Today we’re all about sweets! We’re going to make a Mascarpone Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and a super-easy lava mug cake. But first, we’re going to discuss what containers to cook those desserts in, how their size and shape affect the cooking time, and I’m going to give you the low-down on how baking powder reacts under pressure.
Welcome to Pressure Cooking School!
Laura, I thank you for this Sweet Desserts lesson. I was wondering if my cheesecake recipe says to bake for 1 hr., then turn it off and leave the oven door open for 1 hr. Can it still be made in the Instant Pot? Can’t wait to try out the Chocolate Lava Mug Cake.
Marilyn, yes. You can pressure cook it! It will take a little less time as the natural release will take 20-30 minutes as well.
Ciao,
L
I will definitely give it a try. Thanks so much.
I want to make a gingerbread cake in my 6qt instant pot, wondering how long to cook for? Do you have a recipe for one?
Irene, I don’t have a gingerbread cake recipe – but I’ve always had good luck with the ones from King Arthur Flour:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gingerbread-bundt-cake-recipe
I would halve the recipe and leave the baking powder as-is (not halve it). This would take 10 minutes in an aluminum bundt pan, 20 minutes in a stainless steel one – probably longer in a silicone (but I haven’t tested the time as I don’t like the flavor it leaves on the cake).
Have fun!
Ciao,
L
P.S. Don’t forget to use the steamer basket, put 2 cups of water in the base and use a foil sling to get the cake in-and-out if you don’t have a rack with handles.
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-tip-sling-it-to-lift-it/
Thanks so much for your help, I plan on baking the gingerbread using a 4”deep ceramic soufflé dish with a jar placed in the center, as a homemade bundt type pan. Will this work?
I don’t know if sticking a jar in the middle of cake would work – I would be inclined to think that the jar would “float”. But if you try it, please come back to let us know if it did!
Ciao,
L
The jar in the middle of my soufle pan,(plus I added some dried beans to the jar to weight it down), worked like a charm. I sprayed the mason jar well with baking spray first. The gingerbread cake came out delicious
Also, I didn’t halve the recipe. Don’t know why my picture is upside down, sorry about that!
Irene, that’s amazing. Thanks so much for sharing. I see that it rose out of the dish quite a bit – now you know why I suggested half a recipe. ; )
So… how was it?
King Arthur Flour recipes never let me down – I’ve never had one NOT work on the first try!
Ciao,
L
What great information. Now I guess I need to get a solid silicone dish to bake cheesecakes.
First question: Do you have a link for a proper silicone dish for cheesecake?
Second question: When making your Chocolate Lava Mug Cake, would using clarified butter work instead of the olive oil? Does the olive oil give a desired flavor that would be best not to change?
I use the bowl and rack from the Fagor America expansion kit in the video:
https://www.fagoramerica.com/shop2/accessories
I found some similar-looking containers on amazon (though have not tried them myself) and I link to them from here:
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-accessory-forms-and-molds/
Ciao!
L
I’m amazed at how well the cheesecake came out. Much better (in our view, anyway) than a cheesecake baked in the oven. Thanks for all the tips and advice.
However, while the cheesecake was a total success, the upside down apple and ricotta cake came out a bit rubbery. But I’m not deterred. Will try more. For some reason, I think the carrot cake recipe below should work quite well (without the frosting!). What do you think?
https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/british/low-fat-moist-carrot-cake
So glad to read you enjoyed it! Yes, I have made both steamed carrot and zucchini cakes in the pressure cooker – I haven’t specifically tried the linked recipe but it should work!! Use the… I can’t think of the name of it at the moment – doughnut shaped pan – so the middle doesn’t get soggy.
Ciao,
L