If you're like me, you are already living your tomato girl/mamma mia/Italian coast summer. I've got a tiny balcony garden with herbs and veggies, I'm only wearing light linens and embroidered dresses, I'm shopping vintage, and exclusively drinking spritzes at sunset. It's the perfect summer. But when I came across a watermelon cake on TikTok, I knew it would fit perfectly into my carefree, tomato girl summer I'm currently having.
What is a watermelon cake?
It's exactly what it sounds like! A watermelon cake is watermelon and other summer fruits cut and decorated in the shape of a tiered cake. It is not meant to be a replacement for cake (there's always room for dessert), but instead a fun way to display some produce that's a step up from a boring fruit tray.
How do I make a watermelon cake?
First, gather your ingredients. The nonnegotiable is a big watermelon. But for extra color, you'll need other fruit too like grapes, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, dragonfruit, or citrus. Then slice the bottom off of the watermelon and cut into thick slices. If you want the watermelon to look like a tiered cake, cut the first slice several inches thick and make the other slices gradually smaller. You may need more than one watermelon for this. Trim off the rind — you can use circle cutters, cake molds, or just your knife. Stack the slices in size order and use skewers if the slices slide.
From there, get creative! Cut your other fruits into various shapes for decorating, and use toothpicks to secure to the watermelon cake. You can make a cascading waterfall of fruit, add the pineapple top as a cake topper, create a fun pattern of fruit, or even cut of letters for a cake message.
How can I eat a watermelon cake?
You can simply slice it like you could any cake, just beware of the extra skewers and toothpicks, or just set up a table with plates, utensils, and extra toothpicks for people to serve themselves.