Instant Pot Guilt Free Chocolate Cake
Instant Pot Guilt Free Chocolate Cake will have you feeling like you’re doing something bad! Cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, lava cakes- oh my!
The Instant Pot has a reputation for creating some of the yummiest, moistest cakes out there but most of them are not very healthy. Usually chock full of flour, sugar, and dairy. Gaining 10 pounds after your new pressure cooker arrives isn’t uncommon. This is a different kind of recipe though. I knew that I would have to do so something different when I started my weight loss journey and I really started to think about foods that I could make that were healthy.
I developed this recipe so that you could have your cake and eat it too! This delicious chocolate cake is grain and dairy free! Sweetened with honey and made with black beans this cake is truly guilt free. Plus, prep for this recipe and cleanup are so easy. I know from experience that this cake is going to go fast. It usually goes just as fast as I can make it here at my house. I hope whoever you’re sharing this with likes it just as much as my family does.
No Instant Pot? No problem! Just double the recipe, set your oven to 350F, and bake for 35 minutes! Delicious!
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Brittany Williams has taken the weight loss world by storm with her best-selling Instant Loss Cookbook. Brittany changed her relationship with food and lost an astonishing 125 pounds in a year through diet alone!
After spending a lifetime struggling with obesity, autoimmune diseases, and chronic fatigue, she truly understands the diet dilemma.
Brittany’s latest book, Instant Loss Eat Real, Lose Weight shows how to make this a sustainable lifestyle with kid and family-friendly meal! With recipes like, Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal, Cowboy Chili, and Easy 2-Minute Pork Chops. Members of her growing community have reported losing 50 and even 100 pounds themselves! This cookbook will help others achieve similar success with simple, delicious meals, nearly all ready in 30 minutes or less.
Instant Pot Guilt Free Chocolate Cake
Print RecipeIngredients
For the cake
- 8 ounces cooked black beans rinsed and drained (I make mine in the Instant Pot)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 3 tablespoons Cacao powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
For the glaze
- 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients for the cake in a high powered blender or a food processor and process until everything is one smooth consistency.
- Grease a 6 cup bundt pan or a cake pan that fits inside of your Instant Pot. Add the batter to your pan and place the lid on top.
- Add 1 cup of water to your Instant Pot. Set your cake pan inside of the pot on top of the trivot. Using the display panel program your pot using the MANUAL setting, +/- 45 minutes.
- When the time is up quickly release the pressure. While you wait make the glaze by microwaving the coconut oil and dairy free chocolate chips for 45 seconds. Stir.
- Wait 5 minutes for the cake to cool, then transfer to a plate and pour glaze over the top. Enjoy!
Sounds really good. I was wondering if another type of dried bean, maybe a white bean, that’s home grown, would be a comparable substitute. Are you using black beans for the color?
You can totally use a different bean. 🙂
I just made this w the black beans and it’s awesome. It didn’t rise though. Is that normal? Yours looks like it quite a bit taller. Mines about 1.5″.
It is supposed to rise a little bit. Typically to the top of the pan that I’m using and sometimes it tries to spill out of the side.
Mine didn’t rise either. I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. I did use Splenda instead of honey, though…
Check to make sure your baking powder is not expired. The baking powder is the rising agent.
My wife made this and didn’t tell me how it was made. I was shocked when she told me she made it with beans! I am used to eating cakes and other desserts without traditional flour but never beans! I honestly couldn’t tell and the taste was very good! I was very impressed with the texture and taste of this cake. Definitely a thumbs up!
Hi, are the 8oz of beans weighed without any liquid? (I.e. 8oz of plain, cooked, drained beans)
That’s correct.
I made the beans in my IP and now am wondering how to measure 8iz?! Is it a cup?
8 ounces of beans is about 1 1/4 cup.
What’s the approx cup measurement for 8 oz beans?
It depends entirely on the beans you’re using and their water content but usually, roughly, a cup to a cup and a half.
Is there an egg substitute for someone with egg allergies? Thanks
Shelly, you can try a flax egg! 1 egg= 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (measure after grinding) with 3 tablespoons of water. Stir well, and place in the fridge to set for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes you should have a sticky egg-like substitute.
Shelly, not sure if you will even see this, but wondering if you tried with the flax egg? My youngest has an egg allergy and I think I’m going to give it a go!
Hi Brittany! Thanks for sharing! I am going to try this with the flax egg substitution you suggested and maple or agave instead of Honey for a Vegan version 🙂 Your recipe says to cook on manual for 45 minutes- is that at high or low pressure?
High Pressure, let me know how it goes and what you think! 🙂
So so good! I asked my husband what the secret ingredient was and he said “magic?” Our toddler is allergic to dairy and we’ve had a lot of dairy free cakes but I think this is the best one we’ve tried. Thanks for the great recipe!!
I have those sane pans. It looks like you use just one of them, correct?
