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Refreshing Watermelon Novelty Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

watermelon novelty cake - featured image
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A playful and delicious watermelon-flavored cake with cream cheese frosting, perfect for summer parties and gatherings. The cake features a vibrant pink crumb dotted with mini chocolate chips to mimic watermelon seeds.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) fresh watermelon juice, blended and strained
  • 1 tsp red food coloring (optional)
  • ⅓ cup (60 g) mini chocolate chips
  • 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp fresh lime zest (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or line with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in vanilla extract.
  5. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined.
  6. Fold in watermelon juice and red food coloring (if using) gently with a spatula until batter is evenly pink.
  7. Toss mini chocolate chips in a teaspoon of flour, then fold them carefully into the batter.
  8. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth tops with a spatula.
  9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Start checking at 28 minutes.
  10. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
  11. For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
  12. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing on low speed at first, then medium until fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract and lime zest.
  13. Place one cake layer on serving plate and spread a generous amount of frosting on top.
  14. Place second cake layer on top and apply a thin crumb coat of frosting over entire cake. Chill for 20 minutes to set.
  15. Finish frosting the cake smoothly with remaining frosting. Optionally pipe small green frosting leaves around edges to mimic watermelon rind.
  16. Chill cake for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Notes

Toss mini chocolate chips in a teaspoon of flour before folding into batter to prevent sinking. Use room temperature cream cheese and butter for smooth frosting. Chill frosting if too soft before spreading. Cool cakes completely before frosting to avoid melting. For dairy-free, use vegan cream cheese and coconut oil. For gluten-free, substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free blend and add extra ½ tsp baking powder.

Nutrition

Keywords: watermelon cake, cream cheese frosting, summer cake, novelty cake, easy cake recipe, party dessert, chocolate chip cake

Find it online: https://lenatable.com/refreshing-watermelon-novelty-cake-recipe-easy-homemade-cream-cheese-frosting-ideas/