This Sugar Free, Low Carb, Chocolate Crazy Cake needs NO eggs, NO butter and No milk!
Crazy Cake
Have you ever heard of the Crazy cake, Wacky cake or Depression Cake before? It was a cake made during the Great Depression of the 1930's when there was a lack of eggs, butter and milk. They had to get pretty creative and surprisingly the Crazy Cake is one of the best cakes even without those ingredients! It's actually the most perfect allergy friendly cake I've ever seen!
I first saw the Chocolate Crazy Cake recipe circulating on Facebook from the Sweet Little Blue Bird website but made with white flour and white sugar so I knew I would want to remake it for myself and all of you!
I've been asked so many times to make this sugar free and gluten free and now I've finally done it and made it low carb and nut free too!
Nut Free Keto Chocolate Cake
I was even surprised by how utterly decadent, moist and fudgey this cake was! The white vinegar and baking soda allow it to rise perfectly.
Many of you know my youngest has a tree nut allergy so I opted to make this cake with sesame flour since I can't use almond flour. I've often used sunflower seed flour to bake with, but the chemical reaction of sunflowers and baking soda make for things turning green, so not the best choice here.
Low Carb Depression Cake
I finally made this cake one day when a friend of mine was watching my kids for me at her house so I could do some packing. Her daughter was recently diagnosed with a dairy intolerance. I knew I had to make this cake and since my son would be there, nut free was the plan as well.
There were 8 children over her house that day for a get together. About 6 of them do not eat gluten free or sugar free so I was excited to see their reaction when they ate a piece of my cake.
Of course I had all ready tested it out and eaten a piece and knew it was amazing so I wasn't worried but you just never know with kids....... they are always bluntly honest.
The reaction? Before I even had spent a moment thanking my friend for watching my kids for the afternoon, I turned to look and all the kids were eating a piece in the kitchen! Smiling, nodding of it's yumminess, with mouths smeared with chocolate all over!
It was devoured! Even the moms were shocked it was free of so many allergens and tasted so amazing.
Wacky Cake
I think you'll find this Depression, Crazy, Wacky Cake or whatever you choose to call it will be a huge hit whenever you make it! Next time I will double it to make 24 pieces because 12 was just not enough!
Here's the Live video I did making this cake:
Brenda's Notes:
- Nutritional Information below is NOT including the chocolate frosting.
- I used my 2 Ingredient Chocolate Frosting in these photos. Other frosting options: Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting or just use Sugar Free Whipped Cream.
Sugar Free Low Carb Chocolate Crazy Cake
Sugar Free Low Carb Chocolate Crazy Cake { Egg Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free}
Ingredients
- 1 cup sesame flour or 130 grams (read comments below if using almond flour)
- ½ cup ground flaxseed or 60 grams
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder or 25 grams
- 1 cup Swerve confectioners or 130 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons avocado oil or oil of choice
- ½ teaspoon chocolate liquid stevia or ½ cup sweetener of choice
- 1 cup water or if you have heavy cream or unsweetened almond or coconut milk you can use that
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line an 8 by 8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the first 7 dry ingredients.
- Make 3 depressions or shallow dips in the dry mixture, 2 small and 1 large.
- Pour the vinegar in a small depression, the vanilla extract and chocolate stevia in the other small depression and the oil in the large depression.
- Pour the water over the top and stir until smooth.
- Spread the batter into the baking pan.
- Place in the middle rack of your oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes clean.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove by holding the ends of the parchment paper.
- Place onto a cutting board to frost then slice.
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.
Jos
Would you let me know the texture of this cake? Is it more on the fudgy side, cake side or gummy?
Bonnie
Mine only rose 1/2" in the middle but remained gooey even after 50 minutes. The outer edge was overdone by then. I used almond flour. More like molten lava cake. I keep my baking soda in a glass jar & watch the expiration date so that shouldn't be the issue.
Anna
I had the same issue. I dumped it in the freezer for a while and then cut it into small pieces. Tasted more like a brownie than a cake. Not bad but definitely not a cake.
Swan
Just a heads up for anyone wanting to substitute ingredients. Don't do it! We tried it with almond flour and birch xylitol (swerve is from corn, and my daughter is allergic). The batter was extremely thin and separated into two distinct textures in the oven and never set up properly. The flax meal seemed to have migrated to the outer perimeter, which was like chocolate flax gel. The interior wasn't as gelatinous, but still unpleasantly gooey. After three rescue attempts, it was thrown out.
Tarre J Kroft
My attempt is currently in the oven and going on 50 minutes and it is still very funny and not set. Our oven is less than 6 months old and still calibrated so I am not sure why it is taking so long to bake.
Hope it turns out. Our son and I are gluten free and looking for a replacement for a birthday cake.
