This delicious Christmas cake has 7 flavor variations and is sugar-free, and gluten-free, with only 3g net carbs per slice.
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If you want to stick with your low-carb diet or keto diet this holiday season, having a few simple healthy keto Christmas recipes on hand is a must. This low-carb version of the humble Christmas cake gets a makeover by replacing all the added sugar and flour with healthy low-carb and keto ingredients instead. It’s the perfect cake for those who hate fruit cake.
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I love traditional fruit cake, with the flavor of citrus peel, dried fruits, and the crunch of almonds and walnuts inside. This easy low-carb Christmas cake tastes just like the real thing, but without the carbs and sugar.
Is Christmas cake healthy?
Traditional Christmas cake can be healthy depending on which ingredients you choose. A traditional Christmas cake has wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, brown sugar, candied peel, dried fruit, and often honey or treacle (a dark sugar syrup).
One small slice of fruit cake will definitely push you over the limit of your daily carb allowance and probably trigger even more sugar cravings.
Nutrition facts: A slice of traditional fruit cake is 69g total carbs, 7g fiber, 62g net carbs. This low-carb keto Christmas cake per slice has 2.6 g net carbs, 6.6 g protein, 20 g fat, and 220 calories.
This low-carb cake, however, is made with butter, almond flour (to replace wheat flour), mixed spice, fresh eggs, and your favorite sugar replacement (to replace added sugar and treacle). There is no dried fruit in the basic recipe but there are 6 flavors and optional extras such as dried cranberries if you want a more authentic taste.
Ingredients you need
All the quantities and instructions for the low-carb Christmas cake, are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Butter – you may use salted butter or unsalted butter. Please taste the almond flour cake batter before baking and add salt according to your taste. Salt actually brings out the sweet flavors in a recipe.
Sweetener – use your favorite sugar replacement. The most common are granulated sweeteners and sugar alcohols such as erythritol, xylitol, monk fruit, or allulose. For a real authentic taste, use brown sweetener.
Ground cinnamon – may be substituted for another favorite Christmas spice.
Mixed spice – pudding spice or pumpkin spice. If you can’t find mixed spice, you can make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice.
Almond essence – or almond extract gives this keto almond cake a real festive taste.
Eggs – medium fresh eggs are best.
Almond meal – almond flour or ground almonds all work beautifully in this keto “fruit” cake.
One-bowl method
This easy healthy recipe is a great recipe for children to start baking in the kitchen. The cake batter is made in one bowl so is perfect to help reduce prep time, washing up, and clean-up time.
You can bake it in a loaf pan, round cake tin, or square cake tin. Grease the sides with melted butter then line with baking paper. This makes it easy to remove and place on a were cooling rack.
STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, mix the softened butter mixture with sweetener until light and fluffy. Add the festive spices and almond essence. Gently mix in the eggs, one at a time. Don’t skip this step, this stage makes the cake light and fluffy.
STEP 2: Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
This is where you can add any extra flavors and optional extras such as walnuts, macadamias, candied peel, mixed peel, or dried fruits.
STEP 3: Pour the low-carb Christmas cake mix into a prepared baking tin that has been lined with baking paper (parchment paper). Bake at 180C/350F.
This festive “fruit cake” cake was baked in our house twice in two days. The first was when I was developing the keto cake recipe and I added the candied peel, the second was when my 9-year-old son needed a cooking project for school.
He made it all by himself, all I had to do was crack the eggs for him. So it truly is a super easy low-carb Christmas cake recipe, tried and tested by my little prodigy.
Christmas cake variations and substitutions
There are SIX options depending on how authentic you would like your Christmas cake to taste and how many carbs you can tolerate.
The basic Christmas cake has the lowest carbs. You can then decide which different variations you wish to add. Each variation will add extra carbs. Which flavors, and how much you add, is completely up to you and your personal preference.
It’s also the perfect gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free Christmas cake if you have guests and family members who hate traditional fruit cakes.
6 Optional extras: If you choose to add the following, these are the additional nutrition values you must add.
These nutrition values are extra per slice. The cake makes 10 slices.
- 1/2 cup walnuts – total carbs 0.8g, fibre 0.4g, net carbs 0.4g
- 1/2 cup macadamias – total carbs 0.8g, fibre 0.5g, net carbs 0.3g
- 1 cup candied peel – total carbs 7g, fibre 0.3g, net carbs 6.7g
- 1/2 cup orange zest and lemon zest – total carbs 1.8g, fibre 0.8g, net carbs 1g
- 1 cup goji berries – total carbs 11g, fibre 1.6g, net carbs 9.4g
- 1 cup dried cranberries – total carbs 13g, fibre 0.9g, net carbs 12g
Expert recipe tips and FAQ
Always test your cake batter before pouring it into your prepared baking tin and adjust the sweetness. If you are a beginner, you may require double a recipe suggests. If you have been low-carb or keto for some time, you may want to reduce the sweetener by one-third or one-half.
