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Punch Bowl Cake

A delightful, layered dessert that brings together the flavors of cake, pudding, fruit, and whipped topping, perfect for gatherings and celebrating sweet moments.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cake
  • 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
For the pudding layers
  • 6.8 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 4 cups cold whole milk
For the assembly
  • 40 ounces crushed pineapple, well-drained
  • 4 medium bananas, sliced
  • 42 ounces cherry pie filling
  • 16 ounces whipped topping, thawed
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray a 9x13 baking dish with baker’s spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs; blend until the mixture is smooth.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick emerges clean. Allow the cake to cool completely.
Making the pudding
  1. In another bowl, combine the instant pudding with the cold whole milk and mix until thickened.
Assembling the cake
  1. Cube the cooled cake and layer half of it in a 4-quart bowl.
  2. Spread half of the pudding over the cake, followed by the well-drained pineapple.
  3. Layer banana slices over the pineapple, then add half of the cherry pie filling.
  4. Crown the layer with half of the whipped topping.
  5. Repeat the layering process with the remaining ingredients and finish with chopped pecans on top.
Chilling
  1. Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

For added depth, consider incorporating rum or almond extract into the pudding mix. Use fresh fruit for better texture and taste. A gluten-free cake mix can also be utilized for a gluten-free version.