This Instant Pot Chocolate Swirl Breakfast Cake is loaded with protein and whole grains and will give you and your family the long-lasting energy you need to power through your morning. Plus, it has chocolate – need I say more?
My family adores Instant Pot Breakfast Cakes. I've lost count of how many versions we've created over the years, but one flavor consistently left me stumped: chocolate.
You'd think it would be easy, right? Just add some cocoa powder and call it a day? Nope, it just didn't taste right.
It always came out too bitter, kind of weird looking, and surprisingly not awesome amidst the presence of chocolate.
Well, I'm happy to report that after making it weekly for about 4 months now, we have a winner!
This final version is a swirl of both vanilla and chocolate chip studded cake batter that is as tasty as it is pretty and my kids cheer every time it hits the table.
Bonus: this mama is also cheering because I know that inside those cushy vanilla chocolate layers is also a load of protein and whole grains that I know will keep their bellies happy until lunchtime, and THAT makes me feel like a superstar!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAKFAST CAKE
- BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS: Not to sound like a broken record, but there isn't a cereal in the world that is gonna compare to the natural goodness this cake is gonna bring to your day!
- CAKE FOR BREAKFAST: Of course we know this ain't no birthday cake, but the kids hear “cake” and they think “Wow! This is the best day ever!”
- THAT SWIRL: I do love a pretty swirl and these cakes make a pretty and unique design each and every time.
- THE TEXTURE: It's a bit hard to explain, but the texture of these breakfast cakes is something special. Cushy, soft, eggy . . . almost like a cross between a german pancake and a muffin – it's delicious!
HOW TO MAKE BREAKFAST CAKE IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
- Combine the wet ingredients
- Combine dry ingredients and stir them into the wet
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan
- Mix cocoa powder and chocolate chips into the remaining batter
- Pour chocolate batter over vanilla batter
- Swirl lightly with a knife
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- DON'T OVERMIX: When combining the wet and dry batters, be careful not to overmix. Similar to a muffin or pancake recipe, the end product will be dense if overmixed.
- FRESH BAKING POWDER: Baking powder is what gives this cake its bouncy, soft texture. Be sure yours isn't too old or expired. I'm a big fan of this baking powder. It gives the best texture to all baked goods.
- THE YOGURT: For whatever reason, the texture of this cake is better when I use store bought Fage yogurt instead of my own homemade. Both 0% and 2% work great.
- SPRINGFORM PAN: I love this 7 inch springform pan for breakfast cakes and cheesecakes. You can also use a regular cake pan, but it's not as easy to slice and serve.
- MAKE IT SWEETER: As written, the cake is mildly sweet with pops of melty chocolate chips throughout. If you want it sweeter, increase the amount of maple syrup or chocolate chips.
- DON'T OVER SWIRL THE BATTERS: The chocolate batter will naturally sink into the vanilla batter as the cake cooks, so when you top the vanilla batter with the chocolate, a light swirl right on top is all that's needed to create a pretty swirl throughout.
- TASTES BEST FRESH: Like many eggy dishes, this is absolutely the best fresh out of the pot. The texture tends to become more dense as it cools. It will still taste delicious, but it won't have the light airy texture that makes it so special.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE
- Store: Cut cake into slices and let cool. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Unwrap the cakes and reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. The texture will be slightly more dense than when they were fresh so we like to serve them in a bowl with Nutpods creamer poured over the top.
- Freeze: Place individually wrapped slices of cake in a freezer safe ziptop bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat as directed above.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
To make things easier in the morning, mix up the wet ingredients the night before and store them covered in the fridge. Dry ingredients can be mixed up and stored on the counter in a ziptop bag. The morning of, simply combine the two and have it cooking in less than 5 minutes.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAKFAST CAKE
- Instant Pot Crio Bru: Dipping breakfast cake in a hot cup of Peppermint Crio Bru or Cashew Crio Bru is just about the most glorious thing that will ever happen to your morning.
- Fruit: Either cut up fruit or a smoothie.
- Milk: Every cake needs a tall cup of milk. These flavored Almond Milks or Horchata also make a great side.
- Toppings: For an extra sweet cake, drizzle it with maple syrup, Vanilla Cashew Cream, Cinnamon Cream Syrup, Yogurt, or whipped cream.
VARIATIONS
- ORANGE ZEST: Add the zest of an orange to the batter for a Chocolate Orange experience.
- PEPPERMINT: Add a tiny splash of peppermint extract or a drop of peppermint oil to the chocolate layer.
- MINIS: Save time by cooking minis. Swirl batter in an egg bite silicone tray and cook for 10 minutes plus a 10 minute natural release. As written, it will fill 2 – 3 trays. Check out this Mini Blueberry Breakfast Cake to see how to stack them.
