We always just call this "strawberry cake" but it's SO much more than that. This perfect pink dessert uses cubed angel food cake and Jello to make a quick dessert that you'll crave all year long!
Strawberry Jello Angel Food Cake Dessert is a nostalgic no-bake dessert that uses frozen strawberries for tons of flavor. And it totally reminds you of being a kid!
I love this quick and easy dessert recipe for spring and summer celebrations but no matter what occasion you make it for, it's always a crowd-pleaser.
This recipe was originally published in October of 2015. It has since been updated to include more detailed directions and suggestions on other variations.
I've uploaded most of the images in this post but you still may recognize some of the process shots if you came over from Pinterest!
This Strawberry Jello Angel Food Cake is a family favorite!
This Strawberry Angel Food Cake with Cool Whip is so easy to make and is always very well received! From the comments left on this post and my pins, it's totally sentimental and reminds people of beloved family members.
It only uses a few simple ingredients like store-bought angel food cake pieces, frozen strawberries, Cool Whip whipped topping and strawberry Jello. (Also check out my Strawberry Jello Cupcakes! SO YUMMY!)
This light and fluffy cake is super flavorful and totally reminds me of summer! My mom used to make it for us on summer break and it makes my heart smile just thinking about it.
I love that I now get to make it for my own kids! Same thing with Ice Cream Floats and Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream! Such fun family traditions!
This strawberry angel food cake dessert with Jello is really more like a dump cake. And it's no-bake which is why it's perfect for warmer weather.
This poor, sad, ugly little cake.
This is not the dessert you will make if you are trying to impress guests who are superficial and into outward appearances.
For that, I would make this faux croquembouche or even this Angel Food Cake with Peaches and Cream instead.
But this angel food cake with strawberry JELLO is super easy and it's what you make for your friends when you want to give them a mouth hug.
This is my go-to dish for a family party or neighborhood potluck and it's always gone immediately.
It's so unfortunate that this lush-type dessert is just not that pretty. But it sure is pretty on the inside.
At the very least use fresh mint and strawberries to draw the eye away from that heap of pink.
How to Make this Angel Food Strawberry Jello Cake
It's just an angel food Jello cake dessert. Pretty straightforward stuff. But absolutely delicious.
Scroll to the end of the post for a printable recipe card with full measurements and instructions!
Ingredients
- Angel Food Cake (store-bought)
- Strawberry Jell-O
- boiling water
- frozen whipped topping (like Cool Whip, thawed in fridge)
- frozen strawberries in sugar (not whole frozen berries - see image below), not thawed but not straight from the freezer
The grocery store sells a ready-made angel food cake option that just needs to be torn (which is a great task to have the kids do!).
The store-bought cake keeps this dessert super quick to prepare.
Take the time you would have used to make the cake and go take 15 minutes for yourself.
What type of strawberries do I use
Over the years I've had people ask me about the right type of strawberries to use for this yummy strawberry dessert recipe.
They are in plastic containers like that shown above, in the freezer section. They sometimes come in a container that looks like a frozen juice concentrate but in a rectangular shape.
Some people have a hard finding the right type of frozen strawberries in sugar. I haven't figured out a good swap yet, but will work on that at some point.
If I had to guess, the best thing to do would be to cut up fresh strawberries and add sugar so they create their own juices, let sit for an hour at room temperature, then freeze!
Can you use fresh strawberries
Fresh strawberries aren’t the best because they won’t have the extra sweet juice that comes in the frozen strawberries. It helps to flavor the dessert and give it that fun pink color.
You can potentially get a similar look by macerating the berries with sugar to bring out their own juices but it may not give you the same amount of flavor. Worth a try! Fresh strawberries are never a bad idea! :)
To macerate I would do 1 pint of strawberries with 2 tablespoon sugar and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to release their juices.
Directions
This pink strawberry angel food cake dessert couldn't be easier to make!
Remove the strawberries from the freezer and let them sit on the counter while working through the next steps.
Crumble up the ring of cake and add half of the angel food pieces to the bottom of a dish. If a few pieces fall up into your mouth, that's ok.
Mix Jell-O in a bowl with 2 cups boiling water. Stir well to dissolve the Jell-O powder.
Add strawberries immediately and stir. The cold strawberries will help the Jello start to set.
Stirring will help to melt the strawberry juice the rest of the way, but you may need to use your hands to break them up if they remain in a chunk.
Fold in spoonfuls of Cool Whip until well mixed.
If you forget to take the Cool Whip out of the freezer to thaw, it will still work.
Spoon ½ mixture over the first half of angel food cake in dish.
Repeat with a second layer of angel food cake chunks and the rest of that gorgeous, creamy strawberry mixture.
