Keto Red Velvet Mug Cake Recipe
Published February 9, 2020 • Updated February 28, 2026
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I've been tweaking this keto red velvet mug cake until the buttermilk tang and ChocZero white chocolate cream cheese frosting were exactly right. Five minutes, one mug, and a low carb dessert that passed the taste test with a nine-year-old who is not keto.
Real red velvet isn’t just chocolate cake with food coloring. The flavor I grew up eating (and spent months recreating in keto form) comes from an acid-cocoa reaction, the buttermilk reacting with the cocoa powder to create that tangy, slightly earthy depth that separates the real thing from a dyed impostor. That’s why I kept buttermilk in this recipe even though it adds a couple carbs. Skip it and you lose the whole point.
I tested this more times than I want to admit trying to nail the texture. Too much coconut flour and it turns rubbery. Too little and the center stays wet no matter how long you microwave it. The ratio I landed on (4 teaspoons coconut flour to 1/4 cup almond flour) gives you a tender, springy crumb that actually feels like cake. My test was simple: I handed one to my neighbor’s nine-year-old, who is not keto and has zero reason to be polite. She ate the whole thing, then asked if it tasted “different from normal cake.” That was all I needed to hear.
The frosting is where this really comes together. I use ChocZero white chocolate chips melted into the cream cheese base instead of just vanilla, and the difference is noticeable. White chocolate rounds out the tang of the cream cheese and gives the frosting a richness that pairs with the cake better than any plain cream cheese topping I’ve tried. If you’ve made my chocolate version or the birthday one, you know I take frosting seriously.
The whole thing takes about five minutes, start to finish. I microwave mine for 70 seconds in a 1000-watt microwave, but count on anywhere from 60 to 85 seconds depending on your wattage. You want the top set and firm, not wobbly. If it jiggles when you shake the mug, give it another 10 seconds. One thing I’ve started doing is splitting the batter between two ramekins instead of one large mug. You get more even cooking and the portions are more reasonable, especially when you’re topping each one with a generous layer of frosting.
If you want a low carb dessert that doesn’t taste like a compromise, this is where I’d start. I keep coming back to it the way I keep coming back to my chocolate chip version and chocolate layer cake. It’s one of those recipes where the keto version genuinely holds its own against the original.
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Mug Cake Ingredients
2 egg -
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
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1/4 cup almond flour
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3 tablespoons monk fruit
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2 tablespoon buttermilk
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4 teaspoons coconut flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1 teaspoon cocoa powder
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pinch of salt
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red food coloring
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
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2 ounces cream cheese
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
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1 teaspoon vanilla
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1/4 cup ChocZero White Chocolate Chips, melted
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1/4 cup powdered erythritol
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Combine the ingredients
In a small bowl, combine all of the mug cake ingredients along with a few drops of red food coloring. Mix together until combined.
Grease a mug
Grease a large mug or two with cooking spray. Pour mug cake batter into the mug or ramekin.
Microwave it
Microwave for 60 to 85 seconds or until the cake has risen and is set in the middle. It should not be wobbly when you shake it. Remove from microwave to let cool. Depending on the make and model of your microwave, baking times will vary.
Make the frosting
To make the frosting, cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until blended using an electric mixer. Add melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined. Slowly add in powdered erythritol and continue to mix until frosting is creamy and smooth. Frost the mug cake.
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.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake this in the oven instead of the microwave?
I've done it at 350°F for about 12-14 minutes in ramekins. The texture comes out slightly denser and more cake-like, which I actually prefer sometimes. Just watch it carefully after the 10-minute mark. The top should look set and spring back when you press it lightly. If you want a keto treat designed for the oven from the start, my Hostess-style cupcakes are built for that.
Why did it come out rubbery or dense?
Nine times out of ten, it's the coconut flour. I measure mine carefully at 4 level teaspoons (not heaping, not packed), and that made the difference between springy and bouncy. Overmixing can also cause it. I stir just until the batter comes together and stop. If your microwave runs hot, try cutting 10 seconds off your cook time.
Can I use beetroot powder instead of red food coloring?
I tried it. You get a deeper, more burgundy tone instead of bright red, which I actually liked for a more natural look. Start with about half a teaspoon and adjust from there. It won't change the flavor at the amount you need for color.
