‘Boterkoek‘ means “butter cake” in Dutch, and is an essential part of our cuisine! It has a delectable, rich, buttery almond flavor that pairs well with a warm cup of coffee, but the original recipe is anything but slimming.
Growing up, ‘Boterkoek’ was a regular snack in our house as it was easy to make and everyone loved it. Since starting Trim Healthy Mama, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve tried to create a gluten-free, sugar-free version of this Dutch staple. It would either come out too oily, too crumbly, or too almond-y. But yesterday, after the umpteenth try, I think I got it!
The true test came when I offered my husband a piece. (For better or for worse, he always gives me his honest opinion about food. He knows that if he says he loves it, I’ll be sure to make it again and he’ll be the one eating it. 😀 ) He indulged me by closing his eyes and putting his full concentration into savoring the first bite. “Mmmmm. Tastes like the real thing!”
I did a happy dance.
He laughed.
(With me, not at me, of course.)
Admittedly, the texture is slightly different than traditional boterkoek. This one is feels lighter and isn’t quite as chewy. It’s a bit spongier, but just as satisfying and the flavor is the same. Plus, this boterkoek is gluten-free, sugar-free, and a perfect THM S, so I’m happy!
I hope you love it, too.
Gluten-free, Sugar-free ‘Boterkoek’ | THM: S
This 'Boterkoek' is a gluten-free, sugar-free, THM S version of the classic, rich, buttery, almond-flavored Dutch cake!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup xylitol (OR 1/4 cup Gentle Sweet, OR 1 1/2 Tbsp Super Sweet)
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom of springform pan with parchment paper and butter lightly.
- Melt butter. Set aside and let it cool.
- Beat eggs for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add in cooled, melted butter, whipping cream, and almond extract. Beat again until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir xylitol (or other sweetener), flours, and baking powder together. Add to wet ingredients and beat once more to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until knife comes out clean. Cool.
Notes
To keep your parchment paper from making lines on the side of your cake, fold the paper over the base of the springform and then add the sides to "seal" it in place.
Run a knife around the cake after it has cooled to remove the springform easily.
My springform pan has a glass bottom, do you think I would still need parchment paper?
Mine has a glass bottom too, but I used the paper anyway, just to be safe. ????
Awesome!!! So excited to try this; I too grew up on…with boterkoek
I’m trying this one today. I’ve been looking for a dessert like this. Thank you.
I’m so happy about this recipe. I’m making it tonight. Thanks for sharing. ????
Ps… I’m Canadian too. ????
Can I use the THM baking blend instead of the flours?
Hi Amy, I haven’t tried it with the baking blend yet, but I think the texture would be off. It’s not as absorbent as coconut flour by itself.
I’ve done the Kentucky butter cake three times using baking blend in place of both flours and loved it. It would be worth trying here I think. It’s very similar.
I tried this and it is cooling as I type. Looks and smells great!! Thanks for the recipe!!
I don’t have a spring form pan any more, but I do have all the ingredients on hand! Do you think it would work in another kind of pan?? Looks delicious! Thanks!
Yes, it should work in any other 8-9″ pan. Just be sure to grease it well!
Thanks! It is in the oven now!
My Mom always made.her boterkoek.I’m a pie.plate! Those wedges of almond perfection were a favourite of ours. Looking forward to trying this ket o friendly verion.
I don’t have heavy cream, just half and half. Would that work or is heavy cream essential?
I haven’t tried it with half and half, but I think it would probably work.
Hi, Tanya,
did it work with Half&half?
thanks
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was delicious. I topped it with xylitol-sweetened whipped cream and got rave reviews from the whole family (including the 5, 3, and 2 year olds, who are all pretty harsh critics when it comes to THM desserts). This one is being copied down for the recipe box!
That’s great! It’s one my kids all like too. They had it for breakfast yesterday. ????
I tried this recipe yesterday and it was wonderful!! It will be my new favorite go to recipe!! Definitely a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I have made this cake twice in two days. 🙂
It’s fantastic!
Made this for my 31st birthday today… don’t have super fine almond flour, so it may be a little nuttier…
Happy birthday! I hope you enjoyed your cake. ????
So happy to have a delicious traditional dutch dessert for with my coffee after church! Thankyou !
You’re welcome!
