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You can throw this cake together with minimal cake decorating knowledge. Plus it’s super cute! You could get all profesh and go the fondant route, but you don’t need to. This gets the watermelon point across fine!
Use any yellow or white cake recipe / even a box mix. Get out some food coloring and milk chocolate chips for the seeds. You can use store bought jelly for the filling. I used my raspberry recipe below, but store bought is fine (oh god I’ve become Ina).
When you add the filling to the cake, make sure you add a buttercream damn! Super important. Don’t add too much jelly, it will seep out. Refrigerate often between assembly steps. You can even freeze if you need to.
To get the darker green I used green food coloring and vodka. Get a paint brush or sponge that has never been used for anything other than food. If new wash well first.
Raspberry Jelly Topping
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp water
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan cook 1 cup of water, sugar, and berries. Let boil for 5 minutes.
- Smash up the berries.
- Press through a sieve and return to pot on medium heat.
- Mix 1 tbsp of water with the cornstarch.
- Add cornstarch slurry to berry liquid to thicken. Let cook till coats spoon.
- Let cool and store in fridge.
American Buttercream
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioner sugar
Instructions
- Cream butter until color is lighter and texture is smooth.
- Turn mixer to low and add in sugar. When well mixed together turn speed back up to medium.
- Add in milk and flavorings. Taste, add more flavor if needed.
Yellow Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease three 6” or two 8” cake pans.
- Cream the butter and sugar till smooth and fluffy. Should be lighter in color.
- Add eggs and yolks one at a time.
- Mix in vanilla.
- Add half the flour mixture to the batter and mix.
- Add all the milk and then the rest of the flour, incorporate well.
- Divide batter evenly among the cake pans.
- For 6“ pans bake 20 – 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean. For 8” pans 25 – 35 minutes. Cupcakes 18 – 23 minutes.
- Let cake cool completely before frosting.
