Keto Valentines Day Cake
Published February 11, 2021 • Updated February 28, 2026
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Two round pans, one simple cut, and you have a keto valentines day cake with dark chocolate layers and white chocolate cream cheese frosting. I've made this every February since 2018.
I started making this for Valentine’s Day back in 2018. My husband isn’t a flowers-and-card person, but put a chocolate cake in front of him and he pays attention. This is the recipe that stuck.
The cake itself is dark chocolate with a soft, dense crumb that comes from my 4:1 almond-to-coconut flour ratio. I landed on that mix after too many rounds of pure coconut flour cakes that came out like bricks. The quarter cup of coconut flour gives structure without drying things out, and the almond flour keeps the texture right where it should be.
For the frosting, I use a white chocolate cream cheese base. Cream cheese, butter, vanilla, melted sugar-free white chocolate chips, and powdered erythritol. If you’ve made my keto vanilla birthday cake frosting, this is the same idea with white chocolate folded in. It sets firm enough to hold the heart shape together but stays creamy when you bite through.
The heart shape is the part that scares people, but it shouldn’t. You don’t need a specialty pan. I use two standard 6-inch round pans, bake the layers, then cut a V from the bottom of each round and flip those pieces to the top. The frosting glues everything together. I’ve done this dozens of times and the method is forgiving, even if your cuts aren’t perfectly symmetrical.
A few things I’ve dialed in over the years. Pull the cakes at 22 minutes, even if the center looks barely set. They firm up as they cool, and waiting longer dries out the edges before the frosting can rescue them. If you want richer chocolate flavor, swap in Dutch process cocoa. It works here because the recipe uses baking powder (not baking soda), so the acid balance stays intact.
You can bake the layers a day or two ahead and keep them wrapped tight in the fridge. I frost the morning of. That way the cake is cold and firm when you’re cutting and stacking, which makes the whole process cleaner.
The decoration is where you make it yours. I pipe a conversation heart message on top with the remaining frosting (tint it with food coloring for the classic pastel look). If piping letters isn’t your thing, freeze-dried strawberry powder over white frosting gives you a pink tint that looks great without any skill.
If you want more keto desserts for a special occasion, my easy keto chocolate cake is a simpler single-layer version. For something lighter, the keto strawberry shortcake works in warmer weather. And for a quick treat without the full production, try my keto red velvet mug cake.
Explore 683+ keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Sugar Free Keto Chocolate Cake Ingredients
1 cup almond flour -
1/4 cup coconut flour
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1/4 cup 100% unsweetened cocoa powder
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2 teaspoons baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
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1/4 cup monkfruit blend sweetener
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4 eggs
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1/2 cup heavy cream
Sugar Free White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
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8 oz cream cheese, softened
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3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
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1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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1 cup sugar-free white chocolate chips, melted
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1 cup powdered erythritol
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food coloring, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat oven
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 6 inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine dry ingredients
To a medium bowl, combine flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream wet ingredients
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sweetener until smooth and fluffy. Add in eggs and heavy cream. Mix until combined.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients
Slowly mix in dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using an electric mixer. Mix until fully combined.
Bake the cakes
Pour equal amounts of cake batter into the greased cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-22 minutes or until the cake has risen in the middle and is set. Remove from oven and let cool in the cake pan for 5-10 minutes before loosening the edges using a butter knife and flipping over onto a wire rack to cool further.
Prepare the frosting
In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Pour in melted chocolate and mix until combined. Slowly add in the powder erythritol and mix until light and fluffy. Color with food coloring if using.
Make a heart shaped cake
To cut your cake into a heart shape, cut the bottom edges of the cake on both sides to form the bottom V shape of the heart. Move those cut piece to the top to form the M shape of the heart. Use frosting to glue these edges on.
Let's make a two-tiered cake
Spread a thick layer of frosting on the top of your heart cake. Repeat the method above with your second cake round and place on top to form a two tiered cake.
Crumb coat
Add a thin layer of frosting all around the side and sides of cake to form a crumb coat. Freeze for 15 minutes to let set.
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 use Dutch process cocoa instead of regular cocoa powder?
