Keto Spiced Pumpkin Halloween Cake (moist, fluffy, and scary good)

I baked this cake last October after a neighbor sent me home with three small pumpkins and a warning that kids would show up in costumes even if I forgot to turn the porch light on.

I wanted something cosy, low carb, and a little dramatic for the table.

The cake came out tall, soft, and it made the house smell like a candle, except you can eat it.

The frosting was smooth, lightly sweet, and the spices hit just right.

The best part: nobody guessed it was keto. One kid did ask for the recipe though, which was adorable and also not how recipe sharing works, but still.

Below you’ll get the exact steps, why each ingredient matters, easy swaps, smart decorating tricks for Halloween night, and storage tips so you can bake ahead without stress.

The method is simple, the ingredients are common in keto baking, and the flavor is classic fall without being too sweet or heavy.

Why this keto pumpkin cake works

• Almond flour + a touch of coconut flour gives structure without wheat. Almond flour keeps it tender. A little coconut flour helps it hold shape and not crumble.
• Pumpkin puree adds moisture and color with a gentle sweetness.
• Warm spice mix makes it taste like October.
• Erythritol or monk fruit sweetener brings the sweetness without raising carbs. Powdered sweetener in the frosting keeps it silky.
• Eggs lift the batter and keep it fluffy.
• Oil or melted butter for richness and a soft crumb.
• Baking powder gives rise. A tiny bit of baking soda balances the pumpkin’s acidity.
• Cream cheese frosting sets up nicely, pipes well, and holds under simple Halloween decorations.

If you’re new to keto baking, don’t worry. The batter mixes up like a standard cake. No fancy steps.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• 2 cups fine almond flour, 200 g
• 3 tbsp coconut flour, 24 to 30 g
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt

Spice mix (stir together)

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• Optional: 1/4 tsp black pepper for warm bite

Wet ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin puree, 240 g, unsweetened
• 4 large eggs, room temp
• 2/3 cup granulated erythritol or monk fruit blend, 120 g
• 1/2 cup light olive oil or melted butter, 120 ml
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cream cheese frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, 225 g, cold from the fridge for clean structure
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, 85 g, softened
• 1 1/4 cups powdered erythritol or monk fruit, 150 g, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Optional flavors: 1/2 tsp maple extract or 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Optional decorations (all low carb friendly)

• 85 g very dark chocolate, 85 percent or sugar free, melted for spider webs or drip
• Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting stencils
• A handful of toasted pumpkin seeds
• A few sugar free candy eyes
• Orange gel food color for frosting tint, sugar free brand
• Black sesame seeds for a spooky edge

Tools you’ll need

• 2 round cake pans, 8 inch
• Parchment paper circles
• Mixing bowls
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Rubber spatula
• Wire rack
• Offset spatula for frosting
• Piping bag with small round tip if you want webs

Step by step instructions For Keto Spiced pumpkin Halloween cake

• Prep pans and oven. Heat oven to 175°C or 350°F. Grease two 8 inch round pans. Line bases with parchment, then grease the parchment too. This avoids sticking.
• Mix dry. In a bowl, whisk almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices until evenly combined. No clumps.
• Beat wet. In a large bowl, beat eggs with the sweetener for 60 to 90 seconds until a little pale. Add pumpkin puree, oil or melted butter, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
• Combine. Add dry ingredients to wet in two parts. Stir with a spatula until just mixed. The batter will be thicker than a wheat cake batter. It should still spread.
• Divide and level. Split batter evenly between pans. Smooth tops with the spatula. Tap pans lightly on the counter once to release any big air pockets.
• Bake. Place on middle rack. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, rotating pans once near the end. The cake is done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Cool. Let pans rest 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn cakes out onto a wire rack. Peel parchment. Cool fully. Frosting on warm cake will melt and slide, so breathe and let it cool.
• Make frosting. Beat softened butter 1 minute. Add cold cream cheese in chunks and beat until smooth. Add powdered sweetener, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat 2 minutes until creamy, no grit. If you want cinnamon or maple vibe, beat it in now.
• Frost and stack. Place one cake layer on a plate. Add about 1/3 of the frosting, spread to the edge. Top with second layer. Cover the whole cake with a thin crumb coat, chill 15 minutes, then finish with the rest of the frosting.
• Decorate for Halloween. See ideas below. Keep it fun and simple.

Texture and doneness cues

• The cake springs back when you press it lightly.
• The edges pull just a bit from the pan.
• Surface looks set and matte, not wet.
• A toothpick with a few tiny moist crumbs is good. If it comes out gooey, give it 2 to 4 minutes more and check again.

Spice balance notes

Pumpkin on its own is mild. The spices do the heavy lifting. If you love a stronger spice profile, add another 1/2 tsp cinnamon or a pinch more cloves. Go easy with cloves though. A little goes far.

Make it as cupcakes or a sheet cake

• Cupcakes: Line a 12 cup muffin pan. Fill 3/4 full. Bake 16 to 19 minutes.
• Sheet cake: Use a 9×13 inch pan. Bake 23 to 28 minutes. Frost right in the pan for a quick party dessert.

Simple Halloween decoration ideas

• Spider web drizzle: Melt the dark chocolate. Spread a smooth white frosting surface. Pipe three or four concentric circles with chocolate. Drag a toothpick from center to edge to form a web. Place sugar free eyes in the corner like a tiny spider is peeking.
• Jack o’ lantern face: Tint a bit of frosting orange. Frost the cake evenly with the orange batch. Use melted chocolate to draw a smile, triangle eyes, and a nose. Press a few pumpkin seeds at the top for a “stem”.
• Graveyard scene: Dust cocoa powder over a rectangle stencil to look like fresh soil. Add piped “RIP” on small sugar free cookies if you have them, or carve the letters straight on the frosting with a knife and fill with melted chocolate.
• Bats at dusk: Cut simple bat shapes in a sheet of paper. Hold lightly over the cake and sift unsweetened cocoa to create silhouettes.
• Sprinkle edge: Press black sesame seeds around the bottom edge for a clean spooky border without sugar.

