I may be old fashioned – and a cynic about political correctness – but I appreciate someone who isn’t afraid to ‘tell it like it is’. Thus it is with considerable pleasure I bring you Olwen Phillips’ recipe for ‘Heaven On Earth Cake’…
Heaven On Earth’
“With a name like that, how could it be bad?” reviewer Celia Funderburk taunts our taste buds. “It’s a no-bake dessert that’s filled with rich vanilla pudding, creamy whipped topping, fluffy angel food cake, and tart cherry pie filling. To see if it lived up to the name, I tried our recipe for myself. Spoiler: It’ll be in my rotation all BBQ-season long.”
With a recommendation like that, how could I resist reading further?
‘Refreshing’
“This cake is so refreshing. I know that might be a weird word choice for a cake, but that’s really the best way I can describe it,” Funderburk enthuses. “Because it’s served cold after sitting in the fridge for a few hours (or even overnight), the chilled temp is much appreciated on a warm day — especially if you’ve been standing in front of the grill.”
My first impression – not having tasted it yet; only having gazed longingly at the ooey-gooey good glam photos Olwen provides – was that anyone could rack up extra points with guests and family alike, serving this slightly wild-and-crazy amalgam of their fave cold treats. They’d naturally assume you spent all day making it – just for them!
Secret’s in the… store!
You could spend hours making op all the components of this wonderful dessert. But the truth is – and Olwen agrees – you can get them all ready-made (or almost so) at the store.
All you need are: vanilla instant pudding mix (which takes about 15 minutes to stir-up), angel food cake, canned cherry pie filling and whipped topping.
What you do
Prep couldn’t be easier… Quoth Olwen:
- Make pudding. Whisk milk and pudding mix together until smooth, and let sit until fully set.
- Assemble the cake. Layer half the cake cubes in a baking dish and spoon over half the cherry pie filling. Add the remaining cake, pour over the pudding, and top with whipped topping.
- Swirl cherries on top. Swirl the remaining cherry pie filling over the surface for a pretty marbled look.
- Chill & serve. Chill until fully set so the layers can meld into a soft, spoonable dessert. Sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds if using, then serve.
Easy peasey. Simple dimple.
Tips and hacks
You can use any pie filling you want, to set the tone of the dish. Have fun!
If you and yours prefer real whipped cream to whipped ‘topping’, you still have the convenience of a choice between the two at the store.
Be sure to refrigerate this dish thoroughly, to ensure it firms up nicely and can be served in classy-looking, restaurant-worthy squares.
DO NOT FREEZE! Textural disaster will ensue…
My take
I guess I’m too stuck in my stodgy, personal rut to even think about decadent but easy dishes like Olwen’s dessert. I was trained by a whole string of classical French-tradition Chefs who drummed into me that, to be truly great, a dish had to be made totally from scratch, with love and respect, from the freshest ingredients.
But I’ve thawed considerably since I started helming this blog. I now believe it’s okay to look, for ins-piration, to folks like Olwen with other perspectives, while still according my the food the love and respect it deserves…
~ Maggie J.