I have made this Instant Pot Cake recipe a hundred times and it turns out perfectly every single time. It’s made with a boxed cake mix (SO easy!), it is such a moist cake filled with flavor, and much less porous than its oven-baked counterpart. Nobody has to know this delicious cake was not made completely from scratch.
Original post: April 2019 | Updated: September 2024
Why This Recipe Works
This is perhaps my favorite Instant Pot recipe of all time. No joke. Here are just a few of the many many reasons I love it so much:
- I’ve made it a hundred times and it’s literally never failed me.
- This is my go-to recipe when making a cake, and the best instant pot cake recipe ever.
- My pressure cooker never stops blowing my mind. Who knew that a cake could turn out so perfectly when made inside of the confines of the magical little appliance.
- It’s the most low-maintenance, simple recipe known to man, made with just a few simple ingredients and the press of a button.
- The cake is non-porous, unlike its oven-baked cousin that always contains a ton of holes.
- Being cooked in a moist environment creates a super moist and delicious end result.
- Made with a box mix, you can use any flavor of your choosing.
- When the same recipe is made in the oven, the overall end result is a thousand times better when made in an electric pressure cooker.
- There is no need to make a from-scratch cake recipe in the Instant Pot! This is the easiest cake recipe you’ll ever make and you will be blown away by how good it tastes.
Recipe Ingredients
Cake mix – Choose any variety, making sure you also have any ingredients required from package instructions.
Mix-ins – Use no more than 1 cup of any of the following: chocolate chips, sprinkles, M&Ms, caramel bits, butterscotch chips.
Frosting – Chocolate buttercream frosting or any buttercream of choice.
How To Make Instant Pot Cake
Step 1
Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the bottom of the pot and place trivet inside. 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 and lower into the inner pot.
Step 2
Place the cover on the pot, set to sealing position 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 (“natural release”) for 10 minutes then do a quick release and allow the remaining hot air to release and the float valve to drop.
Step 3
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.
Step 4
Spread frosting over the top of the cake, top with the remaining cake and remaining frosting. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cut in slices and serve!
Recipe Notes
- I love the trivet that comes with the Instant Pot because it allows you 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” or to use a bakeware sling because the trivet gets the job done itself.
- You’ll find a “cake” button on newer models of Instant Pot. If your pressure cooker has this button, use it! If not, use the “pressure cook” button, and 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 cake turned out great both ways, every time. Do not exceed more than 1 cup of extras.
- Make sure you have all of the ingredients listed on the box before starting.
Can You Use a Regular Cake Pan in an Instant Pot
Normal 8- or 9-inch round cake pans will not fit inside an Instant Pot, so you will need to get either a 6-inch pan or a 7-inch round cake pan if you don’t already have one. An Instant Pot cake pan is essential for the success of this recipe.
Types of Cake Mixes to Choose From
Depending on which cake mix you choose, you can create any of the following types of cakes using the recipe in this post:
- Instant Pot carrot cake
- Easy Instant Pot chocolate cake
- Instant Pot strawberry cake
- Vanilla or white cake
- Funfetti cake
- Instant Pot lemon cake (top with lemon zest!)
Why Are There Two Instant Pot Sealing Rings
Your Instant Pot might come with two sealing rings, one red and one blue. Having extra sealing rings is useful when you cook both savory and sweet foods in your pressure cooker. The silicone rings can absorb scents from food, so it is a good idea to separate sweet and savory.
Best Frosting Recipes
Below are a few of my favorite types of frosting to slather all over cakes such as this one.
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- Lemon Buttercream Frosting
How Long Does Cake Last
A baked cake will last two days at room temperature, up to a week in the fridge and up to three months in the freezer. No matter where you’re storing it, be sure to keep in an airtight container for best results.
Favorite Instant Pot Desserts
Instant Pot Cake Recipe – 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!
Notes
- I love the trivet that comes with the Instant Pot because it allows you 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” or to use a bakeware sling because the trivet gets the job done itself.
- You’ll find a “cake” button on newer models of Instant Pot. If your pressure cooker has this button, use it! If not, use the “pressure cook” button, and 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 cake turned out great both ways, every time. Do not exceed more than 1 cup of extras.
- Make sure you have all of the ingredients listed on the box before starting.
I used a 6″ springform pan. It worked fine but the cake didn’t stay together. This time I will be sure the lower layer is trimmed flat. Cake was very good.
Cake turned out moist and very dense. I used a two tier stackable steamer pans that includes it’s own trivet. I divided the cake batter and place 1/2 in each stacked on top of each other and used the solid lid on the top. Locked in the trivet and baked following your directions. So cooked both layers at the same time. Turned out just fine in 1/2 the time.
The cake came out perfect I learned from my cousin who worked in a bakery in France that if you use boiling water it’s going to be perfectly spongy I suggest you try it.
Great! Thanks, Kiba.
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.