I am so excited to bring you this Instant Pot Lemon Cake recipe. It is incredibly moist and fluffy and you’ll never know you didn’t bake it in the oven. Add my delicious homemade lemon glaze to it and you’ll be in lemon heaven.
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Perfect Lemony Goodness
I’ve been wanting to make a cake in the Instant Pot using a boxed cake mix. I knew cakes could be successful in the Instant Pot since my Turtle Lava Cakes are to die for! I love baking, and I really wanted to start using my Instant Pot for a few more “baked goods”.
This lemon cake had to be easy and require minimal ingredients. You know I love easy! In my opinion, using a boxed cake mix was a must to keep it as simple as possible. I have come to find out that even large bakeries use boxed cake mix so why not use something that’s already perfected?
This cake is absolutely perfect for spring and summer because of its fresh summery flavor. But don’t get me wrong, we enjoy it all year long! The moist and fluffy cake covered in my sweet and tangy lemon glaze is absolute perfection when you’re craving something sweet.
What Ingredients Do I Need for Making An Instant Pot Lemon Cake?
My family loves eating this Instant Pot Lemon Cake and I love how easy it is to make. It’s got just the right amount of tangy and sweet. It is moist and fluffy, and you can easily eat the whole cake if you get distracted! True story.
All you need is a boxed cake mix, I prefer Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix and it’s the only one I’ve tested this recipe with. It’s easy to find in any supermarket. My boxed cake mix requires a bit of oil, 3 eggs, and some water. For the glaze, you’ll need some powdered sugar, a bit of butter, and 2 large lemons.
Essential Items
Here are some essential prep tools, utensils, and appliances I used to make this recipe.
Prep Tools & Utensils
Here are the prep tools and utensils that you’ll need:
Featured Items
Here is a list of the products featured in this post or products similar to those featured in this post:
- Instant Pot
- Measuring Spoons
- Stackable Measuring Cups
- Lemon Squeezer
- Flexible Cutting Mats
- Chef’s Knife
- Lemon Zester
- Trivet with Handles
- Mini Mitts
- 6-Cup Bundt Pan
28 Must-Have Instant Pot Accessories
Make sure to check out my Ultimate List of Instant Pot Accessories! I’ve included everything you could ever need to help make your pressure cooking quicker, easier, and even more convenient.
What Pan Do I Need?
To make this Instant Pot Lemon Cake you’ll preferably need a bundt pan. I use a 6 cup pan that is about 8.5 inches across. This fits perfectly in my 8-quart and 6-quart pressure cookers. You can use another cake pan, but a 6-cup bundt pan ensures you get perfect results every time.
Now it’s your turn to give this Instant Pot Lemon Cake recipe a try!
If you are an Instant Pot beginner I have included a step-by-step below. There are also some tips and tricks in the recipe card at the bottom of this post to help you make this cake even more delicious.
How to Make Lemon Cake in the Instant Pot
This is a super simple recipe that results in a perfectly fluffy and moist lemon cake that’s topped with a wonderful lemony glaze. Just make a boxed lemon cake according to the instructions on the back of the box, use the Instant Pot to cook it perfectly, and then top it with a homemade glaze. Yum!
Step 1: Gather the Ingredients
For the cake, you will only need a box of your favorite lemon cake mix and just a few ingredients to make the lemon glaze. That’s it! Here’s exactly what I used to make this recipe:
- Boxed Lemon Cake Mix: I used Duncan Hines Signature Lemon Supreme Cake Mix, to make this recipe and I highly recommend it. This cake mix makes a moist and fluffy lemon cake that comes out perfect every time.
- Powdered Sugar: The confectioner’s sugar is the base for the glaze. Make sure to pack it tightly when measuring it to help ensure that the glaze turns out thick enough.
- Lemons: You’ll need 2 large lemons to yield enough lemon juice and lemon zest for this recipe.
- Salted Butter
Step 2: Prepare the Cake Batter
Prepare the lemon cake batter according to the instructions on the back of the cake mix box. For the Duncan Hines Signature Lemon Supreme Cake Mix, I added the cake mix, 1 cup of water, ⅓ cup of vegetable oil, and 3 eggs to a large mixing bowl. I then mixed the ingredients with a hand mixer according to the instructions on the back of the box.
Step 3: Add The Batter To The Cake Pan
Spray a 6 cup bundt cake pan with cooking oil and then pour the batter into the pan.
Step 4: Wrap the Cake Pan With Foil and Cook
Tightly wrap the cake pan with aluminum foil before placing it into the Instant Pot. Then add 1 ½ cups of water to the pot and place the cake pan on the trivet and lower into the pot.
I suggest that you always use a separate sealing ring when cooking cakes and desserts in your Instant Pot. You don’t want your sweet treats smelling and tasting like garlic or curry powder. I have a blue ring that I use specifically for my desserts.
