Say hello to this Best Vegan Chocolate cake in instant pot / pressure cooker / baking. This vegan chocolate cake is so versatile and screams decadence. Its moist, fluffy and soft. No one will believe it’s eggfree and dairy free. A very easy recipe of a vegan cake made with ingredients found at your home. This post will guide you step by step how to make this delicious cake in an Instant Pot or stove top pressure cooker or even bake it in your oven. My go to chocolate cake recipe over a decade .
This soft and moist vegan chocolate cake is adapted from the most popular post on my blog- my eggless chocolate cake and cupcake recipe. It is the most tried recipe and has awesome feedback . You can quickly hover over my Facebook page CarveYourCraving reader’s testimonial section to see what our wonderful readers have to say about this recipe and even see their droolicious bakes.
I have been testing cakes since 2 months in my Instant Pot and more than happy to tell you that I found the best ever vegan chocolate cake perfectly done in a pressure cooker/ Instant Pot after 4 trials.
I have always baked Vegan chocolate cake in the oven and only once I have tried it on stovetop pressure cooker. They have never failed either ways. The results was always fluffy and moist cake.
With so many settings in an Instant Pot , it took a bit of testing to get the same result.
And as I have an Instant Pot 6 qt duo, it doesn’t have a cake button. But you can easily bake a cake in an Instant Pot without a having the cake button settings.
Sit back with a cup of coffee as I walk you through my experiments .
Trial 1-
I opted to use the Steam option on the IP simply because I have made steamed cakes a few years back in my idli steamer.
So the settings used were – 2 cups water in the inner pot. Place the trivet handles folded inside. Start the IP and get the water steaming for 2 minutes. I wanted the IP to heat up before placing the cake so that the baking soda reacts quickly in the heating conditions and the cake fluffs up nicely. Place the cake pan , knob turned to VENT . I didn’t use the IP lid , rather chose to use just basic pan lid so that I could easily check on my cake after 30 minutes .
Results-
Water evaporated rather quickly. I had to add more 1 cup water towards the end of 10 minutes of baking. It took 35 minutes to bake on steam.
How did the cake turn out?
I was very happy with the results. I felt I had more control over baking and checking midway rather than guesswork. It had a nice texture. This cake made in the Instant Pot was light, airy and fluffy.
Conclusion-
So if I had to use this Steam settings for the cake I have to use 3 cups of water .
So why did I test more?
This recipe was a sure shot winner in one go but I wanted to make it more user friendly. With all the steam coming off for 35 minutes isn’t a convenient setting for many. So I thought I would give it one more try on different setting. Plus there isn’t anything like too much Chocolate Cake!!
Trial 2-
This time I decided to pressure cook the cake . So the Settings used were-
2 cups water in the inner pot. Place trivet with handles folded .
I still opted to steam water in the IP as I did in Trial 1 to create pre heated oven feel .
So after gathering my ingredients for the cake I switched on the IP.
Steam water on Sautee mode for 3 minutes and placed a non IP lid just to cover the top and get the water warmed up quickly . Once the water started bubbling I placed the cake in the IP. Canceled Sautee.
Press MANUAL HIGH 35 minutes , knob closed to the sealing position.
Quick Release after 10 minutes.
Result –
The cake was uncooked from the center. Perhaps it came to pressure soon. Lot of guess work as compared to Trial 1. Not much control over your bake.
Conclusion-
I should have added 5 more minutes. And may be Natural Pressure Release (NPR)
But no worries, we still enjoyed this egg free cake like a pudding cake with a side of ice cream.
Trial 3 –
Everything same as trial 2 , but for baked for 40 minutes on MANUAL HIGH and Natural Pressure Release NPR for 15 minutes and then release any pressure left doing Quick Release. I didn’t want the cake to sit for too long inside.
Results-
Lovely bake. Nice and fluffy chocolate cake.
Conclusion-
Happy with this setting . It gets a Green signal from me.
Trial 4-
This trial just happened because of my oh so curious mind!!
I opted for a cold start. So after the batter was ready, I poured it in my cake pan. Then used MANUAL HIGH setting for 36 minutes, knob turned to the SEALING position.NPR. When the pin dropped I opened the Instant Pot.
Results-
Again a very nice fluffy bake . Fully cooked from inside and moist too .
