In this recipe, we show you how to make an incredible Instant Pot chocolate cake with salted caramel and pretzels that is an absolute crowd-pleaser. Perfect for any occasion!
Chocolate Cake In Instant Pot
You might be asking yourself ‘Why would I use my Instant Pot to make a cake?’
First of all, why not? Your pressure cooker does an excellent job at making desserts and you’ll find plenty of fantastic Instant Pot cheesecake recipes and cakes around the web. Sometimes, it’s very handy when your oven is occupied (roast turkey, anyone?) or if you don’t have an oven (we’re looking at you small space dwellers and college students living away from home).
Then, during summer, it’s often way too hot to use the oven but there are still occasions that call for a delicious sponge cake or banana bread.
Pretzel Cake Inspiration
This particular Instant Pot chocolate cake recipe is great to have in your repertoire as you can use it as a template for other desserts. In our case, we were inspired by the classic pretzel cake and used salted caramel (this complements the salted pretzels) and whipped cream and cream cheese to pimp up our chocolate cake. It looks and tastes fantastic, even though it’s not an oven cooked caked.
A quick note on the texture of the cake: Because there is a bit of steam during the pressure-cooking, the sponge is a little denser than an oven-baked version. It’s somewhere between a sponge cake and a steamed chocolate pudding cake. Make sure to cover the cake tin with foil as shown in the pictures as this helps to keep some of the moisture away from the cake mix.
How To Make Instant Pot Chocolate Pretzel Cake
You will find the full list of ingredients, instructions and nutritional breakdown for this cake recipe below. Here are some basic steps to guide you along.
Step 1. Soften the butter and mix the cake ingredients with an electric mixer/whisk.
Step 2. Transfer the cake mix to a springform cake tin (we used 7.5" diameter one), lined with greased parchment paper. Cover the tin tightly with foil.
Step 3. Add a cup of water to the Instant Pot and place the trivet on top. Rip and fold another sheet of foil into a sling and place it under the tin. Lower the cake tin into the Instant Pot. Pressure cook the cake on HIGH pressure for 25 minutes with natural pressure release.
Step 4. Open the lid and use the sling to lift the cake tin out on to a cutting board. Cool the cake for 5 minutes before releasing the springform. Turn the cake upside down onto a plate and cool down for another 15-20 minutes.
Step 5. Using an electric whisk, whip the frosting ingredients together in another bowl into soft peaks, thick and fluffy. Mix the caramel sauce with salt in a small bowl.
Step 6. Pour the caramel sauce over the cake. Spread the cream frosting mixture evenly. Decorate the sides and the top of the cake with pretzels and drizzle with a little more caramel sauce if you like. Crush a few pretzels over the top as well.
MORE INSTANT POT CAKE RECIPES
- Instant Pot Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cake
- Caramel Pecan Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Carrot Cake
- 15+ Instant Pot Bundt Cakes
- Incredible Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipes
Full Recipe
Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.
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Instant Pot Chocolate Cake With Salted Caramel & Pretzels
Ingredients
For the cake mix
- 7 oz. unsalted butter plus extra for greasing (200 g)
- 5 oz. plain flour we love this organic brand (150 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 oz. cacao powder (50 g)
- 7 oz. soft light brown sugar (200 g)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
On top of the cake for cooking
- 3 tablespoons caramel sauce such as Carnation or dulce de leche
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes
For the frosting
- 1 cup thickened cream or heavy cream for whipping
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 oz. cream cheese room temperature
Other
- 2-3 tablespoons caramel sauce
- A generous pinch of salt
- 2 cups pretzels
Instructions
- Dice the butter into cubes and allow it to soften out of the refrigerator. You can use a microwave for 15-20 seconds to warm it up.
- Add all of the cake mix ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer/whisk, beat the cake mix until well combined and fluffy.
- Prepare a springform cake tin (we used 7.5" diameter one). Grease a large enough piece of parchment paper with some butter and line the tin. Press it down inside the tin and cut away excess edges (see image below).
- Transfer to the prepared cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Tap the tin against the bench to get rid of air bubbles. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of caramel sauce over the top and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover the tin tightly with foil.
- Add a cup of water to the Instant Pot and place the trivet on top. Rip and fold another sheet of foil into a sling and place it under the tin. Lower the tin with the foil sling around it into the Instant Pot, making sure the sling edge stick out. We will use these to pull the tin out when the cake is ready. Check the foil is still wrapping the tin.
- Close and lock the lid and set to Manual, HIGH pressure and adjust the time to 25 minutes. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will begin to build up the pressure and the cooking will commence. The pressurizing stage might take about 10 minutes, after which the timer will start. Once the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR) before opening the lid. This should also take about 10 minutes or so. Note that the cake cooks during all of these stages.
- Open the lid and use the sling to lift the cake tin out on to a cutting board. Remove the foil and let the cake to cool for 5 minutes before releasing the springform. Turn the cake upside down onto a plate and cool down for another 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the whipped cream and more salted caramel.
- Using an electric whisk, whip the frosting ingredients together in another bowl into soft peaks, thick and fluffy. Mix the caramel sauce with salt in a small bowl.
- Once the cake has cooled down, pour the caramel sauce over the top. Spread the cream frosting mixture evenly. Decorate the sides and the top of the cake with pretzels and drizzle with a little more caramel sauce if you like. Crush a few pretzels over the top as well.
Notes
Nutrition
SAVE THIS CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE TO PINTEREST
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Cake in an instant pot?? It looks incredible! I'd be honored if you shared this recipe (and any others) at our What's for Dinner link party!
http://www.lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-link-up-196/
instantpoteats
Go for it!
Karly
Yum! All the possibilities with this cake!