The Complete Idiot’s Guides

Browse Quick Guides by Subject

• Art & Photography
• Automotive
• Business & Personal Finance
• Computer & Technology
• Education
• Family & Relationships
• Food & Entertainment
• Foreign Language
• Games
• Health, Fitness & Diet
• History
• Hobbies & Crafts
• Home & Garden
• Literature & Philosophy
• Math
• Music & Performing Arts
• New Age
• Pets
• Political Science & Law
• Reference
• Religion & Spirituality
• Science & Nature
• Self-Help
• Sports & Recreation
• Travel

Making moist cakes revolving around fruit is a piece of cake (pun intended) in your pressure cooker, which steams fruits to tender perfection and preserves far more of their natural flavors, colors, and nutrients than traditional cooking methods. Although it’s easy enough to open a can, nothing comes close to the intense flavor of homemade poached fruits made in your pressure cooker. Whether you eat them as is, or spoon them over cake, ice cream, pancakes, French toast, or bread pudding, poached fruits are delicious and nutritious. Plus, you can serve them warm in the winter, chilled in the summer, or whenever the craving hits.

Pineapple Holiday Cake

This modern take on fruitcake is moist, sweet, and studded with pineapples, raisins, cherries, and dates.

• Yield: 6 slices; Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 40 minutes; Serving size: 1 slice

• 1 (15-oz.) can crushed pineapple, with juice
• ½ cup unsalted butter or margarine
• ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup golden raisins
• ½ cup dried cherries, chopped
• ½ cup dried dates, chopped
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup self-rising flour, sifted
• ½ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• ⅛ tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cups water
• 1 pt. heavy whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar

1. Coat a 6-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a pressure cooker over low heat, combine crushed pineapple with juice, unsalted butter, brown sugar, golden raisins, dried cherries, and dried dates. Simmer for 3 minutes or until brown sugar dissolves.
3. Stir in baking soda, and remove the pressure cooker from heat. Let cool for 30 minutes.
4. Pour cake batter into a large bowl, and add eggs. Using a spatula, fold in self-rising flour, all-purpose flour, and kosher salt.
5. Pour cake batter into the prepared dish, and cover with heavy-duty aluminum foil, pressing foil firmly against the edge of the dish to secure.
6. Add water to the pressure cooker. Insert a rack in the pressure cooker, and place the baking dish on the rack. Set the pressure cooker over medium-high heat.
7. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure, and maintain for 40 minutes. Remove from heat, and reduce pressure using the natural release method.
8. Using heat-safe gloves, transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack. Let cake cool slightly, and then invert it onto a serving platter.
9. Cut cake into 6 slices, and serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Banana Walnut Cake

This banana cake is moist and rich, chock-full of walnuts, and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. The cream cheese frosting adds extra creaminess and sweetness.

• Yield: 6 slices; Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 20 minutes; Serving size: 1 slice

• 1 (18.25-oz.) box vanilla cake mix with pudding
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 5 cups water
• 1 large banana, peeled and mashed
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 (13.4-oz.) can cream cheese frosting

1. Coat a 1-quart round baking dish or a 6-quart cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with two layers of aluminum foil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, canola oil, and 1 cup water. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat for 2 or 3 minutes or until well blended.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and fold in banana and walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish or cake pan.
4. Add remaining 4 cups water to a pressure cooker. Insert a rack in bottom of the pressure cooker, and place the baking dish or cake pan on the rack. Set the pressure cooker over high heat.
5. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure, and maintain for 35 minutes. Remove from heat, and reduce pressure using the quick release method.
6. Using heat-safe gloves, transfer the baking dish or cake pan to a cooling rack. Let cake cool completely, and then invert it onto a cake platter.
7. Frost cake with cream cheese frosting, cut into 6 slices, and serve immediately.

Peach Crunch

Sugar, cinnamon, and breadcrumbs give these peaches a sweet flavor and crunchy texture. Serve with vanilla ice cream for a special treat.

• Yield: 4 squares; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 14 minutes; Serving size: 1 square

• 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 3 large peaches, peeled, seeded, and sliced
• ¼ cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream

1. Coat a 6-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
3. Alternate adding layers of peaches and breadcrumb mixture in the prepared baking dish until all ingredients are used up. Pour melted unsalted butter over top. Cover the baking dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
4. Add water to a pressure cooker. Insert a rack in the pressure cooker, and place the baking dish on the rack. Set the pressure cooker over medium-high heat.
5. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure, and maintain for 14 minutes. Remove from heat, and reduce pressure using the quick release method.
6. Using heat-safe gloves, transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack. Remove the aluminum foil, and transfer the baking dish to an oven broiler and broil for 30 seconds, or until top of peach crunch is golden brown.
7. Ladle into dessert bowls, and serve hot, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Red Wine–Poached Pears

This simple but elegant recipe infuses pears with the flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon, and red wine.

• Yield: 4 pears; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 4 minutes; Serving size: 1 pear

• 2 cups water
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 fresh lemon slices
• 2 (3-in.) cinnamon sticks, broken in ½
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 4 large pears, peeled but with core and stems intact
• 2 cups dry red wine

1. In a pressure cooker over medium heat, add water, sugar, lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, and nutmeg. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
2. Insert a steamer basket in the pressure cooker. Trim bottom of pears so they sit flat, and place pears in the basket so they stand upright. Set the pressure cooker over high heat.
3. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure, and maintain for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and reduce pressure using the quick release method.
4. Add red wine.
5. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure, and maintain for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and reduce pressure using the quick release method.
6. Using heat-safe gloves, remove the steamer basket from the pressure cooker. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears from the basket to a deep bowl. Leave juices in the pressure cooker.
7. Return the pressure cooker to high heat, and boil juices for 10 minutes or until they’re the consistency of syrup. Let syrup cool, and pour over pears. Store pears in syrup overnight at room temperature.
8. Remove lemon slices and cinnamon sticks. To serve, stand pears upright in deep dessert bowls, and top with syrup.

Once you taste the homemade Pineapple Holiday Cake, Banana Walnut Cake, and Peach Crunch recipes in this guide, you’ll never settle for store-bought fruit desserts again. For more pressure cooker recipes, check out our Quick Guide Pressure Cooker Meals: Delicious Vegetarian Stews. Enjoy!

From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pressure Cooking by Carole Jacobs and Chef Patrice Johnson