It’s getting hot out there. When it starts to get into spring and summer, my family reaches for watermelon. This fruit is incredibly versatile, and you can freeze it, drink it, slice it, make it into soup, grill it, or spike it! With all these uses for this incredible fruit, it can be overwhelming what to do. Recently a fellow Scouting leader posted an idea for a watermelon cake. I read the article she posted and thought I could do it better. Although I will show the first one, this watermelon cake can be combined in several variations.
According to Harry Paris (2015), the dessert watermelon, as we know it, originated in Africa. While the watermelon most of us are more familiar with now, the seedless, was created in 1939 by a Japanese scientist. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC, 2021), approximately 85% of all watermelons sold in the USA were seedless. The seedless variety is the perfect fruit for this recipe.
For the whip cream topping, I added a stabilizer. I did this because whipped cream, even with tough peaks, will eventually dissolve, and on a hot day, you want to keep it stable. So, you can go to the local grocery store and look for whipped cream stabilizers in the baking aisle. Follow the directions on the package, and if you want to make this vegan, find yourself some vegan whipping product, the stabilizer is vegan, or at least the one I bought was. My three seconds of Googling tells me coconut cream is best for a vegan option.
Some alternative ways of preparing this cake include cutting the watermelon into uniform rounds. You can use a cake pan to get an idea of how thick each layer should be. Just keep your hands on top of the watermelon and the cake pan on the bottom. Use a sharp serrated knife to make your layers. After that, follow the directions below, but add whipped cream to each layer and the top.
Here is the recipe for an effortless and delicious dessert.
Watermelon Cake
Ingredients:
- ½ of a peeled watermelon
- 2 cups of heavy cream (or substitute)
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar (or more for taste)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 package of whipped cream stabilizer
Directions:
- Peel and cut your watermelon halfway along the width (between the ends).
- Whisk the heavy cream in a stand mixer or by hand until soft peaks form, then add the sugar and vanilla.
- At stiff peaks, whip in the stabilizer.
- Taste the whipped cream and make sure it is to your liking.
- Start covering your watermelon half with the whipped cream.
- Add sprinkles or your favorite nuts or seeds to the outside.
- Cut out a slice and enjoy!
