Watermelon Cake

I love this no-bake watermelon cake. It will really razzle-dazzle your friends if you bring it to a party or potluck.

It’s refreshing, satisfying, and sweet, not to mention visually stunning, making it the perfect dessert for a summer soiree or BBQ. Or, maybe just for breakfast…

You can see from the photos, I’ve already made it a few times, with different toppings.

From the outside, it looks like a regular ol’ cake. Creamy white coconut frosting and oodles of berries and almonds hide the fresh jewel red watermelon interior.

In a testament to mind over matter, when you bite into a slice of this cake, which is essentially just fruit and coconut milk, you really feel like you’re eating a decadent dessert! It makes a fun summer activity for kids and a sneaky way to get any picky, fruit-averse eaters to gobble it up.

It only requires a few ingredients and is simple to put together, you just need to plan in advance as it does require some refrigeration time.

When choosing a canned coconut milk for the frosting, it is important you choose a brand with a low level of guar gum, or otherwise, you’ll end up with coconut soup. Guar gum keeps the cream and milk combined, and for this recipe, you want them to separate. I have found Thai Kitchen’s organic (not regular) coconut milk tends to separate well.

Watermelon Cake

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1.09 from 12 votes

Servings6

Ingredients

Frosting

• 1 can coconut milk (can) chilled in refrigerator at least overnight*
• 1 Tbsp. coconut nectar or maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cake

• 1 watermelon about 5-7 pounds

Toppings (optional)

• 1/2 cup almonds slivered
• strawberries sliced
• blueberries (organic)
• melon balls

Instructions

• When you refrigerate the coconut milk, it will separate into cream on the top of the can and water on the bottom. So, immediately after pulling out of the fridge, open, spoon cream into a bowl, and carefully pour liquid into a separate bowl, to be used for something else. Do not combine the two, or get any liquid in your cream, as you'll end up with thin and runny icing (as evidenced in the second set of photos, with the strawberries on top..compare that to the thick cream in the other photos).
• Add the coconut nectar and vanilla to the cream bowl, and whisk all ingredients together with a fork until well combined. You could also use a bullet blender. Place back in the refrigerator while you prepare the watermelon.
• Cut the end off one side of the watermelon, to give it a flat top. Then, cut the watermelon in half, or, about 4 inches down from the flat top. Next, carefully remove the green and white rind using a knife. Slice the watermelon mound into a cylinder shape. This will be the base of your cake. It doesn't have to be perfect as the icing will hide any flaws. Reserve the other half of the melon for another use. You can use the cut away pieces to make melon balls.
• Pat the watermelon cake dry with paper towels. This is a crucial step, as otherwise, your icing will slide right off. Keep patting until your paper towels have very little water on them. Put in the refrigerator wrapped in fresh paper towels for at least an hour to chill. This also helps your icing stick better.
• Remove from the fridge, pat dry one more time, and then begin icing the cake. Your icing should be thick.** Press slivered almonds into the sides of the cake, and add melon balls, sliced strawberries, blueberries, or any fruit you desire to the top.
• Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*You must use canned coconut milk with low guar gum. I have found the Organic Thai Kitchen coconut milk to be the best for refrigerating and separating the cream. If you open the can and the liquid and cream are not completely separated, the icing won't come out correctly.

**If the icing is runny, that likely means the liquid part wasn't adequately strained. You can salvage the cake by putting one layer of icing on, refrigerating for an hour, and then adding a second layer. The toppings will cover it.

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vegan watermelon cake; raw watermelon cake