This flavor-packed strawberry angel food lush combines tasty layers of angel food cake, tangy sweetened cream cheese, whipped cream, and strawberries! Throw this dessert in the fridge and have it ready to serve when your guests arrive or for a fantastic after-dinner dessert!
Easy No Bake Strawberry Lush
As an avid strawberry fan, I'm always looking for recipes to use up as many strawberries as I can get my hands on during the summer. Sometimes they're super simple, like this easy no-bake dessert that builds upon already baked angel food cake!
Simple is a big plus when you need a fast but impressive dessert for special occasions like graduation or summer birthdays. This tasty strawberry dessert is also a hit at bbq's and summertime potlucks!
A strawberry-loaded, quick, no-bake dessert is just what you need to use up the last of your berries from this season!!
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- It's Quick! And even though the prep and assembly time is ridiculously quick, the dessert turns out so spectacular that no one will guess you whipped it up in no time!
- Incredibly Easy! Cube some store bought bakery angel food cake and add layers. Voila! You'll be hooked on this strawberry lush for more than one reason!
- No Bake Dessert! Need I say more? The first two should have you checking your berry supply already, add 'no-bake' and the deal should be sealed! You need to try this easy dessert!
🥘 Ingredients
This no-bake lush dessert is incredibly easy if you have a bakery angel food cake on hand! If not, be sure to grab all of your dairy products while you're at the store too!
- Angel Food Cake - Store-bought and already baked angel food cake is ideal for keeping this dessert super easy! If you don't want to run to the store, and have a boxed angel food cake mix on hand, that's almost as quick and easy!
- Cream Cheese - Soften an 8-ounce brick of cream cheese for making the sweetened cream cheese layer. Use the brick style, rather than whipped cream cheese, for the best creaminess.
- Confectioners' Sugar - Is blended with the cream cheese for a delightfully sweet and tangy lush layer!
- Milk - Added to the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar to make them super smooth and spreadable.
- Cool Whip (or my stabilized whipped cream) - Get the big tub of Cool Whip, or make my homemade Cool Whip! You'll need two 8-ounce portions (or two of the standard sized Cool Whip tubs). Each tub of regular Cool Whip is roughly 3 cups, so you'll need 6 cups if you opt for the homemade whipped cream.
- Vanilla Extract - Just a bit to heighten and highlight all of the amazing flavors of the ingredients!
- Strawberries - Fresh strawberries are sliced and combined with the coulis. If you don't have fresh berries on hand, simply increase the coulis recipe and use frozen strawberries to make the strawberry sauce.
- Strawberry Coulis (or strawberry sauce) - My homemade strawberry sauce, or strawberry coulis, is so good you'll want to lick the plate clean! You can use other ready-made strawberry glazes, but the flavor is worth the effort! *Make enough that you have plenty leftover to serve over your Saturday morning pancakes too!!
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
Prep your angel food cake and get ready to start layering in deliciously sweet layers! Refrigerate before serving this easy but decadent dessert!
Mix the Cream Cheese Layer
- Cube. Cut the angel food cake into cubed chunks and set them into the bottom of your baking dish. You can use a 9x13 pan or 2-2.5 quart baking dish.
- Mix the cream cheese layer. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the 8-ounce brick of softened cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and ⅓ cup milk. Mix until smooth.
- Add Cool Whip. Once the cream cheese mixture is smooth, add an 8-ounce container of Cool Whip and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix until smooth again
Assemble the Layers & Chill
- Begin layering. Pour the sweetened cream cheese layer over the cubed angel food cake in your baking dish. Spread to the edges using a spatula.
- More Cool Whip. Use another 8-ounce portion of Cool Whip to add the next layer. Spread the softened whipped cream to the edges of your baking dish so that the other layers are completely covered.
- Mix the berries. Combine the sliced strawberries and strawberry coulis in a small bowl then pour the mixture over the Cool Whip layer. Spread this layer to the edges as well.
- Chill before serving. Cover the strawberry angel food lush with plastic cling film or a fitted lid, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serve up generous portions of this tasty layered dessert and top with even more whipped cream! Garnish with mint leaves if desired and enjoy!
🥡 Storing
Keep any leftover strawberry angel food lush dessert covered and stored in the refrigerator. The lush is good for up to 3 days after combining.
🍓 More Strawberry Desserts
Want something totally different? Take a look at my post on how to make tanghulu! You can also look at my strawberry dessert recipes page.
- French Strawberry Tart
- Strawberry Swirl Brownies
- Strawberry Yogurt Muffins
- Apple Strawberry Crisp
- Strawberry Shortcake
📋 Recipe
Strawberry Angel Food Lush
Ingredients
- 14 oz Angel Food Cake (pre-made or store bought, cut into 1 inch cubes)
- 1 strawberry coulis (or strawberry syrup)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz Cool Whip
- ½ lbs strawberries (washed, hulled, and sliced)
Instructions
- Cut up the angel food cake into 1 inch squares, arrange them on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Set the pan aside for later.14 oz Angel Food Cake
- In a medium bowl add the cream cheese, milk, and the powdered sugar. Whip together using a handheld mixer or whisk.8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners sugar, ⅓ cup milk
- Add in half of the cool whip, vanilla extract, and whisk together.8 oz Cool Whip, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the cream cheese sugar mixture over the cut up angel food cake cubes. Using a spatula smooth out the mixture evenly.
- Add the rest of the cool whip and spread as evenly as possible.8 oz Cool Whip
- In another small bowl combine the coulis and sliced strawberries and mix together.½ lbs strawberries, 1 strawberry coulis
- Pour over the top of the cool whip layer and spread evenly using a spatula.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, you can refrigerate up to 3 days!
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- Set your cream cheese out for about 30 minutes to soften.
- Set the Cool Whip out about 15 minutes before adding it to the cream cheese mixture to soften.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Theresa says
3 what for the coulis? Cups?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
The recipe and post say to use 1 batch or recipe of the strawberry coulis that is made using 1 pound (16 ounces) of fresh strawberries. I didn't find the '3' that you are questioning?
Jan Dias says
This is a delicious dessert. I made it and had friends over and everyone wanted seconds. Big hit and easy to make.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Thanks for sharing with us that it was enjoyed by all!
Shirley Gerig says
Where is the coulis recipe?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
The coulis is linked in the recipe card and in the ingredients section of the post, you can find it here: https://bakeitwithlove.com/strawberry-coulis/
It's quite the treat on its own and much better than simply using macerated strawberries or a store-bought strawberry glaze. Enjoy!