Description
Heaven on Earth Cake is a luscious no-bake layered dessert featuring airy angel food cake cubes, sweet cherry pie filling, a creamy vanilla pudding mixture, and whipped topping, all garnished with toasted almonds. This easy-to-make treat is chilled for a few hours to meld the flavors perfectly, making it an ideal dessert for gatherings or special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
Base
- 14 ounces store-bought angel food cake
- 21 ounces canned cherry pie filling
Cream Mixture
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3.4 ounces instant French vanilla pudding mix
Topping
- 8 ounces whipped topping, thawed
- 1½ tablespoons thinly sliced almonds
Instructions
- Prepare Cake Base: Slice the angel food cake into 1-inch cubes and evenly arrange half of these cubes in the bottom of a 9×9-inch baking dish to create the first layer.
- Add Cherry Filling: Spoon about two-thirds of the cherry pie filling evenly over the angel food cake cubes to add sweetness and fruitiness to the base layer.
- Layer Cake Cubes: Place the remaining angel food cake cubes uniformly over the cherry pie filling to form the second cake layer.
- Mix Dairy Base: In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, and sour cream until fully blended, ensuring a smooth and consistent mixture.
- Incorporate Pudding Mix: Sprinkle the instant French vanilla pudding mix over the dairy blend and whisk continuously until the mixture thickens to a yogurt-like consistency, indicating readiness.
- Spread Pudding Layer: Evenly spread the thickened pudding mixture over the top layer of cake cubes, creating a creamy middle layer within the dessert.
- Add Whipped Topping: Carefully spread the thawed whipped topping evenly over the pudding layer for a light and airy texture on top of the cream layer.
- Marble Cherry Filling: Dollop the remaining cherry pie filling onto the whipped topping and use a spoon, knife, or skewer to gently swirl it, creating an attractive marbled effect.
- Top with Almonds: Sprinkle the thinly sliced almonds evenly over the cherry filling to add a subtle crunch and garnish.
- Chill Dessert: Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to meld and the layers to set. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Notes
- This dessert is best served chilled and can be prepared a day in advance for optimal flavor melding.
- If preferred, toasted almonds can be used for a deeper nutty flavor.
- Use gluten-free angel food cake to make the dessert gluten-free.
- For a lighter version, substitute whipped topping with fresh whipped cream if desired.
