Keto Earthquake Cake

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This easy low carb cake is truly delicious stuff! Keto chocolate cake swirled together with sugar-free cheesecake, pecans, and coconut for a healthy take on the famous earthquake cake.

Close up shot of a slice of Keto Earthquake Cake with fresh berries on top.

Sometimes, messy food is the best food. And this Keto Earthquake Cake is the perfect example. It’s messy to make and messy to look at, but it’s crazy delicious.

Just think about it: all those mixed up layers, jumbled and swirled together, studded with pecans, coconut, and low carb chocolate chips. It’s like a keto chocolate cake slammed into a keto cheesecake, turned upside down, did a couple of backflips, and landed in a baking dish.

And with every bite, you get a mouthful of all that goodness mixed together. That’s my kind of keto cake recipe!

Keto Earthquake Cake in a white baking dish with cups of coffee in the background.

Why you need to try this recipe

Cake doesn’t need to be complicated or time consuming to be delicious. And this Keto Earthquake Cake proves that point. While it does dirty several bowls, it’s relatively easy to prepare.

And it’s easy to make it look good, because it’s supposed to look messy and jumbled! No perfect layers or perfect frosting, just swirl the cake and cheesecake together for a mouthwatering combo.

It’s a great recipe to take to a party or get-together, since it makes 20 servings. But if you want to make it just for your household, you can also freeze the leftovers!

And each gooey, swirled slice has only 3.3g net carbs per serving. Yummy stuff!

Reader Reviews

“OMG!!! These are so rich and decadent! By far the best bar out there! Thank you!” — Joanne J.

“Hi Carolyn! I’ve made this recipe twice now and I love it so much! My son who has celiac disease was just visiting with me and my husband so I made it for him to try and he loves it too. I followed the recipe to the tea and it was easy to make and I also made sure to clean the bowls and the beaters of course! Yum yum!” — Lisa L.

“This is the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve made. Sweet but doesn’t have the sugar substitute after taste. Anything sweet I make my wife doesn’t like because of the aftertaste, her statement was “this is holiday worthy”.” — Robert.

Ingredients you need

Top down image of the ingredients needed for Keto Earthquake Cake.

Shredded coconut: Use unsweetened shredded coconut, rather than flaked coconut. It makes it easier to mix everything up together.
Pecans: Use finely chopped pecans for better consistency and distribution.
Almond flour: For a nut-free option you can use sunflower seed flour.
Sweetener: The cake takes both granular and powdered sweetener. I used Swerve for both but you can also use allulose.
Cocoa powder: Dutch process cocoa imparts a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.
Protein powder: Protein powder helps the cake rise better and be fluffier. You can use whey, egg white, or plant-based protein.
Cold coffee: I like coffee because it enhances the chocolate flavor, but water works too.
Cream cheese: You can’t make the cheesecake filling without this!
Sugar-free chocolate chips: You can use Lily’s or ChocZero. They both work well in this recipe.
Kitchen staples: Eggs, butter, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt.

Step-by-step directions

A collage of 6 images showing the steps for making Keto Earthquake Cake.

1. Prepare the pan: Grease a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking pan. Sprinkle the bottom with the shredded coconut and the pecans.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.

3. Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the eggs, 6 tablespoons of the melted butter, coffee or water, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour over the coconut and pecans.

4. Prepare the cheesecake filling: In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the remaining 8 tablespoons of melted butter until smooth. Beat in the powdered sweetener.

5. Swirl the cake: Dollop this mixture over the cake mixture by the spoonful. Use a knife to swirl into the cake mixture, scraping all the way to the bottom in some places to mix up the coconut and pecans.

6. Bake the cake: Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Bake at 325ºF for about 35 to 45 minutes, until cake is mostly set through but still a little soft and jiggly in the center. Err on the side of underdone, rather than over-baking it. Remove and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

A slice of Keto Earthquake Cake being lifted away from the rest of the cake on a spatula.

Tips for Success

The pan you use makes a difference. Metal and ceramic or glass conduct heat very differently so I specify ceramic/glass for this recipe. If you don’t have one, use the metal pan but keep your eye on it and test frequently for doneness.

Do NOT over-bake this cake. A few readers have had issues with it being dry, and that always comes from over-baking. Keep your eye on it, and err on the side of under-baking. The edges should be set, but the center should still have a little jiggle to it when you shake the pan. It should not be liquidy, however.

Conventional earthquake cake is made with chocolate cake mix, and you could certainly go that route for this recipe. I think it’s just as easy and less expensive to make your own.

It also usually takes shredded coconut, chopped pecans, and plenty of chocolate chips. But if any one of these additions doesn’t appeal to you, feel free to leave them out. They are not critical to the outcome of the cake itself.

If you truly object to adding protein powder, you can skip it. But just understand that the cake will not rise as well.

Close up shot of low carb keto earthquake cake with a piece cut out of it.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make Keto Earthquake Cake ahead?

This is a big cake that feeds 20 so it’s great for parties and get togethers. You can make it a day or so in advance and refrigerate it. Wrap it up tightly so that it doesn’t dry out, and let it come to room temperature before serving.

How do I store leftover earthquake cake?

Because of the cheesecake filling, leftovers should be kept chilled. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.

How many carbs are in keto earthquake cake?

This keto earthquake cake recipe has 7.4g of carbs and 4.1g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs per slice.

A piece of Keto Earthquake Cake on a white plate with fresh berries and a fork.

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