Set the Cooking Time
Close the pot and move the pressure release valve to the ‘Sealing’ position. Then set the Instant Pot to cook on ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’, High Pressure for 35 minutes.
Release the Pressure and Remove the Cake
Once the cooking time has completed, perform a Quick Pressure Release by immediately moving the pressure release valve to ‘Venting’ to release all the pressure from the pot. Once all the pressure has been released from the pot and the pin has dropped, open the pot and remove the cake. Set the cake pan on a heat resistant surface, remove the foil and allow it to sit for 5 minutes to cool.
Step 5: Unmold the Cake
Once the cake has cooled for a few minutes, unmold it by placing a large plate over the top of the bundt pan and flipping it onto a large plate. Carefully lift the bundt pan away from the cake and let it sit to cool for another 10 minutes. If you notice that the cake is sitting lopsided, this is a good time to use a long serrated knife to cut away any bulges on the bottom of the cake to allow it to sit flat.
Step 6: Make the Glaze
For the glaze, add the two cups of tightly packed powdered sugar, five tablespoons of lemon juice, half a tablespoon of melted butter, and a teaspoon of lemon zest to a large measuring cup and mix until the sugar has completely dissolved and a smooth glaze has formed.
Step 7: Pour the Glaze Over the Cake
Once the cake is cool, slowly pour the glaze over it until it is fully covered.
Serve and Enjoy
This lemon cake is so delicious! My kids told me that it was their favorite. I hope that it becomes one of your family’s favorites too.
I know you will love this Easy Instant Pot Lemon Bundt Cake. Let me know in the comments when you try it!
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Instant Pot Lemon Cake
FLUFFY MOIST LEMON CAKE TOPPED WITH A SWEET LEMONY GLAZE
Essential Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix prepared according to box, I prefer Duncan Hines Signature Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
for the Glaze
- 2 cups confectioners powdered sugar tightly packed
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice from 2 large lemons
- ½ tablespoon butter (salted) melted
- zest of one lemon about 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Prepare Lemon Cake Batter: Make the lemon cake batter according to the instructions on the back of the box of lemon cake mix.
- Add Batter To Bundt Pan: Spray a 6-cup bundt cake pan with cooking spray and pour the cake batter into the pan. Tightly cover the bundt pan with aluminum foil.
- Cook for 35-Minutes: Add 1 ½ cups of water to the Instant Pot and lower the cake pan into the pot using the trivet. Close the Instant Pot, adjust the pressure release valve to ‘Sealing’ and set the pot to cook on ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’, ‘High Pressure’ for 35 minutes.
- QPR: Once the cooking time has finished, perform a QPR (quick pressure release) by immediately releasing the pressure from the pot. After the pressure has been fully released and the pin has dropped, open the pot. Carefully remove the hot bundt pan from the pot.
- Let Cake Cool: Set the cake pan on a heat resistant surface and remove the foil from the top of the pan. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the cake onto a large plate and allow it to cool for another 10 minutes.
- Make Glaze: Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, butter, and lemon zest to a large measuring cup and mix until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Glaze Cake: After the cake has cooled, pour the glaze over the top of the cake to fully cover.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Tips & Tricks
Top with extra lemon zest. I don’t usually go this extra step because the cake is super delicious as it is but if I’m having a get-together with friends, I’ll pull out the lemon zester to dress the cake up a bit by topping it with some extra zest.
Replace the glaze with frosting. What’s better than a glaze? Cream cheese frosting!
Serving Suggestions
Add ice cream. This lemon cake goes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or raspberry sorbet.
Serve with tea. Lemon cake is a great reason to invite some friends over for an afternoon tea.
I love this cake, it is soo easy to make. I made it this time in my 8 qt rather than my 6 qt where I have made it before and it didn’t turn out. It was flat and didn’t appear to be down after the times indicated above. Do you know why that might be?
Hi! Unfortunately, with the newer Instant Pots, they all seem to cook differently so that may have something to do with it. It’s going to be a matter of trial and error. I’ve always made it in my 8 qt, but it also depends on the model and brand. Sorry I couldn’t be more help! Thanks for stopping by and I’m happy you’ve enjoyed the cake before!
I have made this cake twice now. I added blueberries to the cake mix. It turned out amazing. So simple but delicious.
Hi Linda! I’m so happy you love it! I appreciate you stopping by!
I wanted to make this but I wanted to use personal size little loaf pans can you do that with this recipe?
Hi Peggy! You can try making these in little loaf pans. It should work, but the timing may be different. Let me know how it goes!
Can I do this in another pan? I live in Argentina and don’t have a Bundt pan. I DO have a springform pan, though. Would that work? I LOVE lemon cake!
Thanks!
Suki
Hi Suki! You should be Ok with another pan, I’d try to use a solid pan. The only thing is the timing may be different for different pans. Hope it works out! Let me know.
Thank you Valerie! I’ll sure will let you know.