Correct. 🙂
If using dry beans, do you measure before or after cooking? 8oz would be a half a bag, right? Or do I cook first and then measure 1-1.5 cups?
They’re cooked. 🙂
Could you use a different type of oil instead of coconut oil?
I used ghee instead of coconut oil
Is this best served warm or cold?
I like it after it sits for awhile. We leave it on the counter at room temperature, that’s my favorite.
COLD in our opinion. Some like it warm, but we like it more cold. Keeps for days, even on the counter, never dries out.
Hi Brittany
I made this yesterday and it doesn’t look like yours in the picture, it’s very heavy and like a solid mousse if that makes sense? It didn’t rise at all so I made 2 to sandwich together, It’s very fillling and tastes ok but it doesn’t look like cake, what did I do wrong??
Hi Sue, it’s a dense cake, almost brownie like. It does rise a bit, mine usually leaves a bit of cake on the lid of my pan and sometimes spills outside of the lid while rising.
Thanks Brittany x
Could you use Cacao powder for the glaze also?
You would have to use some type of sweetener with it or it would be very bitter. 🙂
We really liked this cake. My husband said that he couldn’t tell that there were black beans in it at all (Vitamix for the win!)
This is an amazing dessert! My 4 year old helped and loved it too 🙂 I requested it as my birthday cake and was super impressed!!!
My toddler helped me make it and she was super excited to tell daddy that it was made from black beans.. after he took a bite of course ☺️ Daddy and daughter loved it, but it wasn’t quite sweet enough for me. Not the recipes fault, just my own addiction to sugar I’m trying to get over.
My husband has Celiac so I’ve played with a lot of gluten-free flours in the past. However, I have never made a baked good with just beans! And I was truly shocked that it was as delicious as it was. It was moist and chocolatey, and ate like cake! What more can you ask for? 🙂 I’m excited to have this recipe as a future option. I used my food processor and was able to get a fairly smooth consistency, but a super blender probably works even better.
So happy to find this recipe thank you. As a celiac I have been making something similar in the oven for years and it uses chick peas….but I recently got an instant pot so I’m so looking forward to trying this downsized recipe. The glaze is new to me too – sounds yummy!
Would this work in the 3 quart instant pot? That’s what I just bought recently.
Brittany, if I use a metal cake pan instead of the stackable insert pan you’re using, should it be covered? Thanks!
Yes, just cover it with foil. 🙂
Hi. This sounds delish. One question? I’ve been using apple sauce in place of oil in cake/brownie recipes – how abnout thiis?
My daughter hates coconut and is skilled in picking up the taste of I use even a hint of it. Any suggestions for another oil to substitute?
You could use grand-fed butter if you’re not dairy free. 🙂
if its suitable to your nutritional ethos just use refined coconut oil. no coconut taste. i feel the same as your daughter.
When you use the oven you said to double the recipe so intead of 3 eggs we need to use 6 eggs? Sounds like a lot.
Yep! Double it. Eggs, too. 🙂
Can you tell me the macros on this?
Hi Brittany!
Your recipe does not specify high or low — what should I cook it on?
Thank you!
April
Hi April, everything is high.
If I double it, can I stack the stainless steel pans? I have the same ones you use, but have not made this cake yet. Does it keep for a few days? Out or refrigerator? I need the cake for Sunday, but will probably make it today or tomorrow. Thx
You can but I’d suggest using a 6 cup oven safe bowl instead. Like a pyrex. It works much better. 🙂
This was delicious! I wish the cake were bigger (I would probably just eat more of it so it’s a good thing it is a 6″ single layer cake) 🙂 Any idea of the nutritional facts? I’m wondering if eating half of it would truly be “guilt free” or if I’m just kidding myself as usual.
Looks good. Two silly questions. 😉
1- black beans in a can? Drain and cook or like the dry beans you soak and cook?
2- my instant pot doesn’t have the manual button- is the Manual just pressure cooking on high?
And that’s all! Thanks!
If using beans from a can you would just rinse and use, no need to cook.
The old pots say Manual, the new ones say Pressure Cook so you’re right. Pressure Cook function, high pressure. 🙂
Would the small, silicone molds work to make like little mini cakes? If so, would you recommend cutting the time down?
Well, I went ahead and tried it. The mix fit into one egg mold, with 7 sections perfectly. I greased the silicone mold with coconut oil. I then cooked it on Normal Pressure Cook for 35 minutes with a quick release. It worked out well, but a few of the bottoms fell off. Idk… They’re moist n yummy and the glaze makes them extra good!
This is a great idea!!!! I have made this cake a few times and never thought about using my sou vide egg mold!!!! 😱🤩
Thanks dear for an awesome recipe to substitute my sweet cravings.
A few questions to make it easier.
1. Which one would you prefer by taste/ texture- oven or instant pot?
2. Secondly, if honey loses its good stuff after heating over 99 degrees, what else would you recommend to substitute it with it? Or would you rather have this loss over the rest of the benefits?
