Who says dessert has to be time consuming and complicated? Because you would never catch me saying that. I love a dessert that’s easy, delicious, and fun!

Now I wouldn’t go so far as to say that these parfaits are healthy. But they are one of the least unhealthy desserts! First of all, you have fresh cherries which are delicious and full of potassium and Vitamin C. Angel food cake is a fat free cake and you could make the whipped cream with low sugar or use honey instead of sugar.

So let’s make these beautiful and easy Cherry & Angel Food Cake Mason Jar Parfaits.

Ingredients to Make Cherry & Angel Food Cake Mason Jar Parfaits:

Around 3 cups of Angel Food Cake
1 1/2 cups of fresh cherries
1.5 cups of fresh whipped cream (recipe below)

Plus you will need either 4 or 8, 4 or 8 ounce mason jars. The size and quantity depends on how large of servings you want and how many servings you want.

How to Prep Your Angel Food Cake

You have some options for sourcing or baking a beautiful angel food cake.

First of all, these cakes are easy to find at most grocers. And they are still delicious when store bought. You can also get a angel food cake box mix. The box mixes are also delicious and easy to make as they only require you to add water and whip it!

Or you can bake your cake from scratch. Here’s my favorite Angel Food Cake Recipe. Once your angel food cake is baked and completely cooled, chop the cake into 1 inch bite sized cubes. They don’t need to be perfect.

Pit Your Cherries

Before you pit your cherries, set aside the same number of cherries for how many Cherry & Angel Food Cake Mason Jar Parfaits you plan to make. If you are making 4 – set aside 4 cherries. If you are making 8 – set aside 8 cherries to decorate the top of the mason jars later.

With the rest of your cherries, use a cutting board and a sharp knife and cut your cherries in half to remove the seed from the center. Cherry juice is very dark and can temporarily stain your hands or cutting boards, so use gloves if needed and use a particular cutting board to accomodate this.

If you want to give your cherries a burst of delicious flavor, soak them in a touch of vanilla extract while you are waiting to add them to the parfaits. You can follow this recipe and just substitute the strawberries for cherries.

How to Make Your Whipped Cream

Fresh whipped cream is light years ahead in taste and flavor than store bought. And since it’s so easy to make, there’s no need to use store bought, right?!

To make your own whipped cream, add 2 cups of whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a Kitchen-Aid Mixer and whip on high. After a few minutes, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form – around 5-8 minutes.

As an alternative, you could add honey to your whipping cream instead of sugar. When I substitute honey, I will usually add a touch more – so instead of 2 tablespoons into 2 cups of whipping cream, I would add around 3 tablespoons – perhaps even 4. The sweetness can be changed to suit your taste. So just be sure to start with less sweetener and add more only when it’s needed and taste the whipped cream as you go.

Layer the Parfait

To make your Cherry & Angel Food Cake Mason Jar Parfaits, all you need to do is layer your beautiful ingredients!

Start with a thin layer of angel food cake. There’s no need to force it. Just add around 4-5 pieces and let them fall where they may. Next add a few of your pitted cherries. I added around 4-5 as well.

Then add a thin layer of whipped cream. Now repeat! Depending on how much room you have left in your mason jar, you could consider skipping the cherries and for your second layer just adding angel food cake and whipped cream.

Since you are finishing your Cherry & Angel Food Cake Mason Jar Parfaits with a cherry on top, and since the cherries pack a punch, if you run out of room it’s the best ingredient to skip.

Once you’ve layered your Cherry & Angel Food Cake Mason Jar Parfaits to the top, they are ready to eat! All you need is a spoon. These cakes are so light, delicious and so pretty too. Best of all they store so easily.

How to Store & Keep Your Cherry & Angel Food Cake Mason Jar Parfaits

To store your parfaits, be sure to keep your mason jar lids and screw the lids to the top gently. This makes your cakes perfect for traveling, picnics and family get togethers too. It’s also an easy way to store them in the fridge where they will last to 2-4 days depending on how stiff your whipped cream was whipped when you made it.

To store them longer, keep each ingredient separate, and only layer the parfaits when you are ready to serve them.

recipe for cherry and angel food cake parfaits

Cherry & Angel Food Cake Mason Jar Parfaits Recipe

Brittany Bly

These delicious Cherry & Angel Food Cake Parfaits are served in a mason jar which makes them so sweet, cute, and easy to make!

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Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings 4 -8 parfaits

Ingredients

Around 3 cups of Angel Food Cake details below
1 1/2 cups of fresh cherries
1 1/2 cups of fresh whipped cream recipe below: 2 cups whipping cream, 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla
Plus you will need either 4 or 8 ounce mason jars. The size depends on how large of servings you want.

Instructions

Prepare your angel food cake but chopping it into bite sized pieces - around 1 inch. You can use a store bought angel food cake, a box mix and bake your own angel food cake. Or best of all, use this recipe here.
Next, create your whipped cream by whipping 2 cups heavy cream with 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. You can replace the sugar with honey for a healthier alternative.
Keep 1 cherry whole for each mason jar parfait you are making. If you are making 4 parfaits - keep 4 cherries whole. If you are making 8 parfaits - keep 8 cherries whole. Then pit the remaining cherries by slicing in half and removing the seed.
Layer your parfaits starting with the angel food cake cubes on the bottom. Next the cherries and last the whipped cream. I used around 4-5 cubes of cake, 4-5 cherry halves, and a thin layer of whipped cream. Continue layering until you have reached the top.
Last, top with a whole cherry.
Serve immediately or gently place the mason jar lids on the cakes and store in the fridge for 2-3 days.