This Instant Pot cake is an amazing chocolate dessert that you can whip up WITHOUT turning on your oven (or if you don't HAVE an oven)! It's Paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Also suitable for AIP Diet Stage 2 reintros due to nuts (almond flour) and eggs.
If you're sick of getting dry chocolate cake, I have a solution for you. Because, well, who likes dry chocolate cake? Instead – make this Instant Pot cake.
You probably wouldn't expect that an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker can give you deliciously …. oh man…. how really do you say this without offending like 90% of the population that HATES the “m” word? Um, so the Huffington Post says I can say these words instead of the word I want to use:
- “not dry” (creative)
- “hydrated” (really…. hydrated? For a cake?)
- “good crumb” (that's a stretch)
- “spongy” (ok, that's a bit better but not quuuite what I'm going for)
- “divine” (I guess I'll take that one)
You get the idea, right? It ain't dry, and it tastes DIVINE 🙂
Table of contents
Why Make an Instant Pot Cake
When I first heard of making desserts in the Instant Pot, my first thought was “Why would you do that?”. I mean, cakes in the oven work just fine!
But as I did more research and made them myself, I realized there are some advantages to it. Some disadvantages though too.
Advantages:
- You don't need to turn your oven on. This is great on a hot day.
- You don't need to preheat your oven or worry about any exact temperatures – I like this since my oven sucks. It consistently runs inconsistently!
- If you don't HAVE an oven you can still make one – so in a college dorm, a small apartment, a tiny house, an RV, during a kitchen remodel, etc
- If your oven is completely occupied you can still make a cake (holidays, dinner parties)
- The cake seems to consistently need the same amount of time to “bake”, unlike in an oven where often have to do the toothpick test to see if it is really done or not and often have to add a few more minutes, then a few more minutes…
- The cake consistency comes out “divine” – see above terminology 🙂
Disadvantages:
- You can't make more than one layer at a time, so if you want to make a layer cake you're better off baking it in the oven
- These cakes seem best served warm and within a day of baking (at least the Paleo versions – which is often true of most Paleo baked goods)
- You're limited to a 6-inch round cake if using a 6-quart Instant Pot. No long flat cakes, square, larger circles, or interesting shapes
How to Make A Cake In the Instant Pot
So you're probably wondering exactly HOW you do this feat of “baking” a cake in a pressure cooker, right? Trust me, I was very confused about how this would work at first. It's not complicated though, and not altogether different from baking a cake in the oven.
Tips for Success With An Instant Pot Cake
There are a few things that are essential to make this a success:
- You need to use the “pot-in-pot” method – this is where you still put your cake into a normal round metal or silicone baking pan INSIDE the inner pot of the Instant Pot
- You must use a liquid like water in the inner pot. This is essential in pretty much EVERY Instant Pot pressure cooking recipe, and this is no different.
- You need to use a wire rack, steamer basket, or trivet to keep the cake off the bottom of the inner pot
- You don't want to do a quick release of pressure at the end because it'll ruin the texture of the cake. I find that 10 minutes of natural release is perfect, then you can quick release the rest of the pressure (if there's still any left)
- You should eat a cake cooked this way within one day, preferably soon after it's made, as it does start to dry out
The Process
The initial process for making a cake in the Instant Pot is the same as baking a cake in the oven. It diverges a bit once you cook it though.
- Grease the baking pan, add parchment if necessary, mix up the ingredients and add the batter to the baking pan.
- Pour water (2 cups should be fine for the majority of electric pressure cookers) into the bottom of the inner pot
- Add a wire rack, steamer basket, or trivet to keep the cake off the bottom
- Place the cake on the rack
- Close the lid and close the pressure valve to “Sealing”
- Hit “Manual” and adjust the time to what is indicated in the recipe and let it cook
- When it beeps, let it naturally release for at least 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure if needed
- Let the cake sit for 10-15 minutes more, then run a butter knife around the outside of the pan to release it onto a plate/serving dish. Best served warm.
You May Need:
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I have this Instant Pot –> the 6 qt DUO 7:1. it's the older model, therefore cheaper now, but I love it!
Steam Rack (get this to keep your cake off the bottom if your Instant Pot didn't come wth one)
Sealing Rings use one for savory dishes, one for sweet, and one if you make yogurt – this helps your sweet dishes not taste like last night's chili)
Aluminum Cake Pan – this one fits in the Instant Pot perfectly and is safe to use with a pressure cooker
Other Recipes You Might Like
These are some other recipes I think you might adore:
Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread – for the chocolate lover!
