3 Tiered Watermelon No-Bake Cake

3-Tiered No-Bake Watermelon Cake

What could be more fun than serving a watermelon dessert that delights and dazzles!? It’s always fun to find easy ways carve up my favorite fruit, in these already warm days of spring and summer. Since it’s usually an expected and much-anticipated dessert at every summer event, why not take a few extra minutes and make it an awesome crowd-pleaser?

Watermelon is so healthy!!! How fabulous is it to learn that watermelon is not just a happy, sweet indulgence—this red juicy magnificence is loaded with healthy benefits! Let me repeat—NO GUILT!

Health Benefits of Watermelon

• one cup of watermelon contains: 43 calories, 0 grams of fat, 2 grams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber, 17% of vitamin A, 21% of vitamin C, 2% of iron and 1% of calcium.

• nutrient dense: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, choline, lycopene and betaine.

• super hydrating: despite being packed with nutrients, it is 92% water.

• loaded with anti- inflammatory and antioxidant properties: the flavonoids, carotenoids and lycopene in watermelon is well-documented as a neutralizer of free radicals and an inhibitor of many inflammatory diseases, such as stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction.

• lycopene: watermelon has 1.5 times the lycopene as the tomato–important for cardiovascular health and bone health. It relaxes blood pressure and improves blood flow and reduces oxidative stress causing osteoporosis

• reduces body fat: the citrulline, an amino acid, in watermelon has been shown to reduce the accumulation of fat in our fat cells

• muscle soreness: watermelon juice has been shown to relieve muscle soreness because of its content of I-citrulline, an amino acid that seems to protect against muscle pain, and potassium and electrolytes

• natural diuretic: help the liver process waste from the kindest while getting rid of excess fluids

• alkaline-forming: eating foods that help the body become more alkaline, such as watermelon and other fresh ripe fruits and vegetables, helps counteract a high-acid diet, which causes disease and illness

• eye health: the beta-carotene and vitamin A in watermelon helps protect against age-related macular degeneration and night blindness

We have all seen gorgeous ornate watermelon carvings that could rival beautiful sculptures—but what if you’re not that talented in knife-related artistry and only have 10 minutes to whip up something fun? Here’s the answer—the fun and fabulous watermelon tiered cake!

3-Tiered No-Bake Watermelon “Cake” with Fruit Decorations

–Ellen Francis, Vegan American Princess

Ingredients

2 watermelons, 1 large and 1 small
1 large package of blueberries
carving board and long knife
a handful of strawberries
any other fruit that is fresh and in season: sliced kiwis make a colorful contrast, blackberries, peach slices, cherries, grapes all would be wonderful additions, according to your taste

Directions

First thing to know, you will be creating 3 cake-shaped pieces of watermelon, in 3 sizes (large, medium, small). Two will be made from the large watermelon and 1 with the smaller watermelon. Keep all the pieces that are carved off to eat later.
1. On a carving board, take the large watermelon and position it so that the length of it is horizontal on the board. Slice off the rounded ends on each side, creating a barrel shaped piece.
2. Turn the watermelon onto one of its sides and now you have a “cake” shaped piece. With your knife held vertically, we want to carefully carve off the rind, leaving the rounded watermelon intact. Since you will be carving the rind off in a kind of circular motion, it needs to be done in several pieces—the rind can be taken off in as many pieces as you need to protect the roundness of the fruit underneath. After the rind is off, you should have a nice large cake-shaped piece
3. This large piece should be large enough to slice in half across the middle to create 2 tiers. (If it’s not, then you can always make a 2-tiered cake.) Now trim each piece so that it’s nice and neat and circular, with smooth lines and lays evens on the surface. Take one of those and cut it smaller so that it’s about an inch smaller on all sides than the larger piece. It should be able to sit onto of the larger pice with a ledge of an inch all around. This inch will e decorated with other fruits. This is not about being perfect!
4. Take the smaller watermelon and repeat the same process, creating a small cake-like shape. Carve this to be small enough around to sit on top as the third tier with about an inch of ledge around it.
5. Place fresh fruit around the bottom tier, along the second tier and on top of the “cake.” To create more drama and height, place the “cake” on a footed cake plate!