Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake (a.k.a Strawberry Trifle)

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Featuring layers of moist angel food cake, whipped cream, and strawberries, this Southern strawberry punch bowl cake (or strawberry trifle) is a perfectly fresh and sweet dessert to enjoy this summertime.

Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake

You may recognize this as a strawberry trifle but in my neck of the woods, we call it a strawberry punch bowl cake. And most folks I personally know keep a pretty glass bowl on standby just to be able to show off one of these delicious creations.

This Southern strawberry punch bowl cake is my husband’s absolute favorite. He wants this every year on his birthday, which is no small feat considering he was born in February. Easily made into a low-fat or lite dessert, it can actually be very diet-friendly when compared to your typical dessert. I love to make it in the summertime, but it can easily be made in the winter provided strawberries are available in your grocery store, to help stave off your cold-weather blues.

With layers of moist angel cake pieces, whipped cream, vanilla pudding, and fresh strawberries, I know this sweet dessert is going to be a hit when you make it for friends and family. If you’re looking for similar recipes to make this summer, check out my creamy dreamy trifle and my patriotic punch bowl cake.

Ingredients for Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake

Recipe Ingredients

  • Angel food cake mix 
  • Whipped topping
  • Milk
  • Instant vanilla pudding
  • Strawberries

Helpful Kitchen Tools

How To Make A Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake aka Strawberry Trifle

Preparing the Angel Food Cake.
Prepare and bake cake according to package directions.
Cut all of the brown off of your cake. This is purely for cosmetic purposes.
The brown part is perfect to give to antsy children as they watch you.
Or to feed the cook. You know we gotta keep our strength up…
Tearing the Angel Food Cake for Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake
Tear your angel food cake into small bite-sized pieces.
Bite-sizd pieces of angel food cake.
Like this.
Washing strawberries in sink.
Wash your strawberries. I just rinse them in a bowl of water.
Slice strawberries
Slice them all up.
Add milk to mixing bowl.
In your mixing bowl, pour your milk.
Add instant pudding to mixing bowl.
Then add the dry instant pudding.
Mix pudding.
Mix until well blended and starting to thicken.
You can use a whisk or electric mixer for this. Go with your mood.
Mixing whipped cream layer.
Add whipped cream.
Whipped topping in mixing bowl.
Mix again until well blended and looking like this.
 Dip your finger in it and taste it and make a note to make double next time so you can have a bowl of just this stuff.
By the way, this makes a great lite topping for cakes if you ever need one. You can use light whipped topping and sugar-free pudding and 2 percent milk – MUCH less guilt than icing!
Assembling trifle - angel food cake pieces as bottom layer.
Place a third of your cake bites in a simple glass bowl or a trifle bowl.
Assembling trifle - whipped cream layer.
Top with a third of your whipped topping mixture.
Assembling trifle.
Then add 1/2 of your sliced strawberries.
Repeat with a layer of cake, a layer of topping, a layer of strawberries, a layer of cake, a layer of topping, and a finishing strawberry to go on top!
A Beautiful Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake
Voila!
Isn’t that beautiful?
YUM! Bowl of Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake.

Yum yum YUM!

Storage

Store punch bowl cake leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Recipe Notes

  • Decorate the top of your strawberry punch bowl cake with 3/4 cup of shredded coconut and 1/4 cup chopped pecans.
  • Instead of the angel food cake mix, you can use your favorite pound cake recipe or yellow cake mix.
  • If you want to add more fruit to your punch bowl cake, add one sliced banana and half a can of crushed pineapple on top of every layer of your fresh strawberries.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this strawberry trifle ahead of time?

Absolutely! This strawberry punch bowl cake actually tastes even better when it’s been refrigerated overnight, as the pudding/Cool Whip mixture has time to really soak into the angel food cake pieces. So yes, you can assemble your trifle up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate, covered, until you’re ready to serve.

How do I make my strawberry punch bowl cake diet-friendly?

