Heavenly Blueberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Dessert
This heavenly blueberry angel food cake dessert is light and delicious! So simple to prepare, it is the perfect ending to any meal!
This amazing little dessert is just how it sounds. Heavenly. And fluffy. And creamy.
Sweet and tart, it’s a mess of heaven on a plate. And because it is so light and luscious, this blueberry angel food cake dessert is the perfect finale to any meal (fantastic for a potluck or for when you have company over for dinner).
And if you are thinking what I’m thinking, YES, this dessert is easily, easily adaptable to other flavors. Check out the amazing ideas I’ve detailed below!
Shockingly simple to make, this dessert starts first with…yep, you guessed it…angel food cake.
Store-bought vs homemade angel food cake
For this blueberry angel food cake dessert, you can use a:
- cake mix
- store-bought prepared angel food cake
- homemade angel food cake
Whatever you prefer – use it with confidence and don’t look back!
I was raised on angel food cake from the box (literally my mom’s favorite cake ever), and I have absolutely no shame in admitting I actually prefer it over homemade angel food cake. As in, do not leave me alone with a baked cake mix angel food cake intended for something important. It won’t end well.
However, I can also give a strong vote in favor of this super easy homemade angel food cake recipe. It is pretty amazing. It doesn’t call for cake flour + it includes a ridiculously delicious chocolate variation.
Cut the angel food cake into cubes, about 1-inch, and toss them in a bowl.
Those irresistible cake bits get smothered in a creamy mixture of half-and-half (or evaporated milk), sugar and cream cheese.
It may feel a little weird and slightly scary to mix the cake cubes into the creamy coating. Don’t stress about the crumby bits forming little glumps here and there. It will all work out. And the cake will hold up just fine as long as you are mixing it gently and as unaggressively as possible.
Trifle dish or not?
Years ago when I first told you about this recipe, I was all about prettily layering the creamy angel food cake cubes with the blueberries and cream in a fancy trifle dish. And I still do that. Sometimes.
But usually, I opt for a simple 9X13-inch pan. Not only is it a little more practical, but it also makes the layers thinner so that serving the dessert is a lot easier. You can use a trifle dish for a super pretty presentation, a 9X13-inch (or slightly smaller pan) or just a glass bowl.
This dessert is a mashed up mess of delicious wonder once it is served, so don’t stress too much about the presentation.
Assembly is simple! Half the coated angel food cake cubes, half of the blueberry filling, half of the whipped cream…and…REPEAT!
I like to refrigerate the dessert a few hours before serving. Bonus: it can easily be made the day before and keeps well in the refrigerator overnight.
Variations on the blueberry theme
The flavor options are endless…just read through the comment thread to get a little inspiration!
Many readers have:
- subbed in canned pie filling for the homemade fruit filling
- used raspberries, blackberries, peaches, cherries or strawberries (or frozen mixed berries) in place of the blueberries
- made a red, white and blue variation for patriotic holidays (using blueberries and strawberries)
- doubled the fruit filling for a higher fruit-to-cake ratio
This past summer, I made a variation using this lemon yogurt bread for the angel food cake and raspberries in place of the blueberries (everything else was the same – the creamy filling, the whipped cream, and the other ingredients for the fruit filling). Oh.my.goodness. It was incredible.
If you haven’t experienced this heavenly blueberries and cream angel food cake dessert, I think it’s high time you did! It’s delicious and one of my favorite desserts ever!
One Year Ago: Chocolate and Coconut Cream Pie Bars
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Three Years Ago: Wild Rice and Creamy Goat Cheese Stuffing
Heavenly Blueberries and Cream Angel Dessert
Ingredients
Blueberry Filling (see note):
- 12 ounces (340 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoons (27 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon
Cake and Cream:
- 1 angel food cake cut into 1-inch cubes (see note)
- 16 ounces (454 g) light or regular cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup half-and-half or evaporated milk
- ⅔ cup (141 g) granulated sugar
Whipped Cream:
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons (22 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- For the blueberry filling: in a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened, 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- For the cake and cream layer: in a blender or with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer), whip together the cream cheese, half-and-half or evaporated milk, and sugar until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl if you used a blender. Fold in the angel food cake cubes. Keep in mind (from the note below) that you may not use all the cake cubes, depending on the size of the cake. Add cake cubes until they are all thickly coated with a layer of cream.
