This recipe came to me while I was driving home from work one day. I had been wanting to do a cake of sorts, but wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it. It wasn’t from research or testing out recipes that I stumbled upon this. I was actually scrolling through my Instagram feed and saw a couple cakes that led me to believe KetoConnect was destined to make the perfect keto cake. And, we did it. Our Protein Cakes are less than one net carb and taste like the real, damn deal. Watch me make them below!
Protein Desserts
The secret to this ultra low carb cake is the protein powder we use, and we use Isopure Protein Powder (cookies and cream is our favorite). Not only is it zero carbs, but there are a ton of great flavors and it is really high quality (in our opinion!). The downside is it is a bit pricey, but given the pros we think it’s absolutely worth it! One thing to note is that if you do use another protein powder it will alter the nutrition of the cakes. When you’re focused on fat as much as us keto-ers are it can be easy to neglect the protein intake. We even go as far as making fat bombs! Well, it’s time for protein desserts to take the spotlight for once, thus we created these cake bites of protein heaven!
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Protein birthday Cake
We’ve created a chocolate protein cake for our chocolate lovers and a vanilla protein cake for our vanilla lovers! While Matt is more of a chocolate lover – making chocolate icing was his idea – I prefer the vanilla. But, you’re better off having one of each! A tip to making the frosting extra creamy and smooth is to ensure the butter is room temperature when you mix it. Not only will cold butter be harder to mix, but it will take longer and have a slightly different texture. However, if you want to omit the icing altogether I’d suggest adding a couple extra drops of Stevia to the cake batter for a sweeter cake, more like a birthday cake!
Protein Cake
If you’re a fan of using protein powder in your recipes like we are, than we highly recommend trying our Keto Macro Cakes or Matt’s Nutritious Mug Cake! Both recipes sport Isopure protein powder and are quick to make. When dessert is as healthy and keto-friendly as these Protein Cakes, it’s hard to say no.
Don’t forget that whatever protein powder you use will not only dictate a change in nutrition, but will also dictate the flavor of the cakes! This protein cake recipe will be your new go to dessert recipe. Fat bombs move aside!
Recipe can be quickly added to MyFitnessPal – Search “KetoConnect – Protein Cake”
Protein Cake
Ingredients:
Protein Cake
- 2 scoops Protein Powder
- 1/4 cup oat fiber
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 10 drops Liquid Stevia
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Frosting
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup swerve confectioner
- 1 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup swerve confectioner
- 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Cake
- Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Combine room temperature butter, cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl.
- Add eggs, vanilla extract, liquid stevia and combine well.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Make sure not to over mix! Lumps are okay.
- Pour mixture into a loaf pan and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool and then cut in half length wise. Cut two halves into 4 equal pieces and then 4 more equal pieces to resemble 8 mini cakes as seen above! Enjoy!
Icing
- Combine all ingredients until smooth.
- Store in fridge.
Whwre can i find oat fiber and is it keto approved? Thought oats werent
I just updated the link. It’s basically 100% fiber.
Can we use psyllium husks or ground flax seed for the fiber?
You can find flax seed meal in the gluten free section of the baking aisle. Psyllium husk fiber is usually in the fiber supplements section.
I’ve been making this cake for a couple months now but do you think it would be ok not adding the cream of tarter its expensive 😉
I Just made it and used apple cider vinegar as a substitute for the cream of tartar. You can also use lemon juice. Google it
Hi,
the link to print just the recipe does not work.
Thank you 🙂
Is it working now? I think it should be fixed.
Love this. Got a huge bag of oat fiber a few months ago and haven’t figured out how to use it. I’ll definitely try this out! I’ve also been thinking about trying it on the dinner roll recipe, since that has a lot of fiber in it. Do you think it would work if I substituted some of the psyllium or the coconut flour with a bit of oat fiber?
Along the lines of Andres’ question, I’d be interested to know if you think oat fiber and psyllium husk powder are interchangeable in recipes (flavor aside)? Thanks!
Ok, you guys seriously thought of everything. I can’t believe you even added this on MFP! Extra kudos for that! Now I’m off to buy some ingredients and then get to baking. Thank you!
Thanks! We just started doing that 🙂
I just watched the video and wanted to comment on the powdered sugar substitute and your mention of erythritol. You two probably already know about this little trick, but I’ve recently discovered that you can powderize erythritol almost instantly in a spice grinder. I found that I can do about 1/4 cup at a time in mine. I think the measurements might change from granulated to powdered, but I ended up using the powdered in lieu of granulated in the same measurement for another recipe and it turned out well in terms of consistency.
I’ve found that too much erythritol in a recipe actually makes it burn the mouth – what we experienced in this other recipe. Maybe that’s just us.(Or the recipe just required too much – it was someone else’s!)I can’t tolerate the taste of stevia or use any other common substitutes, so we’re stuck with very few options. Thanks for all your recipes!