To make this punch bowl cake recipe diet-friendly, use sugar-free pudding, fat-free or light Cool Whip, and skim milk. The cake is already low in fat and well, fresh strawberries are good for you!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Mama’s Classic Strawberry Cobbler Recipe

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

Cream Cheese Strawberry Cobbler

That Strawberry Cake 🙂

Strawberry Ice Cream Pie

Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake

Featuring layers of moist angel food cake, whipped cream, and strawberries, this Southern strawberry punch bowl cake (or strawberry trifle) is a perfectly fresh and sweet dessert to enjoy this summertime.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake
Servings: 4
Calories: 376kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 angel food cake
  • 3.5-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix this is the small box and I always use sugar-free
  • 2 cups milk can use skim
  • 8-ounce carton whipped topping can use light or fat-free
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries washed and hulled

Instructions

  • Using a knife, trim the brown from the baked cake, then tear the cake into small bite-sized pieces.
    1 angel food cake
  • Prepare the pudding as directed, using an electric mixer. Add in Cool Whip and mix until well blended and smooth.
    3.5-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix, 2 cups milk, 8-ounce carton whipped topping
  • Place 1/3 cake pieces in a large bowl. Top with 1/3 pudding mixture and 1/2 strawberries. Repeat and top with the remaining pudding mixture. Garnish with a fresh strawberry. Refrigerate until ready to enjoy!
    1 pint fresh strawberries

Nutrition

Calories: 376kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

I used to think I was indecisive but now I’m not so sure. 

~anon

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100 Comments

  1. That looks really good….think it would be okay with pound cake? We kinda like that better than angel food. Maybe cause it’s loaded with BUTTER but who knows??

  2. Now Bill, I’ll be the first to stand up for your cooking any day! Your heart is in it and thats all it takes. I’d also be willing to eat anything at all that came out of your oven, even if it was literally corrugated cardboard with spaghetti sauce. I bet it would be THE BEST corrugated cardboard with spaghetti sauce I had ever had!!!

    And if you ever have any questions at all, just shoot me an email!! Normally I am right by my comp at home and can email back very quickly. You are, truly, one of my favorite readers!!

    Christy

  3. The FIRST Apple skillet cake was not so good.. seeing as how I have both Self-Rising and Regular flour in my cabinet..well.. guess which one I used the first time.. yup. I have a apple flavored front door mat if anyone interested….

    I wasn’t gonna tell you since everyone is gonna know how hopelessly dimwitted I am when It comes to cooking lol!

    I made a second Butterfinger cake today. It’s amazing.

    One thing I wanna say.. do NOT use the Hersheys Caramel topping in the plastic squeeze bottle, like I did the first time. It’s too thin and will make the cake soggier than normal… yeah I wasn’t gonna tell ya that either.. dang it. ROFL.

    I have a suggestion.. I’ll make one of your recipes everyday.. then I can tell everyone what NOT to do.

    ATTENTION PEOPLE OF THE EARTH!

    Christy takes a photograph of ALL her ingredients.. They are obviously there for a reason…it’s for people like me who go..

    “Oh.. this corrugated cardboard is all wavy lookin like Lasagna noodles.. I’ll use it instead!”

    Sigh..

    oh well..we have to remember, the defeats make the victories sweeter, such is life.

  4. Hey Cee! I gave Mickey a big old kiss for you just this morning! We are having a blast! Hope you are having a great week, too!

    Leslie: Get something cookin’, I’m stopping by for dinner! Hehe!
    If I lived here, I’d be just ruined! I love this place. My goodness at the heat, though! I am from Bama, so its not much different – but y’all aren’t kidding with the whole “Sunshine State” thing, are ya?

    Tina: I LOVE cool whip and pudding mixed together!!!!! One of these days, Im going to make just that for me!!

    Hope you are enjoying your family!

    SJS: It is awful easy, If you get to try it let me know!!! So glad you are reading! THANK YOU!

  5. EEK! I have to run, we are trying to get to one of the parks early this morning so Katy can meet Lightning McQueen first thing!! I ‘ll write more during her nap and I have some cute pics to post as well as some recipes!

    I love y’all!
    Christy

  6. bayou belles
    Hey! You know, we met a security guy from LA yesterday and as soon as I heard him speak I had to look at his badge to see where he was from because in my mind I thought “He talks normal!” LOL! I seriously doubt anyone in the rest of the world feel that way about our accents but still….

    Thank you!! WIsh you were here, too!!

    Scraphag: I will tell Mama you said, Hi! Our family has a tendency to break out in song at the oddest moments! We all sing pretty much all the time and no one thinks anything of it! Good thing there aren’t any critics among us!

    I am so glad he liked the autograph, I am even more thrilled that you could decipher my chicken scratch writing!!! I am really horrible but my mother writes soooooooo pretty! makes me sick! LOL

    billgent Hey! I have my phone turned off when I am in the parks because I have an overwhelming desire to check email every time it vibrates to let me know I have a new one! I turn it on the moment we leave though and am THRILLED when I have comments from y’all to read!!!

    I am so glad you got to make the skillet cake, how did it turn out? Most of my recipes (except the apple pie) you can use any old apple you find around!

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