Instant Pot Berry Vanilla Cake

4.41 from 15 votes

Simple and elegant Berry Vanilla Cake made in the Instant Pot. You don't even need to turn on your oven to make this cake. It's topped with a cream cheese glaze making it the perfect dessert for your summer parties!

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Simply perfect Instant Pot Berry Vanilla Cake! You won’t believe how easy it is to make a cake without turning on your oven!

This soft and moist vanilla cake is filled with fresh summer berries and topped with a cream cheese glaze making it the perfect dessert for your summer parties!

If you love all the Instant Pot vegetarian/vegan recipes that I share on the blog, please join me on this Facebook Group – Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes. The group would share/feature vegetarian instant pot recipes and ideas from all around the web!

instant pot berry vanilla cake topped with fresh berries and placed on a blue cake stand

It’s rather surprising that I haven’t shared an Instant Pot dessert on the blog. My cookbook has an entire chapter on Instant Pot desserts but somehow I never got around posting one on the blog.

But better late than never I guess! So here I am with my first Instant Pot dessert-  Berry Vanilla Cake! This cake is just perfect for the season. It’s a simple vanilla cake with mixed berries and topped with a cream cheese glaze.

With the long weekend just around the corner it would be the perfect dessert to make for Memorial Day. The best part about this berry vanilla cake is that you don’t even need to turn on your oven!

It is really hot here these days and the last thing I want to do is to turn on my oven. The Instant Pot makes it so convenient to make a cake without an oven. I am sure once you make a cake in your IP, you are going to get hooked onto it.

a hand placing a strawberry on a bundt cake placed on a blue cake stand

How to Make Cake In An Instant Pot

If you are one of those who has never tried baking a cake in their pressure cooker and the whole idea actually sounds intimidating, let me tell you it is quite easy! You start exactly in the same way as you would for any other cake.

The difference comes in cooking method and the final texture of the cake.

Cooking Method

You make the cake batter in a similar way as you would make for a cake that is baked. But in stead of being baked in the oven, the cake is cooked on high pressure.

Texture

Cake in an instant pot/pressure cooker is steamed. And so not surprisingly the texture is different than a baked cake.

Baking Pan

You need a cake pan which would fit inside an Instant pot. I have a 6qt DUO and I used a 6 cup bundt pan for this cake.

a slice of berry vanilla cake in a small light green plate

Tips to Make Cake In An Instant Pot

Few things to keep in mind

✓ Always add water to the pot before placing the trivet on top. Water is needed for the pot to come to pressure.

✓ Always remember to cover your cake pan with an aluminium foil as you put it inside the instant pot . As you cook the cake on high pressure, there will be condensation and you don’t want it to drop on your cake batter and make a mess out of it!

✓ To take the cake pan out of the pressure cooker easily (once the cake is cooked), make an aluminium sling.

To make the sling, take a long piece of aluminum foil (around 2 feet) and fold it twice or thrice length-wise. Wrap the sling around the pan and lift the cake pan using the sling and carefully place it down in the pot, over the trivet. 

Once the cake is done, use the same sling to take the cake out of the Instant Pot.

✓ Let the cake cool completely before trying to slice it into pieces.

instant pot berry vanilla cake topped with fresh berries and placed on a blue cake stand

and now let’s talk about this recipe!

This Instant Pot Berry Vanilla Cake

✓ is the perfect summer dessert!

✓ packed with fresh berries

✓ drizzled with a cream cheese glaze. I added lemon zest to make the flavors pop up!

✓ perfect dessert to make for Memorial Day or 4th of July!

✓ you get the cake without turning on your oven!

Here’s how you make this berry vanilla cake recipe! Make sure to check out the video at the top.

Method

1- In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set it aside.

2- To another bowl add room temperature butter and sugar.

3- Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.

4- Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

step pictures to make instant pot cake

5- Add half of the flour mix and combine.

6- Add the buttermilk and mix. (If you don’t have buttermilk at home, here’s any easy way to make it at home – fill a 1/2 cup measuring cup with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar and then fill it with milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then use in the recipe)

7- Then add in the remaining half of the flour mix.

8- Fold in the berries. I tossed the berries in one tablespoon of flour before adding to the batter.

step pictures to make instant pot cake

9- Spray a 6-cup bundt pan generously with a non-stick spray and then transfer the batter to it.

10- Add 1.5 cups water to the inner pot of your Instant Pot and then place a trivet inside.

11- Cover the cake pan with a piece of aluminium foil. With the help of an aluminium sling place the cake pan on top of the trivet.

[To make the sling, take a long piece of aluminum foil (around 2 feet) and fold it twice or thrice length-wise. Wrap the sling around the pan and lift the cake pan using the sling and carefully place it down in the pot, over the trivet]

12-  Close the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.

step pictures to make instant pot cake

Open the lid and carefully lift the cake out of the instant pot using the aluminium sling. Let the cake sit for 5-10 minutes and then invert in onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make a glaze by whisking together cream cheese with powdered sugar and milk/cream until smooth. You made add lemon zest to it. Pour glaze over the cooled cake and decorate with berries.

instant pot berry vanilla cake topped with fresh berries and placed on a blue cake stand

If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Berry Vanilla Cake Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Instant Pot Berry Vanilla Cake

4.41 from 15 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Simple and elegant Berry Vanilla Cake made in the Instant Pot. You don't even need to turn on your oven to make this cake. It's topped with a cream cheese glaze making it the perfect dessert for your summer parties!

Ingredients 

Cake

  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour 198 grams
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 grams (1 stick), at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated white sugar 150 grams
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup berries tossed in 1 tablespoon flour

Glaze

  • 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons cream or milk
  • zest of 1 lemon optional

More berries, to decorate

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    Instructions 

    Cake

    • In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set it aside.
    • To another bowl add room temperature butter and sugar. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
    • Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
    • Add half of the flour mix and combine.
    • Add the buttermilk and mix. (If you don't have buttermilk at home, here's an easy way to make it at home - fill a 1/2 cup measuring cup with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar and then fill it with milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then use in the recipe)
    • Then add in the remaining half of the flour mix.
    • Fold in the berries. I tossed the berries in one tablespoon of flour before adding to the batter.
    • Spray a 6-cup bundt pan generously with a non-stick spray and then transfer the batter to it.
    • Add 1.5 cups water to the inner pot of your Instant Pot and then place a trivet inside.
    • Cover the cake pan with a piece of aluminium foil. With the help of an aluminium sling place the cake pan on top of the trivet.
      To make the sling, take a long piece of aluminum foil (around 2 feet) and fold it twice or thrice length-wise. Wrap the sling around the pan and lift the cake pan using the sling and carefully place it down in the pot, over the trivet.
    • Close the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.
    • Open the lid and carefully lift the cake out of the instant pot using the aluminium sling. Let the cake sit for 5-10 minutes and then invert in onto a wire rack to cool completely.

    Glaze

    • Make a glaze by whisking together cream cheese with powdered sugar and milk/cream until smooth. You made add lemon zest to it. 
    • Pour glaze over the cooled cake and decorate with berries. Serve immediately.  

    Notes

    Please note that if you are using a round 6-inch pan & not a bundt pan, it would take more time for the cake to cook completely. I would try cooking for 45 minutes at high pressure in that case.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 370kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 182mg, Potassium: 189mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 610IU, Vitamin C: 0.5mg, Calcium: 91mg, Iron: 1.4mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    Additional Info

    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
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    Hi, I’m Manali!

    Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


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