Several years ago, there was a watermelon cake trend that involved peeling a whole watermelon and slathering it with icing. While these cakes looked beautiful, forming a watermelon into a cake shape and getting the frosting to stick to the sides is no easy feat! Since no Fourth of July Celebration is complete without watermelon, I came up with an easy cake that anyone can make. I used an extra thick frosting that holds well between the layers and cut the watermelon prior to assembly for easy serving.
WATERMELON BIRTHDAY CAKE
Ingredients:
1 watermelon (approximately 10 inches across)
8 ounces softened cream cheese
7 ounces marshmallow cream
1 1/2 tablespoons key lime juice
1 teaspoon key lime zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag (32 ounces) powdered sugar
Patriotic sprinkles
Sparkling candles (optional)
Cut two rounds of watermelon from the center of the fruit (one inch thickness). Stack both rounds together and cut into 8 equal wedges. Set aside. In a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, marshmallow cream, key lime juice, zest, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar until combined. Fill a pastry bag or zippered quart sized bag with frosting. Place 8 watermelon wedges on the bottom on a cake stand or platter. Pipe nickel sized dots of frosting all over the first layer of watermelon. Top with remaining slices and pipe additional frosting around the outer edges. Garnish with sprinkles. Top with sparkling candles, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings.
Notes: Leftover frosting can be thinned with a bit of milk, then used as a dip with cubes of the leftover watermelon. If you can’t find key limes, regular limes will work just fine.
