This Instant Pot Apple Cake is not only super easy, but super delicious! Four layers of moist cake and juicy apples in every bite!
Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Cake
It’s still warm here in Texas, but with a new school year starting in the next week or so, I’m already feeling the itch for Fall recipes! (I’d love it if the weather would follow suit!)
Apples are one of my favorite fruits year-round, but something about that combination of warm apples and cinnamon just screams Fall. So I just can’t wait for cooler weather to try out some of our new Fall themed recipes.
This Instant Pot Apple Cake is super easy to make (who doesn’t love recipes that you can just set and forget?) Plus this cake is super moist since all the moisture is locked in while it “bakes.”
I could eat this Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Cake for breakfast, snack, dessert – ok I could pretty much eat it any time. It’s crazy good stuff!!
And when you enjoy this Instant Pot Apple Cake with a PSL (try our healthy homemade pumpkin spice latte here!) you’ve got the ultimate Fall pairing!
Hope you love it too!
Related: For a lighter apple treat, try our gluten free Quinoa Apple Cake!
Ingredients
- Apples
- Ground Cinnamon
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Oil
- Sugar
- Orange Juice
- Vanilla Extract
- Large Eggs
Kitchen Supply List
For your convenience in re-creating this Instant Pot Apple Cake recipe, I’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products used. Read our full disclosure policy here.
What is the Best Type of Apple to Use?
For baking recipes, Granny Smith Apples work well because their tartness balances out the sweetness from the rest of the recipe. That way it is no overly sweet.
However, you are absolutely welcome to use any type of apple you like or have on hand! I like a sweet cake, so Gala or Fuji apples are my favorite varieties.
Why Use the Instant Pot to Bake a Cake?
One of the reasons the Instant Pot is so great for baking is that it keeps the inside of the cake super moist. Because there’s nothing that makes me sadder than putting all that effort into baking a cake…only for it to turn out dry!
How does it work? The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker and uses steam to cook foods. This steaming process is what helps keep the food so moist and ensures that it cooks evenly.
How to Make Instant Pot Apple Cake
Combine diced apples, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp sugar in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
TIP: We used Granny Smith Apples (my husband’s favorite), but you can use any variety of apple that you have on hand.
Sift together dry ingredients in one large mixing bowl and combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
Coat your springform pan with non-stick baking spray.
Pour half the cake batter into the springform pan, then layer half of the diced apples on top of the batter.
Pour the remaining batter on top of the apples, then finish with the other half of the apples, so that you have 4 layers. Here’s a look at the layering process:
Cover the springform pan with foil like so:
Add 1 cup of water into the insert of the IP and place the trivet inside. Set the springform onto the trivet and close the lid.
Select manual (high) and set the time for 60 minutes cook time. Allow natural pressure release before removing lid.
Allow the cake to cool completely (out of the Instant Pot) before removing the springform.
This cake is lovely topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, or even a sprinkle of ground nutmeg.
PS- Be sure to check out how we used the Instant Pot to make Pumpkin Apple Butter too!
More of our favorite Instant Pot desserts:
- Instant Pot Godiva Cheesecake
- Instant Pot Angel Food Cake
- Instant Pot Apple Butter
- Instant Pot Apple Dumplings
- Instant Pot Red White and Blue Cheesecake
- IP Mango Bundt Cake
- Instant Pot Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Grab a free printable copy of our Instant Pot Apple Cake Recipe:
Instant Pot Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups Granny Smith Apples diced (about 4 apples)
- 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup sugar + 2 Tablespoons
- 2 Tablespoon pulp free orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Combine diced apples, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp sugar in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In separate mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, orange juice, sugar, vanilla and eggs until well combined. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
- Coat your springform pan with non-stick baking spray.
- Pour half the batter into the springform pan, then cover with half of the diced apples. Repeat with the rest of the batter and diced apples so that you have 4 layers.
- Cover the springform pan with foil.
- Add 1 cup of water into the insert of the IP and place the trivet inside. Set the springform onto the trivet and close the lid.
- Select manual (high) and set the time for 60 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, allow to natural pressure release before removing the lid.
- Carefully take out the trivet and remove the foil from the springform pan.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before removing the springform.
- Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Be sure to pin this Instant Pot Apple Cake on Pinterest:
More of our favorite apple desserts:
Oatmeal Apple Bombs with Candied Pecans
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Lisa Brencis says
Re the layered “Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Cake”. You mention vanilla but there’s no measurement for it in the ingredient list. Can you correct the recipe, please? Thanks!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Lisa – Thank you for pointing out the oversight! I’ve added vanilla to the ingredients list. If you didn’t use it, it won’t make or break the final cake. I just like the extra richness vanilla provides 🙂
Cyd says
I thought the top needed something so I made a streusel topping out of brown sugar, bisquick and cinnamon butter.
