Instant Pot Cake made with a BOX MIX is super moist and flavorful and much less porous than its oven-baked counterpart. Use any box cake variety of your choice! Nobody has to know this delicious cake was not made completely from scratch.
Why This Recipe Works
Does the Instant Pot ever stop blowing your mind?! Seriously, you guys, who knew that a CAKE could turn out sooo deliciously when made inside of the confines of the magical little Instant Pot?
When I took my first bite of my first Instant Pot Cake (and I’ve made many in the past few weeks!), I literally could not believe what I was tasting. The cake was super moist and flavorful beyond anything I could explain in words.
After that first batch, I decided to do some cake testing. I made a cake using the same exact ingredients and measurements and in the same exact pan, except baked in the oven.
There was a notable difference! The oven-baked cake was much more porous, less moist and overall just not as tasty. I absolutely LOVE this method of making cake in the Instant Pot. I’m telling you, there is some serious magic that goes on inside that thing.
Recipe Notes
Keep these things in mind when making cake in an Instant Pot for the best possible outcome!
- Normal 8- or 9-inch round cake pans do not fit inside an Instant Pot, so you will need to get either a 6-inch round cake pan or a 7-inch round cake pan if you don’t already have one. This smaller cake turns out so cute and perfect. I made two separate layer cakes for my son’s birthday this year and people RAVED about how they looked and of course also how good they tasted.
- I love the trivet that comes with the Instant Pot because it allows me to easily lower awkward or large things down into the pot. Use your trivet to lower the batter-filled, foil-covered cake pan before cooking! There’s no need to create a “foil sling” because the trivet gets the job done!
- I believe that the CAKE button on the Instant Pot has some extra magic built into it. If your IP has this button, use it! If not, use the PRESSURE COOK button for the same amount of time.
- I tested this cake with “extras” in the batter (chocolate chips or M&M’s, for example) AND without and the cakes turned out great both ways. Do not exceed more than 1 cup of extras.
- There is no need to make a from-scratch cake recipe in the Instant Pot! Using a box mix makes it so easy and you will be blown away by how good it tastes. Make sure you have all of the ingredients listed on the box before starting!
Favorite Frosting Recipes
Here is a list of my favorite types of frosting to slather all over cakes!
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- Lemon Buttercream Frosting
ENJOY this yummy cake, you guys! Will you please stop back in and let me know how it turned out for you? I’m so excited to hear!
Instant Pot Cake (Box Mix Transformed)
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz. cake mix plus any ingredients required from package
- 1 cup mix-ins examples: chocolate chips, sprinkles, M&Ms, caramel bits, optional
- 4 cups chocolate buttercream frosting or any buttercream of choice
Instructions
- Pour 1 1/2 cups water into the Instant Pot and place trivet in pot. Coat a round 6- or 7-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Divide between two same-size bowls and pour the batter from one of the bowls into the prepared pan. Cover with foil and place pan on the trivet in the Instant Pot.
- Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 35 minutes on high pressure (cake setting). It will take the IP around 6 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
- When cooking is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then do a quick release and allow the float valve to drop.
- Remove cover and check if cake is done by sticking a toothpick into the center. Remove pan from the Instant Pot and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully invert the cake and remove from pan. Let cool on a wire rack. Cut rounded top off cake. Repeat process with remaining batter.
- Spread frosting over the top of one cooled cake, top with the remaining cake and remaining frosting. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cut in slices and serve!
The cake turned out great, but the chocolate chips we mixed in sunk to the bottom of the cake when it was in the instant pot. Any tips to prevent this?
Thanks!
The one tip I know is to coat the chips in flour before adding them to the batter. It helps to avoid that. Also, just adding a few on the top, not combining them into the batter. Thanks for trying the recipe, Lauren!
Try tossing the chocolate chips in flour before adding them to the batter. This should help.
I don’t have a CAKE setting but I have a BAKE setting. Should I use that or Pressure Cook? And just use the same temp as it says on the box?
Hi Vita, Thank you for asking. Some IP have a cake/bake button – if not, just set your timer to 35 minutes on high pressure (which is cake setting on mine). So it can be done manually if your bake button doesn’t automatically set it for you to that time.
I’ve made gluten free box cake in the instant pot, following this method. Worked great!
That’s really great! Thank you for sharing that, Rachel. I know someone else will love having that confirmed.
I haven’t bought the smaller cake oan yet. Which one works better for this recipe–the 6- or the 7-inch?
There’s no wrong choice. I like the 7″ because I like more cake!
Have you done this with gluten free cake mixes. And can I sub Applesauce for the oil like I normally do when I bake it in the oven.
Hi Lisa, great question! I haven’t tried baking with gluten-free so I can’t speak to that. But honestly, I couldn’t see why not, if you have a solid recipe you’re already familiar with. Give it a shot and let me know how the applesauce works. I think it’ll probably be amazing.