You may want to take the back of a wooden spoon and push down any cake pieces that are sticking out the top so they are submerged and can soak up all the flavor.
Don't leave them exposed like this photo shows. I mean, it really doesn't ruin anything because Angel Food cake is delish no matter what.
But still, you'll get the best flavor if you drown those bad boys.
Cover, then set in the refrigerator for several hours.
How to serve Strawberry Jello Angel Food Cake
When ready to serve, cut into squares and serve immediately.
I would leave it to set for at least 2 hours but 4 or more will make sure it is totally set and will keep its form when cut into squares.
Or you can scoop it into bowls. This is an anything goes types of dessert recipe.
Feel free to top it with a little bit of whipped cream and some fresh mint if you want to.
To make it look a little nicer, you could also "frost" it with additional Cool Whip then lay out sliced strawberries in a pretty way.
It doesn't require any baking skills or much kitchen know-how.
Putting this strawberry Angel Food jello cake together (I realize this isn't really a cake, but it has cake in it so...and it's so much easier than saying Strawberry Angel Food Cake Dessert with Jello, right?) is SO easy.
Plus, pink desserts are always the best! Just look at all that pink goodness!
How to store this pink dessert
The best way to store this delicious dessert is to cover it with foil and put in the fridge. I would think this will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.
But you probably won't have too much leftover.
Who knew that Angel Food cake, frozen strawberries and Cool Whip could taste SO simple and so tasty!
Can this recipe be made ahead of time
Yes! Since this is kept in the fridge, you can make it ahead of time then keep in their, covered, until ready to serve.
Or Make it A Strawberry Jello Angel Food Cake Trifle!
A reader suggested I try using a trifle bowl so I did.
It's a lot cuter in terms of dish choice but the dessert itself...still not so much.
A trifle is a great dessert to serve when you have company.
It's also a great idea for people, like me, who aren't great at decorating cakes!
Someone else suggested making this in a bundt pan. That's the route I'm going to try next time. It will look nice when turned out onto a plate and the slices would probably even look nice on a dessert plate.
I must have taken 300 pictures of it trying to get it to look appetizing. Nope.
You're going to have to trust me on this one. And I know my sweets.
Try to serve it on a cute plate at least, and definitely use a trifle bowl instead of the 9 x 13 pan. Everything looks better in a trifle bowl! Growing up, this strawberry cake was always our favorite.
It reminds me of big get-togethers with neighbors and hanging out with my sister. I hope you'll make this for the ones you love too.
It's a great recipe to get the kids to help out with.
Aside from the boiling water (parents, YOU do that part please!), it's a lot of stirring and tearing. Kids excel at tearing.
And more than anything, this pink dessert makes people smile.
This recipe totally reminds people of recipes their grandmas made for them!
Wath the Strawberry Jello Angel Food Cake Recipe Video again on Youtube.
Tips and suggestions
Over the years I've received tons of comments on this post. Every family had a little different way of doing things. Here are some of the suggestions that may help you.
Substitution ideas
-Don't want to use Cool Whip, here is how one user made this instead: "Dissolve large box of strawberry jello in ¾ cup hot water.
Once dissolved stir in ¾ cup cold water and refrigerate. After it sets up whip in a pint of whipping cream to the jello on a low setting."
-Make it sugar-free: You can make this more diet-friendly or ok for diabetics by using sugar-free ingredients. Several commenters mentioned this.
-A fruitier version: This version uses 1 small strawberry Jello, 1 small lemon Jello, 2c boiling water, ¼ c sugar, juice of 1 lemon, 2 oranges and juice from a 10oz pineapple can.
Mix together. Cool until it starts to set. Fold in 8oz cool whip, add pineapple tidbits and fresh sliced strawberries.
Other serving suggestions
-Make it more cake-like: Line a large bowl with waxed paper. let sit a few hours and when set turn upside down on a plate or cake dish.
Top with Cool Whip or whipped cream, as if you were icing a cake, then add fresh some strawberries.
- Make it a little more structured: Bake your own angel food cake in a 13×9 pan. Cut the cake into 2 layers instead of ripping it into chunks.
Place one layer down, spread half of jello mixture on top, placed the next layer down and spread the remaining jello mixture on top.
Chill for about 8 hours. It cut just like a cake and it looked pretty!
-A pool of Cool Whip!: In this suggestion, the Cool Whip is served separately. Tear the cake into pieces and put in a greased bundt pan.
Mix the strawberries and Jello and pour over the cake. Let set and flip onto a cake plate. Fill the hole in the middle with the Cool Whip!
To serve, slice the cake and put a dollop of Cool Whip on top.
