When outside is 95F/35C degrees, the last thing that you want to do is baking turning on the oven 😉 This Animal party watermelon cake is PERFECT for summer parties, 4th July celebrations or….for 1st birthday parties and allergy free parties all year around!
Easy to prepare (it’s just a matter of cutting and assembling..), healthy, refreshing. Doesn’t require any baking (yeah!!!) and you can prepare it the day before and store it in the refrigerator.
The idea itself of the watermelon cake was so interesting that I asked a foodie friend, Lainey from SimplyBakings, to come and visit me and have fun together preparing two different styles for the same cake.
On my side I decided to play with zoo animals cookie cutters and three levels of cake creating a 1st birthday party zoo animals cake. Lainey created a more sophisticated and elegant one layer cake using a creative layering technique. Check her recipe here!!
This is all you will need for the Animal party cake:
And that’s how simple it is to make it:
– Cut the two ends of the watermelon
– cut the watermelon in half
– take one of the half. Cut the rind with a sharp knife and try to keep a round shape as much as possible. My suggestion is to cut small pieces of rind at the time
– level the top if needed and trim the sides to obtain a nice regular cylinder, 3 inches height
– place the first layer of the cake on the cake stand
– cut the two ends of the melon
– cut the rind of the melon like you did for the watermelon, creating a cylinder 3 inches height. Trim the sides and remove the seeds inside with a spoon
– place the melon layer (smaller) on top of the watermelon base
– take the second half of the watermelon and create in the same way a smaller cylinder, always 3 inches height. Place it on top of the cake. Third and last layer done!
– in order to stabilize the cake and prevent the layers from sliding away, insert two or three long skewers in the center of the top watermelon layer through the whole cake
– For the decoration you will need very small cookie cutters (they are also called fondant cookie cutters). I decided to go for the zoo animal theme, but you can pick up any theme/shape you like!! Using the scraps from the fruit, cut out some melon giraffes and watermelon lions. From one slice of fresh pineapple create some elephants. Slice one kiwi in half moons and some strawberries in long triangles.
– start the decoration from the bottom: a green circle of kiwi half moons
– insert half wooden toothpick in the center of one pineapple elephant and attach it to the cake with a gentle pressure. Keep adding the yellow elephants
– place the blueberries all around the second layer
– attach the watermelon lions with the toothpicks
– attach the melon giraffes to the last layer. Place the strawberries on top creating a circular flower. Gently press down the candle in the center of the top layer
Have fun at the party!!!
and remember to remove the skewers/toothpicks before serving the cake to kids…and adults too 😉
6 Comments
Did you make this recipe? Share the love, tag @buonapappa on Instagram and hashtag it #buonapappa I would love to see your creations!
Cakespy
July 5, 2015 at 2:41 pmYou get clever points. Love this!
Barbara Lamperti
July 9, 2015 at 7:20 pmThanks!! b
Gayle
July 11, 2015 at 2:28 pmWhile I don’t like the cantaloupe/melon, I wonder if pineapple could be used for the second layer?
I’m always looking for new ideas to take treats to church for coffee and fellowship hour after the worship service is over. Several people have gluten allergies and this looks like a good alternative to the regular cakes.
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Barbara Lamperti
July 11, 2015 at 8:58 pmHi Gayle! yes, pineapple is a good substitution considering the shape and size. I would just suggest to cut out the central core with a knife as it is kind of hard to eat. Thank you so much for watching BuonaPappa and let me know if you like the cake!! ciao, b
Carolyn
September 9, 2024 at 4:33 pmHello! Is there any other alternative for the toothpicks and skewers? Thank you!
Barbara Lamperti
September 9, 2024 at 9:21 pmHi Carolyn,
good question! You mean to hold the decorations on the cake or in between the central layers?
Fruit is very watery and two pieces of fruit in contact have the tendency to slip away. But I understand your concern with toothpicks and skewers. When serving the cake I used to remove the pieces of wood and place the animal decoration on top of the slice. That being said, there might be an alternative that will be a bit less visually impactful, but still pretty. You will need to slice the layers of the cake at the same height of the animal decorations. In this way the animals will not be attached in the middle of the layer like in my sample cake, but you will let them sit at the base of the lower layer of cake. Gravity will help. On top of that I would pat try the fruit with a paper towel as much as possible and use some thick maple syrup or jam of your choice as a glue. This two tricks should work. In addition, choose cookie cutters for the decoration with a large base so that it will be easier to place them on the cake. For example I would skip hearts and choose flowers instead. Remember that the cake will be less stable than the one using the toothpicks and skewers, but it should still work! Have fun with the decorations.