Are you ready for some chocolate?! This Chocolate fudge inspired Instant Pot brownie cake with toasted walnuts will be a dessert that impresses everyone at the table and makes your chocolate lovers very happy. This recipe is from The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook.
INSTANT POT CHOCOLATE BROWNIE CAKE
Is it a brownie or is it a cake? Does it really matter? It's chocolate!
Brownies have more chocolate and less flour compared to a traditional chocolate cake. They lack a leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda, so they are chewier while cakes are more spongy. So to have a cakey brownie, it needs baking powder for leavening.
Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones, so that would be butter and chocolate. The amount of sugar and eggs does not affect anything. This Instant Pot chocolate fudge brownie cake has a nice crunchy texture on the top, so there's no need to add an extra step of making the icing.
Coco Morante, the author of The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook, has mastered the balance of a fudge brownie and calling it a cake. But she knows more than just pleasing a sweet tooth with her book, The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook, which we reviewed right here. It has an assortment of 200 recipes to help you plan for a busy week in your Instant Pot.
You can find more inspiring Instant Pot desserts here and make sure to check out these Instant Pot cake recipes too.
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Instant Pot Chocolate Brownie Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup walnuts chopped up
Instructions
- Line the base of a 7-inch round springform pan with an 8-inch round of parchment paper. Secure the collar on the springform pan, closing it onto the base so the parchment round is clamped in. Lightly grease the sides of the pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Put the melted butter in a large bowl. One at a time, whisk in the eggs, then the brown sugar, coffee, vanilla, and salt until combined. Add the flour and cocoa powder and whisk just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan firmly against the countertop a few times to remove any air bubbles in the batter. Cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil. Place the pan on a long-handled silicone steam rack.
- Pour 11⁄2 cups water into the Instant Pot. Holding the handles of the steam rack, lift the pan and lower it into the pot.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Cake, Pressure Cook, or Manual setting and set the cooking time for 35 minutes at high pressure. The pot will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the cooking program begins.
- When the cooking program ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then move the Pressure Release to Venting to release any remaining steam. Open the pot and, wearing heat-resistant mitts, grab the handles of the steam rack, lift the pan out of the pot, and set the pan on a cooling rack.
- Remove the foil from the pan, being careful not to get burned by the steam. Let the cake cool for about 20 minutes until warm, or cool to room temperature.
- Unclasp the collar on the pan and lift it off, then use the parchment border to tug the cake off the base of the pan and onto a plate. Slice the cake into wedges and serve.
Nutrition
SAVE THIS INSTANT POT BROWNIE CAKE TO PINTEREST
Jessica F
I had the same problem as others that it was still gooey on the middle. I covered it with foil and put in toaster oven at 425 for 20 minutes, which got it cooked through and a little over cooked.
Ann Fabrizio
Glad you were able to resolve the problem. Don't want to waste a good chocolate dessert! Gooeyness in the middle may be due to the chocolate. Either the type, brand or if it wasn't distributed evenly.
JF
This tasted amazing! However after the proper cook and release times, it was still a bit soggy in the middle. I ended up putting foil back on and putting it in a toaster oven at 425 for about 20 minutes. The only change I made was using milk chocolate chips as I didn’t have semi-sweet.
Ann Fabrizio
Glad you liked it! Semisweet chocolate contains a higher proportion of cocoa solids. Since milk chocolate contains milk, that will may it soggy in the middle.
Mary L Wisniewski
I followed the directions as stated. After the 45 minutes, 35 minutes for manual high pressure and 10 minutes after, my cake was completely unbaked for a 3 inch circular area in the middle. Quite disappointing. The part that was cooked had a great flavor.
Dee dee
Hi! can I change sugar by sweeteners? Can't use sugar.
Can I use glass bake form to bake in IP?
Thank you
Ann Fabrizio
Yes you can use sweetener of your choice but be aware the amount of sweetness of the dessert will be affected. You can use glass but it is not recommended.
Donna
What is with the coffee crystals is this like instant coffee, don’t have any on hand can you make the recipe without it or use a substitute?
instantpoteats
Yes, you could use Instant coffee or go without it.
carole
so to update my comment on this brownie cake; this is the day after I made it. It is no longer soft in the middle. It set up over
night. So that should be noted. it needs to set up. IT IS YUMMY.
instantpoteats
Hey Carole, thanks for coming back and providing extra feedback on this recipe. We will make a note about it setting up better overnight.
carole
It wasn't done in the 35 minutes. it was runny, and I did do the slow release for 10 minutes. So I put it back on and cooked it another 10 minutes. it wasn't runny but could have cooked more. Its almost like a pudding in the middle. BUT IT IS GOOD! Next time I will just try cooking it for longer. OR, is it supposed to be like pudding?? It doesnt look like it in the pics. I like the gooey, but not everyone does. Just curious if anyone else had this issue.
Victoria Sturdevant
I'm going to make these brownies, what is quantity of nuts? Do you toast nuts prior to adding?
instantpoteats
Just noticed they were missing in the ingredients, thanks for the heads up. Just raw nuts, about 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts (or other nuts).
Victoria
The reference to toasted walnuts at the beginning is why I asked.