This decadent Keto Hummingbird Cake has all the trademark tropical flavors of the classic Southern favorite – and nobody will believe it’s low carb and gluten free!
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If you’ve never heard of Hummingbird Cake, it’s a classic Southern layer cake flavored with spices, bananas, pineapples, and pecans – which is then slathered liberally with a rich cream cheese frosting. Made famous by Southern Living Magazine, the Hummingbird Cake is actually of Jamaican origin, and was named after their national bird – the Hummingbird, or Doctor Bird as they also call it.
The first time I had Hummingbird Cake was a couple of years ago when we were living in Belize. I’d heard of it but never tried it, and when I did I was hooked! I couldn’t believe more people didn’t know about this amazing cake – forget carrot cake and red velvet cake – why was nobody talking about Hummingbird Cake!?
I immediately knew I wanted to create a Keto Hummingbird Cake, but the method was problematic because of all the high carb fruit in the classic version. In the end I opted to go with a small amount of chopped fresh pineapple and banana extract, which worked together to achieve the right fruit flavor and texture.
The spices and pecans were easy, and to go along with the tropical vibe, I added some unsweetened flaked coconut to the batter and then garnished the outside with toasted coconut for both looks and flavor.
I used my Keto Cream Cheese Frosting for this Keto Hummingbird Cake, and it was a sublime combination. The tangy cream cheese frosting paired with the subtly spiced cake with a banana forward flavor and a bright hint of pineapple is pretty much layer cake perfection.
Oh and it’s worth mentioning the pecans and coconut again, which add a lovely texture to this Keto Hummingbird Cake, and make it truly next level.
If you’re already a fan of Hummingbird Cake, then you’re going to be really excited about this low carb version! But even if you’ve never heard of or tasted the classic version before, I promise that this Keto Hummingbird Cake will be an instant favorite once you give it a try!
Oh, and please be sure to report back and let us know if it was a hit!
RECIPE NOTES:
It’s important to use a good quality superfine grind blanched (no skins) almond flour for this recipe – if you don’t, you will have some textural problems and it won’t bake properly.
I used a combination of white and brown sweeteners to achieve the proper flavor, but if you only have white sweetener that will work in a pinch – simply replace the brown with the same amount of white granulated erythritol.
Pay attention to what size eggs you are using – the recipe calls for large eggs and if you use extra large eggs your keto hummingbird cake may end up mushy or tough.
While this cake can be served immediately after frosting, I think the texture is greatly improved when served chilled – so if you’re making it for an event try to leave time to properly chill it for best results.
Don’t freak out about the fresh pineapple and email me about how pineapple isn’t keto – it adds less than 1 gram of net carbs per serving and is totally worth it! If that breaks your brain, you can replace the pineapple with 1 teaspoon of pineapple flavored extract, but the flavor and texture will suffer needlessly.
Because it’s so rich, a little of this Keto Hummingbird Cake goes a loooong way. For that reason I am putting this in at 16 servings per cake. If you want a bigger slice go for it, just multiply the nutrition info by 16 and then divide by the number of slices you cut to get the right macros.
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Keto Hummingbird Cake – Gluten Free
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Description
This decadent Keto Hummingbird Cake has all the trademark flavors of the classic Southern favorite- and nobody will believe it’s low carb and gluten free!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated erythritol sweetener (I used Swerve)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar sweetener (I used Lakanto)
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups superfine blanched almond flour (I used Wellbees)
- 1 cup coconut flour
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons banana extract
- 2 cups almond milk, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- Keto Cream Cheese Frosting (double batch)
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (to toast for garnish)
- 8 pecan halves to garnish top of cake (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease two 9-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper (cut round to fit) which will ensure the finished cake won’t stick to the bottom.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sweeteners together with a mixer until smooth.
- Add the eggs, almond flour, coconut flour, salt, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, xanthan gum, vanilla extract, banana extract, and almond milk.
- Blend for 2 – 3 minutes, or until fully smooth.
- Stir in the chopped pineapple, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
- Divide the batter (which will be thick) between the two cake pans, and spread evenly with a silicone spatula.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake and cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, spread 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 3 – 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and set aside to garnish.
- Carefully run a knife around the rim to release the first cake, then turn out onto a cake plate or pedestal.
- Place about 1/3 of the cream cheese frosting in center of cake and carefully spread to the edges with a warm knife.
