This Fruit “Cake” Is the Ultimate Summer Dessert

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 mini seedless watermelons
• 1 cantaloupe
• about 1/2 cup yogurt
• about 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 6 to 8 small strawberries

Instructions:

1. Slice the ends off of the cantaloupe, leaving behind a 4 to 6 inch tall cylinder of melon.

2. Carefully trim off the melons rind. Clean up the edges to create a smooth cylindrical shape.

3. Turn the cylinder on its side, and slice the melon into 1 to 1 1/2 inch disks.

4. Remove the seeds from the centers to create melon rings. You will need two rings for the cake. Set aside.

5. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the watermelon.

6. Use the cantaloupe as a guide when cutting down the watermelon. They should be the same diameter around in the end.

7. Slice watermelon into three 2 – 2 1/2 inch disks. If one watermelon is not large enough, use the second mini watermelon.

8. Whip up the sugar and heavy whipping cream until it forms medium peaks with a hand or electric mixer.

9. Fold in 1 part yogurt to 2 parts whipped cream to make the filling.

10. To assemble, place one watermelon layer on a serving dish or cake stand, then place a cantaloupe ring on top and fill in the hole with the yogurt filling.

11. Repeat with the remaining layer.

12. Place remaining cream and yogurt mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a star piping tip. Pipe dollops of cream around the top edge of the cake.

13. Finish off the cake with strawberries on top of each dollop of cream.

14. Refrigerate, or serve immediately.

For the most part, all this cake requires is some basic knife skills to take it from the cutting board to the cake stand. Easy, right? Seek out a larger cantaloupe and mini watermelons that are about the same size. Then the prep is the same for each: Chop off the ends, remove the rinds + the centers and slice into similar-sized rings.

Stack your fruit to see if they line up. Ours just about does, but we'll still shave off the extra plumpness on the right side of that watermelon so that our final cake will look more cylindrical than lumpy. Pro tip: Save all those wonderful melon scraps for snacking or turn them into an awesome agua fresca.

Once your cream is whipped, the prep work is D.O.N.E! Now stack your slices sky high. Start with the thicker of the two fruits, place on a thinner slice, then add a generous dollop of whipped cream. Repeat the process until you’re out of slices.

Once you get to the top, transfer the whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe a few frilly dollops on its top. Finish with fresh berries (strawberries are SO good right now) and throw on some sliced almonds or coconut flakes for extra texture, if you’d like!

The Finished Sweet Fruit "Cake"

So sweet.