Instant Pot Red Velvet Cake with Kahlua and Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

Slice of Instant Pot red velvet cake on white plate.

Instant Pot Red Velvet Cake with Kahlua and Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich, moist cake... with booze! It's almost like a cake-y brownie.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 355kcal

Author Gary White

Ingredients

2 cup self-rising flour
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 oz. red food coloring
50 ml Kahlua 1 mini bottle
4 oz. cream cheese softened
½ cup butter room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
50 ml Bailey's Irish Cream 1 mini bottle

Instructions

Add all dry ingredients to large mixing bowl – flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Note: We do not consider sugar to be a dry ingredient since it melts. Using a whisk (or fork), mix until fully combined.
In a separate mixing bowl, begin adding wet ingredients – starting with sugar and butter. Using a hand mixer, blend them together until light and fluffy. Then add eggs, vanilla, and vinegar and blend until fully incorporated, making sure to scrape sides of the bowl. Add red food coloring and Kahlua and mix again.
Pour dry ingredients into bowl with wet ingredients then mix just until fully combined. Do not over-mix! I recommend stopping the hand mixer sooner than later and switching to a rubber spatula.
Spray 7-inch cheesecake or springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place pan on a surface that won’t be damaged if red color touches it. Pour batter into pan and cover with aluminum foil.
Place 3-inch trivet into pot, along with 1 ½ cups of water. Then place pan on top of trivet. Lock lid and cook at high pressure for 75 minutes. Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure.
Remove push pan, uncover, and let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing cake. Then, once pan is warm to touch, push out cake to a cooling rack and let cool completely before icing.
Meanwhile - Place the butter, cream cheese, and 1 mini bottle of Baileys in a mixing bowl and mix together on medium speed for a few minutes, until creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time. Lastly, increase to the highest speed until whipped texture is achieved.
When it’s time to add the frosting to the cake, place big spoonfuls in the middle of the top of the cake. Then gently spread outwards. Since the frosting is so soft, you should be able just let it fall over the sides. Once the cake is iced, place in the fridge for 30 minutes so that the frosting sets.

Notes

Be sure not to over-mix the batter. The more you mix the batter, the more gluten will develop, and the chewier it will become. So I suggest mixing the batter at the beginning with a mixer, but I like to finish mixing my cakes with a rubber spatula.

FAQs

Can I use all-purpose flour? I've made a LOT of cakes in the Instant Pot. It has taken quite a bit of testing to get to a place where I feel comfortable sharing these recipes. And there's one ingredient has become a standard for me: self-rising flour. I know that most people always have all-purpose flour in their pantries, but I've had difficulty with consistent results with adding baking powder/soda/salt to AP flour. So, while it can be done, I highly recommend the self-rising flour.

Can I use cake flour? Every time that I've tried using cake flour in Instant Pot baking, I have not been happy with the results. The texture is always spongy, so I don't recommend it. That is, until I can figure out how to make it work!

What size Instant Pot did you use? We developed this recipe in a 6 Quart Instant Pot.

Can I use the trivet that came with my Instant Pot? I do not recommend it. The cake will not rise as much, and the result will be much more dense. You can purchase a 3 inch trivet on Amazon for under $10.

What kind of pan do I need to make this cake? We used a 7 Inch Fat Daddio cheesecake pan. You may also use a 7 inch springform pan, or a 7x3 inch round cake pan.

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