I have never tried ISOPURE, but agree that if you find a protein powder that tastes and mixes well, then you stick with it. I’m not affiliated, but after years have found a good protein powder, that I figured I’d mention if you wanted to try something else. Or, if you know something that I should be aware about involving the protein powder, please let me know. Allmax, ISOFLEX, makes a banana and chocolate peanut butter, my favorite, that taste really good. It uses the same sucralose that ISOPURE does, but it does carry one carb. Thinking of trying the banana with your cake recipe.
Have you used protein powder with your frosting recipe? I know our protein intake is to be “moderate” but was thinking banana cake with peanut butter chocolate frosting sounds pretty good.
I think I might have tried that protein before but I’m not sure. Definitely a good suggestion to try some protein powder in the frosting. We’ll probably give that a try tonight! Thanks!
As an FYI, don’t bake with Whey protein because it will taste metallic and not very appealing. This information came from a culinary friend of mine, so I thought I would share this with you guys.
We bake with whey protein all the time and enjoy the flavor, thanks for the info.
Is the macros on MFP for one slice or the entire cake? Thanks.
It’s for 1 recipe divided into 8. If you watched the video it’s for one of the cakes we make on that!
Do the macros you have listed include the frosting?
Yup
I saw in the video that you used imitation vanilla, but the recipe calls for pure vanilla extract. Why would you use imitation instead of pure extract?
Because you’re trying to save money 🙂
Mat! Hahaha!
Is there anything I could use in place of the oat fiber? Thanks
You could try psyllium husk or flax seed meal. They will give slightly different results.
I am finally working up the courage to try baking something again. (Pinterest is killer on keto recipes) I only use your recipes or my own creations now for cooking.
Just curious, have you tried any other flavor protein powder?
Also, congrats on the new place and such an adorable puppy.
We’ve tried the toasted coconut Isopure which is also great – honestly, anything will work great, but if you go unflavored you can add some stevia drops to make up for some sweetness! And, thank you – we love our new place 🙂
I love it! I can have my cake and eat it too! The best part is these are so sweet and good one piece is enough <3
I forgot about this cakes until just now reading your comment! This is Matthews all time favorite recipe due to the awesome macros and how yummy the cake is 🙂 Glad you feel the same!
I made this yesterday, the only change I introduced was using Quest’s Banana Cream + 4 drops of stevia. Oddly enough I had to bake it for 1 hour (I have a brand new oven, set it at 325)! I am not sure why … In your video you mentioned you made it twice before getting it right. Could it be because I mixed in the clumps too much? It was just really bizarre. Other than that it tasted awesome, and I did over-indulge a bit lol 😉
Can I use polyd fiber in place of oat fiber?
We’re unfamiliar with polyd fiber but if it is just a form of pure fiber I would imagine it would be very similar and should work as a substitute.
Is it bad that I’m eating all the frosting while the cake is baking?! This is so delicious- I’m in heaven!
Hi Megha! I just made this and it is incredible!! I was wondering if you had tried freezing the cake for future use? Wondering if it would freeze and thaw successfully…thank you! GREAT recipe!
We have never tried freezing it. We keep it in the fridge for up to 10 days though!
Is the frosting included into the macros? ty!
Can I use Psyllium Husk powder as a substitute for oat fiber?
I’d like to know the answer to this question as well! 😃
I enjoy your videos & your recipes!
What is the nutritional information for the cake?
I’m very sensitive to the aftertaste of many sweeteners out there. The only one I like so far is Pyure. I don’t notice any aftertaste with that. Pyure is a combination of Stevia and erythritol.
These protein cakes are amazing! I didn’t have Oat Fiber so I substituted with Ground Flax and still came out delicious 🙂
Hi you two…can oat fiber be substituted for somethong else…
Thanks in advance…
Can I substitute the oat fiber with anything else? Btw, love your website and especially your YouTube channel😀
Started Keto about a month ago and feel great plus lost weight!
You can try psyllium fiber or flax meal but the results will not be quite as good.
What changes would you make to this recipe if you only had the plain Isopure?
Really.. How does this fit in a ketogenic lifestyle?
19 net carbs is about my day total (25gr)??
It seems like you are counting erythritol as carbs when in fact they aren’t counted in the carb count.
Curious what you could substitute for the oat flour and also, how is Isopure keto-friendly if it has sucralose in it?
We’re okay with consuming sucralose once a day in a protein shake.
I made this cake with the chocolate frosting and it was so good I couldn’t stick to just one piece! I think I ate four last night! Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I also used the ISOPURE vanilla protein powder since that was what was available at GNC.
Your recipe calls for 2 scoops of protein powder. However mine did not come with a scoop. Can you provide cup or tablespoon measurement
30 grams!
Is there a “mug” version recipe? I do NOT trust myself with 8 servings!! N
You know the recipe in your book calls for 1.5 Cups of powdered erythritol in the frosting?
I thought it was overkill, and it definitely is. I’m assuming this is correct? If so, you need to let people somehow.
Cake is the closest I’ve gotten to real cake.
What spray did you use to grease the cake pan?
It was either olive oil spray or coconut oil spray! You can use parchment paper, butter, or any oil.
Why does the recipe for the frosting in the book use 1.5 cups of Swerve? I thought it was too much, but whenever I make a recipe for the first time I follow it until I know what I want to change. 1.5 cups was ridiculous so I decided to see what it said here, which is 1/2 cup, completely different.
