For all my American friends, this red, white and blue Vegan Watermelon Cake will be the healthiest dessert at your 4th of July party. It’s low calorie, low fat, dairy free and gluten free!
There are a lot of things I truly love about summer (you know, like ice cream, burgers, butter-soaked corn, beer), but the healthiest thing by far is watermelon. Watermelon is low in calories, and packed with antioxidants like lycopene which research has linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers.
While watermelon is fantastic just sliced up and slurped up, it’s irresistible in this red, white and blue vegan watermelon cake for the 4th of July. We all know that most 4th of July BBQs are all-you-can-eat food and booze fests. I get that it’s part of the fun, but it’s important to pace yourself. We’ve still got another few months of patio drinking, ribs on the grill and ice cream cones to get through. So if you’re heading to an Independence Day BBQ this Summer and you want to impress your friends AND enjoy something super light then you’ve GOT to make this Red, White and Blue Vegan Watermelon Cake. It’s a perfect dessert to please a crowd because it’s low calorie, dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free and OMG so good.
How to Make Vegan Watermelon Cake
I know this seems a bit miraculous that I’m suggesting you make CAKE out of low-calorie water-rich WATERMELON. But bare with me, mmkay? First, you’ve got to cut your watermelon into the shape of cake. This is probably the hardest part, but even if you don’t end up with a perfect circle- who gives a crap? It’s your cake. You do you. The cake will still taste pretty bad ass.
Next, you “ice” your vegan watermelon cake. I experimented quite a bit with healthy “frostings” and because I wanted to make this vegan I went with a dairy-free coconut yogurt and thickened it into a paste using unsweetened shredded coconut.
Then came the fun part- how to make it red, white and blue! I used a combination of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries for my red and blue, and the white was a combination of bananas, almonds and more coconut. Sprinkling the coconut onto the sides can be difficult, so I suggest you place a newspaper down and gently toss the coconut onto the sides. I also found that you can blow it on and it works A-MAZ-ING, but I maybe wouldn’t tell anyone you did that LOL Again, you’re cake.
Keep your eyes peeled because I will be joining Davida from The Healthy Maven to show you how I made this vegan watermelon cake in action, along with her healthy 4th of July treat!
Have you tried making a vegan watermelon cake? What dessert are you planning to serve for your 4th of July BBQ?
Leave me a comment below with some of your favourite ideas!
- 1 large watermelon
- 1/2 cup dairy-free coconut yogurt unsweetened
- 1/2 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
- 1 small banana very thinly sliced
- 6 strawberries halved
- 1/3 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/4 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced almonds
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Cut off the ends of the watermelon and sit it up straight. Cut the watermelon edges off to yield a straight up and down side all around. Then go around the sides you just removed and round off the edges so it looks a bit more circular.
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Pat the watermelon a bit dry with paper towel or a dish towel. Set onto serving platter on top of newspaper.
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In a small bowl, mix together the equal parts yogurt and coconut. Add a very thin layer on the top and sides of the watermelon. It may seem like more is better, but it will actually make it harder to decorate.
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Decorate the top of the cake with the berries. I added a ring of blueberries around the edge, strawberries on top, raspberries peeking between the strawberries and lots of blueberries in the middle.
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Lightly toss coconut in between any empty places on the top and all along the sides of the "cake".
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Add a row of alternating blueberries and raspberries along the bottom, then an overlapping ring of thin banana slices. Finish with thinly sliced almonds scattered throughout the sides of the cake.
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Refrigerate until ready to serve and enjoy crisp and cold.
Oh my gosh, is this beautiful? I’d love to bring this to a picnic or BBQ. I’m afraid I’d make it a pinstrosity, tho…
hahaha oh no no, you will NAIL it. I have a video coming out today with a tutorial
i LOVE red white and blue desserts. this one looks fantastic! love how healthy it is.
its so good too!! video coming out today with it!
exactly!! so good
What??? That picture sure had me fooled even after I read the caption. WATERMELON in the middle, oh my daughter would just love this, and hey today is her birthday too! hAPPY 4TH OF jULY!
you too!! that would make an AWESOME cake for a birthday party in the summer!!
This is one of the most stunning cakes I have ever seen!
thanks! and its so healthy too!!
How about we infuse it with vodka ;D
haha love this idea!!
This looks amazing! I’ve always wanted to try a watermelon cake 🙂
youll love this!! its so refreshing.
This is so creative and beautiful! I have to bring something to a 4th of july party and this would be perfect. though I have serious doubts mine would look as good as yours. 🙂
your friends and fam will adore this!!
This is so festive! I love it!
thanks Kayla! happy 4th of july!
That might be too beautiful to eat! Love it
almost too beautiful…
Oh how fun! What a healthy alternative to a cake 🙂
exactly!
OMG! This is soooo much fun. I love how fresh and festive it is for the 4th.
thanks Julie- enjoy!!
Thanks for sharing!
yummy!
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Love the post 🙂
Thanks for sharing my recipe 🙂
Ive just made this and i didnt end up with a soggy mess! Thank you for the salt tip it really helped. A fab delicious meal that was perfect for after yoga class!
Love the power protein duo in these tacos. I’ll take two!
I needed another vegetarian/vegan recipe for my meal plan for the fam this week – this is perfect! We pretty much love buffalo flavored anything.
Yes!! Me too!
Thank you for sharing so openly. I was dx with PCOS in 2013 when we began TTC. I had one child previously and went in with a strong suspicion I had PCOS. It took over 2 years and a lot of tears… I think in the end we just got lucky! I never felt like I was managing anything. Baby is now 18 mos and I’m ready to get serious about managing this disease. We can’t have more children for other reasons so it’s about so much more than just my fertility now! It’s about living a long and healthy life. Right now, at almost 300 lbs, that’s not happening! Thanks again for sharing, I really enjoyed reading and have some ideas to discuss with my doctor now! ????
Hey Emily. Thanks so much for sharing your story. It’s not an easy road, but with the right information and the right support, we can definitely live a long and healthy life 🙂
Yum! I love watermelon!
You forgot to add flour to the ingredients list for the recipe! Not sure of the quantity to use for the recipe but it sure looks delicious!
Love overnight oats! Will definitely have to try this one!
This looks absolutely fantastic! I never had vegan tacos before. It’s time to try it out 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Love all of these recipes 🙂
Thanks for including my recipe! Love all of these recipes 🙂