Watermelon Cake Food

WATERMELON CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch cake pans and a 2-quart (8-inch) metal bowl with cooking spray and coat with flour, tapping out the excess. Line the bottoms of the cake pans with circles of parchment.
• Toss the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of the flour in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, the remaining flour and 2 cups cold water. Beat on low speed just to combine, then increase the speed to high and beat until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add red food coloring to deepen the shade from light to dark pink (15 to 20 drops). Stir the flour-coated chocolate chips into the batter. Pour half of the batter into the bowl and divide the remaining batter between the 2 cake pans.
• Bake all 3 cakes until the cake rounds (not the bowl) are risen and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Remove the cake rounds to a cooling rack, reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and continue to bake the cake in the bowl until it is risen and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes more. Cool the bowl cake on a rack, then unmold all three cakes and remove the parchment from the rounds.
• With a serrated knife, cut the domed tops from all 3 cakes to flatten them, and dust off any excess crumbs.
• Remove a heaping 1/4 cup of the frosting to a small bowl and stir in enough red food coloring to approximately match the color of the inside of the cake. Place 1 cake round, cut-side up, on a serving plate. Spread a very thin layer of red frosting on the layer. You do not want the layer to be visible when you cut the cake, it is just to glue the layers together. Top with the second cake round, cut-side down. Spread with another very thin layer of red frosting. Top with the domed cake.
• Frost the entire cake with a layer of white frosting about 1/4 inch thick to make the watermelon "rind." Let the frosting dry and harden in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes
• Meanwhile, put the remaining frosting in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add green food coloring, about 15 drops to start, to make a medium-pale green color several shades lighter than your fruit candy.
• Smooth the green frosting over the white layer, taking care not to combine the two colors. Drape the green fruit candy over the cake, cutting to fit as necessary, starting in the center like spokes in a wheel to make the lines on the watermelon. Top with the black or brown licorice candy as a stem.

WATERMELON BOMBE

Steps:

• Spray a 9.5-inch bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside. Turn an 8-inch bowl upside down and spray the outside with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the outside of the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Prepare the vanilla mousse mix with the whole milk in another bowl according to package instructions. (The milk amount is reduced from package instructions.) Pour the mousse into the lined 9.5-inch bowl. Place the smaller bowl inside and press gently to spread the filling up the sides of the bowl until just below the rim. Put the bowls in the freezer until firmly set, at least 4 hours.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the watermelon cubes out onto the baking sheet in an even layer. Put in the freezer until frozen, at least 3 hours.
• Combine the frozen watermelon cubes, sweetened condensed milk and red food coloring in a food processor. Pulse to break up the watermelon cubes, then let the processor run until the mixture is smooth with a texture like soft serve ice cream. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix in the mini chocolate chips.
• Remove the bowls from the freezer. Remove the smaller bowl, revealing a well in the frozen mousse layer. Transfer the watermelon mixture into the well and spread with an offset spatula so the watermelon is smooth and is level with the mousse layer. Place a 10-inch cardboard cake board on top of the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer until set, at least 4 hours or overnight. This can be done up to 2 weeks in advance.
• When ready to decorate, prepare the Watermelon Mirror Glaze. Fit a cooling rack into a baking sheet. Put 3 ramekins on the cooling rack so that the cake can be elevated over the rack. Remove the bowl from the freezer. Discard the plastic wrap covering the cake. Invert the bowl and remove the cake. (If you have trouble removing the cake you can place the bowl in warm water to help loosen it.) Place the cake on the ramekins on the cooling rack. Pour the green mirror glaze over the frozen cake, then squeeze on lines of the yellow mirror glaze. Put in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before serving.
• Combine the corn syrup and 1/3 cup water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Put the melon gelatin into a bowl. Pour the boiling corn syrup and water mixture into the gelatin and gently whisk until the gelatin is dissolved.
• Combine the white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a double boiler and heat, stirring frequently, until the white chocolate is just melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the gelatin mixture into the white chocolate and condensed milk mixture and slowly stir until well combined and the mixture is smooth.
• Divide the glaze into 2 bowls, pouring 1/4 cup in one bowl and the remaining 3/4 cup in the second bowl. Add 1 drop of yellow gel food coloring to the bowl with 1/4 cup of the gaze and 15 drops of green gel food coloring to the bowl with the 3/4 cup of the glaze and mix until well blended. Transfer the yellow glaze to a squeeze bottle. Let sit until the temperature of the glaze is around 85 degrees F. Then it is ready to pour over the watermelon cake.

WATERMELON CAKE

Steps:

• For the frosting: With an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the cake: Cut off the ends of the watermelon, leaving the middle section; remove the rind. Pat the outside of the watermelon dry with paper towels. Set the "cake" on a serving plate.
• Cover the watermelon cake with the frosting. Press the almonds into the sides of the cake. Top with the strawberry slices. Cut into 6 to 8 wedges and serve immediately.

