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Air Fryer Cake is an easy way to whip up a quick dessert without turning on the oven. Whether you’re using a box cake mix or making it from scratch, the air fryer bakes a moist, tender cake in less time with minimal effort. It’s perfect for smaller batches, last-minute desserts, or anytime you want cake without the extra heat in the kitchen.
This air fryer chocolate bundt cake is another great way to make desserts in the air fryer.
Quick Look At This Recipe
- ✨ Flavor: Moist, tender cake with a lightly golden top. Using a box mix makes it easy, but the air fryer method works for homemade batter too.
- ⏱️ Prep time: 5 minutes
- 🔥 Cook time: 25-30 minutes if using a 7-inch cake pan
- ⏲️ Total time: 30-35 minutes plus time for cooling
- 👥 Servings: 10 slices
- 🥄 Tools: Air fryer, 6–7 inch round cake pan (metal works best), mixing bowl, spatula, toothpick for doneness.
- ❄️ Freezer friendly: Yes. Wrap the fully cooled unfrosted cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- 👩🏻🍳 Tip: If the top starts browning too quickly, loosely tent the cake with foil partway through cooking so the center can finish baking evenly.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast and easy: The air fryer bakes a full cake in less time than a traditional oven, making this perfect for quick desserts and last-minute cravings.
- No oven needed: Great for warm days or small kitchens when you don’t want to heat up the house. Just like this chocolate chip pound cake recipe.
- Flexible and forgiving: Works with a box cake mix or homemade batter, and adapts easily to different pan sizes and air fryer models.
Ingredients
- Box Cake Mix: Choose your favorite flavor and brand. I am using a 15.25-ounce box of Pillsbury Devil’s Food Cake. We also use cake mix to make these red velvet cake mix cookies and air fryer cupcakes.
- Extra Ingredients: You are going to need the additional ingredients listed on your box of cake mix. This is usually vegetable or canola oil, water, and large eggs. Using room-temperature eggs and liquids helps the batter mix more smoothly and promotes more even baking in the air fryer.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Vanilla, Yellow, or White Cake Mix: Lighter cake mixes tend to bake a bit faster. Begin checking for doneness around 22–25 minutes to avoid overbaking.
- Gluten-Free Cake Mix: Gluten-free cake mixes can be baked in the air fryer, but they often need a longer, slower cook time. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly, and allow extra time for the center to set.
- Smaller or Thicker Cakes: If using a smaller pan or filling the pan deeper, expect a longer bake time. Lowering the temperature slightly and extending the cook time helps the cake bake evenly without burning the top.
You might also want to try our air fryer lava cakes next! They’re the perfect, yet easy, dessert for a special occasion!
How to Bake a Cake in the Air Fryer
To get started, prepare the pan you are using. Cut a circle from parchment paper to line the bottom of a cake pan. Then, spray the insides of the pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
You also want to preheat your air fryer to 320°F before adding the cake. If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, allow it to run for 5 minutes before adding the cake.
- Combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer or whisk.
- Transfer the cake batter to the cake pan. Place the cake pan in the center of the air fryer basket so the air can circulate evenly around it. Avoid pushing the pan directly against the sides of the basket, which can cause uneven browning. Air fry the cake for 25-30 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
💡 Pro Tip: Resist the urge to rotate or turn the pan while the cake is baking. Moving the pan too early can disrupt the structure of the cake and cause it to sink as it finishes cooking.
- When ready, use oven mitts to remove the cake from the air fryer. Let cool slightly, then flip the cake over and transfer it to a cooling rack. Once it’s cool, remove the piece of parchment paper and place the unfrosted cake onto a plate or cake stand.
- Frost with chocolate buttercream, homemade buttercream, or cream cheese frosting and decorate as desired.
Air Fryer Cake Pan Sizes & Baking Time Adjustments
When baking a cake in the air fryer, pan size and batter depth matter more than they do in a traditional oven. Air fryers cook from the top down with a strong airflow, so thicker cakes need extra time to bake through the center. I use a Cosori 5.8 Quart Oven so a 7-inch cake pan fits perfectly in the basket.
Use this guide to adjust cook time based on the pan you’re using:
| Pan Size | Batter Depth | Estimated Cook Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-inch round pan | Thick | 30–35 minutes | May need foil tent near the end to prevent over-browning |
| 7-inch round pan | Medium | 25–30 minutes | Best all-around size for most air fryers |
| 8-inch round pan | Shallow | 22–27 minutes | Check early to avoid drying out |
Helpful tips:
- Use a pan that’s at least 2 inches deep to prevent overflow.
- Fill the pan no more than ⅔ to ¾ full for even baking.
- Basket-style air fryers typically work best with 6–7-inch round pans.
- Cook times may vary slightly depending on your air fryer model and the thickness of your batter.
Air Fryer Baking Notes
Baking cakes in an air fryer is a little different than using a traditional oven. Here’s what to expect so your cake turns out just right:
- Strong airflow is normal: The circulating fan can cause slight ripples or swirls on the top of the cake. This won’t affect the taste and can be trimmed before frosting if needed.
- Cakes may dome or crack: Because the heat source is closer to the pan, air fryer cakes often rise more quickly in the center.
- Watch parchment paper: If using parchment, keep it trimmed close to the pan so it doesn’t lift into the heating element.