Should I use a mug or a ramekin for more even baking?
I've gone back and forth on this. A wide ramekin gives you more surface area, so the center cooks more evenly and you don't end up with overdone edges and a gooey middle. A mug works fine if you lower the power or add time in short bursts. When I'm making two servings, I always reach for ramekins. If you like single-serve keto desserts, my pumpkin version works great in ramekins too.
Can I use a different sweetener instead of monk fruit?
I've tested this with erythritol and an allulose blend. Erythritol works well but can have a slight cooling aftertaste, which the cocoa mostly covers. Allulose gives you a softer crumb but browns faster in the microwave, so I cut my time by about 5 seconds. I'd avoid pure stevia here because the amount you need is so small it's hard to get the bulk right for structure.
What can I use instead of buttermilk?
I keep buttermilk in my fridge specifically for this, but when I'm out, I mix 2 tablespoons of almond milk with half a teaspoon of white vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes. The acid is what matters. That's what reacts with the cocoa to give you the tangy depth that makes this taste like the real thing and not just chocolate cake with dye.
How should I store leftovers?
I cover it and refrigerate, though honestly there aren't usually leftovers. If there are, it keeps for two days. I reheat mine for about 15 seconds in the microwave, and the frosting softens back up nicely. I wouldn't freeze this one. The texture gets spongy after thawing, and the frosting separates. If you want something that holds up better for make-ahead, my mini cheesecakes actually improve overnight in the fridge.
Can I double the recipe to make two servings?
I do this all the time. Double everything, split the batter between two mugs or ramekins, and microwave them one at a time. Trying to microwave both at once leads to uneven cooking. I usually frost them both while the second one is heating. My pecan pie version is another one I double regularly.
Red velvet cake has been around for centuries and for good reason. It is a spongy cake with a hint of tang and chocolate. It is usually topped with cream cheese frosting.
If you miss red velvet cake, try this low carb mug cake version. It is easy to make and won’t destroy your kitchen! Top with a dollop of 
If we’re being technical, a mug cake should be baked in a mug. It’s called a mug cake because it’s meant to be a single serve cake where all the ingredients are mixed together in a mug and then baked in the same mug in the microwave for a minute or two.
But I find that cooking mug cakes in a mug gives me uneven cakes and inconsistent baking times. I prefer to transfer the batter to a 
Red velvet cakes are usually topped with cream cheese frosting. This mug cake is no different. But I’m adding a little white chocolate to the cream cheese frosting. This sugar free frosting uses 
Made individual ones in small ramekins for a spring brunch last weekend and my sister (who is not keto and has a running commentary on anything I bring to gatherings) didn't say a word, just started eating. She texted me the next day asking about ChocZero because she wanted to use the cream cheese frosting on something else entirely. That buttermilk tang is doing something right.
Trying to premix the dry ingredients so I'm not measuring everything out every weeknight. Will the baking powder still work or does it go flat sitting in the mix?
Baking powder doesn't activate until it hits liquid, so the dry mix is totally fine. Toss the almond flour, coconut flour, monk fruit, cocoa, baking powder, and salt all together - couple weeks no problem.
Made this probably eight or nine times now, and the version I landed on uses a tablespoon more buttermilk than called for. The cake stays more tender in the center and doesn't get that rubbery pull microwaves can give you. I also started pulling it at 65 seconds instead of the full 85, at least in my microwave. The ChocZero white chocolate frosting is the part that gets me every time, because it actually tastes like cream cheese frosting and not a substitute for it. My partner, who is not keto and is deeply suspicious of anything I make in a mug, keeps requesting this on weeknights. At 3.2g net carbs it has pretty much replaced my late-night dessert habit, which was the point.
Red velvet was the thing I gave up when I started keto in January. Not pasta, not bread, red velvet. It was my birthday cake every year growing up and I just accepted I was done with it. I found this recipe last week and made it that same night and I wasn't ready. The cream cheese frosting with the ChocZero white chocolate is what does it. That buttermilk tang in the cake, the real cream cheese flavor in the frosting. I'm pretty new to keto and new to cooking in general, so everything coming together in one mug in under 90 seconds made me skeptical. I'm glad I made it anyway.