Keep decorations light so carbs stay low. Chocolate drizzle and seeds add style without much count.

Tips for best results

• Room temp eggs whip better. If you forgot to take them out, place eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 5 minutes.
• Weigh your flours if possible. It avoids packing the cup too tight.
• Sift powdered sweetener for extra smooth frosting.
• Don’t overbake. Almond flour can turn dry if it stays in too long. Start checking early.
• Taste the spice mix before adding. A pinch on your tongue tells you if it’s bright enough.
• Crumb coat first. That thin first layer of frosting locks crumbs in. Your final coat will look clean.
• Chill to slice neat. Ten minutes in the fridge firms frosting so slices cut sharp.

Ingredient swaps and variations

• Sweetener: Any 1:1 sugar free sweetener that measures like sugar works. Erythritol and monk fruit blends are both fine. Allulose is okay too, but it may brown a touch more.
• Fat: Melted butter gives rich flavor. Light olive oil or avocado oil gives a softer crumb and stays moist longer.
• Dairy free frosting: Use a dairy free cream cheese style spread and plant butter. Beat in a little coconut cream if you need more body.
• Nut free cake: Swap almond flour for 1/2 cup extra coconut flour plus 1/4 cup whey protein isolate and 2 tbsp ground golden flax. Cake will be a bit more springy.
• Chocolate chip twist: Fold in 1/2 cup sugar free dark chocolate chips to the batter. Nice pockets of chocolate here and there.
• Maple spice vibe: Add 1/2 tsp maple extract to the frosting and 1 tbsp to the batter. It makes the pumpkin feel even cosier.
• Orange swirl frosting: Stir 1 tsp orange zest into the frosting. The citrus cuts through the richness.

Storage, freezing, and make ahead

• Room temp: Unfrosted cake layers keep well wrapped for 24 hours on the counter.
• Fridge: Frosted cake keeps 4 to 5 days. Cover to prevent the fridge smell from sneaking in.
• Freezer: Wrap unfrosted layers tight in cling film, then foil, up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
• Make ahead plan: Bake layers on Wednesday, chill. Frost on Thursday night. Decorate Friday after work. Serve Friday night or Saturday. Easy.

Serving notes

Serve slightly chilled for clean slices, or at cool room temp for a softer bite. A small dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream turns it into a bakery moment. Coffee, black tea, or a hot cinnamon herbal tea matches the spices nicely. If you want extra crunch, scatter toasted pumpkin seeds on top right before serving so they stay crisp.

Nutrition estimate

This is an estimate using common products. Your sweetener brand and chocolate choice can shift numbers a bit.

• Servings: 12 slices
• Calories: ~290 per slice
• Fat: ~26 g
• Protein: ~7 g
• Total carbs: ~8 g
• Fiber: ~4 g
• Net carbs: ~4 g per slice

How we got there: almond flour and pumpkin add most of the carbs, coconut flour adds a little, sweetener is non impact. Frosting has minor carbs from cream cheese.

Troubleshooting

• Cake sank in the center: Usually underbaked or too much leavening. Check your baking powder freshness. Next time bake 2 more minutes.
• Gritty frosting: Your powdered sweetener wasn’t fully powdered or wasn’t sifted. Beat longer and add 1 to 2 tsp heavy cream to smooth.
• Dry texture: Overbaked or extra coconut flour. Measure coconut flour lightly or in grams.
• Too soft to frost: Chill layers 20 minutes, then frost. Cold layers handle frosting better.
• Bitter taste: Too much clove or burnt chocolate drizzle. Use a light hand with clove and watch chocolate when melting.

Step by step recap card (print friendly)

Keto Spiced Pumpkin Halloween Cake

• Heat oven to 175°C or 350°F. Grease and line two 8 inch pans.
• Whisk almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices.
• Beat eggs with sweetener. Add pumpkin, oil or melted butter, vanilla.
• Combine dry with wet. Divide into pans.
• Bake 20 to 24 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then on rack.
• Frosting: beat butter, add cream cheese, sweetener, vanilla, salt.
• Frost, stack, chill a bit, finish coat.
• Decorate: web, jack o’ lantern face, graveyard, bats, or a sprinkle edge.
• Slice and enjoy.

Little story bits and use cases

• Kid party ready: Cupcakes are mess free. Pipe a dot of white frosting, add a sugar free candy eye on each. Suddenly you have a tray of tiny ghosts.
• Office treat: Leave the cake in the break room with “low carb pumpkin cake, please slice small” on a sticky note. It will vanish anyway.
• Post trick or treat snack: Hand everyone a small slice with hot tea. It feels like a nice ending to the night, and you don’t chase a sugar crash later.
• Brunch version: Skip the frosting and bake as a loaf. Mix 2 tbsp chopped pecans into the batter. Serve with whipped cream cheese.

Conclusion

Bake the cake a day ahead if you can. The spices settle and the crumb sets up in a nice way by morning.

Keep the frosting simple and let the Halloween details do the talking. Kids love the web.

Adults love the cream cheese tang with the spices. And you get to enjoy a slice that stays friendly to your carbs.

That’s a win for the porch light crew and the back of the kitchen crew, both.

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