-To ensure the cake is soaked with flavor: After mixing the Jello, strawberries and Cool Whip, combine it with the angel food cake pieces then pour into the pan and chill.
It’s much easier and mixes together better for a smoother look.
-Fill the angel food cake: Mix the strawberries, Cool Whip, and Jello and put them in the refrigerator until it is thick but not solid.
Slice a thin piece off the top of the angel food cake and tear out a trench all the way around the cake.
Pour the very thick Jello strawberry mixture inside, put the top back on and frost with the remaining whipped cream.
Return the cake to the refrigerator. It was so pretty when cut because of the Jello strawberry surprise at the center.
Related recipes
- Stupid Easy Strawberry Snack
- Easy Strawberry Refrigerator Cake from Crystal and Comp.
- Strawberry Poke Cake from It Is a Keeper
- White Chocolate Strawberry Cake Roll from We're Parents
Printable Strawberry Jello Angel Food Cake Recipe
Strawberry Jello Angel Food Cake Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 ring Angel Food Cake store-bought
- 1 6 oz. pkg. Strawberry Jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 regular container frozen whipped topping like Cool Whip, thawed in fridge
- 16 oz. container frozen strawberries in sugar the kind that also have juice, not whole frozen berries
Instructions
- Set out frozen strawberries to thaw while working on the rest of the recipe.
- Boil water.
- Break ½ of the angel food cake in to chunks and put in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
- Mix powdered Jello in a bowl with 2 cups boiling water.
- Add strawberries immediately and stir.
- You may need to use your hands to break up chunks of frozen strawberries.
- Stir in spoonfuls of Cool Whip until well mixed.
- Spoon ½ mixture over angel food cake in dish.
- Repeat layers and set in refrigerator for several hours.
- Cut in to squares and serve immediately. (Your squares won't be perfect. The gelatin is not firm.)
Video
Nutrition
Pin this Dessert for Later
This Angel Food Strawberry Jello Dessert is a mouth full. But it will become a family favorite and one that you make for parties all the time!
Marysu says
How long can this stay out of the fridge without melting?
Sharon Garofalow says
I am sure it would be ok to leave it out for a few hours or so at a party. But since it's really a chilled dessert, I would aim to get leftovers back into a fridge.
Sue Lane says
I have been using this recipe for 40 yrs- that was before cool whip,,, I would mix the jello & strawberries together- put on bottom of a jello mould pan (tupperware one works great) break the cake into pieces & put into jello/strawberry mixture. Spread with lg envelope of prepared dream whip ... refrigerate & invert on plate when ready... you have the layers of red & white & can cut it into slices.
Sharon Garofalow says
That sounds like a great way to make this delicious dessert!
Susan Jessie says
I’ve been making this hand-me-down Midwestern dessert (called “Pink Lady”) for 40 years. It’s a family favorite. If you want to bring it up a notch and earn five stars, make a boxed angel food cake and pint of whip real cream instead of Cool Whip. I have always added a cold cup of macerated berry juice to the jello as well. If you don’t have time to macerate your berries, use cranberry juice, or even lemonade. Don’t limit yourself to strawberries. Just about any summer fruit will work: cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries.
Sharon Garofalow says
These are great tips! And a boxed angel food cake is still super easy to make so it sounds like a great swap!
Kim Beaulieu says
I love nostalgic recipes like this. My Mom used to make something similar and now I'm craving your recipe big time!
Sharon Garofalow says
Yes, this is one that has really struck a chord with people! I love to hear all the variations of how people make it!
Raquel says
This looks amazing for a no bake dessert and so simple!
Sharon Garofalow says
And everyone always freaks out about it! It's so yummy!
Denise says
Sharon, so glad I'm seeing this delicious dessert again! I used to make this as a very young wife. We used Strawberry Jello, some Cool Whip or Whipped Cream AND some Strawberry Yogurt. Added the strawberries and chunks of cake. And, used a springform pan for the mold. We would then use Reddi Whip to make a pretty pattern on the top and slice it onto plates. Never met anyone that didn't rave about it. Perfect for warm weather!
Sharon Garofalow says
Those swaps sound delicious!!! You are right, everyone LOVES this recipe!
Sharon says
My grandmother made this and a identical lemon one with lemon pie filling. She didn't mix the cool whip in and not sure if she used jello or not with the strawberry one. She definitely fight with the lemon one. I have never seen the either version anywhere but this Is the closest I've seen! Has anyone ever heard of these made the way my MomMom did it?
Sharon Garofalow says
OMG! I'll have to try the lemon. That sounds fantastic!
Annie says
Can this recipe be made a day in advance?