- Let the cake cool before removing: Allow the cake to rest in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning it out to prevent breaking or sinking.
Understanding these differences helps you get consistent results every time you bake a cake in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Cake Recipe FAQ’s
No, you don’t need a special cake pan. A standard round cake pan that fits comfortably inside your air fryer basket works just fine. Metal pans, such as aluminum or steel, tend to bake cakes most evenly because they conduct heat well, but silicone pans can also be used with a slightly longer cook time. The most important things to look for are proper sizing, at least 2 inches of depth to prevent overflow, and enough space around the pan for air to circulate. As long as the pan is oven-safe and doesn’t crowd the basket or touch the heating element, it will work in an air fryer. If you are making air fryer desserts often, you can purchase an air fryer accessory kit, like this one, based on the type of air fryer basket you have.
Keep the cake in an airtight container, or cover with plastic wrap or foil, and store for up to 5 days at room temperature. If the cake is frosted, it should be kept stored in the fridge for up to a week. You can also store an unfrosted cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to wrap it well and thaw it overnight on the counter before frosting it.
This usually happens when the top of the cake cooks faster than the center, which is common in air fryers due to strong top-down heat. There are a couple of things you can do to fix this issue. First, check the cake around 15 minutes into cooking. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil. Next, make sure you continue cooking the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Last, lowering the temperature slightly and extending the cook time can also help the cake bake more evenly without burning the top.
Cakes can sink after air frying if they’re underbaked in the center or removed from the air fryer too quickly. Air fryers cook from the top down, so the outside of the cake can set before the middle is fully done. If the center doesn’t have enough structure, it can collapse as the cake cools. To prevent this, make sure the cake passes the toothpick test in the center, avoid opening the air fryer too often while baking, and let the cake rest in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it.
Yes, with a few adjustments, this cake can be made in both dual-basket and oven-style air fryers. In a dual-basket air fryer, bake the cake in one basket only and avoid running both baskets at different temperatures at the same time. For oven-style air fryers, place the pan on the center rack so air can circulate evenly around it, and begin checking for doneness a few minutes earlier since these models often bake more evenly than basket-style air fryers.
Yes, you can use homemade cake batter, like this air fryer carrot cake, to make an air fryer cake. Prepare your favorite cake batter as you normally would, then pour it into a properly sized cake pan that fits your air fryer. Bake at the same temperature, checking for doneness a few minutes earlier or later depending on the thickness of the batter. Use the toothpick test in the center to make sure the cake is fully baked before removing it.
More Air Fryer Desserts
Desserts
Air Fryer Cake Mix Cookies
Desserts
Air Fryer Brownie Mix Cookies
Breakfast
Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls
Desserts
Air Fryer Banana Bread
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Air Fryer Cake
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Cake Pan
Ingredients
- 1 box cake mix
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil, or canola oil
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ingredients needed to prepare the cake mix, according to the box directions. Mix the ingredients together until the cake batter is well combined.
- To prepare the pan, cut a circle from parchment paper to line the bottom of a cake pan. Then, spray the insides of the pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the air fryer basket and air fry at 320 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
- Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to check cake for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake should be done cooking.
- Remove the cake from the air fryer and cake pan by flipping over. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once it's cooled, remove the piece of parchment paper, and place unfrosted cake onto a plate or cake stand.
- Frost and decorate as desired.
Video
Notes
- Use the right pan: A 6–7 inch round cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep works best in most basket-style air fryers.
- Don’t overfill: Fill the pan no more than ⅔–¾ full to prevent overflow and ensure even baking.
- Watch the top early: Check around 15 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil and continue cooking.
- Center placement matters: Place the pan in the middle of the basket so air can circulate evenly around it.
- Check doneness carefully: Use a toothpick inserted into the center and let the cake rest in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
?? are you using one half of the mixed cake batter, and cooking both layers individually? (7″ pan won’t hold all of the batter)
Hi Patty. I was able to fit the entire cake mix in a 7 inch pan. But remember the top will cook before the center so that’s why I cover it with foil after it’s been air frying for a bit. Thanks!
Hi Rebecca
I m new to air fryer baking. As you mentioned “able to fit the entire cake mix in a 7 inch pan”. Did you bake twice? Just curious what brand of pan, how deep of pan, etc. I assume you use deep pan right?
I used a traditional cake pan. I baked it once. If the top of the cake cooks before the middle is done, you can cover it with foil and keep air frying until the center is cooked.
Hey, I’m new to this air frying stuff (only had it a few weeks, a Master Chef fryer from Amazon), and actually tried to make a cake from a mix per this page, and after following the directions to the letter, took it out, checked with a toothpick, came out clean, flipped it, and found that it was still absolute SOUP in the middle. ???? Any ideas what I need to do differently the next time to get it to come out right? After putting it back in multiple times to continue baking it, it eventually got cooked all the way through but by then the center of it had completely collapsed. Still edible, thankfully, given the price of eggs these days, but the thing was like a small heavy brick. Suggestions? Thanks!
Oh no! So this recipe is PERFECT in the Cosori air fryer, and I haven’t tested it in the Master Chef as I don’t own that brand. One of the things to take note is that all air fryers cook a little differently so you will probably have to adjust the time and temp slightly for your brand. Also, make sure you’re not using a deep-dish pan, as that could also cause the problem.