Red Velvet Cake Instant Pot Recipe

This is a detailed Red Velvet Cake Instant Pot Recipe with step by step pictures. It has many tips on how to get the right texture of the cake in the Instant Pot. This cake is made with Store-bought cake mix. Also, it is an egg-free red velvet cake. Microwave Option is also given.

IMPORTANT – I have documented this post as is as I made my cake in Instant Pot. Please note that I used Duncan Hines Brand. Other brands may yield different results. This is not a sponsored post by Duncan Hines.

Detailed Red Velvet Cake Instant Pot Recipe

I have taken a lot of time to come to the terms with Baking Making a cake in my Instant Pot.

One after the other Instant Pot Cakes would pop up on my social media and would leave me restless. I kinda developed Hate & Love Relationship with those pop-ups on Facebook and Pinterest.

As much as I waited to see what is next in the Instant Pot Cakes world, every new post pushed me towards trying it. And I hate being pushed. But sometimes destiny unfolds itself with a push. Right? Well, that happened in my case.

What made me try a Cake in Instant Pot?

I was not convinced with the idea of making a cake in Instant Pot, to begin with. For God’s sake, it is not the dry heat of the oven we are talking about. It is steaming the cake in a Pot.

But then so many people were trying it. Then why not me? I would read every newly published instant pot cake recipe and would microscope the crumb texture, like crazy.

Then finally I gave in yesterday. But before making it, I probably read at least 20 different recipes online and watched 10 different videos on youtube. Gathered tips and tricks from others, combined what sounded relevant and did my own thing.

I had this Store bought Red Velvet Cake Mix in the pantry. So I thought to experiment with that first. To my pleasant surprise, this experiment worked. I have used DUNCAN HINES RED VELVET CAKE MIX. This brand cake mix worked out amazing with Instant Pot.

What are my adaptations in this market bought RED VELVET CAKE INSTANT POT Recipe?

• Originally, this recipe calls for Baking in the Oven. I made it in the Instant Pot.
• This recipe uses 3 eggs as per the instructions given at the back of the box. I made it EGG-FREE Red Velvet Cake in Instant Pot. It still came out super soft and moist.
• The recipe at the back of the cake calls for 1 cup water. I used less than 1 cup, almost like more than 2/3rd and less than 1 cup. The point is to have a slightly thicker batter and not runny.
• To avoid any top layer sogginess, I broiled the cake for a few minutes.

What are the important tips when making Cake in Instant Pot?

• Use your 6 quarts or 8 quarts Instant Pot when making a cake in it.
• Make cake in 6 inches or 7-inches pan. Fat Daddio is a great brand to bake a cake in IP. I used 6 inches pan for this recipe. 7 inches would work great too. 6 inches pan fitted perfectly inside the instant pot. Also it is a deep pan with 3 inches depth.
• Always place the cake pan on a trivet. A trivet always comes with the 6 quarts and 8 quarts Instant Pot. It generally has loose handles on the side. Use that trivet and let its handles rest inside the inner pot’s walls.
• Always add some water at the bottom of the inner pot. Many recipes call for 1 cup water. I used 2 cups and it worked well for 40 minutes.
• Make sure that you cover the cake pan after pouring batter in it. Use good quality Aluminium Foil to cover it. Please do not wrap the aluminum tightly around the pan. Create a DOME-SHAPE in the center to leave space for the cake to rise.
• Always Fill the Cake Pan little more than the half of the depth of the pan. Level it out.
• Use Normal Mode on Cake option for cooking it.
• Follow NPR – Natural Pressure Release.
• Remove the lid and aluminum after being done and place in BROILER to air dry the excess moisture on the top.
• Do Not Touch or cut the cake till completely at room temperature.

What do I do if I do not have the Trivet with handles?

In case your trivet does not have handles then you create your own handles. Tear a long sheet of Aluminium foil, almost 2 feet long. Fold it lengthwise repeatedly to create a 2 feet long aluminum flat belt. It should be at least 1 inch thick and 2 feet long. Place this belt on the Trivet with center down and loose ends facing up. Now place the filled cake pan on top of this belt on the trivet. If the belt is too long then fold it gently over the covered cake pan. Use this aluminum belt as a cake pan handle. That’s it.

PRO-TIP #1 – Make it Microwave Red Velvet Cake

Yes, don’t be shocked. It is not possible to use all the batter of the Red Velvet Cake Mix in the Cake Pan. There will be a leftover batter with this recipe. You can try to fit the batter in the pan to see if it works. I did not take that chance since I didn’t know how much would it rise. Therefore, I kept the batter to little more than half the depth of the pan. My Cake Pan is 3 inches deep.

You may put that into a greased MICROWAVE SAFE Bowl. Microwave the remaining cake batter for 1&1/2 minutes. Check if needed more, then microwave further for 30 seconds. An instant fluffy cake is ready. Genius, right?

