yours runs hot. Mine runs cool so I almost always need the full time.
I resisted the box mix route, but the cinnamon butter swirled through this batter makes it better than the from-scratch version I’ve been making for years.
Ha, same thing happened to me when I first tested it. The box batter stays lighter, so the cinnamon swirl doesn’t just get absorbed into the crumb. From-scratch keto batters are usually denser and it changes how the swirl distributes.
