Instant Pot Apple Cake

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Our Instant Pot Strawberry Cake is perfect for summer, but now that the cooler weather is arriving I want all things apple and cinnamon, so today I’m bringing you an easy Instant Pot Apple Cake! This cake is perfect for when your oven is busy cooking another recipe, or you want to be outside with the kids and not checking up on the oven. Pop it in your Instant Pot and get back to it when you can.

How to make the perfect tender, melt-in-your-mouth apple cake in the Instant Pot! Plenty of apple pie spice, chopped up apples and an optional vanilla drizzle make this easy fall cake a winner!

Instant Pot Apple Cake Recipe

I love baking with apples and cinnamon in the fall. It makes the house smell amazing and that first bite always brings a smile to my face.

My Instant Pot isn’t usually my go-to for baking, but it’s perfect on days when we want to be playing outside in the leaves or I’m busy meal prepping a million things in the oven.

When you make a cake in the Instant Pot, it is essentially steamed, so the texture is a bit different than a traditional oven-baked cake. It’s dense, spongy and just melts-in-your-mouth. This cake is the perfect snack cake when you want something a bit sweet but not too heavy. It’s moist enough to not need any frosting – but you know me, I can’t resist at least a drizzle of frosting on top!

My Instant Pot is a 4L/4 quart size and this recipe resulted in a small cake with approximately 4 servings. I’ve also given the measurements to double this recipe (in the recipe card below) in case you have a bigger Instant Pot or are serving a bigger crowd.

What is the cake setting on the Instant Pot? Some of the newer models of Instant Pot (like the Lux 6qt or Ultra 6qt) actually have a cake setting! But, I’m working with two models that don’t have a dedicated cake setting – as I’m imagining most readers are, too. For a standard Instant Pot, just use the Manual Pressure Cooking setting for cakes.

Can you use Pyrex in Instant Pot? Anything you put in the oven, you can put in your Instant Pot! If you are cooking with Pyrex, you may need to adjust your cooking time slightly.

What cake pan is best in the Instant Pot? You can actually purchase an Instant Pot cake pan with handle, which would make removing this cake so much easier. However, as long as your cake pan can fit in your Instant Pot – you can use it! If using a springform pan, make sure you wrap it tightly with foil to avoid additional moisture from getting into the cake.

If you typically cook savoury dishes in your Instant Pot, you may want to look at purchasing some extra sealing rings to ensure that your cake doesn’t take on a savoury flavor from your other recipes.

This cake recipe also works in the oven, you just need to increase the baking time.

Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Check out our full collection here!

Check out our quick recipe video for how to make an Instant Pot Apple Cake and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe!

 

Instant Pot Apple Cake Ingredients

Optional Vanilla Glaze:

  • Powdered Icing Sugar
  • Milk or cream
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Apple Pie Spice (or cinnamon) <– grab our recipe for homemade apple pie spice

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: you can also use a boxed spice cake mix instead of our from-scratch cake batter and just add in the chopped apples.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

  • Instant Pot <– I’m so excited to upgrade to this one with air fryer capacities soon! (You can also just buy the lid which adds the air fryer capacity to your standard IP.)
  • Baking dish that fits inside IP (I used a Corelle ramekin) – you can also do small individual ones, but that seemed like too much work. There is also a Instant Pot cake pan with handle
  • Trivet that came with your IP
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Sharp kitchen knife
  • Extra sealing rings <– highly recommended if you cook with a lot of garlic or seasonings in your Instant Pot normally, since you don’t want your baked goods to taste like garlic!

How to Make Apple Cake in the Instant Pot

Prepare your springform plan by greasing and/or flouring, then place a 2ft piece of tinfoil and a paper towel underneath. Wrap the tin foil around the sides of the pan. This will help stop excessive condensation from entering the cake.

Chop up the apples and combine with cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Set aside.

Combine the remaining cake ingredients, stirring the dry ingredients together, then adding the wet.

Stir in the apples and then fold the mixture out into the cake pan. Smooth the cake down with a spatula.

Place 1 cup of water in the IP followed by the trivet. Place the wrapped cake pan on top and secure the lid.

Cook on manual for 1 hour. Natural release.

If you want to add a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar, powdered icing sugar or a drizzle of frosting, wait until the cake has cooled down.

For the optional vanilla-cinnamon frosting, combine the powdered icing sugar, cinnamon, milk and vanilla extract until smooth and combined. Drizzle over the cake using a spoon or a piping bag.

Pin this Instant Pot Apple Cake Recipe:

A delicious, melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot Apple Cake, for when you'd rather play in the leaves than babysit the oven. This super simple cake makes a great easy fall dessert

Grab your free printable for our instant pot apple cake recipe:

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Yield: 1 cake, 10 slices

Instant Pot Apple Cake

Instant Pot Apple Cake

A delicious cake made in the instant pot using fresh apples and plenty of cinnamon. This apple cinnamon cake is tender, spongy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups apple
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cups plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoon apple juice or milk of choice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Vanilla Glaze:

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered icing sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon apple pie spice or cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Prepare your springform plan by greasing and/or flouring, then place a 2ft piece of tinfoil and a paper towel underneath. Wrap the tin foil around the sides of the pan. This will help stop excessive condensation from entering the cake.
  2. Chop up the apples and combine with cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Set aside.
  3. Combine the remaining cake ingredients, stirring the dry ingredients together, then adding the wet.
  4. Stir in the apples and then fold the mixture out into the cake pan. Smooth the cake down with a spatula.
  5. Place 1 cup of water in the IP followed by the trivet. Place the wrapped cake pan on top and secure the lid.
  6. Cook on manual for 1 hour. Natural release.
  7. If you want to add a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar, powdered icing sugar or a drizzle of frosting, wait until the cake has cooled down.
  8. For the optional vanilla-cinnamon frosting, combine the powdered icing sugar, cinnamon, milk and vanilla extract until smooth and combined. Drizzle over the cake using a spoon or a piping bag.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 219Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 315mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

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I hope your family loves this easy apple cake as much as mine did! It’s a fun twist on a classic apple spice cake and a low-fuss dessert on busy fall days.

For more delicious Instant Pot recipes, check out our full collection here:

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