Low Carb Vanilla Cashew Cake

Celebrating with a low carb cake is better than you can imagine! This Vanilla Cashew Cake is low carb and suitable also for keto diet. And it is tasty for real: delicious nutty layers with divine vanilla mascarpone frosting and fresh berries on top. A cake that literally everyone would love.

What kind of cake is this

This cake was a total improvisation of mine which turned out really good. I made it for my birthday, following the request of my Instagram followers: they chose a healthy white cake with fruits.
So initially I had the idea to make cashew layers. I decided to use finely ground cashews the same way as I would use almond flour.
I made two cashew bases using a method similar to sponge cake. However they turned out pretty thin and I wanted my cake to be taller. So I baked one more layer with coconut flour and flax seeds. It was very different in texture and colour than the cashew ones, which was great for the overall result.
Finally I frosted the whole cake with mascarpone and sour cream icing and decorated with fruits.

What ingredients you need

For the layers you need cashew flour which you can make by yourself by grinding the whole nuts in a food processor. You also need eggs and a granular keto sweetener like erythritol. It is important the sweetener to have a bit of crystal structure, rather than powder as it will help the eggs to increase their volume when beaten: just like the sugar.
Other ingredients for the layers are: plain yogurt, coconut flour, vanilla extract, flax seed meal, coconut oil and baking powder.
The icing is made with mascarpone and sour cream and sweetened with powdered xylitol.
You will find all the ingredients with their quantities and also the detailed preparation steps below the post, in the recipe card.

Is this cake healthy

This is a healthy dessert as it doesn’t contain sugar, refined or processed ingredients. Xylitol and erythritol are natural sweeteners, perfectly safe even for kids. This cake can also be consumed by diabetics.

Tips & Ideas

In my view the best about this cake is the contrast between the cashew layers which are thicker and spongier, and the coconut layer, which is very moist and soft. That’s why I don’t recommend making just one kind of layers without the other.
If you like a lot of fruits in your cake, you may add them also between the layers, over the frosting. This method will be very good with blueberries or raspberries as they are small.

I really hope you like this cake because I really love it! If you made it, please share how it went!

Here are more keto cake recipes which you might appreciate:

Keto Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone Frosting
Keto Chocolate Walnut Cake – Garash
Keto Birthday Cake Recipe
Keto Texas Sheet Cake

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5 from 1 vote

Low Carb Vanilla Cashew Cake

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time1 hr 20 mins

Servings: 12

Calories: 403kcal

Ingredients

For the cashew layers:

• 1 1/3 cup/ 200 g raw cashew nuts, see notes
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup/ 100 g granulated erythritol, see notes
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tbsp/ 25 g coconut flour
• 1/2 cup/100 g plain yogurt, full fat

For the coconut layer:

• 3 tbsp/ 30 g flax seed meal
• 1/2 cup /120 ml water
• 1/3 cup/ 70 g erythritol
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp/ 50 g coconut flour
• 7/8 cup/ 200 g plain yogurt
• 1,5 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 17,6 oz/ 500 g mascarpone
• 7/8 cup/ 200 g sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup/ 50 g xylitol

For decoration:

• Fresh berries by choice

Instructions

Cashew layers:

• Grind the cashew nuts in a food processor to fine powder. Combine with coconut flour and baking powder and mix. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl beat the egg whites until thick and foamy.
• In another bowl beat together the eggs and erythritol for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture nearly triples its volume. Add vanilla and mix shortly to get absorbed. Gradually add the dry ingredients, folding them gently with a rubber spatula. Alternate with the yogurt as the mixture will become very thick.
• At the end gently combine the egg whites with the cashew batter, mixing carefully with the spatula.
• Divide the batter between two 7 inch/ 18 cm cake pans, greased and lined with circles of parchment paper.
• Bake at 350°F/ 180°C for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the batter comes out clean.
• Remove the layers from the pans in 5-10 minutes and let them cool on a wire rack.

Coconut layer:

• Combine flax seed meal and water. Mix very well and set aside for 5 minutes.
• In a bowl combine coconut flour and baking powder. Mix very well and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl combine the soaked flax seeds, egg yolks and erythritol. Whisk very well until smooth. Add vanilla, yogurt and coconut oil and whisk again. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing gently with a rubber spatula.
• Transfer the batter to a greased cake pan, lined with a circle of parchment paper.
• Bake at 350°F/ 180°C for 40-50 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Let the layers cool completely before assembling the cake.

Mascarpone frosting:

• In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Whip them with an electric mixer until thick and fluffy: about 2 minutes.

To assemble:

• Place one cashew layer on a serving plate. Generously spread from the mascarpone frosting on top (about 1/4 of the whole quantity). Repeat the process with the coconut layer. Place the second cashew layer on top.
• Frost all around with the remaining icing.
• Decorate with fresh berries.

Notes

• When you grind the cashew nuts, be careful not to process them for too long because you may end up with a cashew butter. You can also use ready-made cashew flour instead: same quantity.
• For the cashew layers you need a sweetener with slightly crystalline structure. This is necessary to help the eggs increase their volume (like sugar). For the frosting it is better to use powdered sweetener as it melts easily when being mixed.
• If you like your cake with lots of fruit, you can add berries also between the layers. Blueberries and raspberries are the best choice in this case.

Nutrition

Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.6g | Protein: 7.4g | Fat: 33.7g | Saturated Fat: 17.2g | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 16.9g

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