Keto Raspberry Cake Bars

Starting with a base of ground sunflower seed meal, whey protein, and powdered monk fruit sweetener, this raspberry dessert is sweet, flavorful, nut-free, and can even easily be made dairy-free!

And with less than 4 grams of net carbs per bar, these square treats are a great keto-friendly choice for satisfying a dessert craving.

Are there any ingredient substitution options?

• Frozen Raspberries: Fresh raspberries can be substituted for frozen, or you can use another low-carb berry, like blueberries or blackberries, instead.
• Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener: You can use a granular option instead, such as Lakanto’s Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener or Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener. Just pulse the granulated sweetener in a food processor to yield powdered sweetener.
• Chia Seeds: Sub in whole flax seeds or ground flax seeds at a 1:1 ratio. Note that either of these substitutions will slightly alter the resulting nutritional content of the recipe.
• Xanthan Gum: Glucomannan powder can be used here at a 1:1 substitution ratio.
• Ground Sunflower Seed Meal: Make homemade ground sunflower seed meal by pulsing raw sunflower seeds in a blender or food processor until they turn into flour (be careful to not over-blend, as doing this will lead to making sunflower seed butter, which has a consistency similar to that of peanut butter or almond butter). If you can eat nuts, you should be able to substitute in almond flour at a 1:1 ratio substitution.
• Whey Protein Powder: Egg white powder should work here at a 1:1 substitution, and this substitution would be necessary to make the recipe dairy-free. The easiest place to find this will be Amazon, though some grocery stores do carry it. If you are going to order online, I would suggest just ordering the unflavored whey protein powder.
• Gluten-Free Baking Powder: You can replace the gluten-free baking powder in this recipe by making your own at home using baking soda and cream of tartar. For the 2 tsp of baking powder this recipe calls for, you will need to use ½ tsp baking soda and 1 tsp cream of tartar. Cream of tartar can typically be found at your grocery store with the spices. This substitution will make your recipe grain-free.
• Melted Butter: Coconut oil can be subbed in for melted butter at a 1:1 ratio. If you use coconut oil in place of butter, the crust may be denser than the original recipe intended. By substituting the butter, these bars can be made dairy-free.
• Eggs: You can substitute flax eggs in place of the whole eggs this recipe calls for. Note that this substitution will alter the final nutrition information, including increasing the carb content per serving just slightly. To make flax eggs to replace the 3 eggs in this recipe:
  1. Mix together 3 tbsp (21g) ground flax seeds with ½ cup (4 oz) water.
  2. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens.
• Full-Fat Greek Yogurt: Substitute plain coconut or vegan yogurt at a 1:1 ratio. By subbing out the yogurt, these bars can be made dairy-free.

How can this recipe be made dairy-free?

Substitute butter and yogurt in this recipe to make it dairy-free.

How can this recipe be made grain-free?

The gluten-free baking powder I use contains corn. To make these bars grain-free, make your own baking powder easily by using baking soda and cream of tartar.

For the 2 tsp of baking powder this recipe calls for, you will need:

• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar (can typically be found at your grocery store with the spices)

How many net carbs?

Per serving, these bars contain 3.8 grams of net carbs. A serving size is 1 bar and the recipe, as written, yields 15 bars.

Net carbs are calculated by taking total carbs, subtracting fiber, and subtracting sugar alcohols.

The full nutrition information for this recipe, including the calorie content, total carbs, protein, and fat per serving, can be found in the nutrition label located below the recipe instructions.

How should they be stored?

• Refrigerator Storage: Store bars in an airtight container in even layers separated by parchment paper in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Before putting on the lid, set a paper towel gently on top. This will lessen any condensation build-up in the container, and help prevent the bars from getting soggy.
• Freezer Storage: Store bars in an airtight container in even layers separated by parchment paper in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, thaw bars in the refrigerator before enjoying.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (162 degrees Celsius) and line 7×11-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Raspberry Layer: To a saucepan over medium-low heat, add raspberries and powdered monk fruit sweetener and simmer until raspberries can be crushed with the back of a rubber spatula and the mixture has reduced down a little, about 5-7 minutes. Turn off stovetop heat and, to saucepan of raspberry mixture, stir in chia seeds and xanthan gum. Set saucepan aside to cool at room temperature while preparing cake batter.

Cake Bars: To a mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Add wet ingredients and, using an electric mixer with dough hooks, mix until well-combined, scraping down ingredients back into batter as needed.

Pour ~¾ of batter into prepared baking pan, leveling with a rubber spatula coated in nonstick cooking spray (this will help to avoid the batter sticking to the spatula).

Spoon prepared raspberry mixture into pan atop base. Pour and spread on remaining batter using cooking spray-coated spatula. Then, using a sharp knife, swirl raspberry mixture into batter.

Final Steps: Transfer baking pan to oven and bake until a toothpick can be inserted into center without crumbs sticking, about 35-40 minutes.

After baking, remove pan from oven and allow to sit at room temperature to fully cool and firm up. Transfer baking pan to refrigerator to chill for 1 hour. The bars will firm up quite a bit while they sit and cool. Once cooled, slice into 15 bars.

Find more low carb desserts

• Keto Lemon Bars
• Keto Peach Cobbler
• Keto Rice Krispie Treats Scotcheroos
• Keto Magic Bars