Conclusion –
So this trial really confused me .. lol .. lol !!!! I came to the conclusion that the recipe for the chocolate cake used here is really really forgiving and lives up to my satisfaction in any setting.
I found Trial 4 settings the most convenient and happy with the results too. I even loved the 1st Trial with Steam setting where I have more control over the cake.
Given below is step by step instructions to prepare the pan and the cake followed by the recipe for baking in Instant Pot, stove top pressure cooker and baking.
For Instant Pot baking.
Start by preparing the pan . I have used Fat Dadio’s 6″ metal pan with 3″ in height. You may use 6″ standard metal or pyrex glass pan . Double the recipe if using a 8″ pan.
As shown in the picture below we need to make a foil sling for easy handling of the pan in and out of the IP as well as a foil cover for the pan so that the water doesn’t drip in the pan. For the Foil sling tear a 24 ” long foil and fold it twice lengthwise as shown in the picture below to create a broad belt enough to pick up the pan .
Now that the sling and pan cover is ready , prepare the pan by brushing some oil on the base and sides of the pan and then dusting it with flour. This is done so that the cake doesn’t stick to the pan and can be removed easily. Cut a round parchment paper to go onto the base of the pan. Prepare the batter . Pour it in the pan . Place the pan in the center of the sling. Cover the pan with foil cover. Lift the pan with the help of the sling carefully and place it in the IP .
Bake in the Instant Pot according to the recipe. Decorate the cake if desired . You might like the frosting recipes here .
Pin this for later !!
Best Vegan Chocolate cake in instant pot / pressure cooker / baking
Ingredients
- ¾ cup All purpose flour
- ½ cup Raw Sugar or vegan sugar of choice
- ¼ cup unsweetened Cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Plant Milk / nut milk *
- ¼ cup Oil
- ½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Distilled white or apple cider Vinegar
For vegan chocolate ganache
- ½ cup coconut cream/ vegan creamer
- 6 oz vegan semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preparing the pan as shown in the picture above.
- Start by preparing the pan . I have used Fat Dadio's 6" metal .
- As shown in the picture we need to make a foil sling for easy handling of the pan in and out of the IP as well as a foil cover for the pan so that the water doesn't drip in the pan.
- For the Foil sling tear a 24 " long foil and fold it twice lengthwise as shown in the picture to create a broad belt enough to pick up the pan .
- Now that the sling and pan cover is ready , prepare the pan by brushing some oil on the base and sides of the pan and then dusting it with flour. This is done so that the cake doesn't stick to the pan and can be removed easily. Cut a round parchment paper to go onto the base of the pan.
For dry ingredients
- Sieve and Mix all dry ingredients (All purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda , baking powder and salt) except sugar in a bowl. Keep aside .Always sieve from a height for tender crumb outcome.
Now time for liquids
- Add vinegar to milk and let it stand for a minute .
- Add granulated raw sugar to milk and vinegar mixture and whip for 1 minute until the sugar is almost melted.
- Now add in oil . Whip the liquid ingredients until oil is completely blended well for 30 seconds .
- Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients - whip with an electric beater balloon attachment or by a spatula or hand whip only till the batter is smooth and no lumps - don't over beat - very important.
- Mine is always ready within 30-40 seconds.
- Pour the batter in the pan . Place the pan in the center of the sling. Cover the pan with foil cover. Lift the pan with the help of the sling carefully and place it in the IP .
Bake in the IP according to the 1st , 3rd or 4th trial – whatever is convenient to you that is mentioned above in the post .
- I made it using Trial 3 –Everything same as trial 2, but for baked for 40 minutes on MANUAL HIGH and Natural Pressure Release NPR for 15 minutes and then release any pressure left doing Quick Release. I didn’t want the cake to sit for too long inside.
- After NPR the pin will drop.
- Carefully open the IP and lift the cake out with the help of the sling.
- Uncover the cake .
- Check the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. It should come out with few crumbs or clean, but not with the sticky batter.
- Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Now run a butter knife around the cake circumference and invert the cake on cooling wire rack.
For instructions on ganache
- Refer to my Chocolate ganache post . Recipe link in the notes.
Notes
As there may be difference in flour quality - if you think the batter is too thick add no more than 3 tablespoon water - 1 tablespoon at a time.
