Why do I call this Banana Bread Cake made in my Instant Pot both Cake and Bread?
Well, I honestly couldn’t decide… Was it more like cake? Was it more like bread? Truthfully, I make banana bread in the oven all the time. It is typical banana bread, in taste and texture. This recipe is definitely different in texture — its actually much lighter & more moist.
This Banana Bread Cake is delightfully sweet, delightfully tender, delightfully dense, delightfully moist… delightfully everything!
This Banana Bread Cake is awesome and I made it without ever having to turn on my oven which in turn heats my always-hot-anyways Florida home – winning! Why use my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and not my oven? The prior sentence is good enough reason for me… Thanks, Instant Pot!
You can eat this plain, dusted with powdered sugar or topped with a frosting of your choice — my fave being cream cheese frosting, but if you have chocolate lovers, go for chocolate; if you have cream cheese haters, go for vanilla — it’s ALL good!
You can make this Banana Bread Cake with a variety of mix-ins to switch it up, too! My family’s favorite is chocolate chips! The world is your oyster; the world is your Banana Bread Cake!
Banana Bread Cake
Ingredients
1/2 cup oil — I use vegetable or canola but you could use coconut, too
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
3 over ripened bananas, mashed — about 1 1/4 cups
1/4 cup milk
2 extra large eggs
2 1/4 cups flour, properly measured
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
Optional Mix-ins (1/2 cup of mix in of your choice):
cinnamon chips
chocolate chips (my family’s fave!)
walnuts
pecans
shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups water for the bottom of the Pressure Cooker pot
Essential Tools
Bundt Pan, 6 cup — I use this Nordic Ware bundt pan
Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer or hand mixer — you can also do this by hand
Short trivet or cooking rack
Directions
Grease and flour bundt pan — I use cooking spray and a couple tablespoons of flour to coat the bundt pan. This will ensure your banana bread cake won’t stick.
In medium sized mixing bowl, whisk all dry ingredients (properly measured flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder). Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, using electric mixer, blend oil, butter, sugars and vanilla until very well combined, about 45 seconds on medium speed. Scrape all sides and bottom of mixing bowl.
Add both eggs, blend until just combined, about 10-15 seconds on medium speed.
Add milk and banana; mix until combined, about 20-30 seconds on medium speed. Scrape all sides of mixing bowl
Add dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until just combined, perhaps 20 seconds.
Do not over mix!
Mix very lightly to avoid over-mixing batter.
Pour batter into greased and floured bundt pan
Cover with foil
Place bundt pan on trivet, then place in Instant Pot over water.
*The trivet that comes with the Instant Pot has handles which make it easy to put in and take out of the pot! If your trivet does NOT have handles, create a foil sling (folding a long piece of foil length wise) and use it to place bundt pan in your pot – this will also help with taking it out after it’s cooked.
Close lid and turn vent knob to “Sealing”
Press Manual (High Pressure), and adjust cook time using “+/-“ to 47* minutes.
I’ve tried 45, not quite enough; 50, a few too many; 47 is where I’ve decided the sweet spot is!
After pressure cooker comes to pressure, cook time countdown will begin.
When cook time countdown is complete, allow pressure cooker to naturally release pressure (NPR) for 5 minutes. Quickly release remaining pressure (QPR).
Open lid, and carefully remove bundt pan — it’s pretty snug in there! I solicit the help of my Silicone mitts and perhaps a hand towel and either grab the handles on my trivet, or the foil sling.
Remove foil and allow Banana Bread Cake to cool for about an hour.
Seriously… just look at this gorgeous, beautifully risen, tender Banana Bread Cake!
Once cooled, run knife around the outside edge and inside edge of the cake to loosen. Place a plate over bundt pan, then lift bundt pan and flip over onto plate.
Serve plain, with powdered sugar, or frosting of your choice.
I like to serve a dollop of frosting on the side so the beautiful Banana Bread Cake is exposed in all it’s delicious glory!
Banana Bread Cake
(with optional Cinnamon chip mix in and a dollop of cream cheese frosting)
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- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 over-ripened bananas lightly mashed
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 extra large eggs
- 2 1/4 cups flour properly measured
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups water for bottom of pressure cooker
-
Grease and flour bundt pan - I use cooking spray and a couple T flour to evenly coat the inside of bundt pan to ensure cake does not stick
-
In medium sized mixing bowl, whisk all dry ingredients (properly measured flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder). Set aside.
-
In large mixing bowl, using electric mixer, blend oil, butter, sugars and vanilla until very well combined, about 45 seconds on medium speed. Scrape all sides and bottom of mixing bowl.
-
Add both eggs, blend until just combined, about 10-15 seconds on medium speed.
-
Add milk and banana; mix until combined, about 20-30 seconds on medium speed. Scrape all sides of mixing bowl
-
Add dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until just combined, perhaps 20 seconds.
DO NOT OVER-MIX!
-
Add optional mix-in, if desired.
Optional Mix-ins (1/2 cup of mix in of your choice): cinnamon chips, chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, shredded coconut
Mix very lightly to avoid over-mixing batter.
-
Pour batter into greased and floured bundt pan
-
Cover bundt pan with foil
-
Add water to pressure cooker insert. Place bundt pan over water in Instant Pot on trivet using trivet handles, or create a foil sling.
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Close lid and close vent knob, then set cook time to 47 minutes on High Pressure.
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When cook time has completed, allow pressure cooker to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes, then release remaining pressure and remove lid.
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Remove foil and allow Banana Bread Cake to cool for about an hour.
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Serve as desired, with icing or powdered sugar or plain - it is incredibly delicious as is!