Instant Pot Carrot Cake
A damp, lightly spiced carrot cake steamed in a 7-inch tin for 20 minutes at high pressure. Whole wheat flour, dried apricots and only 100 grams of sugar, so it is as much a breakfast cake as a dessert.
Ingredients
The Wet Mix
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled, or coconut oil for a dairy-free cake
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 100 grams sugar white or light brown, about 1/2 cup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice this is what activates the baking soda
The Dry Mix and Fruit
- 200 grams whole wheat flour about 1 2/3 cups, or 180 grams white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 250 grams carrots coarsely grated, about 3 medium
- 1/2 cup dried apricots diced small, about 75 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
Equipment
- nstant Pot
- Trivet
- 7.5-inch (or smaller) cake tin suitable for the Instant Pot
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Small pan or microwave-safe bowl (for melting butter)
- Pastry brush
Instructions
Line the Tin and Build the Sling
- First, butter a 7-inch round tin and line the base with a disc of parchment. Steamed cakes stick harder than baked ones, because there is no dry crust between the crumb and the metal.
- Tear a 24-inch length of foil, fold it lengthways into a strip about three fingers wide, and sit the empty tin in the middle of it. Doing this before the tin is full is the whole difference between easy and dangerous.
Mix the Batter
- Next, whisk the eggs and sugar together for 1 minute, until pale and slightly foamy, then whisk in the melted butter and the lemon juice. The butter should be warm at most, since hot butter scrambles the eggs.
- Then fold in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, followed by the carrots, apricots and lemon zest. Stop the moment no dry flour is left, because overmixing whole wheat flour makes it tough.
Pressure Cook
- After that, scrape the batter into the tin, level the top and cover it tightly with foil. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the pot, stand the trivet in it, and lower the tin down using the sling.
- Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before venting the rest, or the middle will sink as the trapped steam rushes out.
Cool and Finish
- Finally, lift the tin out by the sling, take the foil straight off, and leave it for 10 minutes. The residual heat in the tin dries the tacky top without any drips ever reaching it.
- Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool it completely before frosting. Warm cake and cream cheese frosting is a mess, and it is worth the wait.
Notes
The tin: a 7-inch push-pan or foil-wrapped springform holding about 6 cups. A 6-inch tin gives a taller cake and needs 25 minutes. An 8-inch tin will not fit a 6-quart pot.
The sling: fold a 24-inch length of foil into a strip three fingers wide and sit the tin on it before you fill it. It is the only sane way to lift a hot tin out.
Condensation: cover the tin tightly with foil, then take the foil off the moment the tin leaves the pot so the residual heat dries the top.
Doneness: a toothpick lies in a steamed cake. Press the middle for spring-back, or take it to 200F to 205F.
Storage: 2 days at room temperature unfrosted, 5 days refrigerated, 3 months frozen. Thaw wrapped so the condensation forms on the plastic.
Nutrition values are an estimate and exclude frosting.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 6800IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg