Watermelon Birthday Cake
When you have one week until your fight and you have the BEST girlfriend around....
No one wants a birthday without a birthday cake!
Daron has 1 week until his fight for the UFC. He currently weighs 172lbs and has to be 155lb in 7 days! He follows a very strict diet at this time of fight camp with absolutely no allowance for a birthday cake. After a bit of research, I came across a fruit filled birthday cake- with no cake- just fruit ;-)
THANK YOU PALEOCUPBOARD FOR THIS AWESOME IDEA!
Ingredients: - 1 large seedless watermelon - 2 cans full fat coconut milk (left in fridge for 6 hours or more) - 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract - 1 Tbsp. raw honey - 1 cup sliced almonds or shredded coconut - Seasonal fresh fruit (for topping) Directions: TO MAKE THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM 1. Make sure to place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (or overnight). This will cause the cream to separate from the milk. The cream will be at the top of the can. 2. Open the can of coconut milk and scrape out the cream into a medium sized bowl. Hint: I always open the can from the bottom and pour the milk out into a separate container before scraping out the cream. You can use the saved milk for smoothies and other recipes. 3. Add the vanilla and raw honey to the mixture. Whip the cream with a hand mixer on medium speed and work your way up to high speed until the cream is fluffy, about 5 minutes (it will not be as fluffy as dairy whipped cream). Place the bowl of whipped cream in the fridge until ready to use. TO MAKE THE TOASTED ALMONDS OR COCONUT: 1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat and allow the pan to get hot. 2. Add the sliced almonds or shredded coconut and toss in the pan until they are toasted and turn a light brown color. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
** OR DO IT MY WAY, AND GO OUT AND BUY SOME :-P TO ASSEMBLE 1. Remove the top and bottom from the watermelon and remove the rind from the middle section. You should be left with a cake-shaped piece of watermelon. Cut the watermelon "cake" into the number of wedges/slices you want. I recommend 6-8 slices depending on the size of the watermelon. (See below for a visual on how to cut the watermelon!). NOTE: You can leave the watermelon intact if you plan on traveling with it or do not want to cut it. Slicing a cake ahead of time just makes it much easier to dip the edges into the icing and then into anything else you want to adhere to the icing, such as the almonds or toasted coconut. 2. Pat the outside of the watermelon dry with paper towels (this is important because it will help the coconut whipped cream adhere better). 3. Dip the outside edge of each slice into the coconut whipped cream and then into the toasted almonds or coconut, and reassemble the wedges into the cake shape on a serving platter. Top with more whipped coconut cream and your favorite fresh fruit (I used blackberries, strawberries and kiwi). Serve or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