Hopeful Baker
Julie
I was so happy to find this recipe since I just found out I’m sensitive to dairy eggs and almonds (all that have always used in low carb baking ?). I made it using avocado oil and since I couldn’t find sesame flour, I ground my own into a flour/meal. The only problem was it wouldn’t ever really raise or bake though. Even when I added 10 minutes. Ended up being a bit doughy like a brownie. I just blended it all in my food processor as I usually do for cakes and cookies. Maybe that was the problem. However it still tasted wonderful and the frosting is my new go to frosting it was fab! I’m going to try it again though because I don’t give up that easy on something that tastes so good! I will try fresh baking powder and maybe a bit more (?) and make sure my flour is ground as fine as I can get it. Do you think it sounds ok to just mix it in the food processor rather than in the pan? Thanks 🙂
Megan
Hi! I just made this recipe, but for some reason it came out of the oven really runny... Only the outside is solid. I subbed in almond flour for sesame seed flour, but other than that followed the recipe exactly. Any ideas as to what may have gone wrong? 🙁
Brenda
I hope it worked out for you using almond flour. I've not tested it with almond since my youngest son has a tree nut allergy but other friends of mine have and it was the same amount using sesame. Please let me know if it set for you.
kristina
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! This cake was great, I had to sub the flour for almond flour and oil for coconut and it was still awesome! I rarely ever comment on a blog or recipe, but I had to let you know you made my day with this cake. I have been vegan for over 20 years but decided to go low carb/keto recently as well for weight loss, I've been trying so many recipes that have disappointed, this is a winner!
Brenda
So glad you liked it, thank you!
Stephanie
Hey Brenda! Thanks for the great recipe, but a word of warning, be careful what you label grain-free. Sometimes we forget that corn is a grain and its in so many different things. As someone who is allergic to corn, i can say without a doubt that almost all (unless you buy cornfree) baking powder is made primarily from corn starch and white vinegar is also made from corn. The vinegar isn't as direct as say a flour or meal, but someone who can't have corn or is trying to avoid all grains might get their hopes up with the grain free tag 🙁
Appletree
Hi Brenda, if I used almond flour, would it be 1.5 cups and no need for the flaxseed flour? Many thanks
Kathie Sicard
Brenda, I followed the recipe to the letter...seemed to need ore liquid, lots more. It would not pour so I spoone dit out and pressed it into place. Please tell me what I did wrong???
kristina
when I made it it was thick. I spread the batter out and it cooked perfectly
Michelle Luck
I'm just starting out on a keto diet (actually started on Dec. 30, 2017) and I really want to make this cake but I can't find a proper formula to replace the flaxseed with eggs. I'm on a limited budget and I can't afford to by flaxseed to use it just one time but I always have eggs on hand. The formulas I find on line say that 1 tbsp of flaxseed + 3 tbsp water = 1 egg, however, you can't do it backwards because of the water. So, how many eggs do I need to REPLACE THE FLAXSEED?????? Thank you!
Brenda
Maybe you would like these cupcakes as a cake that actually needs eggs, so you wont need to replace anything. https://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/low-carb-nut-free-chocolate-ganache-filled-cupcakes/
Alyssa C
I recently went on an elimination diet (gf free, sugar free, dairy free, egg free, corn & soy free diet) and have been longing for chocolate/some kind of "normal" dessert.
I made this today and it turned out SOOO GOOD! Thank you so much!!! My siblings even said it tasted better than regular brownies 😉
I made a few changes because there were some ingredients I didn't have etc., it came out fabulous! I am so happy 🙂
nicola keeler
Hi there. My daughter has CSID and lactose deficiency so delighted with this recipe. She doesn't do well Stevia either. Just wondering could I use honey as a sweetener here and also could I sub the chocolate Stevia?? Thanks
Brenda
Sure you can use honey if that is what is best for your daughter. I think you'd need at least a cup worth for the same sweetness.
Ann
Seems to be quite a difference (4 carbs) in net carbs between nutrition information in narrative and that published beside recipe photo. Please clarify. Does 1/12 of recipe have approximately 2 net carbs or 6 net carbs?
Brenda
As I mentioned above the recipe, my son has a tree nut allergy so I did not use almond flour, I used sesame and that is what the nutrition info is in the recipe based on using sesame. I also provided above the recipe, nutrition info in the narrative, for those using almond flour instead. Yes there is a difference in carbs in which flour you use.
Chelsea
This was so delicious!! I am recently low carb in addition to being paleo and my boyfriend and I absolutely loved this recipe - first time cooking with Swerve. I only had almond flour so I used that instead of the sesame flour. My boyfriend's oven is vintage and from the 70s so the temperature isn't always accurate but I made it in a 9" pie tin at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and it came out more like ooey gooey brownie. Soooo good thank you!!
Emily
I substituted with almond flour, almond oil, and Splenda (couldn't find the chocolate liquid stevia or swerve) and it was AMAZING!! It also looked exactly like the picture 🙂
Brenda
Thank you!
Arpi
I attempted this recipe twice. The only substitution I made was swapping almond flour for sesame flour. Both times, the cake was starting to become burnt in the oven, but the middle of the cake was mushy and wasn't setting. Even after it cooled, the cake would not cut properly and was essentially pudding. The taste was alright, if you ignored the texture. I am not sure if anyone has had success with using almond flour, but this was my experience.
