Patriotic Punch Bowl Cake
With layers of fluffy cake, vanilla pudding, whipped topping, and fresh blueberries and strawberries, this delicious patriotic punch bowl cake recipe is simultaneously light, creamy, and sweet. The beloved trifle is destined to become a regular recipe for your 4th of July gathering.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Patriotic Punch Bowl Cake
- Ready In: 495 minutes
- Main Ingredients: box angel food cake, packet instant vanilla pudding mix*, milk of your choice, carton whipped topping, fresh strawberries, washed and hulled, fresh blueberries, rinsed
- Why You'll Love It: With layers of fluffy cake, fresh fruit, creamy pudding, and whipped cream, enjoy this delicious patriotic punch bowl cake this 4th of July.
Sweet Without The Sugar
I have a sweet tooth big enough to take over my entire mouth, but I can’t eat sugar (at least not in anything other than small quantities). So I adjust a lot of dessert recipes to make them lighter or sugar-free altogether. This patriotic punch bowl cake is one recipe that works really well and is every bit as decadent and refreshing, whether you make a regular or lighter version.
A popular Southern dessert, we serve it a lot at our family get-togethers in the summer, and my husband always chooses it as his top pick for his February birthday as well. It would be the perfect addition to your Fourth of July or other summer celebration!
Also known as a trifle, this punch bowl cake recipe features multiple delicious layers. You’ve got fluffy angel food cake, creamy vanilla pudding, and refreshing whipped topping. The fresh and tart blueberries and strawberries give the trifle a blue and red patriotic vibe, but you can use whatever fruit you like. For example, I have a plain strawberry punch bowl cake recipe on the blog as well.
Altogether, this punch bowl cake is light, creamy, sweet, and delicious. I just know it’s going to be a hit at your next summer gathering. Enjoy!
Ingredients For Patriotic Punch Bowl Cake
- Angel food cake (from boxed cake mix)
- Vanilla pudding mix (you can use sugar-free vanilla pudding mix).
- Light or regular whipped topping
- Milk (any kind of milk, like almond milk, whole milk, 2%, or skim milk).
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
Expert Tips From My Kitchen
- Substitute the angel food cake for yellow cake mix, white cake mix, or even a homemade pound cake.
- You can do the same with the pudding: swap it for cheesecake, white chocolate, or lemon pudding.
- If you’re not going for a red, white, and blue theme, you can use any kind of fresh fruit or canned fruit you like (or thawed frozen fruit in a pinch). This might be crushed pineapple, fresh raspberries, banana slices, fresh blackberries, or even cherry pie filling.
- Besides a fresh berry garnish, you can also garnish your trifle with toasted coconut flakes or chopped walnuts/chopped pecans for added flavor and texture.
- For a chocolate punch bowl cake, opt for a chocolate cake mix and fudge pudding. This would taste so delicious with the strawberries!
“This is the ultimate Independence Day dessert!”
“I may have to make it in addition to another yummy dessert recipe!” – Gayle
How to Make My Patriotic Punch Bowl Cake
1. Trim and Cut Your Cake
Slice all of the brown outer layer off of your angel food cake. Then, cut the cake into cubes. You can just tear it also if you want to.
I was gonna call it “crust,” but that kind of implies that it is hard and crusty, which it isn’t, of course! In fact, this brown part is the part you are supposed to eat while you make the rest of the cake because it’s so good and you really need to keep your energy up! No sense in wasting it anyhow.
2. Prepare Your Pudding
Place your milk in a small mixing bowl. Add your pudding mix and mix until well blended.
Once it’s blended, dump in your whipped topping. Mix that up until well blended and all prettified.
3. Mix Your Cake Base, Pudding, and Blueberries
Place 1/2 of your cake pieces in the bottom of your punch bowl and spread 1/3 of your pudding mixture over the top.
Put every blessed blueberry you got on top of that! Then, top with the remainder of your cake pieces and 1/3 more of your pudding mixture.
4. Layer Your Cake and Add The Toppings
Wash your strawberries and slice them. Now you’re going to take those strawberries and put them on top of your angel food cake pieces, just like we did the blueberries. Place strawberries over the second layer of the pudding mixture and cover with the remaining pudding mixture.