Instant Pot Cinnamon Apple Cake – another Instant Pot cake, this time with comforting fall flavors (Paleo & gluten-free)
Instant Pot Breakfast Porridge – if you're a fan of using your Instant Pot, this grain-free nut porridge is a delicious way to start your morning! (Paleo & gluten-free)
More Helpful AIP & Paleo Resources in the Freebie Library
If you find this recipe helpful, you may really enjoy the resources in my Paleo & AIP Freebie Library! There's a “dump” freezer meal plan, a list of AIP-compliant breakfast toppings, and so much more. Plus, you'll get even more ideas sent to your inbox! Get the password here.
Instant Pot Chocolate Cake Recipe
When first exploring this whole world of Instant Pot cakes, I originally set out to make an Instant Pot version of my Apple Cinnamon Cake (see the Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Cake recipe) but I've been having a craving for some fudgy chocolate cake so decided to figure that out, especially since Valentine's Day happens to be a few days after I'm writing this.
This cake is, of course, Paleo, since ya know, this is a Paleo blog and all, BUT I really think it'll be a crowd pleaser for those of you non-Paleo eaters. It's naturally gluten-free through the use of almond flour and it's also dairy-free.
A few things to note:
- If you are finding that it's not rising as much as you'd like, add a bit more baking soda. I have to make this caveat since I haven't tested this recipe at sea level and any baking recipes can be finicky at different altitudes (I live at 5430 ft). BTW – please let me know if you have made this at sea level so I can update this post to reflect what you need to use!
- Use the parchment paper circle on the bottom of your cake pan because it helps immensely with getting the cake out of the pan in one piece
- To make this cake entirely dairy-free, make sure you use a dairy-free chocolate chip. I like Enjoy Life brand.
Instant Pot Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips I like Enjoy Life
- 1/4 cup Coconut Milk or other dairy-free milk
- 2 tbsp Palm Shortening (or butter or coconut oil)
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp Coconut Sugar or Maple Sugar
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Line a 6-inch stainless steel cake pan with a piece of parchment paper and grease lightly.
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate chips and coconut milk, stirring frequently. When melted, add the palm shortening and stir until melted. Turn the heat off and set aside to cool a bit.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and stir to mix.
- Add the dry ingredients and gently fold in just until everything is mixed together. Pour into the prepared cake pan.
- Pour 2 cups of water into the metal liner of your Instant Pot. Then place the metal wire trivet into the basin. Place the cake pan on top of that, close the lid, and set the vent to the sealing position. Press the Manual button and then the '+' to adjust to 40 minutes. (It takes about 10 min to come to pressure)
- When the Instant Pot beeps at the end of cooking, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest of the pressure. Let the cake sit for another 10-15 minutes before serving. This cake is best served warm.
Notes
If you can tolerate dairy, I HIGHLY recommend checking out my friend Kristen's Instant Pot Creme Brulee. OMG, it looks so good! Wish dairy and I were friends…
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OMG – what CANT you make in an instant pot – that cake looks so yum!
Thanks Tina 🙂
Mmmm! This cake looks so good! Love that homey quality, just right, and so moist. :)!
Thanks Megan – it was so yummy!
I haven’t done dessert in the IP yet, can you believe it!? I definitely would love to after seeing this yummy cake though!
Wait – how have YOU not done dessert in the IP yet? You are like an IP Queen! You need to try this!
Yum! I really need to make a dessert recipe in the Instant Pot. This looks so good!
Yes, yes you do 🙂
Looks So amazing!! I need to get a pan that fits in my IP so I can make all these wonderful things I keep seeing! I am imagining super moist baked goods!
They are so good. Go get yourself a pan and “bake” (we need to figure out a proper term for this) away!
Yes!!! I don’t see half as many paleo-friendly cakes as I should for the Instant Pot. This is what the world needs! I can’t wait to try this out in mine.
This is simply divine! I can’t believe it was made in an instant pot!
I have been experimenting “baking” in my Instant Pot, but because I’m an IP addict and have 2 I can make a layer cake! Thanks for the recipe!
Oh wow – now THAT i need to hear about – the layer cake at one time and how that works!
This cake looks incredibly decadent and moist!
Thanks Kari!
Love that short ingredient list! I can’t wait to make this cake!
Thanks Cristina! I hope you enjoy!
I Love anything chocolate flavored. YUM !!!
You and me both 🙂 Yay for chocolate!
Serious yum! And how fun that it’s in the IP.
