This gorgeous Keto Strawberry Shortcake Cake is low carb, gluten free, sugar free and even nut free!
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
It's strawberry season and that means shortcake is the perfect dessert to enjoy in the spring or for a special holiday, like Mother's day!
Traditional strawberry shortcake is made with a sweet cake or biscuit which is split in half and the bottom is covered in sweet strawberries and whipped cream and then topped with the other half of the biscuit.
It's a wonderful classic dessert in the summer months when fresh strawberries are in season.
Carbs in Strawberry Shortcake
Carbs in classic strawberry shortcake according to Cronometer, for one slice from Whole Foods made with regular sugar has 39 grams carbs and 270 calories. That many carbs is too high on a keto diet and would spike blood sugar and kick you out of ketosis.
Our keto shortcakes recipe is a slight twist on the traditional version. A bit of extra effort goes into decorating the festive low carb strawberry shortcake cake but nonetheless it is a spectacular keto dessert recipe to share with family and friends.
Our low-carb strawberry shortcake recipe has just 9 grams total carbs and 4 grams dietary fiber so 5 grams of net carbs making it something you can enjoy on occasion that won't spike blood sugar.
The rest of the nutritional information is in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
SHORTCAKE VERSUS CAKE
The difference between shortcake and cake is that a shortcake is more like a sweet scone in texture and cake is usually a softer texture and not as dense.
For this recipe I adapted my Sugar Free Lemon Mug Cake into two cakes for layering as you would have when slicing a biscuit in half for the typical shortcake recipe.
SUGAR FREE STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM
Why would you want to stabilize your whipped cream?
Whenever you are wanting to make a dessert one day ahead and you want your whipped cream to keep its shape on your cake, the best way is to stabilize your whipped cream.
With a small amount of gelatin, your stabilized whipped cream will be easier to pipe and will keep well in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve your dessert.
Favorite SWEETENER SWAPS
One of our newer preferred brand of low carb sugar-free sweetener that doesn't leave an aftertaste, is Better than Sugar by Sweetleaf.
They have a confectioners powdered sweetener which would be best for this recipe and they also have a granulated option. It's a combination of erythritol and stevia and has plenty of sweetness as sugar would provide.
Swerve confectioners sweetener is also low carb, but doesn't have as much sweetness and you may need to use a bit more to get this as sweet as you like.
Allulose would be another option, but again it isn't as sweet as using the Better than Sugar sweetener. Allulose comes in a liquid, and granulated form.
Once you've got all the makings for this cake the assembling is the fun part!
I chose not to add any sweetener to my juicy strawberries, but feel free to add a bit of Confectioners Swerve or use some Powdered Monk Fruit if you're strawberries aren't as ripe and sweet as you would prefer.
Use my updated Sweetener Conversion chart to look up the different sweetener options and find the right amount to use.
COCONUT IS NOT A TREE NUT
I'd like to clear up this constant question get asked almost daily about whether coconut is a nut. While the US Food & drug Administration (FDA) claims that coconut is a tree nut becomes it comes from a tree, it is in fact a FRUIT. People who have tree nut allergies may be allergic to coconut as well, but being allergic to coconut is not the same as having a tree nut allergy.
My own son was diagnosed with a Peanut and Tree Nut allergy at the age of 2. He has safely eaten coconut all these years without issue and he is now 14. Coconut is a fruit, called a drupe. It's like a peach with a pit.
The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology says it well: "Coconut is not a botanical nut: it is classified as a fruit, even though the FDA recognizes coconut as a tree nut. While allergic reactions to coconut have been documented, most people who are allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut. If you are allergic to tree nuts, talk to your allergist before adding coconut to your diet."
More Low Carb Strawberry Recipes
- Strawberry Fudge Pops
- Strawberry Fat Bombs
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls
- Strawberry Cream Pie
- Strawberry Cottage Cheese Mousse
Easy KETO STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE Recipe
Keto Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 8 eggs
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon liquid stevia or vanilla or clear
- ¾ cup Swerve confectioners sweetener
- ½ cup coconut flour or 60 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 10 ounces strawberries
Stabilized Keto Whipped Cream
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon gelatin unflavored
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup Swerve confectioners sweetener
- pinch salt
Instructions
Cake
- Grease two spring form (7 inch) cake pans on bottom and sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place eggs, lemon juice, cream, extract, stevia and Swerve into a stand mixer or a large bowl and use an electric mixer and blend until combined or whisk by hand.
- In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients; the coconut flour, salt and baking powder together then slowly pour into into the wet ingredients in the mixer while it's on low speed. Once well combined, evenly pour shortcake batter into each of the pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and they are just lightly golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then use a sharp knife to loosen the edges around the edges of the pan. Remove the sides and let cool completely before assembling.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Place the water in a microwavable small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let sit for 2 minutes then microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until dissolved. May take up to 30 seconds. Allow to cool while you make whipped cream.