- For the whipped cream: beat together the heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
- To assemble: in a trifle dish, a large glass bowl or a 9X13-inch (or slightly smaller) dish, spread half of the angel food cake mixture. Top with half of the blueberries, dolloping across the top, and then spread half of the sweetened whipped cream on top. Repeat the layers. The layers don't have to be perfect. It's going to be a little haphazard and messy. Don't stress.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from my Aunt Marilyn
Recipe originally posted November 2013; updated August 2019 with new photos and recipe notes.
Mel,
I was wondering if in the cream cheese mixture, the addition of lemon curd would work. In my head, I think it would be a lovely combination, but not having had made it, I am not sure. I read some people would like a little more coating for the cake. So i thought cream cheese with the lemon curd (working out the lemon intensity with the amount of curd added and then smooth it out with probably a little less half and half.) What do you think of that? Could it possibly work? I think the flavor would be lovely, I am just not sure about the consistency of the cream sauce itself. Thank You Mel.
I think the lemon curd would be a fabulous addition!
Delicious and given the “m” word by my husband – magnificent, which is his equivalent of the best.
My family loved it! Now on our Favorites list..my brother was like “Sis never loose this recipe I think it’s the best dessert you’ve every made” as he was headed back to the kitchen for a second bowl! It was (so easy to make) and I had everything in my pantry…I thought it was just out of this world plan to make it again for the 4th of July..Thanks for sharing..
I’m about to make this for the first time. I make desserts, for my church, on a weekly basis. I’ll let you know if this is a hit. I was wondering if peaches could be substituted for the blueberries? If so, would I use the same remaining ingredients to make the filling as I do with the blueberries?
I think peaches would work great, Donna! I would start with the same ingredient amounts as the blueberries – you might need to adapt the sugar/water amounts so just add those to taste or if it looks like it might need a bit more liquid.
Can I use whipping cream instead if half and half?
You could definitely experiment and see – half and half is a bit thinner than cream so the consistency may change with the substitution.
awesome! big hit. I make another easy trifle with frozen strawberries, but the cooked blueberries have a much nicer texture. this one will be part of my regular desserts now.
Does this taste like cream cheese or is the flavor barely noticeable? I want to make this for my mother but she hates desserts with cream cheese.
It has kind of a no-bake cheesecake flavor? If your mom hates cream cheese desserts, this may not be the one for her.
Does this have the texture of sponge cake?
The texture is soft and creamy from the cream-coated angel food cake pieces. I don’t know how closely it resembles sponge cake?
We loved this recipe. It was delicious and light tasting. However, I used double of the blueberry filling. I definitely don’t think it would have been enough with just one batch of the filling. I increased the water from 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, to make the blueberry filling more saucy. Next time I’ll try 1 cup of water
This looks delicious. I never have any luck finding perfect ripe blueberries. Using frozen berries and/or blueberry pie filling might solve the problem. I may “practice” making this for just my husband and I using the frozen or pre-made filling. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I have made this dessert a handful of times now and it always gets rave reviews. It’s a “light” dessert (not in the calories lol) but not heavy and overpowering. I am making it again to take to our Easter gathering this year. Highly recommend. Make sure your cream cheese is not cold and at room temp, otherwise it’ll get lumps in it when adding the liquids.
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!
I felt like 1/4 cup of water wasn’t nearly enough to make a nice blueberry sauce! I kept adding water to get it to the right consistency! At least 1 cup, total! Has anyone else thought a 1/4 c of water was not enough? It was too thick of a sauce for me! More like jam!
Thought I would make a note of this incase anyone else had a similar experience with the sauce being too thick! I also added a little more sugar to the sauce!
I’m excited to put all the layers together! Serving it my Galentines party tonight!
Oh I forgot to say that fresh fruit is the best way to go! The only part you shouldn’t cheat on!! Lol
I’m making this again. This time I am using the store bought angel food container for storage (upside down). I only used half of the angel food cake (cheated and will make another dish once this runs out with the left over food cake 😉 !!) I also made thicker single layers and instead of dollups, I spread the fruit all over. I used blueberries and strawberries with store bought whipped cream (I cheated on this part too). Last time I left out the whipped cream so this time I thought I’d try it out on half of it. Also, instead of using half and half with sugar, I used International Delight “Sweet and Creamy” coffee creamer. This dish is so delightful. It was so good last week, I had to make another one asap!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I am making this yet again for my Thanksgiving desert, it is now tradition and asked for by name…. Absolutely the BEST desert EVER
This is so good! My mom requests it for her birthday cake every year. The raspberry version you have is also to die for! So good! I make it in a trifle bowl
Made this for Easter dinner dessert. Was very happy with how it turned out and it tasted great! I used a box mix for the angel food cake. I ended up having too much of the cream mixture and didn’t use it all. So I recommend not just dump it all into your cake at once.