Louise says
Hi! This looks delish! No Instant Pot, however. How long do you suppose it would take in the oven? And temp? 325ish, maybe?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Louise – I would try 350 for 30-35 minutes and keep an eye on it. Let me know how it goes! We’ve not tried this in the regular oven yet 🙂
Peggy says
This looks great and getting ready to try. Quick question…on manual setting, is it high or low pressure for 60 minutes? Do I assume high if the recipe doesn’t say otherwise? Thank you!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Peggy – Since some pressure cookers don’t have a low setting, we write our recipes with high setting in mind as the default. Thanks for asking! I’ll make a note on the recipe.
Lynn says
Can this be made in a bundt pan instead of a springform pan in the instant pot?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Lynn – I haven’t tried it in a bundt pan, however, I’m sure you could make it that way, though you would probably need to adjust cooking times.
Lynn says
What cooking time would you recommend?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Lynn – I’d suggest 35 minutes with the bundt pan in an Instant Pot. Let me know how it goes!
Lynn says
Can this be made in a 7” Bundt Pan (1 qt)?
LORI Weimer says
Has anyone tried this with a gluten free flour?
Sara says
Our kids have 10, 32, and 33 food allergies, so it is difficult to find recipes to make for them. I did make this recipe with a gluten free flour blend I make up (3 cups sorghum flour, 2 cups potato starch, 2 cups tapioca starch, 2 tsp. Xanthan gum). This makes 7 cups. I take out what I need and refrigerate the rest. I also left the xanthan gum out of the flour blend and followed these guidelines…add 1/2 tsp. gum per 1 cup flour blend (best for cakes, cookies, muffins & quick breads). Add 1 tsp. gum per 1 cup flour blend (best for yeast bread, pizza dough, or anything that calls for yeast). I was not able to layer the cake like the recipe said, so I placed the cake mix in and then put the apple mix on top. I pushed the apple mix in a little bit in the cake. I also lowered the cooking time by 5 minutes. The cake turned out delicious!! Our son has had to go gluten free in the last year and it has been difficult on him. He is like me and loves baked goods. This recipe is a keeper!! It is the first one I have been able to make gluten free and actually have it turn out. Our son ate all of it and wants me to make another one! Today I plan to replace the apples with blueberries. Next, I will try to make it egg free so our daughter can enjoy it. Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is a keeper in our house!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Sara — I started eating primarily gluten free when I was pregnant with my second daughter and experiencing a lot of digestive issues. Thank you for the tip on making this particular recipe gluten free! We do have a lot of gluten free recipes on our website, as my husband is really good at adapting our favorite foods. Here’s the full listing: https://thesoccermomblog.com/category/recipes/diets/gluten-free/
Sylvia Cristina says
Looks great . Have you tried this with almond flour?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I haven’t yet, but we do a lot of keto recipes too so this may be one we try to re-create in the future! 🙂
Dorothy says
The 7 inch springform pan is not very big, can I use a 9 inch?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
That should work, if it fits your IP – though I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure! Let me know how it goes!
Dorothy says
Prep time is a lot longer then 10 minutes….it took me 30 minutes just to dice the apples…
Andi says
How long should the Natural Release take?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Andi – Depending on which type of Instant Pot you have, it can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes – but likely around 10 minutes.
Robin says
This cake was delicious, but when I made it, it fell in the middle and was a little raw. What did I do wrong? Would putting more time in the instant pot help it?
Barbara Albrecht says
I made your apple cake in my new instant pot. When I shared it with friends and family they ALL wanted the recipe!! I was a HIT!!
Louis Demosthenous says
I made your cake it tasted very good. I live at 7000 ft it came out rather doughy, the crumb was not like yours. Any suggestions?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Louis – You might need to increase the cook time in the future. I live very close to sea level, but what I’ve read suggests increasing pressure cooking time by 5% for every 1000 ft above 2000 ft elevation.
Andrew says
Plain or self raising flour?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Regular all purpose flour is what we used
Nancy MCullough says
What size springform pan? Did I miss this in the recipe?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Nancy – we used a 7″ Instant Pot springform pan. I linked to it in the supply list. Hope this helps!
Lucy says
Is it white sugar you use or brown? Looking forward to giving this a go 🙂
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
We used regular white sugar. Unless I specify otherwise in my recipes, that’s what I mean. Hope you love it too! 🙂
Pauline says
Can you substitute apple juice for the Orange juice?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I think you probably could, though I haven’t tried it myself.
Merit says
The recipe says to dice the apples, but does not mention peeling them first. In the photos and the video, it looks like the apples were peeled. Do you peel the apples or leave them unpeeled?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Either way you like is fine!