A traditional Christmas cake will always have dried fruit, however, you need to avoid all this dried sugar when on a low-carb diet or keto diet. This low-carb almond flour cake is only 3g net carbs per slice and has no added sugar and is naturally gluten-free.
A regular fruit cake can stay fresh for months because of its high sugar content. A keto Christmas cake made with almond flour needs to be stored in an airtight container and kept in a cool place for up to 4 days.
Yes, your Christmas cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
If you are on a keto diet you will want to avoid marzipan with added sugar.
1: You can use sugar-free cream cheese frosting and add vanilla extract, rum, brandy, brandy extract, or brandy essence.
2: Decorate the whole cake with slivered almonds and dust with ground nutmeg or mixed spice.
3: Make my 3 ingredients sugar-free keto marzipan (almond paste), roll it out, and cut a circle large enough to cover your cake. Any leftover marzipan you can dip in chocolate, make marzipan candies, or make little snowmen.
If it is still fresh but has become dry, place a slice of cake in the microwave for 10-second increments to warm up and the moisture will come back. Serve with whipped brandy cream or serve sliced with brandy butter.
Ensure you don’t add any fruit to your keto u0022fruitu0022 cake, and instead of candied peel, add fresh lemon zest or orange zest.
These are dried cherries or candied cherries that have been colored with green food coloring.
No, almond flour and coconut flour are not directly interchangeable. These two low-carb flours behave in completely different ways and require different ratios of dry ingredients to wet ingredients and how many eggs are required.
By not adding any baking powder, it makes the cake heavy and dense. It helps to make this low-carb version similar to a heavy fruit cake.
How to have a keto Christmas
If you are wondering how you do Christmas day on your keto diet, I have plenty of easy recipes and tips for you to stay on track this season. In fact, most of these delicious recipes can be enjoyed year round.
Keto Christmas main meal
Generally, areas to avoid in a regular Christmas meal are the high-carb side dishes. So instead of bread stuffing, you can serve pork sausage stuffing, keto cornbread stuffing in your bacon-wrapped turkey.
If you want to learn how to cook a keto turkey, you can print the easy cooking schedule and learn how to wrap your turkey in bacon so it is always tender and moist. Your entire family will love it.
Christmas keto side dishes
There are delicious keto side dishes too. Creamed Brussels sprouts, baked broccoli, and cauliflower, or bacon buttery Brussels sprouts,
Christmas keto desserts
These healthy desserts are always a crowd-pleaser with friends and family at holiday celebrations and parties. Even the most ardent sugar lover will love these sugar-free delicious recipes.
Slow-cooker mulled wine, Instant Pot lime cheesecake, low-carb Christmas fruit pies, and sugar-free spiced almonds as a Christmas party snack or as a wonderful gift for family and friends.
If you love Christmas cookies, you’ll love keto snowball cookies and keto sugar-free gingerbread cookies too. There’s even a keto fruit cake made with almond flour.
Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and healthy new year.
Low-Carb Christmas Cake Recipe (Keto Fruit Cake)
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Basic easy low carb Christmas cake
- 110 g butter softened
- 4 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice or more, to taste
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp mixed spice/pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp almond essence/extract
- 4 eggs – medium
- 200 g almond meal/flour
Optional
- 100 g walnut halves/pieces (or macadamias) chopped
- 75 g mixed/candied peel
- 75 g dried goji berries
- 75 g dried cranberries
- 50 g orange zest and lemon zest
Instructions
- Mix well the softened butter and sweetener until pale and fluffy.
- Add the spices and essence, mix again.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each one.
- Add the almond meal/flour and mix until well combined.
- Stir through the nuts and optional extras now.
- Line an 8 inch/20cm round baking tin with baking parchment paper and butter the sides well.
- Spoon into the prepared tin and bake at 180C/350F for 20 minutes, or until cooked (ovens vary).
Video
Notes
- ½ cup walnuts – total carbs 0.8g, fiber 0.4g, net carbs 0.4g
- ½ cup macadamias – total carbs 0.8g, fiber 0.5g, net carbs 0.3g
- 1 cup candied peel – total carbs 7g, fiber 0.3g, net carbs 6.7g
- ½ cup orange zest and lemon zest – total carbs 1.8g, fiber 0.8g, net carbs 1g
- 1 cup goji berries – total carbs 11g, fiber 1.6g, net carbs 9.4g
- 1 cup dried cranberries – total carbs 13g, fiber 0.9g, net carbs 12g
Nutrition
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What is “mixed spice?”