Hi! I think I am going to make this for Easter! Do you think I could add lemon to something? Maybe the cream?
Sorry for the delay in responding…yes, I think lemon zest or lemon juice to the cream or blueberry filling would work great!
Yum! Including approximate ounces for the angel food cake would be helpful. The one I bought was only 8 oz, and it was’t enough, but I’m sure it will still be delicious even though it’s only one layer. I also subbed cool whip because I’m lazy. Looking forward to drowning my election anxiety with this treat later!
Big hit with the family! The texture is out of this world: creamy, and soft. I even tried it once with chocolate whipped cream, delicious but not as visually pleasing as the white cream version. A Must have for your next party
Can this be frozen for later use?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure – sorry!
Yes you can freeze it. I did and it was perfect. I also used cool whip
Hi! Made this over the weekend. It was a huge hit. My husband asked if this was a Pinterest thing, I told him yes and said then you have to give a review. I did do some shortcuts. I used one and a half store bought angel food cakes. They were small. I made the cream sauce as directed. I cheated and used 2 can of blueberry pie filling, I used cool whip instead of making my own whipped cream. Layered as directed. Got rave reviews from everyone and not much left. So imagine how good the real way must be! Thanks this is a keeper and will go in my recipe book to pass onto family! Enjoy!
Great recipe. I made mine with strawberry angle food cake to contrast the blueberries. It turned out and tasted great
Thinking of trying this with butterscotch pudding and butterscotch sauce (in place of fruit) as a lighter version of my husband’s favorite “butterscotch torte “ recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Since it is just my husband and me, I cut the recipe in half. I think I would add more blueberries though because I felt like I didn’t have enough to layer. After I mixed up the cream and angel food cake, I felt like it looked a little dry, so I added a small container of Greek Vanilla Yogurt to it. Yum! I put everything in layers in an 8″ glass dish and sprinkled the top with more blueberries. I also substituted Stevia Blend for the sugar since my husband is diabetic and it worked beautifully. Wow, it was so good I could have eaten the entire glass dish! Thank you for a great recipe!
I was wondering what the flavor difference is with the half and half or evaporated milk? I’m gonna make this tonight and trying to decide which to use.
It’s really quite similar – the half and half has a slightly fresher/brighter taste.
I was actually disappointed with this recipe. Being called “Heavenly” I really imagined it would be amazing. It was light and fluffy but the taste wasn’t anything special. I served it to the ladies at my luncheon group for dessert and most of them had some left on their plates. That never happens unless, like this, they really didn’t love it. I love your recipes, but this wasn’t one of my favorites.
Sorry to hear that, Linda! Thanks for the comment!
Interesting. I’ve made this about 4 or 5 times, for all different groups of people and I’ve always received rave reviews and several people asking for the recipe.
Made this yesterday for our church potluck. Direct quote from my husband. “It didn’t just like it. It was the best. I mean, favorite of all time.” Thanks, Mel!
Yay! That’s awesome! 🙂
Mel! I haven’t commented in forever, even though I’m still using your recipes daily. I made this heavenly dessert and it was everything you said it would be. I even got all fancy and put it in a trifle dish which is a great way to up your game in the kitchen. Thanks for being so amazing! And I’m not talking about your recipes 🙂
You are the greatest, Mel.
Oh, Mel – the Jennifer Garner bagel thing!! Soon you will be a household name and I will get to say that I’ve been following your blog forever! Congratulations on all the well-deserved publicity. Your blog is simply the best. Just wanted to say that I made this dessert on Sunday and it’s about the best thing I’ve ever eaten. 5 big stars.
Ah, thanks, Jacqui! 🙂
I made this recipe as written on Labor Day. It was absolutely delicious. I ate some again last night and it was even better. I think letting it sit in the fridge longer really let the fruit flavor intensify. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks, Heather! Glad the leftovers were even better than the real thing!