Decadent Keto Cheesecake Cake: A Sugar-Free Dream

Take your baking to new heights with this Keto Cheesecake Cake. This low-carb Cheesecake Cake is the ultimate decadent dessert recipe. It's the stuff sugar-free dreams are made of! Imagine creamy vanilla cheesecake sandwiched between two delectable layers of low-carb chocolate cake. This keto baking extravaganza is a multi-step process that is best done over the span of two days, but it’s quite straightforward and not complicated at all.

Why Bake a Keto Cheesecake Cake?

Some people think someone else should be doing it for me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Why would I hand over the joy of the experience, the kitchen to myself, the time spent carefully assembling each piece, to someone else? And let’s be real, NO ONE is going to do as good a job as I am! No one else is going to put quite as much care into it. Really, it’s one of my favorite things to do on my birthday. Each year, I come up with some amazing sugar-free concoction. Two years ago, on my 50th, I made the best keto chocolate cake in the world. A year before that, I made a stunning triple layer keto carrot cake. And Keto Italian Cream Cake was created on my natal day too! But this year, I went big and bold and decadently delicious, with Keto Cheesecake Cake. A whole cheesecake stuffed inside a chocolate cake and all topped off with the best keto chocolate frosting? Go big or go home, I alway say!

The Layers of Deliciousness

Just picture it… two layers of coconut flour chocolate cake with a creamy center of keto cheesecake. And it tastes as good as it looks! You have to make the cheesecake layer and let it freeze until solid, so it doesn’t smoosh when you assemble the cake. Then you make two layers of chocolate cake and I chose to use my Keto Ding Dong Cake as the base. It’s easy and always turns out delicious. It also holds up well to all sorts of fillings, including cheesecake! Finally, you make a batch of chocolate frosting and spread it all over, and decorate as desired. You end up with a spectacular layer cake that will blow people’s minds.

Key Ingredients for Keto Cheesecake Cake

Here's a breakdown of the essential ingredients you'll need:

• Cream cheese: You can’t have cheesecake without cream cheese! You also use it in the chocolate frosting. Be sure to use full fat cream cheese
• Sour cream: I find that adding sour cream gives the cheesecake filling a rich, velvety texture. If you don’t have sour cream, you can use heavy whipping cream.
• Sweetener: You will need granular sweetener for the cake and cheesecake layers, and powdered sweetener for the frosting.
• Coconut flour: This cake uses coconut flour.
• Protein powder: You can use whey or plant-based protein. Do not use collagen protein. I have long studied the science of keto baking, and I always recommend using protein powder for keto cakes and muffins. Gluten is a protein that helps conventional baked goods rise and hold their shape. Since almond flour and coconut flour are gluten-free, another dry protein helps achieve a lighter, fluffier texture with greater stability.
• Leftover coffee: A little bit of coffee helps intensify chocolate flavors, but it won’t make it taste at all like coffee.
• Unsweetened Chocolate: Make sure to use 100% unsweetened chocolate, which means no sweetener whatsoever.

When you are on the keto diet ingredients like quality sour cream, cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream, and premium cheese are life. I always have them on my shopping list as well as stevia.

Read also: Guilt-Free Chocolate Treat

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cheesecake Layer

1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF and grease an 8-inch round baking pan with a removable bottom. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, until super creamy.
3. Beat in the sour cream, then beat in the sweetener and vanilla extract until well combined.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time until just barely incorporated, scraping the beaters, and the bottom and sides of the bowl in between.
5. Pour the filling into the pan and gently shake from side to side to even it out. Tap lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles.
6. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly.
7. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
8. Run a sharp knife around the insides of the pan and remove the sides. Wrap tightly and place in the freezer until solid.

Chocolate Cake Layers

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease two 8-inch round cake pans very well. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and grease the paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
3. Stir in the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.
4. Stir in the coffee about ¼ cup at a time until the batter is thick but easily scoopable.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and spread to the edges.
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops of the cakes are just firm to the touch.
7. Remove and let cool before loosening the edges and flipping out onto a wire rack.

Chocolate Frosting

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, place the chopped chocolate. Melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Set aside to cool to lukewarm
2. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until very smooth.
3. Beat in the sweetener and vanilla extract, then add the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.
4. Add two tablespoons of the heavy cream beat until well combined.
5. In another bowl, beat the remaining heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks.
6. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the chocolate frosting until no streaks remain.

Assembling the Cake

1. Place one layer of chocolate cake on a platter or cake stand.
2. Use about 1/3 cup of the frosting to spread the top of the layer, all the way to the edges.
3. Remove the cheesecake layer from the freezer and carefully flip onto the cake. Remove the parchment paper if it has stuck to the bottom.
4. Spread the cheesecake layer with another 1/3 cup of the frosting.
5. Place the second layer of chocolate cake on top of the cheesecake.
6. Spread the top and sides of the cake with more frosting.
7. Place any remaining frosting in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe rosettes around the top edge of the cake.

