Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake

Strawberry punch bowl cake is an easy, no bake dessert. It's similar to a trifle with layers of angel food cake, rich cream, and sweet strawberries. The touch of sour cream keeps it from being too sweet.

Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 40 minutes minutes

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First published January 30, 2018. Last updated April 28, 2025 for editorial improvements.

This strawberry punch bowl cake is as pretty as a Sunday hat and twice as sweet. Fluffy angel food cake, fresh strawberries, and a rich, creamy filling get all layered up in a punch bowl like they’re headed to the Ladies’ Auxiliary Spring Social. It’s light, luscious, and just tangy enough (thanks to a secret splash of sour cream) to keep your dentures from curling. Perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, or any occasion where you want to impress without breaking a sweat—or clutching your pearls in anxiety. No one will suspect it took less effort than hot-rolling your bangs.

🧾 Ingredients

Make sure you bake (or buy) your angel food cake ahead of time. Then, it's likely you'll already have everything else you'll need! I do like to dice the cake up and let it sit in a single layer on a baking sheet for a couple of hours until it gets a little stale. I think it helps with the texture of the finished punchbowl cake.

🔪 Instructions

1. Add a layer of cake pieces to the bottom of your punch bowl.
2. Add the cream mixture to the top of the cake layer.
3. Layer the sliced strawberries next.
4. Repeat layers, cover, and refrigerate until serving time. To serve just use a big spoon that will pick up all the layers!

Some people prefer instant pudding rather than the sour cream mixture that I use. I like my version without pudding. Pudding makes the cake too sweet while the lightly sweetened sour cream gives it a nice, tangy-sweet balance.

📖 Recipe

Strawberry Punch Bowl Cake Recipe

4.56 from 18 votes

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Strawberry punch bowl cake is an easy, no bake dessert. It's similar to a trifle with layers of angel food cake, rich cream, and sweet strawberries. The touch of sour cream keeps it from being too sweet.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Macerating Strawberries in Sugar: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings:8

Calories:347

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pints strawberries, about 2 cups chopped and save the rest for garnish.
• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar, use less if the berries are very ripe and sweet
• ▢ 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ▢ ⅓ cup Confectioner's sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• ▢ ½ cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 angel food cake, cut into cubes
• ▢ whole strawberries for garnish

Instructions

• Sprinkle the granulated sugar on the chopped berries and let them stand for 30 minutes.
• In a medium bowl beat the heavy cream and Confectioner's sugar until soft peaks form.
• Fold in the vanilla and sour cream until well blended.
• Set aside.
• Place ⅓ of the angel food cake pieces in the bottom of a large punch bowl, a large bowl, or a trifle dish.
• Sprinkle strawberry juice over the top - just a little.
• Spoon on ⅓ of the whipped cream mixture, about ⅔ of a cup.
• Spoon on half the chopped berry mixture.
• Add ⅓ of the angel food cake to the top, sprinkle with strawberry juice, spoon on ⅓ of the cream mixture, and top with the remaining strawberries.
• Add the rest of the angel food cake, the remaining cream, and arrange whole berries around the top.
• Refrigerate until serving time.

Notes

Storage:

Although best served right away, this strawberry punch bowl cake can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

It is not suitable for freezing!

Tips:

• Cut the angel food cake into equally-sized cubes. This will make layering, serving, and eating easier. It'll look prettier, too!
• Choose the best-looking berries for the garnish on top.
• Use ripe berries for a sweeter taste.
• This recipe is best served right away. However, if you're going to have to hold it overnight, add 1 tablespoon of instant vanilla pudding when you're whipping the cream. This will help it stabilize and prevent it from getting too watery.
• Use leftovers to create cute single-servings in sherbet bowls.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

📖 Variations

There are about as many variations of punch bowl cakes as there are good cooks in the South!

You can vary every component of this recipe from the fruit to the filling, and it always tastes great.

• Use different fruit - Other berries, cherry pie filling, peaches, and crushed pineapple all work great for this recipe! Adjust your sugar accordingly.
• Use pound cake instead of angel food cake.
• You can also make the cake with a white cake mix and use that instead of the angel food.
• Try chocolate cake or brownies.
• Use instant pudding mix to make this punch bowl cake even easier!
• Softened vanilla ice cream can be used instead of the cream mixture -just place your dessert in the freezer up until 20 minutes before serving.
• Use homemade custard (like the kind that's on my old fashioned banana pudding) in place of the sour cream.
• Use all whipped topping instead of making your own cream.
• This is super cute made in mason jars for single servings!

You get the idea. This southern strawberry punch bowl cake recipe can handle any season, fruit, and variation you want to throw at it!

👩‍🍳 FAQs

📚 Related recipes

Here are some more strawberry cake recipes I love!

• Strawberry Angel Food Cake is a sweet cake stuffed with fresh strawberries for a perfect spring dessert.
• Strawberry Sheet Cake is topped with a cream cheese frosting and comes out moist every time!
• Strawberry Pound Cake Recipe is dense, moist, and velvety, making it perfect for wedding cakes, bundt cakes, cupcakes, and everything in between.
• This gorgeous strawberry crunch ice cream cake has layers of vanilla and strawberry ice cream, topped with Cool Whip then crunchy strawberry cookie sprinkles added to the top (and as a crust). You've got to see it to believe it - and it's SO eays.

We love this sweet dessert. It's light but also decadent and full of that fresh strawberry flavor. It's so pretty for Easter, Mother's Day, or really any spring celebration.

Next time try the strawberry pavlova and check out these great fresh strawberry recipes.