My husband’s 45th birthday is coming up soon… like tomorrow! Normally we would go out and celebrate, but because of the recent events, we are staying in. This meant making a vegan chocolate cake from scratch. I decided to experiment with making a whole food plant based vegan chocolate cake in our Instant Pot and even made the frosting Mint Chocolate flavored! It was a hit!
No refined sugar in this whole food plant based chocolate cake recipe
The first time I made it, I did use coconut sugar. Even though coconut sugar is unrefined, it’s still not nutrient dense. I decided to use Date Paste the 2nd time so make it healthier.
Date paste is really easy to make and you can keep it in your fridge for weeks so you can have it ready to go anytime you have the urge to make a dessert!
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I love and it helps keep this website running!
What you will need to make this Instant Pot Chocolate Cake:
- 6 or 8 Quart Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- 6X3 Inch springform pan or 6X3 pan lined with parchment paper
- Instant Pot wire rack or trivet or something to keep the pan 1-2 inches off the bottom of the instant pot
- Date Paste made ahead of time
Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Cake
- 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons ground flax seed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
- 1/2 cup date paste or coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Want over 50 delicious (I promise!) whole food plant based recipes that take 30 minutes or less? Check out my Quick & Easy Plant Based Power Pack!
Directions for Vegan Instant Pot Chocolate Cake
I looked at different ways to make this in my Instant Pot, but decided on using high pressure so that it would cook more quickly. I’m impatient!
It does make the cake a little more flat & dense, but very moist and delicious! You can always do 2 recipes of the cake (cooked separately) and then make a double layer chocolate cake with some of the leftover frosting in the middle.
- In a large bowl, add the whole wheat pastry flour, almond flour, ground flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, & coconut sugar. (if using date paste add with the wet ingredients in next step). Mix until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the unsweetened plant milk, apple cider vinegar, and pure vanilla extract.
- Add the liquid mix to the dry mix, and mix until well combined. Pour the batter into a 6X3 springform cake pan. If you don’t have a springform cake pan, you can line a 6X3 round cake pan with parchment paper instead.
- Place a rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add 1/2 cup of water. Place the filled cake pan on top of the rack.
- Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Set to high pressure (manual) for 35 minutes.
- When done, immediately release the pressure valve and remove the lid. Turn off the pressure cooker. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing.
- Using oven mitts remove and set on counter to let cool for 10 more minutes. Carefully remove the springform sides.
Creamy Plant-Based Mint Chocolate Frosting
The mint chocolate frosting can be made just plain chocolate by leaving out the peppermint extract. My husband’s favorite ice cream used to be mint chocolate chip, so I thought I would do a little throw back to that and I really like the mint chocolate flavor!
It is cashew based and turns out really creamy if you have a good high speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec. You could also use an electric food processor.
Mint Chocolate Icing Directions
- Add all frosting ingredients to a high powered blender or high powered food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides a couple times to make sure it is evenly mixed and the cashews are blended well.
- If you don’t have a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, then soak your cashews for at least an hour in hot water to soften and then drain.
- Pour icing into a small bowl and cover. Refrigerate while the cake is cooking to thicken slightly.
- Once cake it cooled and removed from pan, spread icing on the top & sides of the cake. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Make it Gluten Free
This vegan chocolate cake can be made gluten-free by using oat flour or chickpea flour instead of the whole wheat pastry flour.
Other recipes you might like:
- Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake
- Dr. Fuhrman’s Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Nice Cream
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Waffles
- Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
- Easy Instant Pot Turnip Greens
If you try this recipe, please comment below and let me know how it turned out for you!
Vegan Instant Pot Chocolate Cake Recipe with Mint Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- 6X3 springform cake pan or 6X3 cake pan lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons ground flax seed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
- 1/2 cup date paste or coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Mint Chocolate Frosting
- 3/4 cups cashews unsalted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or 1/2 cup of date paste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the whole wheat pastry flour, almond flour, ground flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, & coconut sugar. (if using date paste add with the wet ingredients in next step). Mix until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the unsweetened plant milk, apple cider vinegar, and pure vanilla extract.
- Add the liquid mix to the dry mix, and mix until well combined. Pour the batter into a 6X3 springform cake pan. If you don't have a springform cake pan, you can line a 6X3 round cake pan with parchment paper instead.
- Place a rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add 1/2 cup of water. Place the filled cake pan on top of the rack.
- Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Set to high pressure (manual) for 35 minutes.
- When done, immediately release the pressure valve and remove the lid. Turn off the pressure cooker. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing.
- Using oven mitts remove and set on counter to let cool for 10 more minutes. Carefully remove the springform sides.
For Mint Chocolate Frosting
- Add all frosting ingredients to a high powered blender or high powered food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides a couple times to make sure it is evenly mixed and the cashews are blended well.
- If you don't have a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, then soak your cashews for at least an hour in hot water to soften and then drain.
- Pour icing into a small bowl and cover. Refrigerate while the cake is cooking to thicken slightly.
- Once cake it cooled and removed from pan, spread icing on the top & sides of the cake. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
Join Simply Plant Based Kitchen and get my Top 10 Most Popular Plant-Based Recipes for FREE to get you started eating whole food plant based. Fill out the form below!
I don’t have an Instant Pot Cooker. Could you bake this in a regular oven or in the microwave?
I haven’t tried this particular recipe in an oven, but you might try 350 for 30 minutes and see if a toothpick comes out clean.
Can this recipe be used for a strawberry cake by using strawberries instead of chocolate? Would the cake be too moist?
You could certainly try-let us know how it turns out if you make it!
Sounds fantastic, do you know if you could make this in an oven? Thanks
This looks so lovely but I don’t have an instant pot. How would I modify it (?) / make it in the oven. I hope there is a way. Thank you for such wonderful recipes.
Thanks! I haven’t tried this particular recipe in the oven, but you could try 350 for 20-30 minutes and check to see if a toothpick comes clean.
What size spring foam pan do you use? Thanks in Advance!
I talk about that in the recipe above – it’s a 6×3 spring foam pan.
I would like to swap out the sugar in the recipe for Stevia. Do you know how much Stevia I would need to use to replace the sugar. This is a beautiful recipe!
I would suggest looking on Stevia’s website to see if there’s a conversion guide. Let us know how it turns out if you do swap it out!
Hello! Can you use this recipe for the 3QT Instant Pot? Thank you 😊
Hi! I’ve only made it in the larger one, but you should be able to. You’ll need smaller cake pan for the 3QT, then I’d suggest pouring half the batter in, and make 2 cakes. I’d love to get an update how it turns out if you make it!