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Scoop of cranberry orange angel food cake cubes in white baking dish.

Heavenly Cranberry Orange Angel Food Cake Dessert

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

Cranberry Filling (see note):

  • 12 ounces (340 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup orange juice

Cake and Cream:

  • 1 angel food cake cut into 1-inch cubes (see note)
  • 16 ounces (454 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
  • ⅔ cup (141 g) granulated sugar
  • ⅔ cup half-and-half or evaporated milk

Whipped Cream:

  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons (22 g) powdered sugar

Instructions 

  • For the cranberry filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, water, and orange juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the cranberries have popped and the mixture is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature - it will thicken more as it cools.
  • For the cake and cream layer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer, add the cream cheese, orange zest, and sugar. Mix until well-combined and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half or evaporated milk. Mix until smooth and well-combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add angel food cake cubes to the bowl with the cream mixture and gently fold together until the cake cubes are evenly coated. IMPORTANT: Read the note below - you may not want/need to use all of 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: Whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar together 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. Dollop half of the cranberry mixture across the top and lightly spread and follow with half of the sweetened whipped cream. 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. Serve chilled.

Notes

Angel Food Cake: Store bought angel food cake and this homemade angel food cake may be slightly smaller than a cake mix angel food cake. When I make this with an angel food cake mix (baked and cooled), I usually end up using about 3/4 of the cake cubes. Add cake cubes until they are all evenly coated with a thick layer of cream. Too many cake cubes and it might dry out (especially if it is made in advance).
Cranberry Filling: You can easily double the cranberry orange filling for more fruit-to-cake ratio. 
Make Ahead: This dessert can be assembled and refrigerated up to 24 hours in advance.