I take a lot of pride in getting a healthy breakfast into my kids' bellies in the morning, and, according to my kids, this is by far the most substantial breakfast I serve them. Makes me feel like I'm doing their amazing teachers a little favor, you know? 🙂
If you've enjoyed one of my breakfast cake recipes before, get excited! This just might be your favorite version yet.
For anyone who is new to the Instant Pot Breakfast Cake world, Welcome! I hope you enjoy this recipe very soon!
MORE INSTANT POT BREAKFAST CAKE RECIPES
- Instant Pot Blueberry Breakfast Cake
- Instant Pot Gluten Free Peach Melba Breakfast Cake
- Instant Pot Strawberry Lemon Poppy Seed Breakfast Cake
- Instant Pot Blackberry Almond Breakfast Cake
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAKFAST CAKE
Instant Pot Chocolate Swirl Breakfast Cake
Healthy, whole grain, protein loaded Instant Pot Chocolate Swirl Breakfast Cake that will keep you energized for hours!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 ½ cups 0% or 2% greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
For Serving: Yogurt, whipped cream, or Vanilla Cashew Cream
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 7 inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Add maple syrup, butter, yogurt, and vanilla; whisk until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Combine with egg mixture and stir just until combined – do not overmix!
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- To the remaining batter, stir in cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
- Pour the chocolate batter over the batter in the pan. Smooth the top then swirl a knife back and forth through the batter a few times.
- Add 1 cup of water to the pressure cooker pot and place a trivet inside. Carefully set the springform pan on the trivet. Alternatively, use a silicone sling as pictured in the step-by-step collage above.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 40 minutes.
- When pressure cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
- Remove pan from pressure cooker. Carefully remove the springform ring. If it is sticking, run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen.
- Serve warm with a drizzle of Vanilla Cashew Cream, yogurt, or whipped cream.
Notes
- The chocolate batter will sink into the vanilla batter as it cooks so don’t be too aggressive when swirling the batters together. Just a few cuts with a knife from side to side will be plenty.
- If you want the cake to be less sweet, omit the chocolate chips or decrease the maple syrup to ¼ cup. If you would like it sweeter, use 1/2 cup maple syrup and/or increase chocolate chips to 1/3 cup.
- To speed things up in the morning, mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl the night before, cover and refrigerate. Place dry ingredients in a quart size resealable bag. In the morning, dump dry ingredients into the wet, mix, and proceed with the remaining directions.
Keywords: Instant Pot Cake, Breakfast Cake, Instant Pot Breakfast
Hi!! Should I cover the springform with the batter while in the instant pot? Wouldn’t it get too wet otherwise?
Thanks!!
Gonna try today!!!
Thera, Nope, I never cover it!
Hi! I have a 3quart IP and a 6” springform pan which fits in it. How do I reduce ingredients to fit in a 6” pan?
Jane, hmm…I’ve never tried it so I can’t be sure exactly. I’d have to play around with the ingredients a little. I almost wonder if you could just do that exact recipe and add 5 minutes of cook time to account for the thickness of the cake. I think it might work!
Really want to make this but would plain Greek yogurt work? Never heard of the brand listed in Canada, Marci. Thanks.
Jane, yep, that will work great!
Marci, have you ever made one of your breakfast cakes using almond flour and/or coconut flour? I’m curious. I’m infatuated with the looks and sounds of these breakfast cakes, but I live a Keto lifestyle and don’t use wheat or corn flours. What do you think?
Laura, I’ve never tried it. I did try it with a GF flour like in this version https://tidbits-marci.com/instant-pot-gluten-free-breakfast-cake/
But I really like baking with almond flour so I’ve been curious. If you try it before me, send me an update!
I tried to make this yesterday and it was a disaster. The only change I made to your recipe was using almond flour. I haven’t done a ton of baking with almond flour, does it react completely differently? TBH I stirred it too much to get the swirl but other than that it *should* have turned out. I’m going to try again with the flour as listed in the recipe but if you figure out my almond flour conundrum let me know!
Samantha, It would definitely be the almond flour. I’ve made minis with almond flour and it comes out very dense, I haven’t ever been able to figure that one out. I’ve used a 1:1 GF mix before and that worked great. I hope it goes better the second time for you. I’m glad you reported back to me about the almond flour. I’ve had several people ask about that.
Can you use All Purpose flour?
Angela, I’ve never tried it, but I think it could be even better actually.
have you figured out cooking time if we want to do it the old fashioned way in the oven?
Esta, I haven’t, but I would try 350° for 30-40 minutes. Let me know if you try it!
Oh, I see your “minis” version. They worked out mostly (but a little soggy). I baked the extra batter in a mini muffin pan in the oven and we preferred that texture. 350 degrees for 10 min.
★★★★
Kami, I’m glad you got it figured out! I’ll have to try them in the oven, you have me curious now. Were they underdone from the Instant Pot?
I should have checked before mixing up the batter. My cake pans do not fit inside my instant pot! Shoot! I guess I can use the silicone muffin cups like you do for Beebo bites? We’ll see how it goes.