Can an Instant Pot be used for more than just soups and stews? You bet it can! And desserts are a great way to utilize this fun new kitchen gadget. Cakes cooked in a pressure cooker stay unbelievably moist and delicious. And the Instant Pot even has a specific setting for cake. They were made for each other!
December 3 2018 recipe, photo by Carolyn Ketchum, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE in Recipes, Dessert
Can an Instant Pot be used for more than just soups and stews? You bet it can! And desserts are a great way to utilize this fun new kitchen gadget. Cakes cooked in a pressure cooker stay unbelievably moist and delicious. And the Instant Pot even has a specific setting for cake. They were made for each other!
USMetric
10 servingservings
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 oz.) 475 ml (230 g) almond flour
- ½ cup (32⁄3 oz.) 120 ml (110 g) erythritol
- 2 tsp 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ¼ tsp salt
- 2 2 large egglarge eggs
- 1⁄3 cup 80 ml butter, melted or coconut oil
- 1⁄3 cup 80 ml water
- ½ tsp ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 oz. 28 g chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
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Making low carb simple
Instructions
Instructions are for 10 servings. Please modify as needed.
Grease a 7-inch (18 cm) ceramic pan well — a soufflé pan works great.
Place the trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add one cup of water (not included in ingredients).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sweetener, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Stir in the eggs, melted butter, water, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Set on top of the trivet in the Instant Pot.
Close the lid and choose the cake setting. It will automatically set for 40 minutes. Once the cycle is finished, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes. Then remove the lid and lift out the ceramic dish. Cool completely in the pan.
Remove the foil and transfer the cake to a serving platter. Serve alone or with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Carolyn's tips and tricks
This easy spice cake is almond flour based cake with plenty of warm fall spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. It can be made with butter or a non-dairy oil like coconut. I topped mine with some chopped pecans and walnuts, and when it was finished, I served it with some lightly sweetened whipped cream. Simple and delicious, no need for sweet frosting or glaze.
To cook a cake in a pressure cooker, you need a pan that fits inside and sits on the trivet, so you can fill the bottom of the cooker with water. A 7-inch pan fits inside most standard Instant Pots. A springform cheesecake pan works well but you have to make sure to wrap the bottom in foil so that the water doesn’t seep in through the seam. For a cake like this, I recommend using a 7-inch (18 cm) ceramic soufflé pan.
If you grease the pan properly, you can even flip this cake out onto a serving plate after it has cooled. Simply cover the top with a large plate and invert it. Then flip it back over onto your serving plate.
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💬 Have you tried this recipe?
What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
44 comments
1
Karen
December 3 2018
This sounds delish -- how about time & temp for oven baking instead, please?
Replies: #2, #28
2
Reply to comment #1 by Karen
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
December 4 2018
The ingredients and amounts of each for this recipe were specifically formulated for a pressure cooker. They may not work as well when baked in the oven.
3
Anne MacLellan
December 5 2018
My Instant Pot Duo (the most popular model) does not have a cake setting. What setting should I use?
Reply: #7
4
Lauren
December 7 2018
This recipe was a hit with my family. I don’t have a cake setting but just set to pressure cook for the time listed in the recipe.
5
Margee
December 8 2018
If you do not have an instapot can you still make this recipe? I do not own one and are not interested in getting one. My family used to make something called a Welsh Boil Cake that was made in a Dutch Oven. It sounds a little like that same process.
Reply: #6
6
Reply to comment #5 by Margee
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
December 9 2018
If you do not have an instapot can you still make this recipe? I do not own one and are not interested in getting one. My family used to make something called a Welsh Boil Cake that was made in a Dutch Oven. It sounds a little like that same process.
This has not been tested for oven/dutch oven baking at this time.
7
Reply to comment #3 by Anne MacLellan
Margie
December 18 2018
I looked around online and it appears that the cake setting is simply normal high-pressure set to 40 minutes. It’s just a pre-programmed button that does the same thing.
My Instant Pot Duo (the most popular model) does not have a cake setting. What setting should I use?
8
Brigitte
December 18 2018
Lacking an Instant Pot I will have to play around with my Tefal 8in1 and its cake setting. I might have to eat some almond pudding until I get it right.
Reply: #9
9
Reply to comment #8 by Brigitte
Sonja
December 19 2018
Oh, and when you get it right, will you share the recipe?
10
Marilou
January 2 2019
I bake it in the oven for about 20 min at 350 and it was amazingly delicious. A real treat hard to resist and satisfying.