Susan M
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It was my first-ever attempt at gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free, all of which were dietary restrictions noted by guests to my sister's wedding. She wanted all of her guests to have a dessert option, so I made two of these. It definitely cooked better in the glass pan than the disposable aluminum pan. We didn't find sesame flour so used almond flour, and the batter was very thin, so I added 2extra tablespoons. We couldn't find Swerve, so we subbed coconut sugar. The cake puffed up and flattened even after we added extra baking powder & soda. We had to cook it longer to pass the toothpick test. It was a VERY moist cake, my brothers all thought it tasted like a brownie. The fluffy two-ingredient frosting was perfect on top, with some fresh raspberries. Several GF guests said they are used to not having dessert at events so this was a treat!
Brenda
Wonderful News! Thank you for sharing!
Sammy
Hi Brenda,
Your recipe was a god send for my hubby's and daughter's birthdays. My hubby is on a low carb diet due to type 2 diabetes and I had been looking for a recipe that was egg free as my daughter and I have an egg allergy. Thanks to your recipe this cake was a winner in all respects. We had friends over who loved the cake so much, that I had to box a few slices for them to take home.
My cake rose very well but after cooling, it fell slightly but I frosted it anyway with your two ingredient frosting cream recipe. It tasted chocolatey,moist and fudgy.
Please can you share a recipe for egg free low carb Tiramisu please.
Thank you so much!
Stay safe!! Xx
Ashley
I am making this right now and it doesn't seem to be cooking right. Not sure what I did wrong, it's just not getting firm and has been in the oven for almost 45 mins. Any pointers?
Brenda
did you change any ingredients in the recipe?
Ashley
I didn't. I ended up having to throw it away because the outside tasted like burnt cake and the inside was still not done. I'm going to try again! But I have no clue where I went wrong! Ha
Ashley
Oh wait! I did change a couple things. I used xylitol sweetener and also almond flour! Could that be something??
Arpi
I had a similar experience. After reading some comments, it seems that others have had success but that the ratio may need to be adjusted in order to substitute almond flour.
marshmallowcottage
Is the batter supposed to be thick or thin. Mine was very thick. Can I thin it with more water next time??
Joshua
I am on a low carb/keto way of eating and I would love to make this in memory of my mothers birthday. Can I use granulated Truvia sweetner instead. I have not seen Swerve in the local stores near me. Also I have almond flour at home (but would this increase the amount of carbs per serving). I know you have mentioned before but if I cannot find the chocolate liquid stevia, the cake will still taste alright, correct? Also what is the purpose of the sunflower oil, can I use olive oil in its place?
Brenda
Yes you can use Truvia, just add a small amount, it is sweeter than Swerve. I buy it online: http://amzn.to/2nqFtrr and online for the stevia as well: http://amzn.to/2n8m3oo, and yes you can replace the sunflower oil with olive. The purpose is because olive oil tends to have a strong flavor.
David Field
Just a quick question. Arn't all this sugar/sweetner substitutes just as bad for you as the real thing?
Brenda
Depends on what substitute you are talking about. Stevia is not a sugar substitute. It's natural from a plant in South America, the leaves are boiled down to make the liquid stevia, it doesn't contain anything artificial, has no effect on blood sugar (doesn't spike blood sugar), safe for diabetics. Erythritol is a natural occurring sugar alcohol coming from fiber in vegetables. It too is not artificial and is safe for diabetics. If you're talking about Splenda, Aspartame, Sweet & Low, etc. those are all artificial and I don't use them.
Bella
I've been following a low-carb diet since November 2016, and have been scouring the web for tried and tested recipes. Through sheer determination, I've got a pretty sturdy arsenal of recipes bookmarked, which I've tried, and loved. One thing that eluded me was a good chocolate cake recipe. I usually spend money on premium ingredients but always walk away disappointed from repeated failed attempts on various chocolate cake recipes. I was incredibly skeptical about this recipe, and was worried I'd waste a huge chunk of my Swerve supply (which does not come cheap in Singapore), but decided to just bulldoze through anyway. Stumbling upon your recipe has made my entire week. It was so easy to follow, and I practically used just one bowl for mixing throughout.
I used a mixture of Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal & Almond Flour, substituted half the flaxseed with coconut flour, used Apple Cider Vinegar, a half teaspoon of Sweet Leaf Chocolate and Raspberry liquid stevia, and used coconut oil instead of sunflower oil.
This cake is incredibly moist, and has just the right amount of sweetness. I am not a fan of frosting, so this was a real treat, because the cake was so decadent on its own. I was so thrilled to be able to have such a huge slice all to myself - that was my lunch!
My sincerest gratitude for such an excellent recipe!
Brenda
Thank you!
Susi
You need to be aware that flax is oestrogenic so is not too suitable for boys... or men...
Lainie
I don't think a slice of cake will cause them to sprout tits. Just make sure they don't eat a whole cake every day. 😛
Roz
I saw someone else commented that they were allergic to flax seed and wanted to know if chia seed could be subbed but there wasn't a reply. I am wondering the same thing, I am guessing I'd have to grind the chia seeds first.
Thank you
Brenda
I think so but I have not made the cake subbing flax for chia.
Appletree
Hello, did you try the chia seed replacement?
Gina
Can I use lemon juice instead of the vinegar?
Brenda
Maybe? I've not tried that.