Keto Almond Joy Cake/Cupcakes
- Keto Upgrade
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
I love creating cakes for family, so every birthday is like a new fun challenge to make something different that the person will love. Added bonus that my extended family tries to eat a little healthier, less processed, sugar filled foods. They usually still have the other option at the gathering as well but I'm happy I can provide a better alternative to chose as well. So to make this cake which is a favorite candy of a few people in my family, I combined several keto/low carb recipes I have created over the last 5 years.


The base is my keto chocolate cake recipe which you can do in either 24-30 cupcakes, 2-8 or 9 inch rounds or a 9x13. The amount of filling and detail work will vary depending on what you chose to bake the cakes in. For this recipe I did 6 cupcakes and 2-8 inch rounds so I could share the cupcakes with another persons birthday and also have something to try for the video. https://youtu.be/HIIa8Vf13qo
For the filling I used my keto almond joy candy filling which is just a sticky coconut I make cooking allulose until it is like a keto corn syrup. I flavor the syrup with a little vanilla extract then pour over unsweetened coconut flakes and as it cools it hardens like an almond joy filling. I used a little buttercream to make sure the coconut filling stuck to the cake layers. I used a little over half the filling then used the left over to make some almond joys to gift to the birthday boy.
For the almond element I flavored my buttercream with almond extract, added sliced toasted almonds on the side and decorated with a few whole almonds on top. My buttercream is pretty simple to make and flavor however you like. Just butter whipped until uniform, powdered bulk sweetener (I use monkfruit/erythritol blend), just enough to make it a pipeable frosting then sweetened the rest of the way with powdered or liquid stevia. Add flavoring to taste and whip until light in color and a fluffy buttercream. I use salted butter to cut the sweetness a bit and give a better rounded out flavor to the frosting.
The last step that I think is a little extra, is a poured ganache which I added to the top, since I wanted to limit the amount of buttercream on the cake (person with aversion to the cooling effect of erythritol). But you could definitely just finish the while cake in buttercream and pipe some borders. Keto ganache unfortunately usually gets crystalized once in the fridge over a day, so if you want the cake to look perfect I do suggest finishing the cake the day of serving. That way you don't have to refrigerate it at all. If in the refrigerator for longer than a day the ganache could even crack around the cake. There are definitely many tips and trick to working with our keto chocolate, all of which I explained in a video- https://youtu.be/nY2L72Y8Ghk
Ateco tip #867 (the one I own) - https://amzn.to/3mq6Tvt
Ateco #868 (a little bigger) - https://amzn.to/33Ec3xo
Wilton open star tip #8B - https://amzn.to/3EirKXT
Wilton 1 M open star tip (makes roses on cupcake) - https://amzn.to/3ml4zWv
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Chocolate cupcake blog post with all the details about ingredients I use and why:https://www.ketoupgrade.info/post/keto-chocolate-cupcakes
Keto Chocolate Cake Recipe
12 oz./1 1/2 Cup Avocado oil or softened butter/coconut oil
240 g/1 1/4 Cup 1:1 Granular Alternative Sweetener
4 Eggs (room temp)
1 Tbs. Almond Extract
10 oz./1 1/4 Cups Homemade Buttermilk (Alternative milk + 1 tsp. Vinegar)
120 g/1 1/4 Cups Chocolate or Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate
75 g/1/2 Cup+2 Tbs. Coconut Flour
68 g/1/2 Cup + 3 Tbs. Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
2 tsp. Vinegar
Coconut Filling
135 g Shredded unsweetened coconut
1 Cup Allulose
1/4 Cup Water
1 Tbs. Vanilla Extract
Almond Buttercream Frosting- Buttercream Tutorial https://youtu.be/xQQasWnk_sM
1 Lb./16 oz./448 g Salted Butter Softened
2 Cups/about 240g Sifted Powdered Sweetener (approximately to taste)
1-2 tsp. Pure Powdered Stevia (to taste)
1 Tbs. Almond Extract (to taste any flavor)
Extra Decorations: ( I always make/have extra then figure out how much I used to figure out macros)
40g-50g/about 1/3 Cup Sliced Toasted Almonds
14 Whole Roasted Almonds
Shredded Coconut
Ganache Pour:
3oz.-4oz./about 1/2 Cup Keto Chocolate Chips
3oz.-4oz./1/4 Cup+2 Tbs.-1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
Instruction:
Preheat oven to 350 degree and line 24-30 cupcake cavities with liners, or grease and parchment line the bottom of cake pans
Pull eggs, measure out and make the buttermilk, measure out oil/butter and granular sweetener into a stand mixer and whisk on medium, while that is going, weigh/measure, sift and whisk dry ingredients together, minus the baking soda
Scrap down the oil/butter and sweetener a few times, you just want the sweetener dissolved some, add one egg at a time then scrape down and add the almond extract
Once all combined, alternate the buttermilk and dry ingredients in 3 additions, scraping down in between each addition