Use whipping attachment not beaters.
Can be stored at room temperature unfrosted upto 3 days in a air tight container.
1 week in the fridge.
3 months in the freezer. I haven’t tested this cake recipe in a glass bowl but luckily my friend Kavya Pai did and she loved it. She used 4 cups Pyrex glass bowl , covered it with a steel plate. You may use foil. Baked it in IP for 34 minutes MANUAL HIGH pressure and once it beeps QR after 10 minutes .
Nutrition
As I mentioned that this is the best Vegan Chocolate cake in instant pot / pressure cooker / baking , so given below are the instructions for baking and stove top pressure cooking .
For baking instructions for this chocolate cake –
Refer to my extensive post on – Eggless Chocolate cake and cupcake link here. For 6″ inch pan simply half the recipe mentioned there.
For making vegan chocolate cake in Stove top Pressure cooker –
Ingredients as mentioned above for a 6″ pan.
Follow instructions up to point no. 5 .
Procedure –
Take out the gasket ring and whistle of the pressure cooker.
Preheat the cooker by placing ½ cup of salt inside the cooker . Then put a trivet/ cooker stand inside the pressure cooker and put the lid on .Let the cooker preheat on high for 15 minutes. Place the cake pan carefully inside the cooker, close it with the cooker lid having no whistle or gasket ring on.Or alternatively use a steel lid to cover the cooker. Bake for 40- 50 minutes on low flame , checking at 40 minute mark until the a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean or bake for extra few minutes. For Stove top pressure cooker you do not require a foil cover or sling . Just use a pot holder to place the cake inside the cooker.
Hope you like this recipe on Best Vegan Chocolate cake in instant pot / pressure cooker / baking and do give it a try. I would love to hear from you. Love being here , don’t miss a single recipe- Subscribe now – it’s free and get every recipe in your inbox.Subscription box is on the home page and below every recipe post.If you have tried any of my recipes do drop in a feedback in the comment section or on my Facebook page carveyourcraving in messages section or tag me @carveyourcraving on instagram.
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Hi, what would the quantities of ingredients be using an 8″ cake tin in a 6 quart instant pot air fryer/pressure cooker?
Am I correct in saying you do use the pressure cooker lid? Manual/pressure cooker on high? I’m assuming the cake gets steamed as there is water at the bottom of the inner pot.
This is all very new to me. We’ve only had the instant pot a couple of weeks.
Thank you in advance for your response
I haven’t used an 8″ pan in my instant pot yet. You could increase the recipe by .25 times… it could get confusing. Yes, I am using the lid locked on sealing position, manual high pressure.
Thanks so much for ur quick response.
Your recipes are amazing. Have tried ur redvelvet & chocolate cake. Always a sure shot hit.
Hi khusboo
Can i make this cake with lactose free milk? And ur best eggless chocolate cake recipe can i substitute for lactose free milk too?
Thank you
Absolutely Reena, you can swap the milk with any plant-based or even lactose-free milk.
Excellent recipe, I made 3 of these and put them together with raspberry jam layers,roasted the slivered almonds, made expresso infused chocolate frosting and my guests absolutely loved the cake. thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
Oh Kim, what lovely flavors, expresso, and raspberries sound amazing. I may make this combo soon. Thank you for sharing. I am glad you liked this recipe.
I am making this cake in mm y IP as I’m typing this. I was kind of confused with the process.i wanted to use method four, but used method three with two cups water and preheated with sauté. With method four do I use two cups water also?
I’m excited to see how it comes out!
Yes, you do need water for the pot to come to pressure and the cake to cook through!
I tried it and it came out super flat. What did I do wrong?
Sorry that it came out flat for you. It is a very forgiving recipe that I make often and tried by so many of my readers. Did you forget to add the baking soda or powder? Or was the baking soda old?
This happened to us too! (Flat cake). Reading your reply, it’s probably because our baking soda is three years old. Will try again! (Would it be useful to add a note about checking you are using new baking soda in the recipe?)
Hello Liane, yes I will update the post regarding soda. Thank you for trying.