See the image below the recipe. Allspice is made from one spice – the ground unripe berry from the juniperr tree. Mixed spice is a combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, cumin, caraway, ginger, mace and allspice. There are numerous mixed spice variations in each country. Mixed spice may also be referred to as pudding spice.
What is “mixed peel?”
It can be called candied peel. The amount of sugar varies with each brand and type.
Hi, thank you for this recipe! I’m wondering how long this cake will keep in a tin? Presumably not as long as a traditional Christmas cake given the lack of sugar? Many thanks.
I would eat the low-carb Christmas cake within 2-3 days. Traditional fruit cakes are incredibly high in sugar which is self-preserving hence why they can be stored for weeks and still be safe to eat. This Christmas cake is best stored in an airtight container and made soon before you need it. Luckily it is such an easy recipe, you can whip one up at short notice. You could also freeze the Christmas cake for up to 2 months in an air-tight container.
How old is your little prodigy? He is so cute! My baby is now 46 yrs old. Those were the days.
He is 9 years old. He loved the cake so much, he wanted to make it the next day for his school baking project and wants to make it again at the weekend. Nothing like trialling a recipe numerous times to make sure it’s perfect huh?
oh, so excited to make this …. I think its going to be tonight!! YUM
My granddaughter can’t have butter. What do I sub instead?
You could try coconut oil instead, but you might have to add a pinch of salt and some extra spices to make up for the lack of flavour that butter adds. That would work.
How long would this cake keep – that’s if it doesn’t get gobbled up the same day?
I would say 3-4 days. It is not like a regular fruit cake which is so high in sugar it is self preserving. If I were to serve this to genets, I would bake it the day or the day before so it is wonderful and fresh.
I have never lined a dish with parchment paper before. Why and how do you get it to line up right?
I have a loose bottom tin so I just line the bottom and poke the paper through like I do in this recipe. If you have a regular cake tin, just cut or tear the paper into a circle shape to fit the bottom of the cake tin, wipe a little butter on the base and plenty on the sides before placing the paper down. The butter helps the paper stay down whilst you are spooning the cake mixture onto it and helps the cake from sticking too badly on the sides. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just makes it so much easier to lift the cake out once it has cooled.
Would this freeze well?
Yes I think it would. Wrap slices in baking parchment, them put in an airtight container in the freezer and defrost one slice at a time.
Thx. I want to bake, freeze & take to my diabetic mother for Christmas. I’ve been looking for a low carb, reduced sugar fruitcake recipe for her for years! I can’t wait to try it. Bought all the ingredients today but couldn’t find Mixed Spice my grocery. I guess I’ll have to order it. Mother loved the Lemon Bars I took her at Thanksgiving. I’m new to your site & LCHF. I enjoy your work!
Yay, I love reading your comments today. Send her my love. If you cant find mixed spice, you can always make your own. Enjoy and happy Christmas x
Finished cake is awesome! Served it for dessert last night with fresh whipped cream topped with grated nutmeg. Flavourful and moist! I used 1/2 cup zest, 1/2 chopped walnuts and 1 cup craisins (next time 1/2 cup my preference). Thank you for the recipe, definately a keeper!
Gayleen I am so happy you loved it. And I love the options you used. I also love the idea of grated nutmeg and cream to decorate, perfect.
I am not sure how I got on your mailing list, but I am glad I did. As a type 2 diabetic, I definitely need to “ditch the carbs”. This Christmas cake looks so delicious. I have a question. Do you think that I could substitute hazelnut flour for the almond meal/flour?
Yes that would work. Depending on how fine the grade of ‘flour’ is, you may need to add some extra liquid if the cake mixture is too dry, or some extra flour if too damp.
Hi Libby.
How do you make candied peel?
Isn’t it made with sugar.?
You buy it and yes it is made with sugar which is why I give it as an option for those who want to go a little higher in carbs just for their xmas cake but still lower than a traditional cake. The optional extras you can add to the cake are a trade off between flavour vs carbs. I made it with candied peel the first time, then I just added my own zest from an orange and lemon the second time. Just as nice, but much lower in sugar.
What cranberries do you use, please? I have found it very difficult to find any that aren’t sweetened! ( NSW, Australia). Thanks.
I don’t really, I just added this as an option for those who would like them. It is useful to see the difference the carb count would be when you start adding optional extras such as candied peel, dried fruit etc. It sometimes makes our choice a little easier if we know how high they can be.