If you want, you can decorate the top with more berries. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or until ready to serve. This is great if made the night before, too!
Patriotic Punch Bowl Cake FAQs
A classic boxed yellow or white cake is the best all-around choice. It has a neutral flavor and holds up well to the heavy layers of fruit and pudding. If you want a sturdier, richer option that won’t get soggy, use pound cake. For a lighter, cloud-like texture, go with angel food cake.
Punch bowl cake is best eaten within 2 to 3 days when kept covered in the fridge.
It actually tastes amazing on day two because the cake has had time to soak up all the delicious flavors from the pudding and fruit. Just keep in mind that by day three or four, the cake will start getting pretty soggy, and the whipped cream can begin to separate.
You’ll most often hear it called a Trifle (or a Southern Trifle).
Because the two desserts are made the exact same way (layering cake, custard or pudding, fruit, and whipped cream in a glass dish), the names are pretty much interchangeable. Depending on where you are or the specific recipe you’re using, you might also hear it called a Bowl Cake, a Layered Cake Dessert, or sometimes a Heavenly Dessert.
Similar Recipes
If you want an array of red, white, and blue treats for your holiday spread and want to skip the baking this year, give my patriotic jello jars and no-bake patriotic cereal treats a go!
Once you’ve finished setting up your batch of these easy patriotic recipes for the 4th of July, please leave a star rating and a review in the comments below to let me know how they turned out!
Ingredients
- 1 box angel food cake baked according to package directions
- 1 packet instant vanilla pudding mix* 3.5-ounce
- 2 cups milk of your choice
- 1 carton whipped topping 8-ounce
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
- 2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed
Instructions
- Trim the brown outer layer from the cake and then tear the cake into small pieces.
- Prepare pudding as directed and then mix in the Cool Whip.
- Place 1/2 of the cake pieces in a punch bowl. Top with 1/3 of the pudding mixture and all of the blueberries. Top with the remaining cake pieces, 1/3 of the pudding mixture, and all of the strawberries. Finish with the remaining pudding mixture and garnish with additional berries if you like.
- Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
Looks great, Christy!
I am glad you added more categories like “Beverages,” and “Southern Classics.”
The site looks GREAT!!! Congrats, job well done!
(I did see the print button on a few recipes when I was browsing…woohoo!!!)
I hope you and your family have a wonderful safe Fourth!
~love your recipes and your blog!!
I forgot to put it in this one but it’s there now! Sorry! lol
I really have been dreading the idea of getting out in the heat to cook anything on the grill this July 4th. It’s so darn hot and humid!
But I’ve decided I’m going to make some slowcooker pulled pork and some slaw for sandwiches. Chips will be good with that, too.
I can’t decide if I want to make this cake for dessert… or your buttermilk pie. Maybe I’ll do both! LOL
Anyway… thanks for the inspiration this week.
The new site design is great, too! Love being able to print the recipes more easily.
Have a great 4th of July weekend!
I agree with you about grilling in the heat of Summer. Those folks who grill to avoid “heating up the kitchen” surely don’t live in the same South that I do. =-)
I have looked everywhere for the print at the bottom of the page.
Love, your site.
I JUST now put it in this recipe, I forgot! lol Gotta get used to it!
FYI: I love the new layout, but I don’t see the “print recipe” button. I looked 3 times
Beverly and Jo The print button icon is there but it is pretty small. Look at where it says “Please support Southern Plate by Sharing this”. Its right above where the comments start. Scroll over the icons and you will see it.
It is the second icon from the right, next to the Email icon.
This was my first post that I had to add that feature into and of course, I forgot to add it! lol I’ve put it in now, thank you!
The Site looks AWESOME and so does that cake. Good job on both Christy Lou!
I love punch bowl cake. One time my mama made one for the family reunion. She put it in the trunk of the car (probably so we wouldn’t put our fingers in it) and it toppled over! (I’m not sure if she ever made it again … but DANG it was good. seems like she had coconut in it)