Thank you very much for the recipe. I baked this cake other day in my prestige cooker by adding salt in it and by removing the gasket just like you suggested. I doubled the recipe too. It came out very well. It was moist and tasty. Our family and friends are a big fan of your eggless red velvet cake, eggless chocolate cake and now this is added to the list too. I have baked those cakes and cupcakes at least for more than 20 occasions and for charity events. I have also baked the whole wheat pizza recipe you shared. With your recipe, I know I can’t go wrong. So, when I tried this vegan chocolate cake recipe in cooker, I easily doubled the recipe even though, I was baking a cake in the cooker for the first time. Thank you once again ❤️
Wow Ramya, sounds fantastic! I am glad you are enjoying my recipes. Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Hi,
Why are you using baking powder in this recipe along with vinegar? The other chocolate cupcake recipe doesn’t have baking powder. Can you tell me difference between two ?
Hinal, this recipe uses baking powder and soda as well. The vinegar reacts with baking soda to create a lift in the cake. Baking soda is activated as soon as it comes in contact with an acidic liquid. Baking powder starts its reaction when it comes in contact with heat. In my experiments, I found out that the combination of both raising agents works well for a pressure cooker cake assuming that the cake cooks a bit slower than the oven. It gives the bake a boost in terms of rising.
Can you make this in any other type of pan? Like bundt or glass?
Yes Amy, as long as it fits the instant pot and is safe to use. I have mentioned timings for glass pan in the post.
I left a lengthy comment a couple of days ago but it has been removed, why? I had nothing but a praise for your recipe!
Thank You, Cake Lover, your comment isn’t deleted 🙂 its approved now.
This cake is LUSH! I have never made cake in my IP before, and never before used eggless cake recipe so I was double nervous! I needn’t be because it turned out amazing – so light and moist and with my addition of the orange essence to the mix making it a very decadent treat. I used method 4, npr 8min (couldn’t wait any longer!) and the stick when inserted, came out very wet and sticky but somehow cake was perfectly done inside, not wet at all. The batter was quite thick and a bit tricky to spread so next time I’ll add a tbsp or 2 of water. I’ll be doubling this recipe tommorow for the whole family, with proper ganache this time since we didn’t even manage to decorate it before it was gone!
Thank you for your feedback Cake Lover. Your comment was never deleted but was in the approval list. I take every feedback seriously even if was an unfavorable one. I will still publish it and work on the failure. PS: the orange flavor sounds delicious. Yes please, do add liquid if you suspect that the batter is too thick. It all depends on the flour used. Have a nice day.
I have family that are vegan and gluten free. Will this work with gluten-free flour?
I haven’t tested it with gluten free flour yet. But my readers have done it with Bob’s Red mill Gluten free mix with success.
Just made this using the same pan, but in my 3qt instant pot. I actually thought it was not going to fit properly because I had to force it down into the instant pot. It was a very tight fit. But I did trial 3, and it came out amazing!!
So moist and delicious. Next time I will cut down on the ganache. I only used maybe 1/4 of what I made. Also I will probably chill the frosting because it melted a little and got sloppy. Thank you for an amazing recipe!!
Feedback: I would put the trial steps in the shortcut recipe steps in order to be more user friendly. It was a bit of a pain scrolling up and down trying to piece the instant pot steps together. I wasn’t sure whether to put water or not in Trial 4. So I did trial 3, because it said same as 2 except for the timing/NPR. So I had to read trial 2 and trial 3 and triple check I reading it correctly.
Sure Arya. I will make the changes soon, glad you like the cake.
Thank you for this recipe, and for giving such detailed instructions! I tried this in a 7.5 inch pan, but didn’t double it because I didn’t have the extra ingredients. I also substituted Whole Wheat Pastry flour for the AP flour. Although it turned out delicious, it didn’t look as fluffy as yours. Do you think it’s because I used a larger pan, or used the whole wheat pastry flour?
Hello Graybird!! Yes flour does make a difference as well as pan size.
Can you tell me what is the difference between this cake and your eggless chocolate cupcakes to recipe
And how can I bake this cake in oven
Only half the quantity and fully vegan .
This recipe has Baking Powder while the other recipe doesn’t have. What difference does that make ?