Just put this gorgeous cake in the oven. What a beautiful, buttery color. Excited to try it!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Made this tonight with “Mommy Knows Best” Stevia Extract Powder. I used 5 “doonks” but I think 6 would have made it perfect! This cake is so moist and delicious!
Great to hear! I’ve never tried it with Stevia powder – tthanks for letting me know!
Could I use regular sugar? I don’t use sweetners
Yes, you can! 1/2 a cup of regular sugar should be perfect (it measures the same as xylitol).
Made this tonight, but instead of cream I used half n half. Tasted yummy, but didn’t get that dark honey color yours did in the pictures. Mine was so yellow my husband thought it was cornbread until he tasted it. (That was kind of funny because it surprised him.) Do you have any advice on how to get it darker without over baking it? Thanks so much for this recipe!
Ah, adding this to the ‘must try’ list!!!
I grew up eating this at my grandma’s when we’d visit-love that I could still enjoy this on THM!
This was so so so good!!!
I made this cake yesterday, and it is absolutely wonderful. It is light and very moist. My family isn’t big on almond extract, so I substituted vanilla. I also baked it in a well-greased, deep dish glass pie plate… I’m lazy. 🙂 Thank you!
Do you think this could work in a muffin pan?
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I love this cake and have tried to convert it to THM, but was not successful. I will be making this soon! If only I could have jan nagel bars and oliebolen THM friendly as well. 🙂 I’ve converted oliebolen to gluten free, but I think THMing it will be more difficult. However I will be quite happy with this.
Boterkoek is in the oven We are very excited to try it!
Does this need to be refrigerated? It seemed to “spoil” after less than a week. Got a sour taste and kind of a slimy texture. Any explaination?
Yes, it does need to be refrigerated! Almost all THM baking does, as there are no preservatives to keep baking from spoiling.
Do you have a recipe for oliebollen yet?
What size springform do you use?
I have tried many THM approved cakes and have never left a review before. This cake is amazing!!! A real treat! I added a cherry flavored glaze on top! Family approved! Thank you!
My husband loves his boterkoek moist. I take it out of the oven when it looks like it’s not all the way cooked and let it sit in the pan till all the way cooled. Is the low carb version moist as well?
I don’t have salt free butter can you use regular butter? I can’t wait to try it.
I just got done making this cake and it was FANTASTIC!! I used Pyure (erythritol and stevia blend) and used slightly less than 1/3 cup. I also didn’t realize I was out of almond extract so I used vanilla. I’m new to the keto lifestyle and my vice was always sweets and this cake is going to be a serious life saver for my random cravings! My version tastes like a sweet, moist cornbread. I think if I didn’t even less sweetener I could use it as a cornbread! SCORE!
I think this cake will be a great, flexible cake for my recipe book and I look forward to using different extracts and adding things like coconut or strawberries. Thank you for a great recipe!
ALSO, I did not use a spring pan. I just used a regular cake pan lined with parchment paper and buttered it up really well.
woohoo! Thanks for sharing, Chelsea! I think it could be a great “cornbread!”
Can you substitute the butter to something a bit healthier or vegan?
Can you replace the butter with something healthier or vegan?
This was so good! I’m pretty picky and don’t usually like cakes made with almond flour but this one was really good! I did not have almond extract so I added maple extract
Hi, this looks great but can I please ask…can one taste the sweetner…I find recipes that use sweetners always have an aftertaste?
Hi I want to make this for my Dutch in laws to be. Can you please advise what size eggs or the weight of the (unshelled) eggs you have used in this recipe? I find in baking it really does make a difference. Also have you ever used Golden Flaxseed meal in cakes to make more cake like? I think I will try half coconut flour and half Flax meal and see how it goes. I have also substituted Natvia for Xylitol with good success. Thank you for sharing this and looking forward to making it.
Super excited about your recipes and this website. My son has just been diagnosed as Type 1 Diabetic and this is one of his favorite treats. Thanks for doing the leg work on this- I’ll definitely try it out! Not entirely sure what gentle sweet or super sweet is yet though…
What size springform pan did you use for this recipe? I have a 10″ and an 8″. Please advise. Thank you.
How many carbs are in this GF Keto Boterkoek? (Per slice)
Now to come up with a keto friendly almond filling for a gevulde boterkoek.