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Instant Pot Cake (Box Mix Transformed)

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.
4.92 from 35 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 384kcal
Author: Megan Porta

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

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!

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 219mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 2mg
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