Five Ingredient Cherry Pineapple Punch Bowl Cake

Cherry Punchbowl Cake
Getty Images
Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 10 to 12 servings

Punch bowl cake is also known as punch bowl dessert, a more appropriate name because it is actually not a cake, it is an impressive, layered dessert served in an old-fashioned punch bowl. In short, it is the American version of a trifle

This punch bowl cake consists of cubed butter cake prepared from boxed cake mix, crushed pineapple, vanilla pudding prepared from pudding mix, canned cherry pie filling, and whipped topping—all convenience food ingredients, which makes the preparation of this dessert so easy.

After assembly, the punch bowl cake needs to be chilled for several hours so all the flavors can meld. It’s the classic icebox dessert and an ideal dessert to make ahead.

Punch bowl cake feeds a crowd. You can serve it at potlucks, baby or bridal showers, church suppers, birthday parties, barbecues, and Super Bowl parties.

Variations of the punch bowl cake abound. You can use yellow cake, pound cake, or angel food cake instead of butter cake. It’s up to you whether you trim the cake or leave the crust on. Any crunchy bits will get softened as the moisture from the fruit filling seeps into the cake layer.

Since the cake is cut into cubes, punch bowl cake is also a great way to use a cake that came out of the oven lopsided or otherwise misshaped. Rather than throwing it out, you can turn it into this scrumptious dessert.

Instead of pudding, you can use a mix of cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. For a birthday punch bowl cake, layer chocolate cake or brownies with vanilla or chocolate pudding. For fruit, you can also use blueberries, strawberries, or bananas. The fruit can be fresh, canned, or frozen. For your Fourth of July party, make a patriotic cake, layering the butter cake with white chocolate or vanilla pudding, strawberries, and blueberries.

In some old recipes, liquor was drizzled onto one layer, hence the name tipsy cake. Most recipes, including this one, are without alcohol, so they are a treat for all ages.

Except for holidays like Christmas, the use of punch bowls to serve punch at parties is mostly a relic of the past, but punch bowls are still around. The punch bowl is often a passed-down family heirloom, especially in the American South.

If you don’t have a punch bowl, no worries, serving the punch bowl cake in a trifle bowl or a large glass serving bowl is just as spectacular.

Ingredients

  • 1 package butter cake mix, prepared as directed and completely cooled, then cut into cubes

  • 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

  • 2 (3.5-ounce) packages French vanilla pudding mix, prepared as directed

  • 1 (16-ounce) container whipped topping

  • 1 (20-ounce) can cherry pie filling

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In the bottom of a glass-sided bowl, sprinkle half of the cake cubes, making sure the cubes spread to the sides of the trifle bowl.

  3. Spread half of the drained pineapple over the cake cubes. Again, look at the sides of the bowl making sure a true layer of pineapple shows around the sides of the bowl.

  4. Spread half of the pudding onto the pineapple layer.

  5. Next, spread half of the whipped cream over the pineapple layer.

  6. Spread half of the cherry pie filling over the whipped cream layer.

  7. Repeat all layers once again, beginning with the rest of the cake cubes and checking the sides of the bowl for pretty layers.

  8. Chill punch bowl cake for at least 1 hour and serve.

  9. Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
428 Calories
11g Fat
80g Carbs
2g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 428
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 574mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 80g 29%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 50g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 6mg 31%
Calcium 108mg 8%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 137mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)