- Place second cake upside down over the frosting layer.
- Carefully frost the top and sides of cake.
- Press toasted coconut evenly into the sides of the cake with your hands, and blow or wipe any excess coconut off of the plate when finished.
- Garnish the top of the cake with pecan halves if desired.
- Can be served immediately, but I think it’s better after chilling for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Approximate net carbs per serving = 5g
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Keto Dessert Recipes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Tropical
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/16th cake
- Calories: 486
- Fat: 45g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 11g
Betty T Schmidt says
This cake is SO SO good!! Even my “non keto friends” loved it!!
Viji says
Hi,
Can I bake this cake without xanthan gum since I don’t have it handy ?
Please reply ASAP as I am planning to bake it in couple of days for my daughter birthday
Dee says
I made cupcakes using this recipe. I cut the recipe in half but used 1/3 cup each of pineapple, coconut, and pecans. I used swerve and cinnamon and ginger. I baked at 350degrees for
25 minutes. I used the cream cheese frosting recipe. This made 15 good size cupcakes. They were okay but not my favorite. Probably will not make again.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Perhaps you could try the recipe as written next time for best results.
Laura T says
One of my friends made this for my birthday yesterday. She bakes me a different keto cake every year, the flavor choice being up to me. This is the absolute best one to date, and she has done this for at least 5 years. I will be enjoying this for a few more days, as it is very filling. Thank you Mellissa,for such a delicious recipe.
Laura T says
should have said Thursday, as my bday is the 6th.
Stephanie says
I need this cake in my life, but I can’t have a whole cake sitting on the counter staring at me! I need it in a mini size, like my favorite carrot cake recipe!! Pretty Please!!
Marie says
Me too, Stephanie. Some cakes freeze well but we’ll have to wait to see what Mellisa says about that. I can’t think what to do with all the extra pineapple. I’m guessing a whole fresh pineapple is about 4 cups, depending on how you cut and core it. Freezing it, I guess. I have that same problem every Christmas with my bundt rum cake!! I *love* cake but hardly ever have it due to my continuous (almost) weight battle. Keto is making a noticeable difference and Mellissa’s recipes are almost always at the top or near the top of my list. (When I saw the name of this website I just knew it would be right up my alley!)
Shari says
SO excited to try this! I’ll let you know how it comes out!
Michelle says
Made this today and I have to say it was AMAZING! I baked it in two different pans, a 8×11 and a 8×8 square as I did not have two round pans. I baked them at 325 for 40 minutes for smaller and 45 minutes for larger. Used the Keto icing and it was wonderful not too sweet and very creamy. This I have to say is BY FAR the best keto dessert I have made. My daughter hates keto baked goods but LOVED this! Thank you so much for your time and effort in creating this.
Sarah says
Very very yumm!! I made this tonight and got too lazy to make the frosting and it was delicious! Will make the frosting tomorrow but wow! It’s great !!! Made it for my boyfriend who isn’t on low carb but he loved it! He went back for seconds and totally ignored the pan of regular brownies that were also available… so I’m calling this recipe a winner! Thank you for creating this !
CLAUDINE CZERNY says
Melissa – I want to make this for my upcoming birthday but I have a new allergy to eggs (super bummer!!)
Has anyone had success making this cake with chia or flax eggs?
Thanks,
Claudine
Heather says
I made 1/3 of this recipe today as a trial run to see if I would like it enough for my upcoming birthday (and to serve to my non-keto family members). The verdict is YES! My family loves coconut too so I can’t wait to share this with them.
I didn’t have the banana extract or pineapple, and I was too lazy to chop any pecans, so I left those out, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. I can’t wait to make this again as written. I can only imagine how delicious it’s going to be with all the correct ingredients and the cream cheese frosting. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe so I don’t have to break keto on my birthday!
PS: I tried your mug cake brownie recipe the other day and it was amazing!
Cynthia Mason says
This is the best Keto dessert I’ve made! I don’t usually like things that use xanthan gum because it has a specific mouth feel, but it totally works on this because of the density of the cake. I’ve posted about it a couple different places, and got a lot of feedback, so I hope it is generating some new traffic to your recipe. Before Keto, I used to make a pina colada poke cake that everyone loved… I may have to play around with this recipe and see if it can be used for that. Thank you so much for sharing!