Decadent Keto Chocolate Turtle Cake Recipe

Indulge in a symphony of flavors and textures with this irresistible Keto Chocolate Turtle Cake. This keto-friendly treat features a luscious blend of sugar-free caramel, pecans, and rich dark chocolate, creating the perfect balance of sweetness and crunch while staying true to your low-carb lifestyle. Chocolate turtles have always been a favorite specialty chocolate treat, inspiring this keto-friendly cake version.

Why This Recipe Works

This cake combines the creamy, nutty goodness of pecans with smooth caramel and a rich chocolate cake base, all while keeping it low-carb and guilt-free. It’s the kind of cake that will impress your guests or satisfy your sweet tooth without derailing your keto goals. The rich chocolate layers, gooey caramel, and crunchy pecans create a perfect combination that tastes incredibly close to the original turtle candies.

Keto Chocolate Turtle Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 3 large Eggs
• 3/4 cup Sweetener (Erythritol or monk fruit)
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Pecans, toasted
• 1/2 cup Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce
• 1 ½ Cup allulose
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ Cups sugar free chocolate chips (215g)
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Equipment

• 9-inch round cake pan
• Electric mixer
• Parchment paper
• Saucepan

Instructions

Prepare the Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Grease and line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.

Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

1. In another bowl, melt your coconut oil then add your 2 eggs and vanilla extract.
2. Add your coconut oil mixture to your dry ingredients along with the vinegar/cream mixture.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until fully combined. Use an electric mixer to make the batter smoother and fluffier.

Bake the Cake

1. Pour half the batter into the prepared cake pan, spreading it evenly to fully cover the bottom.
2. Drizzle half the caramel sauce your prepared before, then sprinkle your chocolate chips over this layer and top it with the second layer of batter.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. When baking keto cakes, they can tend to take longer than traditional cakes and it's a bit tougher to tell when they are done, just make sure the center is cooked through enough by pressing down slightly with your finger and seeing if it sinks vs. bounces back a little. Thankfully this cake is also good under-baked a bit because it makes it more like a fudgey brownie.
4. Let the cake cool FULLY! For best results, leave the cake out, covered, overnight then top with the caramel sauce and pecans in the morning. You could also slice the cake into pieces and then top each piece as you serve it. Either way I promise you, if you wait overnight to eat this, it will be WAY better than the first day. You can technically eat it the first day as well but you may find the cake too gooey to slice and the flavour a bit different. The next day it's almost like super rich and fudgey brownies because the caramel layer that dissolved into the center has time to set again.

Make the Caramel

1. In a large sauce pan (mine was 16 inches) melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the sweetener and continuously whisk. Once the butter and sweetener melt you want it to come to a boil so just keep whisking.
3. Once the mixture is boiling and the color has darkened to a golden color, pour in the heavy cream and whisk continuously.
4. If you have a candy thermometer or a food thermometer watch the temp as you want the mixture to reach 240F. If you do not have a thermometer, continuously whisk until it beings to thicken and will coat the whisk. This takes about 5 full mins.
5. Remove the caramel from the heat. Add in the extract and salt and mix.
6. Allow the caramel to sit for about 5 mins and thicken.

Assemble the Cake

1. Once the cake has cooled, spread a layer of the caramel sauce over the top.
2. Sprinkle the toasted pecans evenly over the caramel layer.
3. Be sure to let the cake cool completely before adding the caramel topping.

Tips for the Perfect Keto Chocolate Turtle Cake

• Adjust the amount of sweetener based on your taste.
• When making your caramel sauce, you can add a few drops of blackstrap molasses to it to darken the colour and improve the overall flavour even more. It's an extremely tiny amount.
• Allulose needs to be used in the caramel if you want a smooth and chewy caramel as is traditional in chocolate turtles. You can use monkfruit or erythritol but it will not be smooth (it will crystalize) and not be soft and chewy.

How to Store

• This Keto Chocolate Turtle Cake pairs beautifully with a cup of coffee or tea.
• Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• You can also refrigerate it to keep it fresh for up to a week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Yes! This cake can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Can I freeze this cake?

Absolutely! This cake freezes well.

Can I use a different sweetener?

Yes, feel free to use your preferred keto-friendly sweetener. Erythritol or monk fruit sweeteners work best here to keep the cake sugar-free.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Keto Chocolate Turtles (K4K Turtles)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ Cup allulose
• ½ Cup butter
• 2/3 Cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ Cups sugar free chocolate chips (215g)
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• ½ lb pecan halves

Instructions

This is a recipe that requires precision with timing so gather all your ingredients and measure/weigh them out in advance so they are good to go.