Thanks again! Can’t wait to try it!
Do you have the nutritional information so I can calculate weight watcher points? Thanks the bean cake looks great!
Just curious, what size Pyrex baking dish should be used.
4-6 cup. 🙂
Do you place the lid on the stackable pan when you place it in the pot or leave the lid off?
Can I use canola oil instead of coconut oil? Coconut oil is not very healthy, as it is high in saturated fat.
Coconut oil is extremely healthy for you. Canola oil is extremely UNHEALTHY as is vegetable oil. 🙂
Can I use regular cocoa powder?
Absolutely. 🙂
My cake had a bitter taste to. Did you salt your black beans when you cooked them in the instant pot? I did. Do you think that caused the bitter taste?
You are amazing! Thanks for all you do!
Lori
Hi Lori,
I do not salt the beans, I bet that was the difference. Thank you for your sweet comments. <3
I was busy, and asked the GF if she’d whip it up. I had soaked a bunch of beans and didn’t measure yet, well she used them all! Whoops. So we doubled the rest of the ingredients, and still made it in the IP. Turned out very good. Topped with roasted cocoa nibs for a bit of texture. Great no flour lower sugar treat. Thanks!
When you doubled it, did you use the same cook time? I ended up making a second one this evening because my boys inhaled the first one. If I do a double, it may last a few minutes longer ;).
Same cook time. 🙂
Would a springform pan that fits in the IP work?
Totally!
does this need to be refrigerated over night if I am making it a head of time or can I leave it on the counter?
Made this today and omg sooooo good, AND BONUS!! the family loved it too!! I absolutely love your meal plans, I’m on wk2 day 1 so far and down 5 pounds! So, thank you SO MUCH for sharing your journey, recipes, and meal plans with us! Quick question: what is *your* portion size of this cake?
I usually eat an eighth. 🙂
I measured my 8oz before I cooked them. After reading comments I’m thinking that may be the reason my cake didn’t turn out very yummy. Yikes! I didn’t realize I should cook the beans first and then weigh out 8oz. *Face palm*
When baking in the oven do you cover it?
Hi, I was wondering the same thing but Brittany said in the Instant Pot you cover it so the water from the steam does not go on it. The oven doesn’t create any steam, it’s dry hot air. So guessing you don’t cover it. I’m making it today so I’ll find out since no response was made.
So glad I finally tried this recipe. It was fabulous. A definite 2 thumbs up from hubby and kids! It’s so nice to have healthier options for a treat. Your recipes rock!
So I tried the flax egg substitution and that did no go well. I doubled the recipe and cooked it in the oven. The middle of the cake never got done. Has anyone tried a different sub for eggs?
Hi! I just made this cake – doubled the ingredients and using the oven. It’s been in for 35 minutes and is still very wet in the center. Not sure how much more minutes to cook it for.
I also doubled the recipe and baked it, it took about 45 min in my round cake pan. I forgot the coconut oil but it still turned out great! Thanks!
Ive made this recipe countless times and it’s never came out the same. However, always good. Just curious though. In your recipe do you melt the coconut oil or leave it solid?
Hello Cynthia!
In the recipe I melt the coconut oil. Thanks so much for reaching out!
Can I use ramikens instead for portion control ? If so how long would I cook the for ? Thank you
That would definitely work, but I have no tested it that way before so I would not be able to give you an exact cook time.
I just thought I’d let you all know that I cooked these in the oven as cupcakes! I divided the batter between 12 regular sized muffin holes. Each was about 3/4 full (much smaller than I usually fill with batter), but this worked in my favor because there was room at the top of the muffin papers to collect the glaze. So so good! Thanks, Britney you are my favorite!
I cook and bake home-made , and I absolutely love this recipe! It came out perfect! Few changes…I used grape seed oil instead of coconut, I doubled the recipe as I do not own an instant pot. I didn’t use the topping. After I used the food processor on puree, I put a couple handfuls of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips in the food processor, then added to stoneware 8×8 cooked at 350 for 30 minutes, raised perfectly. So moist it’s between brownie and cake. I added fresh strawberries to the top of each piece of cake. Very YUMMY Thank you so much, I can’t wait to cook up another one of your delicious recipes.
Just wondering if you had the nutritional information for this.
Hello Michelle,
Thank you for reaching out! I do not include the calorie count or nutritional information on any of my recipes. All ingredients have different nutritional information so it will always vary depending on the exact ingredients (brands) you’re using. If you need to track nutritional information it’s best to calculate it for each recipe with your own ingredients into a program like MyFitness Pal because it can vary A LOT.
Wish you all the best!
It mentions putting the better in the pan and then the lid on and then adding the water. I suspect comment ids in the wrong spot because I don’t think cake pans have lids usually. It sounds good and I want to try it but want to not mess it up.