2 Ways to substitute Eggs in a Cake

1 Egg is approximately 1/4 cup in liquid quantity. Here are 3 ways to substitute Egg in a Cake –

1. Use Plain Non-Fat GREEK YOGURT. For every 1 egg, measure 1/4 cup of Greek Yogurt. It retains the moisture and softness of the cake.
2. Use Flax Meal and make Egg like Jelly. For 1 egg, use 1 tbsp Flax Meal dissolved in 3 tbsp water. Mix and set aside for a minute. That jelly-like substance is perfect to substitute eggs in a recipe.

Read this Article that I had written some time ago on SUBSTITUTING EGGS IN A BAKING RECIPE.

How to Make Eggless Cake in Instant Pot with Market Bought Cake Mix?

Here is the detailed recipe with step by step photos documenting the Cake in Instant Pot.

1. Prepare the Cake Pan 

Take a baking parchment paper. Mark the bottom of the pan on the parchment paper with a pencil. Cut out the circle 1/2 inch more on all the sides. This is the bottom liner of your cake pan to avoid sticking of the cake at the bottom.

Take some Melted Butter and Grease your pan nicely on all the sides. Now place the cut-out parchment paper circle at the bottom of the pan. Press it down.

2. Gather all the ingredients

I have used Greek Yogurt here to substitute Eggs. You may Use 3 eggs as mentioned in the recipe instructions.

1. Take a large bowl and add all the ingredients to the bowl.

Make a slightly thicker batter. The package instructions required 1 cup of water. I used little less than 1 cup and little more than 2/3rd of the water.

1. Take an ELECTRIC WHISK or BLENDER and blend all the ingredients well into a smooth batter.

5. Leveling the Cake Batter

Pour the batter in the prepared cake pan. Make sure to fill the cake pan till slightly less than the 2/3rd of its depth. Leave the room for the cake to rise inside the aluminum cover.

Tap it on the kitchen counter few times to release any bubbles or gap in between. Now take a butter knife and level out the Cake Batter.

1. Covering the Cake Pan & Placing inside the Instant Pot

Cover the cake pan with aluminum foil. Do not cover it tightly on the top. Try to create a Dome shape while covering the cake. Wrap it tightly around the sides.

Place the inner pot inside the Instant Pot and plug it in. Now place the Trivet inside the Instant Pot. Add 2 cups of water to the pot. Now place the filled cake pan carefully inside the Instant Pot.

7. Making Cake in Instant Pot

Press the CAKE SETTING and set it at 40 minutes Normal. I think that is the DEFAULT setting on my IP.  Since I used it for the first time and that is what popped up. I made the cake in this setting.

Close the Lid and set the floating valve to SEALING. Let the cake Bake/Cook in IP. Once the timer goes off, follow NPR that is Natural Pressure Release. Open the lid immediately after the pressure is released naturally. It might take 17-18 minutes for that.

1. Remove the Aluminum foil /cover from the cake pan. It will have that STEAMED LOOK.

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Treating the Cake under the BROILER

This is where I put the OVEN BROILER on and tucked the cake pan under the broiler for 5 minutes to dry it up a bit. The trick worked. It air dried the soggy look of the cake. This is how I wanted my cake to look like BAKED.

Now, most of the recipes do not call for this step and those people were pretty happy about it. But few recipes did this step and I incorporated. Pretty happy that I did.

Taking the cake out from the Pan and Slicing it Tips

1. Let the cake cool down in pan for 10 minutes before you flip it out and rest on cooling rack.
2. Place it on the cooling rack and let it cool completely to room temperature before you slice it.
3. Take a sharp knife and slice it.

Can I frost the Red Velvet Cake made in Instant Pot?

Absolutely yes. Cream Cheese Frosting goes best with Red Velvet Cake. Bring a pack of cream cheese to room temperature. Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar + 1 tsp Vanilla essence to it. Whip it with electric beater till light and fluffy. Spread it over.

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PRO-TIP # 2

You can smash the red velvet cake and make cake pops out of it by combining with cream cheese frosting.

Will I make more cakes in Instant Pot?

Yes. I will be making more “from-the-box” cakes in Instant Pot and then gradually move on to my “from-the-scratch” recipes. Keep an eye on my posts.

Some EGG FREE CAKES from simplyvegetarian777

Lemon Blueberry Cake, Marble Cake, Irish Apple Cake, Chocolate Cake in Blender, Chai Spiced Vanilla Cake, and more.

Some Vegetarian Instant Pot Recipes from simplyvegetarian777

Red Thai Curry, Corn Chowder, Thai Tom Yum Soup, Tuscan Soup, Cajun Pasta, and more.

Now the PRINTABLE RECIPE of Egg Free Red Velvet Cake in Instant Pot

I am sure many of you will be trying this recipe. Keep me posted of your feedback under comments.

Can’t make it now? PIN RED VELVET CAKE INSTANT POT RECIPE for later.

In my kitchen, you will always EAT HAPPY & STAY HAPPY!

Sonal