11
Travy
January 5 2019
Made this tonight and it was amazing. Even my non Keto daughter liked it. I used crushed pecans on top. It cooked and flipped out nicely from a Pyrex bowl (roughly 7 inch). I couldn’t even wait for it to be completely cooled! I have an Insta Pot Duo and used Steam, Normal, High Pressure for 40 minutes and followed remainder of directions. Thank you for a great winter warm dessert!
12
Tamara
January 5 2019
has anyone tried it in a metal pan instead of ceramic? I have a 7 inch spring form pan but no 7 inch ceramic baking dish.
Reply: #14
13
Katie
January 6 2019
I have tested this recipe in the oven. Because of the liquidness of the mixture I separated it to an 8 square compartment baking tin and baked at 150 degrees C at the top of my oven for about 25 minutes. It came out great and a perfect mini cake to put in my lunch box. If you are going to make a single large cake it should still work but I would recommend baking in the bottom of the oven as it will need to be in there longer and you don't want the outside to burn.
14
Reply to comment #12 by Tamara
Sue
January 11 2019
I just now made one in my springform pan, but follow the directions to cover the bottom of the pan in foil (I wrapped it up to the rim) to keep moisture out. It is THE most moist cake I have ever tasted! Delicious!
15
Robin
January 22 2019
How many net carbs does this work out to just for the cake without whip?
16
Cindy Harris
January 22 2019
This cake was amazing. I baked it because I don’t have a pressure cooker and it came out delicious.
17
Autum
January 22 2019
Such a good cake. I made this in a glass bowl in the InstantPot on Cake setting. I made two variations; one in a smaller bowl, one in a bigger one. The bigger cake had to go back in the oven for about 10 minutes on 350 F and I should have put the smaller one in as well because it was a little undercooked. I flipped them upside down out of the glass and onto a baking dish to garnish. Very pretty and a really good cake!
- 1 comment removed
19
Mary Macnblack
February 13 2019
I’m having trouble finding the right size dish. I have several ramekins. If I make several smaller cakes, do I need to adjust anything? Newbie to baking and IP :-)
Reply: #20
20
Reply to comment #19 by Mary Macnblack
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
February 13 2019
I’m having trouble finding the right size dish. I have several ramekins. If I make several smaller cakes, do I need to adjust anything? Newbie to baking and IP :-)
We have not tested this in smaller dishes. It may take less time to cook.
21
Khadija M McMahon
March 11 2019
I just tried made this and am letting it cool! The cake is pretty moist, almost pudding like. I added more than a cup of water to the instant pot. Perhaps that why? Anyway, I cooked it a bit longer and seems 👌!!
Do you store it in Tupperware and leave on the countertop? Have you tried freezing it? How long does this keep? Have you tried slicing this like bread and roasting with butter or ghee? 😊
22
Ericha Cook
March 14 2019
Wondering if this might be a good base cake to convert into carrot cake (by adding coconut flakes, shredded carrot, walnuts, and a little crushed pineapple.
Just don't want it to be too moist! What di you think? My mom's bday is on St. Patty's Day, and she lives carrot cakeReply: #23
23
Reply to comment #22 by Ericha Cook
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
March 15 2019
Wondering if this might be a good base cake to convert into carrot cake (by adding coconut flakes, shredded carrot, walnuts, and a little crushed pineapple.
Just don't want it to be too moist! What di you think? My mom's bday is on St. Patty's Day, and she lives carrot cakeYou would probably have better luck using this recipe.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/keto-carrot-cake-cheesecake24
Laura Nicole
April 6 2019
I made this recipe in my InstantPot, and loved it! It has now become a family favorite. I have a Lux model and a Nova Plus model and both work well. I found that 50 minutes on the manual or pressure cook setting worked best. I purchased a 7 inch ceramic soufflé pan from Amazon, which worked wonderfully. It’s good for dessert and breakfast too! Thank you for developing and posting this great recipe. Yum!
25
Christiane McMahon
April 30 2019
Could I substitute Monkfruit Sweetener for the 1/2 cup Erythritol?
Reply: #26
26
Reply to comment #25 by Christiane McMahon
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
April 30 2019
Could I substitute Monkfruit Sweetener for the 1/2 cup Erythritol?
Yes, that should work well.
27
Marcie
September 16 2019
Can I make this in a steel fluted tube pan that will fit in my instant pot?
28
Reply to comment #1 by Karen
Nichola
September 22 2019
Hey Karen I made this and baked in the oven as I didnt have a pot cake pressure thingy lol. It Turnt out really great. I preheated my fan overn to 180 and cooked for 30 mins, but checked the cake at about 20 mins in.