When the batter is all uniform in the bowl remove from the mixer and measure out the baking soda into a bigger vessel than you think you will need and add the vinegar (it will bubble up) mix well then add to the batter and fold in making sure it is mixed well
Portion out into cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 of the way up and bake for 17-20 minutes turning half way through to promote even cooking, or divide evenly into greased cake pans, 2-8 inch rounds take between 24-28 minutes, they are done when a toothpick comes out clean
Let cool to the touch then move to a wire rack to cool completely, for cake rounds, using an offset spatula or knife, go around the edge of the pan to make sure the cake is released and pop out onto cooling racks
Once cakes are cool make the coconut filling and buttercream frosting
Instructions:
Whip the butter until smooth and sift the powdered sweetener
Measure out the allulose and water into a small pot and turn on medium low heat, trying to keep it at a simmer and measure out the shredded coconut, keep an eye on the allulose as you make the buttercream, you want the allulose cooked to 260 degrees
Add one cup of powdered sweetener at a time, whip slowly until most is incorporated then scrap down and beat until fully beat together
Scrap down add the second cup of powdered sweetener and repeat above step
At this point allulose should be close, once it reaches 260 degrees, add 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract, mix together then pour over the shredded coconut and mix well, let cool, it will continue to solidify
Once the butter and sweetener are fully combined, taste for sweetness and add 1/2 tsp. powdered stevia at a time until desired sweetness is achieved
Add in the extract and whip until light and fluffy approximately 5 minutes on medium high speed
Once the buttercream and filling are done, it's time to assemble and decorate
Cake Assembly:
Chose what you will be serving the cake on, place a small swipe of buttercream down on the serving vessel and place a cake layer down in the center of the plate
Spread a small layer of buttercream frosting onto the cake layer then add 6 oz., about 1/2inch layer, of the cooled coconut mixture down onto the layer (You can use the rest to make some Almond Joy Candy-https://youtu.be/ehMz1n8PJgM), spread a small layer on the other cake round and place on top of the coconut filling
Let Chill in the fridge for a 10 minutes to solidify the layers, once chilled, coat in a thin layer of buttercream frosting, if not using the extra decorations, let chill before the final frosting layer, frost the cake with the rest of the buttercream and pipe boarders
If using the extra decorations, once there is a thin coat, add a little extra around the sides and press in the toasted almonds about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the cake
Let chill just until the buttercream is set, while that is chilling, make the ganache pour by heating the cream to 160 degrees in the microwave or until just starting to bubble on the stove and pour over the chocolate chips, let sit for five minutes with a lid then whisk to combine
If all the chips aren't melted you can heat of 50% power in the microwave for 10 second intervals until all the chips are melted and the ganache is just under 100 degrees
When the cakes buttercream is just solid on the outside and the ganache is between 90-100 degrees, pull out the cake and pour most of the ganache in the center of the cake (leave some for additional drips) and gently work it out to the sides creating a few drips around the entire cake, once the ganache is smooth and even on top you don't want to touch it anymore
Add additional drips where needed with the leftover ganache by just slowly pouring the ganache down the edges of the cake, place in the fridge to get a little solid
Add the rest of the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a rosette tip, pipe 14 rosettes around the outside of the cake and add the 14 whole almonds and shredded coconut

Macros: Using Whole Cake Recipe/6oz. Coconut Candy Filling/3/4 Batch Buttercream/6oz. Dark Chocolate Ganache/40g Slice Almonds- Cut into 14 pieces
540 Calories
52g Fat
42g Total Carbs
7g Fiber
31g Sugar Alcohol
4g Net Carbs
12g Protein
Cupcake Assembly:
Once filling is cooled and buttercream is made, using a large piping tip, remove some of the center of the cupcake, using half the coconut mixture, fill the centers of all the cupcakes
Pipe or frost with a spatula the top of each cupcake
If using the extra decorations, place the cupcakes in the fridge and make the ganache pour and have the sliced almonds ready to decorate
Once the ganache is between 90-100 degrees pull out the cupcakes and using a spoon or small measuring cups, pour a teaspoon or two of ganache in the center and shake it out to the sides add more drips where desired, top with the sliced almonds

Macros: Using Whole Cake Recipe/1/2 Batch Coconut Candy Filling/Whole Batch Buttercream/8oz. Dark Chocolate Ganache/40g Sliced Almonds- 1/27 Cupcakes
320 Calories
31g Fat
25g Total Carbs
4g Fiber
19g Sugar Alcohol
2g Net Carbs
7g Protein
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