Hi. I did everything exactly how you said and the cake was not fully cooked. I’m curious why you said to put the IP on the manual high setting and not the cake setting -? I had to put it back in the pot on cake setting for 5 minutes…hopefully it will turn out ok (still cooling). Also, the ganache was very watery so I put it in the refrigerator…hopefully it will thicken a bit so I can spread it 🙂
Sorry that it didn’t work out for you Racel. I do not have the cake button on my pot. This recipe is very forgiving. Many of my readers have raving reviews about it. I take every comment seriously so want you to get this recipe right like I always do. Which trial did you use ? Ganache measures are accurate and a very standard recipe. Ganache thickens after few hours sitting on room temperature. For speeding the process you may stick it into the fridge for spreadable consistency.
Cudos to Khushboo!
I am new to the world of stove top pressure cooking.
I just removed your chocolate cake recipe out of my new Hawkin’s 2-liter stainless steel stove top pressure cooker.
Oh my, it is mmm good, so dense and moist!
FYI, followed your directions but pressure cooked the chocolate cake with 3/4 cups of water for 40-minutes.
I used your foil cover/sling concoction with a 5″-round ramekin dish.
Placed it on the Hawkin’s grid (plate with holes) with 3/4 cup of boiling water.
When the steam started to release I placed the Vent Valve on the IP and reduce the heat to low for 40-minutes. FYI heat source glass cook top.
I took the Hawkin’s off the heat after 40-minutes and let it cool down naturally.
Since you stated the recipe was fool proof, I could not resist.
Added
*a spritz of fresh squeezed orange instead of vanilla.
Freshly ground:
*1-teaspoon flax seed
*1-clove seed
*3-raw almonds
*a few unprocessed coconut flakes into the spice grinder.
* grated nutmeg
* dash of cinnamon.
Hand folded it all very gentle into your batter. Also, I used grape seed oil and Arrowhead Hills Organic All Purpose Flour.
A thousand salutations!
Marney
Thank you for sharing your experience with us Marney. I am glad you liked the cake.
I made the cake in a 8″ spring form pan, so per your instructions, I doubled the amount of the ingredients and added 5 minutes to the cooking time. It was perfect; great texture and taste. thank you. Eggless cakes , I never knew !
So good to hear that Lynn. Thank you for a lovely feedback!
Aeesome chocolate cake! I made it yesterday and it’s just gorgeous! I’d love to double the batter – how long with method 4 do you think I should do HP? I’ve got a 6,5″/2,5″ pan. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!! Btw I took peanut oil so it tasted a bit like a vegan Snickers. 😉
Snicker flavors sounds exciting. I think Doubling the batter will only work in 8″ or 9 ” pan. You may do 1.5 times the batter . I suggest 5 minutes more than mentioned in the original recipe.
I have 8” and 9” round cake pans that are 2” deep. If I use either of those should I double the recipe?
Yes Karen you need to double the recipe for the pans .
Amazing!!
Thank you Prashant!
I made this and it was incredible. Making another one tonight, as my husband said it’s the best chocolate cake he has ever had.
Wow that’s awesome Lisa. Thank you for a lovely feedback!
OH – we loved your chocolate cake – I used trial number 3 and I used carob powder. It was perfect. thank you so much..
Wow Karen , I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for a lovely feedback!More bakes to follow soon 🙂
As soon as I saw this delicious post yesterday I made it . Had all ingredients. I used trial 4 in 6” pan. It was super soft and yum . Vegan is delicious.. thank you
Wow that was quick Sheena.. glad you liked it.
Hi Khushboo,
your cake looks super delicious which makes me wanna try it. though had a couple of questions,
which plant milk have you used?
can I make the cake using dairy? if yes, please how?
Thank you so much!
Please go through the notes . Yes you can use dairy same amount.
Hi Khushboo,
Love your recipes.This blog is my go to place for all the good food I want to cook.
Also I don,t have an instant pot, can you tell me the procedure to bake this is cake in an oven?
Again thank you so much for writing all these recipes.Cant wait to try this one.
Thank you Niharika. If you read my post baking instructions are given too after instant pot instructions.
I love baking
Glad to know Sulthana. Hope you give this one a try!
The cake looks moist and delicious 😚 btw what you do with all the cake trials 😛😛
Thank you Avin.. I did mention that we ate it all.. some was shared with friends too.
What a lovely post!! You explained everything so well.
Thank you Dhwani!
How amazing. Can’t wait to try!
Thank you Sherry. Yes please do!