I checked the carb count on a cup of cranberries (raw) and it’s only 12 gr. with 4.6 gr. fiber. Just an FYI. Cake looks good. I want to try..I think I would go with the raw cranberries, maybe chopped. That is a whopping amount of carbs in the dried. Are they sweetened???
Any dried fruit is mega high in sugar because they are basically dried sugar. Also one cup of dried cranberries can actually contain up to 2 cups of fresh cranberries once dried.
The link to the freeze dried cranberries has a nutrition label that translates to 10 net carbs per cup. I do think the carb counts for that option are way off in the recipe. The sweetened craisins have almost 100 net carbs per cup. I’ve been dehydrating a bunch now for the upcoming year, last year I ran out!
Hi there Libby.
Cake is in the oven!
For how long can I keep the cake and how do I store it?
Thank you & keep up the good work.
I would eat this within 2-3 days. Traditional fruit cakes are incredibly high in sugar which is self preserving hence why they can be stored for weeks and still be safe to eat. This Christmas cake is best stored in an airtight container and made soon before your need it. Luckily it is such an easy recipe, you can whip one up at short notice.
Me again. The cake is ‘quite’ flat.
No baking powder?
Yes, I avoided using baking powder to keep it heavy and dense like a christmas cake. If you wish to add some however, it would be a little lighter and bigger. The eggs make it rise a little.
I was just going to ask ?Mixed spice would be pumpkin pie spice in US … thank you!
Yes mixed spice is similar to pumpkin spice and pudding spice.
Amazing! we put freeze dried cherries in it and with the almond taste it was divine! We topped it with your gingerbread icing and it was perfect. I will be making more! Thanks Libby! Claudine
Thank you Claudine for such a lovely review. I have made this far too many times now than I care to admit. You can also add some brandy to the icing if it is to be served to the adults only, now that’s amazing.
Could I use coconut flour?
Not in this recipe I’m afraid. They are not directly interchangeable. This is my Ultimate guide on low carb flours.
That was my question too. Would it work if I adjusted the amount of flour and added an egg?
It would be great if you could put measurements in grams, etc.This will give far more accurate results.
Until then, i’ll just stare, drooling, at the photos! 🙂
The majority of my recipes are in grams/ounces/cups which covers all my American readers and myself (NZ) who prefers metric.
Anna, try this page. https://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/531168/cups-to-grams-converter
I bought myself cup measures years ago though, so now I can cook EVERYTHING.
I have both NZ & US cups for measuring as they’re slightly different & use according to the recipe origin. Much prefer using the scales though,more accurate, better results!
This cake was a big hit with my son’s great-grandmother who has coeliac disease. I used the additions of nuts and the orange and lemon zest. I wanted to know though, with your baking recipes, do you preheat the oven at all or just put it in at 180?
I used traditional (US) candied fruit – 1 c. total, which had been chopped smaller. Peel, cherries, pineapple, mixed. I chopped, then rinsed under warm water. i used 1 c. of mixed walnuts and pecans.
it was awesome good, and much lower carb than traditional cake – OK for a Christmas dessert. Next time, I will use fresh orange, lemon peels (organic), not the candied ones.
How long could this be stored for before eating?. I know traditional can be made in June to be eaten at Christmas if stored in an airtight tin.
I would eat it soon after baking while it is fairly fresh. A traditional dried fruit Christmas cake is understandably high in sugar which is a natural preservative, similar to how jams and preserves are able to remain fresh for months. I made this 3 times in the festive season and it was eaten each time within 3 days and was perfect.
Hi
can I ask if its ok that I put the mixture into the cupcake holder instead? love it in a smaller munch size. 🙂
That would be an amazing idea!!! Low-carb Christmas cupcakes. YAY.
Gonna Test it out today! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful receipe
How many cupcakes did you get out of the recipe? 🙂
Hi can i add brandy to the actual cake mixture
I would “feed” the cake brandy after it was cooked. I used to do this every year with our traditional dried fruit cake. Using a toothpick, poke little holes all over the surface then drizzle or spoon brandy all over. Yum 🙂 Remember to make this cake fresh, as there is no sugar or dried fruit to help keep it fresh or preserve it.
Thanks and merry christmas
this was my job (after i grew up a bit) with my Mom’s dark fruit cake, sitting down in the cold pantry from mid-october to xmas day.
What sugar of choice did you use?
I made this today and it was really good! It’s a nice, easy recipe that can be customized so many ways. I was call Verne’s about the lack of baking powder, but it really dodin’t need it at all. This is perfect for a special breakfast or mid-afternoon snack with coffee all year round!
I meant concerned!