Tips for Success

• For the cheesecake layer, you really do need a pan with a removable bottom. This can be a springform pan, but they are often 9 inches in diameter, rather than 8. But there are pans that simply have a removable bottom, like this one from ChefMade. I have a similar one from Fat Daddio.
• Make sure the cheesecake layer is frozen solid when you want to assemble the cake. You need to be able to pick it up with your hands, without it losing shape.
• Sweetener options: You can use granular allulose or erythritol in the cheesecake and cake parts of this recipe. I prefer allulose in the cheesecake to avoid any recrystallization as it cools. The frosting requires a powdered sweetener, but both allulose and erythritol powdered sweeteners should work.
• If you prefer an almond flour based cake, try my Keto Devil’s Food Cake. You will need to cut it down to two-thirds of the recipe.

Can I freeze keto cheesecake cake?

Absolutely! This cake freezes like a dream. You can freeze the entire cake or cut it into individual slices and freeze those. As always, wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn. It will be good for at least 2 months.

Nutritional Information

This keto cheesecake cake recipe has 6.8g of carbs and 2.5g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.3g net carbs per slice.

Other Keto Cheesecake Variations

It may surprise you, but cheesecakes are one of the easiest desserts to “keto-fy”. A classic cheesecake uses many keto-friendly ingredients, like eggs, cream cheese, and/or heavy cream. It’s made using simple and affordable ingredients. It takes less than an hour to bake, which is nothing compared to other cheesecakes out there.For this low-carb cheesecake, I should have used a 9″ springform pan, but I used a 12 inch which made thinner pieces depth-wise. I also did a different trick for this cheesecake to prevent the cracks. Normally, I layer my spring forms with lots of foil and let them sit on a baking sheet with water, but last time something went wrong and my cheesecake got soggy.

Crustless Keto Cheesecake

This recipe for crustless, low-carb cheesecake is a perfect dessert if you’re on a low-sugar, low-carb lifestyle plan and want to indulge in something sweet.I was inspired by my favorite childhood treat- a strawberry cheesecake, but this has no crust. Here's how to make one:

Ingredients:

• 32 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 16 ounces sour cream room temperature
• 3 whole eggs room temperture
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 18 packets stevia I like mine not too sweet- you can go up to 24 if you choose. Additionally, this works out to 3/4 cup of sugar.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9" springform pan with butter.
2. In a stand mixer, add your room temperature cream cheese, and beat until whipped.
3. Add in the extract, and stevia. Slowly add in one egg at a time.
4. Add in the sour cream last and mix until just combined on low speed.
5. Pour batter into a butter lined springform pan.
6. Bake for one hour at the 325°F for 60 minutes. After the hour, crack the oven, and allow cake to cool in there. The cake will be slightly puffy. Yo and will flatted as it cools. You want the oven temperature to slowly change to avoid cracks in the cake.
7. After one hour, place cheesecake on the stovetop to cool and then chill for 3 hours before serving with berries or your favorite low-suagr toppings.

Keto Cheesecake with Peanut Butter Cookie Crust

Keto cookies- While for most keto pies and cheesecake recipes we use a keto graham cracker crust, we found this cheesecake worked better using crushed peanut butter cookies.

Read also: Low-Carb Cherry Dessert

Ingredients

• Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
• Cream cheese- Softened and at room temperature. Also, try to use cream cheese that comes from a block instead of a tub.
• Superfine sugar substitute- Also known as caster sugar. Superfine sugar has the consistency between standard sugar and powdered sugar, and you can easily make it yourself.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper or tin foil and set aside.
2. In a high speed blender, add your keto peanut butter cookies and blend until a fine consistency. Measure out 2 1/2 cups and place it into a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and mix together until combined.
3. Transfer the cookie crust into the lined springform pan and use the back of a spoon to spread around the edges. Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.
4. In a high speed blender or food processor, add the cream cheese, sour cream, and superfine sugar substitute and blend until combined. Add the eggs, then the vanilla extract, and blend once more until fully incorporated.
5. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and add the cheesecake filling to it.
6. Place the cheesecake in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the middle is mostly set.
7. Turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly. Allow the cheesecake to cool in it completely, before refrigerating for at least four hours, to firm up.

Storage Instructions

Low carb cheesecake should always be stored in the refrigerator, covered. Place leftover slices of the cheesecake in a shallow container and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Keto Cheesecake FAQs

• Can I eat Philadelphia cream cheese on keto? Full-fat cream cheeses, including the Philadelphia brand, are all suitable for a low-carb diet. They are high in fat and protein, with very few carbs. Avoid using reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese, as the fat is replaced with extra carbs.
• What can I substitute for sugar in cheesecake? Monk fruit sweetener and allulose are fantastic keto sweeteners that can replace sugar in cheesecakes. If you are making a flavored cheesecake, using a brown sugar substitute intensifies the flavor.
• How many carbs are in a low carb cheesecake? Each slice of cheesecake in this recipe has just 3 grams of net carbs.
• How many carbs are in a cheesecake without a crust? If you make this cheesecake without the cookie crust, there are just 1.5 grams of net carbs per slice.

Read also: Pumpkin Cheesecake Keto Recipe

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