Instant Pot carrot cake is just the beginning when learning how to bake a bundt cake in pressure cooker. The possibilities are endless once you learn how to do this in a Ninja Foodi or Crockpot Express works too.
Ok so I made this Instant Pot recipe the other day and once again I will tell you that baking in a pressure cooker is kinda’ the bomb! I say that because every bundt cake or bread pudding I’ve made comes out incredibly moist and delicious. (affiliate links present)
Carrot Cake Instant Pot
I chose to use a boxed cake since I was short on time but if you’re more of a homemade pressure cooker cake kinda’ gal then go right ahead. You can find this style at almost any store and all you need is oil and egg to make the batter ready to go. If you have your own homemade version go with that.
If you half a normal bundt cake recipe you’ll likely have just enough to bake this way. As you know the pan is quite a bit smaller so baking an Instant Pot cake doesn’t need quite as much. Filled 3/4 of the way up is just enough.
Jump to:
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
Ninja Foodi Carrot Cake
As you know there are a ton of different brands out there. They basically do the same thing in general but look different and are of various sizes. As long as yours is at least a 6 quart you will be just fine. The Ninja foodi does have a bake function but typically I just use high pressure. This is what we used;
- Carrot cake mix
- or you can make a homemade carrot cake batter (note I have only used carrot cake mix in the box so if using a homemade cake batter do not fill bundt pan much more than 3/4 of the way full)
- And ingredients to make this mix
- or you can make a homemade carrot cake batter (note I have only used carrot cake mix in the box so if using a homemade cake batter do not fill bundt pan much more than 3/4 of the way full)
- 7″ bundt pan – this is the best one (I’ve tried others and this one is by far the best)
Cream cheese frosting can be made from scratch but I do it the cheater way and warm up ready made frosting in a container. Pour that baby on and slice to serve.
Can you bake in an Instant Pot?
You can, it essentially steams under high pressure which means that the texture is a bit different. Rather than light and airy you will get a more dense but extremely moist dessert. It almost is like a flourless chocolate cake vs. a baked one, and beyond delicious.
Tips for Making an Instant Pot Bundt Cake
If you have never baked in a pressure cooker before it is basically the same as if you were cooking egg bites or something else on a trivet. You don’t want it in the liquid below of course so you will need one of those babies. A piece of foil is necessary too so the top doesn’t get to wet and icky.
- Make sure you spray the inside of your bundt pan with non stick spray
- Do not fill it more than 3/4 of the way full. A box of cake mix fits perfectly, no more.
- Allow your pressure cooker to naturally release the steam. This will make your the cake the perfect moist texture.
- Remove the foil immediately when done. Or the condensation will drip down on it.
- Let it cool and slightly pull away from the sides before you gently flip it on to a plate.
Can you use a homemade carrot cake recipe?
I haven’t done it but I am sure it would work the same. Just make sure you do not fill your bundt pan past the 3/4 mark in the small pan or it will overflow and the cook time below won’t be long enough to cook all the way thru.
What is the best cream cheese frosting recipe?
Ok so I cheat and use a tub of cream cheese frosting almost all of the time because that just takes it a step too far to go all the way. However, if you do want from scratch as far as that goes here is a homemade cream cheese frosting recipe from my favorite dessert blogger.
How to Make Pressure Cooker Carrot Cake
- Fill bundt pan with batter minus 1/2 cup of batter
- (I tend to leave out 1/2 c of batter so it doesn’t rise quite as much but others have noted that it will in fact fit the whole box of prepared mix).
- Cover pan with foil.
- Make a sling out of foil to lower down bundt pan, or use a trivet with handles so you can lift it back out.
- Close your lid and steam valve and set to pressure high for 28 minutes.
- Allow steam to naturally release completely.
- Remove bundt pan and immediately take off foil.
What is cake mode on Instant Pot?
Instead of steaming you can use this mode without water in the bottom for “baking” using dry hot air instead. I think both have benefits but I really think high pressure creates a very tender texture that is out of this world and different than baking in the oven so we use that.
Other pressure cooker desserts you’ll love
Or how to make any other other style pressure cooker bundt cake really. Other Instant Pot dessert recipes you will love:
- Instant Pot angel food cake
- We love this Instant Pot chocolate pudding cake
- Then try our Instant Pot lemon poppy seed cake
- Our tasty Instant Pot cheesecake recipe is great for beginners
Instant Pot Carrot Cake
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 box carrot cake, prepare as directed
- 1 tub frosting
Instructions
- Prepare carrot cake as directed on the box. Spray the inside of your 7″ bundt pan with non stick spray.
- Pour 1.5 c water into your pressure cooker and lower down a trivet.
- Fill bundt pan with batter minus 1/2 cup of batter (I tend to leave out 1/2 c of batter so it doesn't rise quite as much but others have noted that it will in fact fit the whole box of prepared mix).
- Cover pan with foil. Make a sling out of foil to lower down bundt pan, or use a trivet with handles so you can lift it back out.
- Close your lid and steam valve and set to pressure high for 28 minutes.
- Allow steam to naturally release completely. Remove bundt pan and immediately take off foil.
- Put on cooling rack and allow to cool until edges pull away from sides a bit.
- Put a plate on top and gently flip the pan upside down so cake slides out. Drizzle melted cream cheese frosting on top and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
can you use the egg bite molds for this recipe?
I haven’t tried that yet
Do you cover the cake pan with foil before cooking it? I see where you say to remove the foil but I do not see where you say to cover it with foil.
Never have I ever pressure cooked a cake. It is delicious! I used the recommended bundt pan from Amazon. I was careful not to fill it over 3/4 full, but it would have taken the entire recipe. So I now have a very pretty, tiny cake and I had a really tiny cake (what do you do with the leftover batter? You cook it just like the first part! I also have never “melted” cream cheese frosting. I tried to do it in the micro wave. I’m not sure how long you should nuke a store bought 1LB tub of cream cheese frosting, but 2.5 minutes at power level 30 is NOT the correct answer! It was ugly looking, separated, really thin. I let it cool, stirred it, and it seems to be none the worse for the wear and tastes fine. Sounds like I am complaining, but I love this site and I am posting links to it on Facebook, whenever the opportunity affords. Thanks for the motivation to try new things!
Belinda, the foil goes on in step 4. I was using the recommended bundt pan and was really wondering about whether I should leave a hole for the center section of the pan, which is hollow. I was afraid that the water would be forced up the center, hit the foil and then ruin the batter. Since the directions didn’t call for it, I left the foil intact and simply covered the whole pan (hole and all). It worked out fine. My adventure was more of a journey for other reasons, but the foil worked out really well. I was able to reuse it when I cooked the left over batter.
Step 4