Hey friends! Today I’ve joined Amber from Follow the Yellow Brick Home for a Patriotic Celebration of Summer. It’s an “anything goes” hop so it’s all a surprise! If you’ve hopped over from Kim’s blog, Shiplap and Shells, welcome. Didn’t her outdoor party ideas make you want so start a guest list? Me too! For my celebration, which would go along with Kim’s party ideas, is a quick and easy southern delight – The Patriotic Punch Bowl Cake.
A quick and easy southern delight – The Patriotic Punch Bowl Cake
Have you ever heard of a Punch Bowl Cake? Technically, it’s a layered dessert with some sort of cake pieces, fruit and pudding, jello or custard. It’s served in a punchbowl or trifle bowl to show off the colors and layers. My punch bowl is massive and no one needs that much pudding unless you’re so skinny you can shade yourself under the clothesline.
Punch Bowl Cake
If you’re new to punch bowl cakes, I guess I should mention, most of them around here are made with pineapple chunks and cherry pie filling. Certainly yummy. This being a patriotic celebration I opted for fresh blueberries and strawberries. Light, fluffy and so delicious! Just look at that!
This scrumptiousness is not only a crowd pleaser, it pleases the baker too. The recipe is a no-bake, 6 ingredient delight and is so easy that it comes together in just a matter of minutes.
Ingredients Needed:
1 – Angel Food Cake
1 – 3.5 ounce or 5.1 ounce instant vanilla pudding (larger package if making more. I used the larger package)
Milk per pudding package instructions (I used 3 cups)
Cool Whip – 8 ounce if using smaller vanilla pudding, 16 ounce if making larger batch (can use lite)
2 pounds of fresh strawberries for larger batch
24 ounces of fresh blueberries for larger batch
Steps To Make A Punch Bowl Cake:
Step 1 and 2: If using fresh fruit, rinse all and set aside to dry a bit. Now add your milk to the pudding and mix as the package says. Mine was 2 minutes.
Step 3: I used a premade Angel Food Cake but any pound cake or sponge will do. Cut or break up the Angel Food Cake into 1 inch size pieces. Some people slice off the brown edges on the cake. Maybe because they want the cake portion to look better in the bowl. I am not a perfectionist, would never judge a person if they left on the brown edges and feel life is too short to fool with that but you do whatever looks best to you.
Steps 4: When the pudding is well mixed (you don’t want it gritty), fold in the whipped topping/Cool Whip. Folding is using a spoon (not a whisk) to just barely mix the two ingredients together. You’ll be able to see two separate ingredients in parts of the bowl.
Step 5: Now add 1/2 of your cake pieces to the bottom of your punch bowl, trifle bowl or use a clear plastic bowl like I did.
First set of layers for Punch Bowl Cake
Step 6 and 7: Add 1/3 of your pudding mixture. Then add as many blueberries as you’d like. I covered the layer of pudding but wish I had added more to the edges so you could see it better in the bowl. This is the first set of layers.
Step 8: The next layer will be the last 1/2 of your cake pieces, 1/3 more pudding mixture then slices of strawberries.
When you get to the last layer, try a little harder with the fresh fruit. Make it more decorative so everyone will be talking about how beautiful it is. 😉
Technically, this is a punch bowl dessert and you could serve it right out of a big ol’ punch bowl. Or you could make individual desserts if you want it to look less messy or show off your vintage parfait glasses. LOL. Aren’t they so cute?!
Y’all, this is so good! Will you try this quick and easy southern delight – The Patriotic Punch Bowl Cake? And will you use pineapple and cherries, maybe lemon, blueberries and cheesecake or maybe chocolate cake with chocolate pudding and cherries then some chocolate chips and cherries on top? YUM!
Last summer I made a No-Bake Strawberry Lemonade Icebox Pie. Click here if you’d like that super easy recipe!
Hope this has gotten you off to a great start for summer. Up next in our Patriotic Celebration is my friend Rachel at The Ponds Farmhouse. She’s one clever lady and has decorating and craft ideas for you.
This sounds delicious! Happy 4th, my friend!
Author
Took it to a party last night and they all loved it! 🙂
This looks positively delightful, Cindy! I can’t get over how easy it is to make either. It almost looks too pretty to eat! I’m definitely saving this to try at our festivities. It’s amazing! Big hugs, CoCo
Author
Your people will love how light, fluffy and delicious it is. Enjoy!
Hey, that’s an awesome alternative to the pineapple one I’m most familiar with! Pinned, thank you. Easy does it!
Author
Yep, easy does it! I’m actually going to try it with chocolate and strawberries soon! Fingers crossed.
Oh man this looks SO good! My husband’s English aunt calls such desserts trifles. I think I’ll make one on the 4th!
Author
Make sure when you take a bite that you have your pinky up! 😉
Oh yum! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Author
You’ll love it. It’s delicious!
Your Punch Bowl Cake looks so yummy, refreshing and EASY! I love the idea of RWB fruit; I’m a fan of strawberries and blueberries together. Let me grab my spoon, I’ll be right over!!
Author
I made it for a party last night and people were having seconds and taking some home in a bowl with them. LOL. Guess it was a hit.
Wow Cindy, your punch bowl cake looks so amazing. All I need is a really big spoon and it’s history! Pinning this for our next get together!
Author
You’ll be the hit of the party with that dessert! I love that it can “customized” to your taste buds. 😉
OH MY GOSH!!! I’m going to do this Cindy! I have never heard of doing them in a punch bowl. I collect punch bowls so this will be so fun! Thanks for the inspo!!!
Author
Yay Kristin! Make a post out of it and show off that punchbowl. What a fabulous thing to collect! :0
This looks refreshing and delicious!
Author
It is! 😉
Oh my yumminess! This looks so good and so easy to make. I have never heard of punch bowl cakes but I’m so glad I have now! Pinning!
Author
The punch bowl is definitely for a crowd but the individuals are so perfect for single servings.
This looks so delicious Cindy! I’m absolutely going to try this for the 4th. I can’t wait! Wish me luck!
Author
You’ll love it and have people asking for the recipe. You can’t screw this up. I promise!
HI Cindy,
Yum! Pinned!
I love trifles like this:) They’re yummy and so easy to whip up; always a crowd pleaser! Your red, white, and blue version is perfect for the 4th! Love the individual ones, too.
Author
Thank you. I loved the individual servings the most but had to make mine in one of the taller vintage tea glasses. LOL
Oh in my pre gluten and dairy free days I would have eaten the whole punch bowl! Yum! I sent the link for this post over to my mom, I know she will make it for family cookouts and I will watch as everyone else enjoys it!
Thanks so much for joining the hop!
Author
I hate that for you. Our daughter has celiac’ s disease so I understand. But I can’t even imagine being dairy intolerant. Milk seems to be in just about everything. Hope you have a great Independence Day!
OOOOH, I love a good and easy dessert!! I’d love for you to join us over at the Creative Crafts Linky Party every Wednesday through Sunday
https://creativelybeth.com/team-creative-crafts-linky-party/
Followed and Pinned!
Creatively, Beth
Author
Thanks for the invite Beth. I will do my best to link up. Happy Summer!