Awesome Nancy, I’m so glad you loved it. Thank-you for such an glowing recipe review. Merry Christmas 🙂
Hello,
I am not much of a baker but I decided to try this without any of the additions first to see if I could use it as a base for dessert on Christmas. However, it turned out tasteless and incredibly dry, very unappetizing in fact. I used a fat-reduced almond meal though, could that be the cause? I followed all other directions.
Yes, that is the cause. Reduced fat = dry cake 🙁
this smells delicious baking, but it is taking forever to cook! Do I test the same, as other cakes, stick in a skewer?
Yes. Don’t overcook it otherwise it will become too dry.
It’s in the oven now… one question… how can I find enough patience to let it cool before eating it?! Lol hope you had a good Christmas and here’s to a Happy Keto New Year ?
Aw, and a very Merry Christmas and New Year to you also Allison 🙂
Can I use vanilla instead of almond flavoring?
You could, but then it won’t have the authentic almond taste that Christmas cakes have. But if you have been searching for a vanilla Christmas cake, then it’s the perfect substitution for you.
this was my job (after i grew up a bit).
My Mom made the most wonderful dark fruit cake in mid-october. It would sit in the cold pantry, off the basement until xmas eve. It became my job to spike the cake once or twice with the brandy in the interim.
thanks for bringing up this memory
this is a great base for all cakes, I have just completed a coffee cake for my sons birthday, all i did, was leave out the spices and added 2 1/2 teaspoons of instant coffee diluted in a tsp or so of boiling water and added 1 tsp of vanilla. I also added 1 tsp of baking powder also. Planning a vanilla one for the christmas trifle and a chocolate version, just because. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Also it makes a great christmas cake too.
Hi. I am very allergic to almonds and hazelnuts. Is there another flour that I can use in this recipe and it still be low carb and delicious?
You could try some of the new seed flours that are in grocery stores? Perhaps sunflower or pumpkin seed flour? I can’t vouch for how it would turn out but if you can tolerate those flours, they might be worth a shot. Alternatively, try some of my coconut flour recipes, you can see them all here.
This is delicious cake for every cake and I love to try this again and again
I am newt your site. Just made your 3 seed bread. Awesome. Now will make the christmas cake.
Welcome to Ditch The Carbs. 🙂
I’ve made this cake for the second year running. Last year, it was very enjoyable and I was glad of a low carb option to have instead of all the usual sugary ‘treats’. This year, I pre-soaked the gojis, cranberries and citrus peel in brandy for 3 days prior to making the cake. A few more cabs but it is absolutely SUPERB! A proper nutty, fruity, alcohol infused Christmas cake – a definite keeper. Thank you, and Merry Christmas from the UK.
How wonderful! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas to you also Gloria. And a very happy and healthy new year 🙂
Great suggestion. I just made this and soaked the fruit in brandy for a couple of hours. It’s delicious. Lovely flavour, just like nan used to make! This cake will help me stay true to my new – found Keto principles over Christmas.
Merry Christmas 🎄
Just wondering if this cake can be frozen?
Yes, it freezes brilliantly!
Thanks for this ; recently diagnosed as ore diabetic & trying to knock it on the head ! Also gluten intolerant . Can I make & freeze whole cake. Thanks
Thank you for such an easy recipe and such a healthy recipe. I made this with my 7 yr old and she loved it. It was such an easy recipe to make and tasted absolutely delicious. I’m never going back to real fruit cake ever again!
This looks amazing. I have been trying to find an easy keto Christmas cake forever but most recipes are too complicated and most aren’t actually keto. I love that you have given me all the carb counts for the extra flavours. Now I can choose exactly what I want and how many carbs I’m wanting to spend.
Been making this for the last 3 years and it doesn’t have to be Christmas to make it. Got 2 in the freezer at the moment ready for Christmas Day. Trouble is it’s so good you have to make 2 at a time
😋😋😋
2021 I have just found this recipe and love it. Better still everyone that tries it loves it too, even those that are sugar lovers. That’s a win as I am a Health Coach and try to covert as many people as I can to ditch sugar.
This is a brilliant recipe. Everyone who tries it loves it.
Thank you Robyn.
My Grandma’s Dark fruit cake had the cherries. I’m thinking of cutting the cherries into tiny pieces to cut down on the carbs. I know that blackberries and blueberries are the lowest for carbs so I might add them in. Also, the Molasses can be changed with Keto Honey/Syrup. I can’t wait to try this!!!
Thank you for sharing, I was looking for a White Christmas Cake Recipe and this came into my inbox. Will be making it soon.
Merry Christmas Beth.
Fantastic recipe! Used it many times. All the flavour of a. Christmas cake without the carbs.
So happy you love it, Jill!