Keto Chocolate Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 5 large Eggs (at room temperature)
• 3/4 cup Granulated Sweetener (or xylitol)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil (or melted butter - takes longer to bake)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (or heavy cream, at room temperature)
• 2 cups Almond Flour (scooped, leveled)
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (scooped, leveled)
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sweetener
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 large Egg
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 3 oz Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper. Lightly oil the paper to make sure the pound cake doesn't stick to the pan. Set aside.

2. 2

   In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar-free crystal sweetener, melted coconut oil (or butter), vanilla extract, and almond milk. Ensure that your coconut oil is not burning hot, or it will 'cook' the eggs and create lumps. All your ingredients must be roughly at the same temperature. Think room temperature, especially the eggs and almond milk. Cold ingredients just out of the fridge will solidify the coconut oil, creating oil lumps.

3. 3

   In a different large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and baking powder. Stir to combine the flours evenly.

4. 4

   Pour the liquid ingredients onto the dry ingredients.

5. 5

   Stir all the ingredients together with a baking spoon until it forms a thick cake batter with no lumps. Combine for at least 2 minutes to make sure the fibers from cocoa powder absorb the moisture.

6. 6

   Set aside while you prepare the cream cheese swirl mixture.

7. 7

   Add softened cream cheese, erythritol, vanilla, and egg in a large mixing bowl.

8. 8

   Using an electric beater, beat until the mixture is fluffy and well combined - about 1 minute. Stop the beater, set aside the bowl.

9. 9

   Pour roughly half of the chocolate batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Spread all the cream cheese filling evenly on top, avoiding the sides of the pan. The cream cheese batter is thick, so use the back of a spoon to spread it around - avoid touching the sides of the pan! Scroll up in the post to see the step-by-step pictures to guide you. Finally, pour the remaining chocolate batter evenly on top.

10. 10

    Draw a knife through the batter and swirl from one side of the pan to the other. Repeat once in the other direction to form an 8 shape on top of the pound cake. This will create a 'smile' effect in your cream cheese layer. Don't over-swirl, or all the layers will mix together.

11. 11

    Place the loaf pan in the center rack of your oven and bake at 350 °F (180 °C), for 25 minutes.

12. 12

    After 25 minutes, cover the loaf pan with a loose piece of foil. This will prevent the top from burning, and the middle will bake slowly. Keep baking for 55-65 minutes in total.

13. 13

    This is a large, heavy cake, so don’t feel frustrated if it takes a little longer in your oven, be patient. To check the baking time, insert a pick in the center of the pound cake. If it comes out with little to no chocolate crumbs on it, it's ready. Note that the cheesecake filling will stay soft and slightly jiggly like cheesecake, and that's normal.

14. 14

    Once baked, remove from the oven and let the pound cake cool for 1 hour inside the pan.

15. 15

    Then, pull out the hanging pieces of parchment paper on the side of the pan to lift ou the pound cake out of the pan.

16. 16

    Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. It is a thick pound cake, so allow at least 3 hours before slicing and eating. Be patient and add the chocolate ganache on the pound cake when it reaches room temperature, not before!

17. 17

    --- Chocolate glazing ---

18. 18

    In a medium saucepan, over low/medium heat warm chocolate chips and heavy cream, stirring gently until it melts and becomes shiny.

19. 19

    Drizzle over the cooled pound cake.

20. 20

    You can place the cake for a few minutes in the freezer to set the glazing if too runny.

21. 21

    --- Storage ---

22. 22

    Store your pound cake in the fridge in an airtight cake box for up to 3 or 4 days. Slice before serving to keep the cake moist.

23. 23

    Slice the cake into slices before freezing. Freeze the cake in an airtight box, making sure the slices don't overlap, or place a piece of parchment paper between each slice to make it easier to defrost individually. Defrost the slice the day before at room temperature, on a plate, don't overlap the slices.