- Using a clean bowl for the stand mixer, pour in the heavy whipping cream, Swerve and salt. Using the whisk attachment, beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Change the speed to low and drizzle the gelatin into the whipped cream until combined. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Assemble
- Slice 6 ounces of strawberries into ¼ inch slices. Save 4 ounces, whole strawberries, for later.
- Place one cake onto a serving plate. I flipped mine over to have a flatter surface to work with. If you do not want to cover the sides of the cake with whip cream then use half the cream for this middle layer and the remaining for the top layer. Or if you want the cake like mine in the photos, spread ⅓ of the whipped cream onto the cake.
- Lay about 4 ounces of sliced strawberries over the cream, save the other sliced strawberries to add to the top layer.
- Place or flip the other cake over onto the strawberry layer. Spread the remaining cream or another ⅓ portion of the whipped cream onto the top of the cake or pipe it like I did. Insert slices of strawberries around the top layer of whipped cream. If covering the sides of the cake, use the remaining whipped cream to spread over the sides. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Nicole
Will this cake be okay in the refrigerator for two days before serving?
Brenda Bennett
Yes as long a you stabilize the whipped cream.
Amy
The link for the pans is not working...could you use regular cake pans?
Julie
Mine came out very thin and the bottom had a very eggy texture. What did I do wrong?
Verity
Taste is nice... But I'm a bit of a novice cook and didn't know that loose bottom pan would leak so most of it is in the oven! 🙁
Brenda
I'm sorry!
Fonda Carver
What do you grease your springform pans with?
Carol
I don't have a microwave, is there a way to make this without one?
Brenda
This cake is not made in the microwave, it's baked at 350 degrees F in the oven, directions, step 1. If you're referring to the gelatin and water for the stabilized whipped cream, just add the water and gelatin to a sauce pan and heat until dissolved on the stove.
Bart G.
I tried this and it came out great! No one could believe it was sugar-free! The only thing I didn't like about it was the aftertaste of stevia. Why is it in there, and can I dispense with it?
Brenda
Just swap the stevia with another sweetener you like.
Bart Guingona
Thank you, I will! Should it be a liquid sweetener?
Brenda
No it doesn't need to be.
Maria
Hi!!! Can I use coconut cream for making frosting ?
Sara Hall
I made this tonight. I used 1 large springform pan and baked it for the same amount of time, it came out great. My 10 yr old son asked me “why does this taste so good, mom?” It’s a winner in our house. So delicious!
Ren
Can you substitute almond flour for the coconut flour?
Brenda
Unfortunately, they can't be swapped evenly. About 1/4 cup coconut flour equals 1 cup almond flour and coconut flour needs more liquids and egg than almond flour does.
Judith
I dont know what i did wrong but the whipped cream came out to watery. So you have a video for this recipe?
Jo-Anne Julius
Judith to stabelize the whipping cream you don't need to do all that. I always put one quarter of a teaspoon of cream of tartar in. It stays firm forever!
Iga
Thank you for this recipe. I made this cake for my husband's birthday. It was it so delicious! The best keto cake I've ever eaten. Greetings from Poland.
Heather
I want make this chocolate. I don't know what to substitute with cocao or how much to use. Any ideas?
Christina
Great recipe, thank you. Try 40% cream, skip stabilisation and even added sweetener as cream will be naturally sweet. Best summer dessert ever.
Lisa
Hi Brenda,
Is it possible to sub a 1 - 10 in. bundt pan? I plan to eat the cake without the icing. If so, could you provide estimate time it should stay in the oven. Thank you in advance 🙂 Love your blog buy the way.
Brenda
Sure I think that would work
Sunil Dogra
Its look very delicious and yummy. Can’t wait to make this! Thanks for sharing this cake.
Bbrown
I was so excited to make this, but I don’t have a 7” springform pan. I have an 8” - I’m sure it would be a shorter cake, but can you provide an estimated bake time for an 8” pan?
Brenda
The bake time would be about the same, just check in center with toothpick. The layers will be thinner as you need two.
Heather
I made it for dessert tonight. I didnt have two 7 inch spring form pans so I used my two smaller. Bottom layer is probably 8 inches, top layer 7 inches. Had a little trouble with my pans not opening so had had a little issue getting the cake out. Next time I will line my pans with greased parchment paper. I.also needed a second batch of icing. Looks great.
Charlotte Moore
We always used cake for our strawberry shortcakes. Never a biscuit or scone.
Kris Tumidanski
That is unusual Charlotte.
Lillian Small
Not in the US