INTROTEXT
3 Melon Cake
No-bake cakes are hard to come by, and gluten-free desserts are even rarer. This 3-melon extravaganza manages to fit both categories, makes for a fresh summer treat, and is probably the lightest cake in the world!
Equipment
- Melon Baller
- Hand mixer
- Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 0.5 honeydew
- 0.5 cantaloupe
- 2 sprigs mint, chopped
- 1 lemon (juice & zest)
- 0.75 cup white grape juice
- 0.33 cup powdered sugar
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 watermelon
- 3 honeydew balls for decoration
- 3 cantaloupe balls for decoration
- 1 watermelon ball for decoration
- mint leaves for decoration
Instructions
- Remove the seeds from the honeydew and cantaloupe halves and use a melon baller to cut out several balls from the fruit. Place the melon balls in a bowl along with the mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, and white grape juice. Stir the mixture together and let marinate for 30 minutes.
- Beat the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until fluffy.
- Cut off both ends of the watermelon so that it can stand upright and then remove the watermelon rind. Cut it off in strips from top to bottom. Once the entire rind has been removed, use a long knife to vertically cut a cylinder out of the inner section. Make sure to cut all the way down so that you can pull the cylinder out in one piece. Cut a 1-inch-thick section off both the top and the bottom of the cylinder, place one of the pieces inside the hollow section of the watermelon shell, and push it all the way down to the bottom. Set the other piece aside for later. Dab the outside of the watermelon shell dry with a paper towel.
- Pass the melon ball filling through a mesh strainer and discard the liquid. Spoon the filling into the hollow section inside the watermelon and top with the other 1-inch cylinder piece. Carefully transfer the melon cake to a cake stand.
- Coat the entire cake with the whipped cream frosting and pipe a border around the top and bottom of the cake. Garnish the top of the cake with more melon balls and fresh mint leaves.