WATERMELON PULL-APART CUPCAKE CAKE

Steps:

• Reserve about 3/4 cup white buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Color about 1 1/2 cups buttercream deep green. Color about 3 cups buttercream deep pink, with a few drops of red added to make the color of ripe watermelon.
• Arrange 19 cupcakes in a triangle shape, starting with 1 at the top and ending with 6 at the bottom, sloping the bottom sides up to resemble the curved rind of a watermelon wedge.
• Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to dollop about 1/4 cup green buttercream on each of the 6 cupcakes in the bottom row. Smooth with a small offset spatula, covering the tops and sides (but not the paper liners), to make a solid line of green for the rind.
• Wash and dry the ice cream scoop and offset spatula. Dollop about 1/4 cup pink buttercream on each of the remaining cupcakes and smooth the tops and sides with the offset spatula. Shape the frosting on the top cupcake into a point to resemble the tip of a watermelon wedge.
• Wash the offset spatula again. Pipe a curved line of white buttercream along where the pink and green buttercream meet. Smooth with the tip of the offset spatula to make the inner white part of the watermelon rind.
• Press jelly beans in a random pattern to make watermelon seeds.

WATERMELON CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, gelatin, water, eggs and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. , Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Set aside 2 tablespoons frosting for decorating. Place 1-1/4 cups frosting in a bowl; tint red. Tint remaining frosting green. , Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup red frosting to within 1/4 in. of edges. Top with second cake. Frost top with remaining red frosting to within 3/4 in. of edges. Frost sides and top edge of cake with green frosting., Cut a 1/4-in. hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag. Fill the bag with reserved white frosting. Pipe around top edge of cake where green and pink frostings meet. For seeds, insert chocolate chips upside down into cake top.

WATERMELON CAKE

Steps:

• Set aside 2 tablespoons chocolate covered raisins.
• Prepare cake batter according to the package directions.
• Add 12 drops of red food coloring and the remaining chocolate covered raisins to the batter; stir to mix.
• Pour batter into two 8-inch cake pans that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, lined with wax paper and sprayed again with non-stick cooking spray.
• Bake according to package directions.
• Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• Divide the frosting equally between two bowls.
• Add the green food coloring to one bowl; stir to combine.
• Add the rest of the red food coloring (8 drops) to the other bowl; stir to combine.
• Invert one cake layer onto a serving plate; frost the top of the cake layer with half of the red frosting.
• Place the second layer on top of the first layer; frost the top with the remaining red frosting.
• Frost the sides with the green frosting.
• Sprinkle the reserved chocolate-covered raisins over the top to look like seeds.
• Serve.

GENIUS WATERMELON CAKE

Steps:

• -Make Your Batter-.
• Preheat your oven to 350°C Prepare 4 six-inch-round, three-inch-deep (6"x3") cake pans by spraying the bottom and halfway up the sides with baking spray and placing a baking paper round in the bottom.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine your eggs, 1/2 cup of your milk, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine your flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix on low speed for a few minutes until combined. Low speed is important here so as to avoid creating a burst of flour that will get all over your hair and maybe in your eyes, it is the worst.
• All at once, add in your butter and keep mixing to moisten your dry ingredients creating a crumb-like consistency, about 20 seconds. Begin streaming in your remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, half a cup at a time, continuing to beat on the lowest speed. When all the milk is added, raise the mixer speed to medium and continue to beat the batter for about 30 seconds. This process is important because it incorporates air into your batter.
• Scrape your bowl with a spatula, and then return the batter to low speed. Add your egg mixture in three batches, allowing each to incorporate fully before adding the next. Add 1 teaspoon of Watermelon food gel and beat again on medium for about 20 seconds. If you'd like to achieve a deeper color, add another 1/2-1 teaspoon of gel coloring and beat on medium to combine.
• Divide your batter between your four prepped pans and smooth the batter to level it. Bake for 40 minutes, then keep a close eye on your cakes for the next 5-7-you'll want them to bounce back when you press on the middle of the top of the cakes. You can also insert a cake tester, and it should come out clean with at most a few crumbs clinging to it.
• Remove your cakes from the oven and allow them to come to room temperature on a rack. Then, I like to wrap them up in plastic and put them in the fridge for at least half an hour, preferably overnight before I remove them from the pans. These cakes should rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours total before stacking.
• -Make Your Watermelon Simple Syrup-.
• Place your water in a medium saucepan and add your unwrapped jolly rancher candies. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the candy dissolves completely. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
• -Prepare Your Buttercream-.
• Whip up some Milkmoon Meringue Buttercream (recipe #536136), you'll need 2x the amount listed in the recipe. Reserve 5 cups of this buttercream for your filling, and set the rest aside.
• Combine the 5 cups buttercream with your mascarpone, beating well to combine thoroughly. Add drops of Watermelon food coloring gel until you reach the same shade as the cakes you baked (cut a small amount off the top of one of your cakes to take a peek at the color inside).
• Take 1/2 of your reserved white buttercream and add Super Black food gel into it until you achieve a strong black. Hot tip: this color will deepen as it stands. Set aside.
• -Prep Your Layers-.
• Start by trimming the domes off your cakes. We want flat disks of cake so we can accomplish a tall build!
• Now torte your layers out. Torting is the process of cutting a large cake into smaller layers, and I like to torte my layers super thin. You can choose instead to just trim the domes and leave the cakes as-is for a four-layer cake, or torte each cake in half for eight layers. The more layers, the cooler the seed affect in the slice reveal, however!
• -Build Your Cakes-.
• Prepare two disposable piping bags, one filled with your black buttercream and the other with your red. Cut off the tips of each to create a hole that is roughly 1/8 of an inch wide, fairly small.
• Using a turntable as a base, center your first layer on an 8" round cake drum with a small dab of buttercream in the middle to anchor the cake. Brush the layer with a small amount of jolly rancher syrup. Then, pipe a spiral of buttercream in the very middle of the layer, measuring about 1-1 1/2 inches wide. Smooth this buttercream, then pipe another spiral of buttercream starting about 1/8 inch away from the buttercream at the center, and extending all the way to the edges of the layer.
• Pipe your black buttercream into the opening left, creating a black ring in the middle of the layer. Smooth your red buttercream, being careful not to disturb the black ring. Place your next layer of cake on top, doing your best not to drag it around too much as you center it. Repeat until you reach your final layer of cake, at which point you can wrap the whole thing in plastic and refrigerate stack until firm, at least an hour.
• Remove from the refrigerator when the cake doesn't wiggle when you shake it, and place it on a turntable on the counter. Using a serrated knife, go around the cake trimming off those crusty sides. Wrap the nude cake in plastic, and put it back in the refrigerator.
• -Frost Your Cake-.
• You can start by crumb-coating the sides of your cake with a small amount of your white buttercream and refrigerate 10-20 minutes to set, or skip the crumb coat if you're confident diving right inches Leave the top un-coated! This will help with the watermelon slice illusion.
• Begin frosting your cake by placing about a 1/2 cup dollop of buttercream on top of your cake, and smoothing it out to the edges, making sure the buttercream overhangs the edges of the cake by at least 1/2 inch all the way around. Refrigerate until the buttercream is firm. Using a paring knife, trim the buttercream back so it's perfectly flush with the sides.
• To create the white layer of rind, place about two cups of your white buttercream in a disposable piping bag and cut a 1/4 inch hole in the end. Pipe the buttercream in rings up the entire cake, making sure to over-pipe at the top so the white buttercream sticks up in a ring around the top. Use a straight-edge to smooth your buttercream on the sides-I use a 14" quilting ruler!-and refrigerate about 10-20 minutes.
• Take your remaining white buttercream and, using mostly Electric Green with a few squeezes of Leaf Green to deepen, create a bright green watermelon rind color.
• Repeat the piping process with the light green buttercream, working your way up the sides and then smoothing them down. Put the cake back in the refrigerator to firm up.
• -Paint Your Rind-.
• Melt down your remaining green buttercream in the microwave until it's a paintable consistency. Stir in more green coloring, including a few drops of Forest Green to deepen the hue. Using a flat or fan brush, brush your buttercream up the sides of your cake, creating loose, imperfect stripes. You can go for perfection if you like! You'll get a more cartoonish, less realistic look to your watermelon cake, which can be fun too. When you're finished, put the cake in the fridge again.
• -Trim the Top-.
• After 10-20 minutes when the buttercream is totally firm, use your paring knife to trim the white and green buttercream down from around the top of the cake, making it totally flush with the smooth watermelon red buttercream on the top. You'll reveal a perfectly smooth watermelon cross-section that will have your guests scratching their heads!
• Pipe about eight black seeds in a circle around the top using an Ateco 8" round tip, piping teardrop shapes by piping a small pearl and drawing it to the center while releasing pressure on your bag.
• -Drumroll, Please!-.
• Create a picnic spread and get ready to blow your guests' minds-it's time to slice your watermelon! Using a non-serrated knife, line the point up with the middle of the cake and, holding the knife completely level, slice down in a clean, confident motion until you hit the board. Remove the knife, wipe with a paper towel, and repeat to cut a slice that is perhaps 1/4-1/5 of the entire cake if you want it to be able to stand freely. Then, push an offset spatula under the slice, and lift up, using your other hand to stabilize the top of the slice. Pop the slice out from the bottom up, and remove to reveal... a slice of watermelon, complete with seeds and a perfect rind!
• Enjoy!