Hello there!

I hope everybody had a great Easter or Passover 😀

This year, my contribution to the Easter festivities was a Watermelon “cake”. It’s not really a cake…although it looks like just like one. Its a solid piece of watermelon on the inside, deceptively decorated. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest a couple of weeks back and it really intrigued me. I thought it was so clever and just had to try it. However, I slightly suspected it would flop. I thought there’s no way the whipped cream frosting will stay on but it did! My leftovers were pretty good-looking even the next day! Although, since its so quick and easy to prepare, I would make it the same day as my event. For one thing, I find that once berries are washed, they don’t look as fresh the next day.

So, forget about fruit platters and fruit salads…they are soooo yesterday.  lol Ok maybe not, but this dessert can definitely compliment a regular fruit platter or sweet table. (actually rather than complimenting it, it will probably steal the show.) 

I didn’t tell anyone that it was actually watermelon inside. For all they knew it was regular cake so I had my Aunt Melina , who was hosting yesterday’s party, cut the first slice – to do the honors…As I suspected, she was surprised at the resistance, guessed maybe it was ice-cream…Anyway, upon the discovery that it was watermelon, everyone was so surprised and were marvelling at it..and honestly I felt a little embarrassed to be taking the credit and compliments because it was so easy to prepare, way easier than real cake 🙂 It was fun and I really got the desired reaction 😀

However, this deception did not work on the previous night, when served this for the first time for our family on my husband’s side.  As soon as I put it down on the counter, my nieces exclaimed “Oh! that’s watermelon cake!!”

“How do you know??!!!”, I asked disappointedly. They had seen it on Pinterest of course. Darn. lol

Disclaimer: Although this dessert is impressive looking and great tasting, some of your guests may feel like they’ve just cut themselves a slice of disappointment, if they were really counting on a gorgeously mile-high vanilla cake. :/ 

 

 

Here is the non-dairy paleo version of this recipe: Subs whipped cream for coconut cream.  http://www.paleocupboard.com/watermelon-cake.html

 

Watermelon “Cake”

Ingredients:

1 Evenly shaped, large Watermelon, seedless preferably but it doesn’t matter if it’s not.

1 Container of frozen Cool-whip, thawed (1L)

Various berries and cut fruit for decorating

Tools: Large, sharp knife & paper towels

Directions:

Simply cut off the round ends of the watermelon. You will be left with a cylinder. Stand it up and cut the centre out of the rind. Discard the skin / rind.

Shape it with a knife, perfecting, removing any sharp edges and white parts.

 

Blot it (dry it off) with paper towels. Do it once all around, wait and do it again just before you frost with the whipped cream.

Frost with sweetened *whipped cream, top with berries and voila! 

*The whipped cream will not slide off provided that your cream is nice and firm and your watermelon was sufficiently blotted.

**I have discovered those hassle-free frozen tubs of Cool-whip. It’s perfectly whipped and sweetened. Nutriwhip works out great and its lactose free but tastes slightly synthetic and too sweet.  Whipping your own cream is ok too. Just make sure it’s whipped until you have stiff peaks and if you flip your bowl over, it shouldn’t move.

 

How to choose the perfect watermelon: 

Nope! Tapping it is not the way. 

Look for the pale part of the watermelon, it’s “underbelly”. (That’s where the watermelon sat on the ground while growing.)

If it is a buttery yellow color, then it was picked at the right time meaning that the flavor and ripeness should be right. If the spot is green or white-ish that means it was picked prematurely and may lack in flavor and is not ripe. If it’s a dark yellow – it’s probably overripe and too watery for this recipe.

Also the melon has got to be nice and heavy. This usually denotes juiciness. #whatilearnedontheinternet #allwatermelonsareheavyforme

 

Try it out at your next get-together!

Thanks for reading!

Steph xo