1. On a parchment/silicone lined baking sheet place your pecans in 26 little mounds (roughly 8.6g each).
2. In a large sauce pan (mine was 16 inches) melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Add the sweetener and continuously whisk. Once the butter and sweetener melt you want it to come to a boil so just keep whisking.
4. Once the mixture is boiling and the color has darkened to a golden color, pour in the heavy cream and whisk continuously.
5. If you have a candy thermometer or a food thermometer watch the temp as you want the mixture to reach 240F. If you do not have a thermometer, continuously whisk until it beings to thicken and will coat the whisk. This takes about 5 full mins.
6. Remove the caramel from the heat. Add in the extract and salt and mix.
7. Allow the caramel to sit for about 5 mins and thicken.
8. Then dollop a small spoonful of caramel over each pecan mound.
9. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 10 mins to chill.
10. Then take the chocolate chips and coconut oil and microwave them together in a microwave safe bowl for 1 min at 50% power. Stir and repeat until melted and smooth.
11. Equally spoon the chocolate out over each of the turtles.
12. Return the pan back to the fridge to chill for 20 mins.
13. Once chilled store in the fridge in a Ziplock bag or airtight container.

Keto Turtle Cupcakes

These delicious keto treats feature a chocolate cupcake, a creamy caramel frosting, and toasted pecans. You can use almond flour or sunflower seed flour. And if you really want to, you can make coconut flour chocolate cupcakes instead.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Pecan flour
• Sweetener
• Cocoa powder
• Whey protein
• Baking powder
• Espresso powder
• Salt
• Eggs
• Hemp milk
• Butter
• Vanilla extract

Caramel Frosting

• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Caramel sauce
• Powdered sweetener
• Caramel or vanilla extract

Topping

• Chopped pecans
• Caramel sauce

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and line 9 muffin cups with parchment or silicone liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, whey protein, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
3. Stir in the eggs, hemp milk, butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
4. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch.
6. Remove and let cool completely.

Caramel Frosting

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Slow drizzle in the caramel sauce, beating on low.
3. Add 1/2 cup of the powdered sweetener, beating until smooth.
4. Add additional sweetener to taste.
5. Beat in the caramel or vanilla extract.
6. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the prepared cupcakes.

Topping

1. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans, and drizzle with additional caramel sauce.

Keto Turtle Cheesecake

This incredible keto turtle cheesecake is a decadent dessert for anyone on a keto diet or low carb journey that doesn’t require any baking and will curb your sweet tooth without spiking your blood sugar!

Ingredients

• Butter
• Sugar free chocolate chips
• Cream cheese
• Caramel extract
• Heavy whipping cream
• Caramel monk fruit sweetener
• Pecans

Instructions

1. Prepare the buttery crust mixture by adding all ingredients into a food processor and process until combined and you have course crumbs.
2. Press onto the bottom and sides of an 8 inch springform pan. Refrigerate.
3. Make the keto caramel sauce and set it aside to cool slightly while you prepare the cream cheese mixture.
4. Add the cream cheese, caramel extract to a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer. Blend until combined.
5. Pour in a 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce and blend until incorporated. Reserve 1/4 cup for the top of the cheesecake.
6. Pour in heavy whipping cream and caramel monk fruit sweetener into the cream cheese mixture. Blend until thick and smooth. Taste and adjust sweetener if needed.
7. Spread the cheesecake batter into the crust making an even layer.
8. Spread the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the cheesecake and cover the pan with plastic wrap.
9. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight.
10. To serve with optional toppings; Prepare the keto candied crunchy pecans and sprinkle over the top of the cheesecake.
11. Add sugar free chocolate chips and butter to a small microwavable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stir until smooth, no lumps. Alternately you can add butter and chocolate chips to a small saucepan and melt over low heat on the stove.

Essential Ingredients and Substitutions

• Almond Flour: The Kirkland Costco brand of almond flour is a great option.
• Cocoa Powder: The Rodelle brand from Costco is recommended.
• Sweetener: SoNourished brand for both granular and powdered sweetener is a great choice. The powdered is the best option for no-bake goods and desserts where you want a very smooth final product.
• Chocolate Chips: Krisda chocolate-chips are just 2 NET carbs per tbsp.
• Blackstrap Molasses: Adding a couple drops of molasses to help flavour your sauce better and improve the colour. It's an extremely tiny amount.

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

tags: #keto #chocolate #turtle #cake #recipe