Hope this helps 🙂
29
Peggy Underhill
November 19 2019
I found that it wasn’t cooked after 40 minutes. It needed at least another 20. It tasted very nice, but next time I will use less sweetener.
30
Rebecca Ryan-Clement
January 5 2020
I just made this in my instapot, followed directions exactly and I have nothing but a crumbled mess!! How is everyone getting perfect cakes?
31
Jaime Kenyon
February 16 2020
Absolutely delicious and did it in oven as don't have pressure cooker. However I plugged the recipe into my Keto app and it came up as 12g carbs, not 2g like this recipe says?
Reply: #32
32
Reply to comment #31 by Jaime Kenyon
Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
February 17 2020
Absolutely delicious and did it in oven as don't have pressure cooker. However I plugged the recipe into my Keto app and it came up as 12g carbs, not 2g like this recipe says?
You may want to be sure the serving sizes are the same.
33
ghoti
April 15 2020
I quite enjoyed this dense cake. Next time, I think I will increase the spice content to make it more like a gingerbread cake. The only thing I think this recipe needs is a salted caramel sauce.
34
dietdoctor108
August 30 2020
I want to make this but because in my household only I eat keto, I fear there would be lots of leftovers. Has anyone tried freezing this cake? I wonder if it would taste well defrosted. Thanks!
Replies: #35, #42
35
Reply to comment #34 by dietdoctor108
Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
August 30 2020
I want to make this but because in my household only I eat keto, I fear there would be lots of leftovers. Has anyone tried freezing this cake? I wonder if it would taste well defrosted. Thanks!
We haven't tested freezing this, but it should be OK. You may want to test freezing a small portion before you decide to freeze a large amount.
36
4aip48
November 18 2020
I used a pyrex covered casserole dish 6 inches diameter, 3 inches deep. It was not cooked through after 40 mins in my Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus. I put it in again for 15 mins on cake program and done nicely. Next time I will hold off on the walnuts prior to baking and add when serving. Walnuts lost their crunch during the pressure cooking time. Very tasty, moist spice cake. Will make this again.
Reply: #37
37
Reply to comment #36 by 4aip48
Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
November 19 2020
I used a pyrex covered casserole dish 6 inches diameter, 3 inches deep. It was not cooked through after 40 mins in my Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus. I put it in again for 15 mins on cake program and done nicely. Next time I will hold off on the walnuts prior to baking and add when serving. Walnuts lost their crunch during the pressure cooking time. Very tasty, moist spice cake. Will make this again.
Thank you for sharing your tips on this one. I am glad you enjoyed it!
38
Jane
January 10 2021
I just made this. IP 40 min. Normal, high pressure, steam. I didn’t have an instant-pot sized cake pan so I used a disposable tin pan instead. Worked well. I left it in a while after it was done. Probably an extra hour! (I forgot about it.) The texture is GREAT - like a “real cake,” but the sweetness level is way too much for me. I’ll experiment with it and use about half the erythritol, or less.
Reply: #39
39
Reply to comment #38 by Jane
Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
January 10 2021
I just made this. IP 40 min. Normal, high pressure, steam. I didn’t have an instant-pot sized cake pan so I used a disposable tin pan instead. Worked well. I left it in a while after it was done. Probably an extra hour! (I forgot about it.) The texture is GREAT - like a “real cake,” but the sweetness level is way too much for me. I’ll experiment with it and use about half the erythritol, or less.
Thanks for sharing, Jane!
40
Denise
February 21 2021
WOW! A definite keeper. I baked mine for 2O minutes at 350. I doubled the spices and added cardamon, lemon and zest. I also use 1C almond flour and 1/4C coconut flour with 5 eggs. Toasted 1 oz of coconut flakes with walnuts. I reduced serving to 6 to keep on track. Thanks for sharing DD.😋
41
Ele
April 9 2021
I just made this in my instant pot. Manual for 40 minutes and natural release. I wrapped a spring form pan with tin foil. It was still soupy- not done at all. I put it back in for 20 minutes I hope it finishes! Not sure why mine took longer. It seems like other commenters are reporting the same thing.
42
Reply to comment #34 by dietdoctor108
Marion
October 15 2021
You could also not tell them it’s keto. Good for their blood sugar, and really, a good cake is a good cake 😊
43
Karen Arrotta
February 12 2023
How many carbs?
Reply: #44
44
Reply to comment #43 by Karen Arrotta
Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
February 13 2023
How many carbs?
Hi, Karen! The carbs shown are per serving, so this would be 3 net carbs per serving.
45
Christina
May 2 2023
has anyone substituted the sweetener for Splenda or any sweetener that doesn't end in 'ol' (like erythritol, mannitol, etc)