Thanks Katja! Yes, so much fun that it’s in a different appliance than the oven. 🙂
I have not made a cake in my Instant Pot yet and girl, this recipe looks amazing. It’s on my MUST eat list 🙂
You have to try it! It’s so fun and deliiiiish 🙂
I have tried many gluten free instant pot cake recipes, and this is the best! I live at 8000 feet, so I added 8 minutes and it came out great.
I’m so glad you love it! And thanks so much for letting me know the adjustment for 8000 feet. That’ll be helpful for sure!
Can you substitute coconut flour for the almond flour?
Unfortunately not 1:1 as the coconut flour is a different consistency that absorbs a lot of liquid and the cake would come out completely differently (and probably extremely dry). You can experiment if you want and try something like 1/4 cup of coconut flour but I’d maybe add another egg. I haven’t tried it though so have no idea what it’d be like, esp in the Instant Pot. Another nut-free version you can try is making homemade sunflower seed flour (just blend some unsalted sunflower seeds in a blender until a flour consistency) and replacing that 1:1 with the almond flour.
Thank you for creating this recipe. I’m new to IP and my family eats Paleo, so far we’re loving it! Do you put foil over the cake pan to eliminate the water that gets in? I did buy stackable for my 8qt IP. Wondering if I could stack them with the batter divided between the two. So many things to try. My bottom pan is 7″ so I’ll put all the batter in it and cook just one first.
Yeah, the foil is to prevent the water from getting in. Let me know if you wind up stacking them – I still haven’t tried that and have wondered how it will work!
You might consider adding the step of covering the cake pan with foil — it’s not in the instructions, which surprised me, since the other IP cakes I’ve made always cover. Glad I saw this comment in time before the pot came to pressure.
I actually do NOT typically add aluminum foil on my Instant Pot cakes. I’ve tried it both ways and personally like them better without. You definitely can add it though if you’d rather – it does seem to keep some water out which I know some people prefer, but I’ve never had it be a problem.
I topped this with peanut butter and a dab of whipped cream and my hubby approved. I cooked four ramekins for individual deserts. Next time I’ll cut the salt in half…it seemed a bit overpowering. I also used 3 tblsp cocoa powder + 2 tblsp sugar instead of chocolate chips (didn’t have any at home 🙂 and it was fine.
Yum, sounds great with peanut butter and whipped cream!
I made this at sea level! Followed instructions exactly and had a massive Christmas party hit. Everyone loved it! No changes necessary for sea level baking IMO. Thank you!! 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it!
This looks great, and I will give it a try! I’m also at a higher altitude, and I think one advantage of the Instant Pot is that it takes that out of the equation–it reaches a programmed pressure inside no matter where you start from!
Isn’t that great? I’m at a higher altitude too (well, 5480 ft) and sometimes baked goods in the oven don’t work so well, but the IP definitely equalizes that!
Ok. I’m looking everywhere for keto brownie bites in the instant pot using the silicone egg bites…I think this recipe can work…but I hate baking and need someone to experiment!
Oh interesting – I’ve never tried it in such a small container but if someone DOES make it – let Becky know how it turns out please:-) !
I made it, turned out great! I brought it to a party and everyone was loving it. I used a silicone 6” pan with a foil covering. It stuck a little to the bottom so maybe next time will add parchment paper. I think it actually got a better texture over a few hours as it cooled and settled.
Nice! So glad you enjoyed it!
This was the best gluten free cake I’ve ever had! It was the best cake I’ve ever had! And so easy. Thanks so much for this recipe. I love my IP. ❤️
Wow, I’m so so glad you took the time to leave this wonderful comment and that you enjoyed it! Thank you!!
This cake is decadently delicious, and so easy to make. After the first bite, I had to restrain myself from eating the whole cake at once! But I was rewarded for my patience after wrapping the leftovers in plastic and forgetting about them in the fridge for a few days. Chilled, this cake transforms into a densely cool and creamy, fudgey, amazing thing!! Then it was twice as hard not to eat it all at once! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s now a permanent part of my repertoire! Incidentally, my husband says it can stand up to any gluten-based cake, and he’s not normally a “gluten-free” recipe kinda guy 😁
This was amazing. So chocolatey and moist. It’s a keeper recipe for sure!!
I just made this cake and it turned out great! I did cover it with tinfoil before I started the IP and would advise others to do so as well.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Mine came out really dry and I did it for the exact time according to the recipe. Are used all purpose flour and butter because that is what I had on hand. Everything else was per the recipe.
Any idea what I may have done wrong?
I’d have to assume it was the AP flour – it acts quite different from almond flour and all the gluten-free flours really. Unfortunately, I can’t say for sure as I can’t try it myself due to my gluten allergy!