This brilliantly colorful rainbow bundt cake is “baked” in the Instant Pot, for a super fun dessert treat!

You’ll love how easy it is to make this Instant Pot rainbow bundt cake, thanks to a doctored up cake mix and your pressure cooker!

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One of the best things about bundt cakes is that they are really easy to make.

There’s no need to try to make perfectly even layers of cake to stack on top of each other, and no need to get the frosting smoothed just right.

Instead, you end up with a pretty cake in the shape of your bundt pan, which you can then top with a simple drizzle of icing. Talk about easy peasy!

But you may not know that you can simplify things even more by making a bundt cake in the Instant Pot! In fact, I have a whole list of Instant Pot cake recipes that you’ll love!

I first learned this when I experimented with this Instant Pot red velvet cake. I was hooked from the start, which prompted me to make this Instant Pot lemon bundt cake and Instant Pot carrot cake, an Instant Pot pumpkin spice bundt cake, an easy apple butter bundt cake, and this Instant Pot eggnog bundt cake.

And of course, who doesn’t love a classic Instant Pot chocolate bundt cake? Or even better, an Instant Pot mint chocolate cake using Thin Mint cookies??

Or everyone’s favorite marriage of flavors, with this Instant Pot peanut butter and chocolate bundt cake?

But I think my favorite of all has to be this super fun Instant Pot rainbow cake!

I mean, seriously, look at those beautiful swirls of vivid colors! Plus the cream cheese glaze really takes it up a notch.

My kids thought this was pretty much the best cake ever, and I can’t argue with that!

Can You Bake in an Instant Pot?

I hear you, skeptically wondering, “Can you really bake in an Instant Pot?”

The answer is both “yes” and “no.”

You can “bake” some things, but in some cases, it’s a little different from baking in an oven. The reason is that the Instant Pot is a moist environment, thanks to the steam required for pressure cooking, whereas the oven is a dry environment.

For a cake, the Instant Pot‘s moist environment works fine (I’ve even baked Instant Pot bread before)!

But for recipes where you want a browned crispy crust similar to what you’d get in the oven, you’re better off just baking the food in the oven.

But since we don’t need a crust on a bundt cake, this is a fabulous option!

Instant Pot bundt cakes are a little smaller than a full-size cake, but you can still easily get 8-10 servings out of one cake.

And while making a cake in the Instant Pot doesn’t save a lot of time, it does result in a perfectly moist cake that releases beautifully from the pan–and you don’t have to keep an eye on it like you do when baking in the oven!

What Size Cake Pan Fits in an Instant Pot?

The size of your pan will depend on the size of your Instant Pot.

I use a 6-quart Instant Pot, and I love this Nordic Ware Bundt Pan. It works great and conducts heat quickly since it’s made out of coated aluminum. It has a volume of 6 cups, and the size is ideal for my Instant Pot.

How to Make A Rainbow Bundt Cake in the Instant Pot

The process of making this rainbow bundt cake is so simple!

You’ll start by mixing your batter, using a cake mix. Because the 6-cup bundt pan is smaller than a standard bundt pan, I only use half of the box of mix.

I use a white cake mix, because that allows the colors to be more vivid. If you use a yellow cake mix, that will tint the colors.

After you’ve mixed up the batter, divide it into bowls according to how many colors you want in your cake. I used four colors, so I divided it into four small bowls.

Then, add some neon food coloring to each bowl and stir to disperse the color (don’t worry, food coloring doesn’t typically expire). I used about six drops of liquid coloring for each small bowl.

I used these little bowls, which aren’t necessary for the recipe, but they are just so cute! And if you have kids, they’re PERFECT for packing snacks and lunches because they come with lids.

Grease your bundt pan with some cooking spray, then drop batter by spoonfuls into the pan, alternating colors. Don’t stir–just layer the colors.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the insert pot of the Instant Pot. Lower the pan onto the trivet.

Cook at high pressure for 25 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural release of pressure. You can then release any remaining pressure with a quick release.

Note: If you’re using a dark nonstick bundt pan, you will likely need to increase the cook time by 3-5 minutes.

Remove the cake and invert onto a plate. While the cake cools, prepare your icing. Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle the cream cheese glaze on top and serve!

More Delicious Bundt Cake Recipes:

• Decadent Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake
• Applesauce Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze

Notes and Adaptations:

• I used liquid food coloring. While I haven’t personally tested gel food coloring, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work just fine!
• I just add the various colors in “blobs”, because that’s easiest, but you could totally make a pretty design if you want! You can layer however you want. If you want more of a “rainbow arc,” you can simply layer more evenly.
• Feel free to use whatever colors you desire! This is easily customizable to coordinate with themed birthday parties or baby showers, or you can even use different colors for holidays (Christmas, 4th of July, etc.)!

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 Servings

Instant Pot Rainbow Bundt Cake

Print

This Instant Pot bundt cake with pretty rainbow colors is a pretty, swirled cake that's easy to make and loads of fun to eat!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 1/2 of a white cake mix (about 1 3/4 cups of dry mix)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• Liquid Food coloring in your colors of choice (I used 4 colors)
• For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
• 2 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 Tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk (or more for desired consistency)

Instructions

To Prepare the Cake:

1. Use cooking spray to grease a 6-cup bundt pan well.
2. Combine all ingredients for the cake (except for food coloring) in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes.
3. Divide batter into bowls for each color you're using (I used 4 small bowls for 4 colors).
4. Add about 6 drops of food coloring to each bowl, stirring well to distribute the color throughout the batter.
5. Spoon batter into the prepared pan, alternating colors.
6. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
7. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the insert pot of an Instant Pot and place the trivet in the insert pot. Carefully lower the bundt pan onto the trivet (you may want to use a foil sling).
8. Close the lid and set the vent to the sealed position. Using the Manual/Pressure Cook button, select a cook time of 25 minutes at high pressure.
9. When the cook time is complete, allow a 10 minute natural release of pressure, followed by a quick release of remaining pressure (you can also do a full natural release if preferred).
10. Once the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid and lift out the bundt pan. Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes before inverting it onto a plate. While the cake cools, prepare the glaze.
11. Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle with the glaze.

To Prepare the Glaze:

1. In a small mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar.
2. Add in milk, continuing to mix until the glaze is smooth. You want a glaze that is thin enough to drizzle but thick enough to stay on the cake. You can use more of less milk to adjust consistency, if desired.

Notes

I used liquid food coloring. While I haven't personally tested gel food coloring, I don't see why it wouldn't work just fine!

Feel free to use whatever colors you desire! This is easily customizable to coordinate with themed birthday parties or baby showers, or you can even use different colors for holidays (Christmas, 4th of July, etc.)!

I just add the various colors in "blobs", because that's easiest, but
you could totally make a pretty design if you want! You can layer
however you want. If you want more of a "rainbow arc," you can simply
layer more evenly.

If you are using a dark nonstick bundt pan, you will likely need to increase the cook time by 3-5 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 183Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Want more delicious recipe ideas?

Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

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Pressure Cooker to the Rescue from Margin Making Mom

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