Birthday cake every year is a lot to live up to. The buttermilk tang was the last piece I figured out - had to get that right or the whole thing felt flat. Glad you made it anyway.
Meal prepped these for the week by portioning dry ingredients into mason jars. Wet stuff takes 30 seconds to add. Done. The ChocZero frosting held up in the fridge five days, still spreadable straight from the cold container. Real tip: pull at 75 seconds instead of 85 and let it sit covered for two minutes. The center firms up on its own. Way better than going the full time and ending up with rubbery edges.
75 covered, carry-over handles it. Five days on the frosting is longer than I expected.
My microwave heats so unevenly that 60-85 seconds is basically a coin flip. Has anyone tried baking these in a ramekin? Curious what temp/time worked.
350, about 12-14 minutes. The ramekin actually gives you more even coverage than a mug, less of the overdone-edges-gooey-center problem. I start checking at 10.
Swapped the red food coloring for beet powder and the color actually came out deeper and more saturated than I expected. About a teaspoon worked. Kept the ChocZero white chocolate cream cheese frosting exactly as written because I wasn't touching that part. The beet does leave a faint earthy note underneath the cocoa, which is why I'm at four stars instead of five, but it's subtle enough that I'll keep doing it. Nice to skip the dye.
Making these for girls' night Friday and I can't wait, but I need to plan ahead. Can I mix the batter the night before and just microwave each one fresh when we're ready, or will sitting overnight mess with how they set?
Night before is fine. Stir it right before each one goes in, the batter settles overnight in the fridge. Sets the same.
My daughter is ten and not keto and will loudly decline anything she suspects is 'healthy food,' so I made this without explaining what was in it. She watched me put it together in about five minutes, got suspicious when I mentioned almond flour, and then tasted the ChocZero white chocolate cream cheese frosting and asked where I bought it. That frosting sealed it for me too. I've made plenty of keto mug cakes and the buttermilk tang here caught me off guard -- that tangy roundness isn't something I expected from a 90-second microwave cake. Four stars because I'd push the cocoa a touch deeper next time, but three batches this month already.
Three batches in a month is the real review. The cocoa, go ahead and push it, I sometimes add an extra half teaspoon. That buttermilk tang is what separates this from every other mug cake.
Made a round of these for book club last week and watched one of my friends spend a solid two minutes trying to figure out where I ordered them from. The white chocolate cream cheese frosting is what sold it. She made me text her the link before she even left.
Ha, the frosting gets people every time. ChocZero white chocolate melts so smooth it looks like something from a bakery case.
My daughter finished hers and then ate mine, called it 'fancy cake,' which from a nine-year-old with full access to regular desserts is pretty telling. I thought the batter was a little thicker than I expected but the cream cheese frosting pulled everything together.
'Fancy cake' from a nine-year-old with full dessert access is a real review. Thick batter is the coconut flour, it absorbs fast. Four level teaspoons (not heaping) and it loosens up a bit if you want it.
Added a splash more buttermilk (about 3 tablespoons instead of 2) and the center came out noticeably more tender. Then spread the ChocZero frosting while the cake was still warm so it melts right in. That combo made it feel less like a mug cake and more like actual red velvet.
Yeah, coconut flour soaks up so much that the extra tablespoon actually helps. The warm frosting thing I'm trying next time.
Made two of these on a snow day this week after my daughter spotted the red coloring in the batter and refused to let me make just one. She's nine and not keto at all, so she was my real test. Ate the whole thing, then asked if it tasted 'different' from normal cake. That question alone told me it worked. The only thing I'd tweak is a bit more cocoa powder, the red velvet flavor came through a little subtle for my taste.
A nine-year-old asking if it's 'different' and still eating the whole thing is the pass that matters. On the cocoa, yeah, bump it to 2 teaspoons. I keep it at 1 because red velvet is supposed to be subtle, but 2 works if you want that chocolate note to hit harder.
I used to bake a full red velvet cake every February for my mom's birthday. This mug version actually nailed that tangy cream cheese thing I thought I'd have to give up.
That tang comes from the buttermilk, not just the cocoa. That's the part I didn't want to lose either.