Make A Fresh Melon Cake With Watermelon, Honeydew or Cantaloupe

Make a fresh fruit cake with watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe that knocks the socks off anything you've ever seen. Chic, tasty and easy, these melon cake variations will get you eating fruit all summer. 

I wanted to create my own, unique, chic and appetizing melon cakes. You've seen all kinds of fresh fruit and watermelon cakes around the last few years I'm sure. Mine are simple, tasty and so beautiful they can be summer centerpieces.

Click HERE to see my Today Show segment on Watermelon Hacks for more summer fun! It's on my YouTube channel.

I don't cover my melon cakes with whipped cream

There's no need to slather a beautiful slice of watermelon all over with whipped cream. I wanted my fresh fruit to shine, and be the star of these summer cakes.

Made of nothing but fresh fruit and topped with some cream, nuts and coconut, a towering melon cake is a healthy but impressive treat at any summer event.

Making fresh fruit cake:

I was so excited to create tiered fruit cakes. They look so regal and glorious on the table, and so fun to slice into.

Follow the recipe to make all three fruit cakes, using watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe!

• One excellent tip: make these ahead of time, then top with cream just before serving. Simply assemble and wrap in plastic wrap until ready. 

Watermelon cake:

For my watermelon cake, I sliced a thick piece out of the center of a seedless watermelon and trim the rind off. Make sure to shape it into a perfect round by removing all the white rind.

Sliced strawberries make the perfect decor for the bottom of the cake. Lined up in a row, they compliment the color perfectly.

There's no need to do anything more! It's pure watermelon, ready to slice once topped with cream, some fresh raspberries and chopped pistachios for a little crunch.

I sweetened the cream with a bit of sugar. I always use fresh heavy cream and confectioners' sugar to make my whipped cream. It tastes so glorious.

Check out my Today Show segment on Watermelon Hacks!

Fresh melon cakes - Honeydew and Cantaloupe

After achieving the right level of elegance with my watermelon cake I simply had to do the same for my other favorite melons – honeydew and cantaloupe.

To make this honeydew beauty, cut a thick slice out of the middle just like I did with the watermelon cake. Again, be sure to round out the sides of your cake for that polished look.

You can easily scrape the seeds out of the middle. Fill the center hole with extra honeydew or grapes.

I wrapped the base in freshly sliced kiwi and stabilized the grapes on top with a thin layer of cream. Aren't those colors fantastic! I love the visual (and flavorful) appeal of the grapes. They make this honeydew cake blossom.

Try this grape slicer!

Tiered fruit cakes:

Nothing says finesse like a tiered cake. Simply adding a tier instantly transforms a fine cake into a sophisticated one and this cantaloupe creation is no exception!

Depending on how thick you want your tiers, you may need two cantaloupes.

Cut a thick slice from the middle first and then use the end for the top layer (or the middle of another, smaller cantaloupe).

As with the honeydew, scrape the seeds from the middle and fill the centers with extra fruit.

The bottom I decorated this melon cake with thin, folded slices of mango for an extra punch of sweetness.

Top this magnificent cake with some blueberries and shaved coconut to finish your fruit masterpiece. Stunning, effortless and healthy, this cake is the whole package!

More Watermelon recipes and hacks!

• 15 Watermelon Hacks and Tricks
• Summer Melon Dessert with Coconut Sauce
• Fruit Salsas for Summer

Fresh Fruit Cake With Watermelon, Honeydew or Cantaloupe

Tara Teaspoon

Forget covering your fruit in cream. Let those beautiful melons steal the show with simple decorations. Fruit cake has never been easier or more glamorous!

5 from 12 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 to 10 per cake

Calories 568 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Watermelon Cake:

• 1 seedless watermelon
• ½ pint strawberries
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 pint raspberries
• ¼ cup chopped pistachios

Honeydew Cake:

• 1 honeydew melon
• 1 kiwi
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup red grapes
• 1 cup green grapes

Canteloupe Cake:

• 1 large cantaloupe or 2 small
• 1 mango
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ pint blueberries
• Toasted shaved coconut

Instructions

 

Watermelon Cake:

• Cut a thick 3-inch slice from the center of the melon (to look like a big cake layer). Trim the rind from the slice. Place on a platter. Remove strawberry greens, then thinly slice the fruit. Overlap slices around the base of the watermelon. Whip the cream and sugar to stiff peaks. Spoon cream on top and sprinkle with raspberries and pistachios.

Honeydew Cake:

• Cut a 2½- to 3-inch-thick slice from the center of the melon. Discard seeds and trim rind, making the edges straight. Place piece on a platter. Peel kiwi, slice in half lengthwise and slice into thin half-moons. Layer kiwi along the bottom edge of the melon. Whip the cream and sugar to stiff peaks. Fill center of the melon with extra fruit and cream. Spread a thin layer of cream on the top. Slice grapes in half lengthwise and decorate the top in concentric circles.

Canteloupe Cake:

• If using a large melon, cut a 2½-inch slice from the center and use one of the ends for the smaller top piece. If using 2 small melons, cut thick slices from each melon for the cake. Discard seeds and trim rind, making the edges straight. Stack pieces on a platter. Peel mango and cut one side off the pit. Cut mango cheek into very thin slices and bend in half, layering them along the bottom edge of the cantaloupe. Whip cream and sugar to stiff peaks. Fill the center of the cantaloupe with extra diced fruit and cream. Pile blueberries on top and sprinkle with coconut.

Notes

•• The NUTRITION FACTS here are for one serving of EACH cake. Divide by three to get the nutrition for one serving of one cake, roughly.

• These "cakes" are actually made from pretty summer fruit. Just slice and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 568kcalCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 8gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 67mgPotassium: 1555mgFiber: 11gSugar: 76gVitamin A: 6650IUVitamin C: 155mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 2.7mg

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Recipe by Tara Teaspoon

I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes and food styling for magazines, books, television and advertising. Find out more about me!

Recipe Tara Teaspoon. Photography Johnny Miller. Food Styling Christine Albano. Prop styling Elizabeth MacClennan. Originally published LHJ 06/14