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Instant Pot Steamed Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting


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3.9 from 15 reviews

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

Description

A one layer dense and moist steamed carrot cake that is served with decadent cream cheese frosting.


Ingredients

Scale

For the cake:

  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 pound peeled and grated carrots

For the frosting:

  • 4 oz (half a package) cream cheese
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Spray a 7 inch cake pan* with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of Instant Pot. Place trivet in bottom of Instant Pot. Prepare a foil sling or a silicone sling.

    I cut up a silicone baking mat to make a reusable sling for my Instant Pot.

  2. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugars together until the sugars are mostly dissolved and the mixture is frothy. Continue to whisk, while slowly drizzling in the oil, until combined. Whisk in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the carrots.
  4. Scrape the mixture into your prepared cake pan. Cover the pan with foil. Use your sling to lower the pan into the Instant Pot on top of the trivet.
  5. Cover the pot and make sure valve is on sealing. Press the STEAM button and set the timer to 50 minutes.
  6. Prepare the cream cheese frosting by beating the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Set aside.
  7. When the timer beeps on the Instant Pot perform a quick release by moving the valve to venting. Use hot pads and use the sling to lift out the pan. Let the cake sit on a cooling rack until cool. Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake and flip the cake out onto a plate. Spread the frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake and serve.

Notes

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.

Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.

I haven’t tried this cake in the slow cooker yet. However, I’ve made similar recipes in the slow cooker before so I’m pretty sure it would turn out well.  This is how I would do it: Preheat 6 quart crockpot to high. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare the batter as explained above. Pour the prepared batter into the crockpot. Place a paper towel on top of the crockpot and place lid on the paper towel. Cook on high for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours or until knife inserted comes out clean. Remove the crock from the crockpot. Remove lid and paper towel, and let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife around the outside edge of cake to loosen. Place a large serving plate upside down on top of the crockpot. Holding the slow cooker and the plate firmly together, carefully flip the cake upside down. Prepare the cream cheese frosting and frost the cake once it is cooled.

  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Instant Pot