I don’t know if the book was printed incorrectly, but you should let people know that the recipe there is wrong.
The cake was the closest I’ve gotten to regular cake, but the over sweet frosting almost ruined it.
[email protected] looking for an actual measurement for the 2 “scoops” of protein powder… 2 tablespoons??. I have some individual packets that are pre portioned.
Thanks!
I myself checked the size of the scoops of protein in the recipe from the link to the product and it was about 31 grams a scoop. so I did 2 of those for the protein powder I had, using 62 grams and it was perfect.
What can you use to substitute for the oat fiber? I’m allergic to oats.
Give flax meal or psyllium husk powder a try.
I love the flavor so much, but my cake came out super dry! What did I do wrong? My batter was really thick, could that be why? Sorry, not much of a baking expert.
Hello! Does the calorie count include the icing?
No it doesn’t include the icing.
can you give some more information about oat fiber – can not locate it in UK. thanks
We buy it online. Just search for oat fiber. It is the ground husk of the oat, which is mostly fiber and is low-carb.
Can coconut flour be substituted for the oat fiber? Thanks
You can try it, we haven’t tested this yet. It might end up too dry, if it does you can always add another egg, or some more of the liquid ingredients to make it not as thick. Keep in mind that this will change the consistency, texture, and nutrition info for the recipe.
What size is the pan?
They used a loaf pan
can oat fiber be substituted and cream of tarter as well?
You can try, but it would not have the same texture.
Any advice on making cupcakes with this batter? Thanks. Love you guys. 🙂
You could just put it into cupcake liner cups and it should work 🙂
Can I use bone broth protein powder instead of whey protein powder
That might work, but it would have a more savory taste.
Hi! I made this last night and the cake came out super dry and the icing was hard after sitting in the fridge for 10 mins. What did I do wrong???
Thanks!!
Hi! I just realized the recipe in the book for the icing calls for 2 sticks of butter instead of just one. That is probably why my icing got hard. 🙂
Thanks!
Hi, new to keto and loving your YouTube videos and website! I just made the cake and really like it! I made the chocolate frosting and there is a bitter sort of metallic taste to me. Any ideas? Changes or adjustments I can try? I’m figuring it’s the Swerve. I’m bummed! Thanks much!
Yes, it is probably the swerve unless you used a metal bowl or something.
Just a thought on vanilla. Make your own, just vanilla beans and vodka or bourbon (I prefer vodka) – it’s much less expensive than a bottle of pure vanilla extract and you can make a huge batch. Since it’s pretty much all alcohol it never expires.
Hi
so I was wondering if I can use the Better Stevia Glycerite instead of just Stevia drops, would the quantity be the same?
Yup! It should be the same amount.
ok so i just made the frosting from the Book recipe. and that recipe called for 1 1/2 cup swerve and this recipe calls for just 1/2 cup. Which is correct?
They are pretty much the same. The one in the cookbook just makes a larger amount of icing compared to this one. That is why the amounts are different.
Can the oat fiber and isolate make a bread that actually taste and feels like bread?
I find the keto bread recipes either taste like egg, are too moist or too dry. Also psyllium husk simply taste nasty to me.
I am hoping these ingredients can help you recipe masters to crack the keto bread code.
Can I freeze this cake and icing? Also my cake turned out super dry and I couldn’t get it out of the pan even though its a non-stick pan and I sprayed with coconut oil. It tasted good though (especially with the icing). I too used the recipe in the book and it made way too much icing.
We have not tried freezing this cake, but it should work fine.
The video looked like you were using cream cheese in the frosting, but it isn’t in the recipe. Were my eyes deceiving me? Also, is this the improved recipe,you mentioned in the more recent video?
The cubes that look like cream cheese is just butter 🙂 The recipe that is on the post is the up to date one.
Still too dry for me. I had to pitch it. I did use the Quest protein powder that is recommended for your waffle recipe. BTW I am a big fan of your podcasts, books, and videos, (and don’t forget “Murder She Ate”). Thanks for all your hard work!
Any idea of a cup measurement for the whey protein? Mine doesn’t have a scoop 🤔
Hmmm – does it have the grams of a serving on the back of the label? I think many are around 28g which is close to 2T I believe.
I’ve heard that the protien powder can spike your blood sugar. Is this true?
Love watching your channel!
I love you guys. Wishing you a happy healthy baby.
Do these actually taste good? Or just passable for something sweet? Not trying to start a riot…just a honest question. I have all the ingredients
BUT so often I am disappointed by “the best ever” somethings.
I love the mug bread mix and hope it is as good as that one.
I am not sure if you made this recipe yet but we found it to be very dry. Try their olive oil cake instead. I use the olive oil cake as a base for many different kinds of cake..like orange, lemon, and apple cake (made with chayote squash)
This cake blends well with many different spices.
I am still experimenting with different icing but our favorite with the olive oil cake is: cream 4 oz of cream cheese, mix in 1/2 cup heavy cream then add 1/4 cup Swerve confectioners
I have been looking for protein powder recipes for years!!! So exciting!!