This layered summer dessert starts with fresh watermelon, followed by honeydew and cantaloupe, stacked with another layer of seedless watermelon and covered in a homemade whipped cream frosting. Watermelon cake is ready in just 30 minutes and no baking required!
I love using fresh fruit to make desserts once hot weather hits, and fresh watermelon cake is pretty satisfying when it’s a hundred degrees outside! Peach Pretzel Salad and Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle are a couple of others that are family favorites and potluck worthy!
You can’t eat dessert before the main course! Try these easy grilled shrimp skewers or the best tri tip marinade before you slice the cake. Use the same whipped cream recipe to frost your key lime pie, lemon cheesecake, or strawberry crunch poke cake.
- No bake and easy to make!
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- The presentation is out of this world!
- Perfect for warm weather.
What Ingredients do I Need for Fresh Watermelon Cake?
- watermelon
- cantaloupe
- honeydew melon
- heavy whipping cream
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- blueberries – These are optional but make for a nice garnish.
How to choose the best watermelon: Watermelons are the best when they are ripe. Find one that is heavy, and that has a large yellow spot. You also want to avoid purchasing any that have cuts or bruises on them.
How to Make Watermelon Cake
PREP: Slice the melons so you get slabs that are 1.5 inches thick. You’ll need 2 watermelon layers, 1 honeydew, and 1 cantaloupe. Set the rest of the fruit to the side to use later. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the middle flesh and seeds from each piece of fruit. Stack the slices on each other with the largest on the bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut a circle around the stacks.
MAKING THE WHIPPED CREAM: Using a hand mixer, combine the cream, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl until stiff peaks form.
FROST: Place a slice of watermelon on the serving platter and frost with whipped cream. Repeat the process, alternating between the fruit and frosting. Use an offset spatula to frost the tops and sides of the cake.
GARNISH: Use a melon baller on the remaining fruit to scoop out balls to place on top of the cake, along with the berries.
- Keep the mixing bowl and beaters or whisk attachment in the fridge until you are you are ready to use. The colder you can keep the cream, the fastest it will whip.
- The sugar helps to stabilize the cream and holds its shape really well when it comes to frosting.
- Try to shop for melons that are similar in size.
- Choose a seedless watermelon so when you are eating the cake, you aren’t biting into the seeds.
- If you don’t have a cookie cutter larger enough to cut out the middles, use the rim of a glass instead.
- Keep a few paper towels nearby when slicing off the rinds. Some melons may release more liquid than others.
- Have extra balled fruit? Keep it in a small bowl for a healthy snack later on.
Watermelons are naturally gluten-free, are made up of 92% water, and are a cousin to squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers.
- Garnish with other fruits such as fresh raspberries or strawberries.
- You can also add nuts or shredded coconut to the top for more decoration.
- If you don’t want to make the whipped cream, you can try using Cool Whip. If it seems a little thin when frosting, you can add a little powdered sugar to thicken it up. You may have to work in batches so it doesn’t thaw too quickly.
Keep the cake in the refrigerator for 3-4 days covered loosely with plastic wrap.
More Fruity Summer Dessert Recipes
Watermelon Cake
Ingredients
- 1 whole seedless watermelon
- 1 whole cantaloupe
- 1 whole honeydew melon
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup blueberries optional
Instructions
- On a large, stable cutting board or work surface, slice the watermelon, making two “slabs” from the center, each about 1½ inches thick.
- Slice one “slab” from the center of the cantaloupe, 1½ inches thick. Slice one more “slab” from the center of the honeydew, 1½ inches thick. Reserve the excess melons for later.
- Use a large round cookie cutter or your knife to cut around the seeds/pulp in the center of the cantaloupe and honeydew slabs. Discard.
- Stack the melon slabs on top of one another, with the largest in diameter on the bottom.
- With your knife straight up and down, cut a circle around the melon stack, slicing just within the rind of the top slab. This should result in 4 equal slabs of melon, with no rind left on any of them. You may want to work in batches, stacking just 2-3 of the slabs at a time. Just be sure they are all the same diameter as the smallest slab.
- Whip the heavy cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form, but do not over whisk.
- Place one watermelon slab on a serving plate. “Frost” the top with a bit of the whipped cream. Stack the cantaloupe slab on top, then continue stacking and frosting between each layer. After the cantaloupe and honeydew have been stacked, mound a pile of whipped cream in the center to fill in the hole left where you’ve removed the seeds and pulp.
- Stack the final watermelon slab on top, mound the remaining whipped cream, and spread it down over the sides of the cake to “frost” your cake.
- Top with melon balls (made with the leftover melon) and blueberries.
- Keep refrigerated until serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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