I tested this swap and it works. Dutch process gives you a richer, less bitter chocolate flavor. The reason it's safe here is that my recipe uses baking powder, not baking soda, so the reduced acidity in Dutch process cocoa doesn't affect the rise. I actually prefer it now.
Can I make this cake ahead of time?
I bake the layers a day or two ahead and wrap them tightly in the fridge. Cold layers are easier to cut and stack into the heart shape. I frost the morning I plan to serve it. The assembled cake holds well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the frosting actually tastes better after it firms up overnight.
Do I need a heart-shaped pan, or can I use round pans?
Round pans are all you need. I've been using two 6-inch rounds for years. You cut a V from the bottom of each layer and flip those pieces to the top to form the heart. The frosting glues it all together. I find this method more forgiving than a dedicated heart pan because you can adjust the proportions as you go.
Why is my cake still soft in the center after baking?
That's actually normal. I pull mine at 22 minutes even when the center still looks slightly underdone. It firms up as it cools. If you wait until the center looks fully set in the oven, the edges dry out. Give it a full 10 minutes in the pan before flipping onto a wire rack. If yours was truly liquid after cooling, add 3-5 minutes next time, but most of the time what looks underdone is just right.
Can I make this dairy-free?
I've tested this with coconut oil in place of butter and coconut cream instead of heavy cream. The cake layer works well either way. The frosting is trickier since cream cheese carries most of the texture. I'd use a firm dairy-free cream cheese alternative and make sure your coconut oil is solid, not melted, when you cream it. The chocolate flavor still comes through.
What should I pipe on top for a conversation heart look?
I tint the frosting with a drop of food coloring and pipe short phrases: BE MINE, XOXO, LOVE. My best tip is to sketch the letters with a toothpick first so you have guide lines. If piping isn't your thing, I've also dusted freeze-dried strawberry powder over the white frosting for a pink tint that looks great without any lettering at all.
What can I substitute for monkfruit blend sweetener?
I've used both erythritol and allulose in this cake. Erythritol gives a slightly cooler taste but works 1:1. Allulose browns more like sugar and keeps the crumb softer, which I prefer for this recipe. Stevia works too, but you'll need much less since it's concentrated. I'd start with half the amount and taste the batter before pouring.
How should I store leftovers?
I keep leftover slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The cream cheese frosting actually improves after a night in the fridge. You can freeze individual slices too. I wrap each one in plastic wrap, then foil, and they keep for about a month. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Keto chocolate cakes usually come out dense in the wrong way, more brownie than cake. This one actually held together in layers when I cut it. Didn't expect that from almond and coconut flour. The white chocolate cream cheese frosting alone makes it worth making. I'd go a little heavier on sweetener next time, but that's just me.
If your cream cheese isn't fully at room temperature, the white chocolate frosting will have grainy streaks that no amount of beating will fix. I pull mine out two hours before I start, not the usual 30 minutes. Also: run a thin knife around the 6-inch pan edges before releasing the layers. Lost my first one by skipping that step.
Swapped in Dutch-process cocoa and the chocolate flavor came out noticeably richer. Worth it if you keep it on hand.
Dutch process is a good call here. Less bitter, more chocolate. This one uses baking powder so the swap doesn't mess with anything.
I almost skipped this because every coconut flour dessert I've tried turns into a dry brick. Not this one. The crumb is actually soft, and the cocoa comes through without tasting like a protein bar.
Yeah it's mostly almond flour, the coconut is just 1/4 cup. That ratio is what keeps it from going brick. Pure coconut flour cakes are brutal.
Pull these out at 22 minutes even if the center looks barely set -- they firm up as they cool. Waiting the full 25 and the edges get dry before the frosting can do anything about it. The cream cheese layer is forgiving but the cake isn't.
22 minutes is the sweet spot for me too. The cream cheese frosting can only do so much if the edges are already toast.
Good but needed an extra 5 min in the oven, center was still soft
Yeah chocolate cakes are tricky, the center should still look slightly underdone when you pull it. It firms up as it cools. But if yours was still soft after that, go the full 40 min next time.