I’ve never been a person that didn’t cook. I have always loved to experiment in the kitchen, try new recipes, look at yummy food pictures on Pinterest and learn about food. This means that I have also always had a fair amount of kitchen “stuff”. I have mini loaf pans and regular loaf bans, all sizes of bake ware, tins for muffins and mini muffins, two crockpots, a dutch oven, baking mats, a spiralizer, an apple corer, an egg separator, a toaster oven, two roasting pans, an iced tea maker, and ice cream maker… you get the idea. In fact the thing that sold me on the house we currently live in was the fact that it has a giant pantry under the stairs that is lined with shelves so I have lots of storage for all of my kitchen gadgets! The thing is I do actually use all of these gadgets because I do actually cook… a lot! However, it is often hard to justify bringing in another gadget, dish or utensil because its hard to believe that I would actually need anything new. This was the conundrum that I found myself in about a year ago when I was trying to decide whether or not to ask for an Instant Pot for Christmas.

The Instant Pot is an all-in-one kitchen tool that does everything from pressure cooking, to slow cooking, to yogurt making and beyond. However, its most loved feature is its simplified, safe pressure cooking ability. Now, one thing I did not have at this point was a pressure cooker. I had never grown up with a pressure cooker and I was honestly kind of scared to use one. Over and over again I heard people in the AIP community raving about how fast the Instant Pot cooked things, how much time it saved them, how useful it was…. so finally I decided that if all of these other people who clearly cooked just as much as me had found a use for this new tool then I probably needed to give it a try. So I put it on my Christmas list and low and behold on Christmas morning there it was. Large and shiny and begging to be used.

I have never looked back since, it makes bone broth in two hours, hard boils eggs perfectly in 8 minutes, steams salmon from frozen to perfection in 4 minutes… it is definitely as good as everyone says. I use it to make a lot and it saves me a lot of time.

However, earlier this summer I got an email from my friend Eileen the author of the blog Phoenix Helix letting me know that she had decided to put together a collaborative cookbook filled with AIP instant Pot recipes and she wanted my help. All of us AIP bloggers have our various niche passions within cooking and I am known to be “the baker”. So, she wanted me to try and come up with a way to BAKE in the Instant Pot…. After I picked up my jaw from the floor I knew I had to figure out a way to make this happen. First, because I did not want to let down Eileen, who clearly had more faith in my baking abilities than anyone in the world, and second, because I already loved my Instant Pot but I knew I would love it even more if I could bake in it!

So I set to work and after a lot of research and trying to make it work on paper, I was surprised to see that it actually worked! In went three mini pans filled with ingredients and decent dose of skepticism and out came three beautiful little mini cakes! Honestly, I was proud of myself and now after many months of waiting I am proud to share them with you. This recipe was chosen to be one of the preview recipes for the new Paleo AIP Instant Pot Cookbook! 37 of your favorite AIP bloggers came together, experimented and worked hard to come up with some fantastic new Instant Pot recipes for you to try… 141 recipes in fact!

That is 141 recipes that can all be made easily, conveniently and quickly and they are all AIP friendly! That is pretty amazing. The book is in an instant download e-book format and is currently available for $17.95… that is less than 13 cents a recipe…. Plus if you use This Link to go and check it out you will be entered into an awesome giveaway and you will be directly supporting myself and the community that works so hard to bring you all of these new recipes and the info that helps make your life healthier and easier. So click HERE and check out the new book and then go break out that Instant Pot and get cooking!

Instant Pot “Chocolate” Cake (AIP/Paleo)

Ingredients: 

1 Green Plantain

1/2 Ripe Banana

1/4 Cup Mashed Avocado

2 TBS melted coconut oil, plus additional for greasing pan

5 TBS Carob Powder

1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

3/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar

1 Cup of Water

Optional Garnishes: Coconut cream, coconut flakes, or fruit

Add the plantain, banana, avocado, coconut oil, honey, carob, vinegar, baking soda, and cream of tartar to a food processor and blend until smooth. Lightly grease three mini fluted pans or ramekins with additional coconut oil. Pour the batter into prepared pans until they are about ¾ of the way full. Pour the water into the Instant Pot® and add the steaming rack. Place the pans onto the steaming rack. Close and lock the lid. Press MANUAL for high pressure. Set cooking time to18 minutes. Once time is up, quick release the pressure. Garnish with coconut cream, coconut flakes,or fruit and serve warm.