Southern Strawberry-Coconut Punch Bowl Cake

Enjoy classic Southern Strawberry-Coconut Punch Bowl Cake with scrumptiously creamy layers of angel food cake, fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and coconut. You might call it trifle, but in the South we call it punch bowl cake!

So you've heard of a trifle, right? But what about a punch bowl cake? Your familiarity with this term probably depends upon where you live.

Because the term "punch bowl cake" is a decidedly Southern thing.

Yes, in the South we call these beautifully layered, absolutely creamily delicious desserts punch bowl cakes. Layers of cake pieces, fresh fruit, and something yummy-and-creamy are all piled together in a gorgeous glass bowl. And the result is nothing short of amazingly delicious.

The glass bowl, of course, just so happens to quite frequently double as a punch bowl. And you guessed it, that's exactly how these cakes got their name.
But whatever you call it ... trifle or punch bowl cake ... the soft and creamy layers of this simple Southern dessert are just plain good.

And pretty, too.

But whatever you call it ... trifle or punch bowl cake ... the soft and creamy layers of this simple Southern dessert are just plain good.

Punch bowl cakes get their prettiness from the distinct layers of beautiful ingredients, and from the beautiful punch bowls themselves that we use to create them. I prefer to use a gorgeous crystal trifle bowl or crystal punch bowl. And the one I used in this post's photos is called a Hospitality Footed Trifle Bowl.

But any nice-looking large glass bowl will work. You definitely want to use a glass bowl if at all possible to show off the dessert's pretty layers.

Punch bowl cakes take many forms with many variations, traditionally involving some form of cake as the base. Basic yellow cake is most often used, but other cake flavors and types make frequent appearances, as well.

This particular punch bowl cake version starts with angel food cake. You can make your own from scratch or buy a prepared angel food cake from the grocery store. For ease, I usually buy a prepared cake.

The angel food cake is then combined with fresh strawberries, coconut, and a mixture of whipped cream, sour cream, and powdered sugar for the creamy "stuff" in this recipe.

This particular punch bowl cake starts with angel food cake. For ease, I usually buy a prepared cake.

Begin by tearing or cutting the angel food cake into small pieces. I use a serrated bread knife to cut mine, but most people just tear the cake with their fingers. You'll end up with a pile of yummy cake pieces about like this ...

If the browned outside of the cake troubles you, you can cut that all off prior to turning your cake into a pile of bits. A lot of people cut the browned outside off ... purely for aesthetics of the end of product ... but I don't find the brown ends up really showing in the bowl, and the tiny bit that does doesn't bother me.

Once the cake pieces are cut, stir the cake together with the "creamy stuff" in a large mixing bowl. Mixing this all together rather than simply layering the cake and the "creamy stuff" allows them to meld together better and makes the cake get super moist, soft, and tasty.

Next, slice up several cups of fresh strawberries. I like to slice them pretty thin so they nicely meld into the finished dessert.

With all the ingredients prepared, you're ready to layer up!

In a pretty bowl, simply make layers of the cake mixture, sliced strawberries, and sweetened flaked coconut ...

Finally, sprinkle the top with a little bit of chopped pecans for color and crunch.

And now comes the hardest part ...

Wait.

True. Punch bowl cake is one of those desserts that just gets better with time. While we certainly love it on the first day we serve it, we love it even more on the second and third.

Yes, refrigerate your delectable punch bowl cake creation over night. And wait. Wait for everything to meld together and get all friendly in the bowl.

You'll want to dig in before it's time.

But don't.

Wait.

And keep waiting.

Maybe wait even a little longer than over night if you can stand it.

Because the longer you wait, the better it gets.

True. Punch bowl cake is one of those desserts that just gets better with time. While we certainly love it on the first day we serve it, we love it even more on the second and third.

But no matter when you dig in to enjoy a big scoop of this classic creamy Southern deliciousness, this is one dessert you're sure to love.

So trifle or punch bowl cake ... it's scrumptious layers are so good, I don't think anyone will care what you call it.

Thank you for stopping by . We'd love to have you back soon!

strawberry trifle recipe, strawberry trifle, strawberry punch bowl cake, Southern dessert recipes

Desserts

Yield: 10-12 servings

Author: Tracey |