Sharon Garofalow says
Hi! Yes! You can make this ahead of time and just keep it in the fridge! I hope you love it as much as my family does!
Nancy says
My mom always made this and we called it Strawberry Delight! She put it in a Bundt pan. It was pretty when it came out! She cut slices of it to serve! You have inspired me to make it!!
Sharon Garofalow says
I will try it in the bundt pan next time! I'm sure that looks way prettier!
Nancy says
I just put together a fabulous dessert using what I had on hand. Since the global pandemic is looming and we are staying indoors, I made some majoy adjustments. For those of you who wondered about a different fruit, I had a partial bag of frozen cherries, 12 boxes of Jello NONE of which were cherry so used 1 small package of berry blue adding the cup of cold water to the frozen cherries & 3/4 cup boiling water to the gelatin . I mixed those separately then pour the hot gelatin into the ice cold cherries w/1 cup of cold water. It began to set up. Had no whipped topping so shook some milk & instant vanilla pudding mix together and added by dollops to the first layer after pouring on 1/2 the gelatin cherry mix. Finished with a second layer of cake pieces, gelatin mix w/cherries & a few more dollops of vanilla pudding. Used the back of a spoon & made sure it was all covered with the liquid...mine is cooling AND it's a pretty blue with dark red cherries. Can't wait to taste it in 2 hours. Next time, I'll follow the recipe - that will be summer or whenever we can safely be shopping again. Hope you keep your spirits high.
Sharon Garofalow says
I'm so glad you could still make a delicious dessert! It sounds super tasty!
Marisa says
How long does it take to set in Fridge?
Rosalie Ogden says
Never cool whip! I've been making strawberry dessert for over 35 years. Dissolve large box of strawberry jello in 3/4 cup hot water. Once dissolved stir in 3/4 cup cold water and refrigerate. After it sets up whip in a pint of whipping cream to the jello on a low setting. Meanwhile break up angel food cake and mix with fresh macerated strawberries (or use thawed strawberries) with sugar to taste. Combine the jello/whipped cream mixture (reserve 3/4 cup, set aside) and the cake and strawberry mixture in a nice serving dish of your choice. Spread the reserved jello/whipped cream mixture on top adding some fresh sliced strawberries for decoration. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
Wanda Midkiff says
I just made it for our Relay For Life ( Cancer ) group called Flamingo Mafia ... Have an idea to decorate and will take a pic if it works ! Hint wet marshmallows a bit to sprinkle ... and Hubba brought home this candy bar well like I said will show if it turns out or NOT ! Lol
Sharon Garofalow says
Let me know! I'd love to see how it turned out!
greg says
My family always called this Pink Dessert
Sharon Garofalow says
I know! I struggle with calling it a cake!
Cindy de Nottbeck says
Hi Sharon I make it like you but I line a large bowl with Waxed paper let sit a few hours and when set turn upside down on a plate or cake dish then top with cool whip or whipped cream ,like you were icing it then add some strawberries looks like a cake then.I always made it that way.Kids love it and so do adults.
Sharon Garofalow says
OMG! That is such a great idea!!
Sharon Garofalow says
A few hours. If you want to be able to cut it into squares, I like to let it sit for at least 4 hours. If you don't really care about it holding its shape you can probably get by eating it a little bit sooner!
Kayla says
To make it look appetizing try and cover it it fresh strawberry halves and or fresh peach slices or pear slices! I have tried all three ways and it is still awesome!!!
Sharon Garofalow says
YES! Such a great idea! It would look so much better like that!
Jen says
Could fresh strawberries be used?
Sharon Garofalow says
Hi! Fresh strawberries aren't the best because they won't have the extra sweet juice that comes in the frozen strawberries. It helps to flavor the dessert and give it that fun pink color. You can potentially get a similar look by macerating the berries with sugar to bring out their own juices but it may not give you the same amount of flavor. Worth a try! Fresh strawberries are never a bad idea! :) To macerate I would do 1 pint of strawberries with 2 TBSP sugar and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to release their juices.
Debbi says
My mom was just telling me about a dessert like this that she had made. Do you think you could do 1 layer of strawberry jello/strawberries & 1 layer with a blue jello/blueberries for the upcoming holiday?
Sharon Garofalow says
I'm sure it would be delicious with blueberries! If you stir it up instead of layer, the strawberry juice and whipped cream turn pink but it would taste pretty delish not stirred up too I bet!
Anne says
We used to make this when I was young but we used whipped cream instead of coolwhip. Thank you for posting this because I had lost Mom's recipe and she died in 2012.
Sharon Garofalow says
That sounds like a logical swap! I'm glad you found this recipe. I'm sure you'll think of your mom when you make it.