Watermelon Fruit Basket Cake
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 12 to 14 servings
- Total: 3 hr 10 min
- Prep: 1 hr
- Inactive: 40 min
- Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 16-to-18-ounce boxes white cake mix (plus required ingredients)
Red, yellow and green food coloring
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 16-ounce tubs vanilla frosting
Juice of 1 lemon
Fresh fruit, for topping
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Coat a 4-quart ovenproof bowl with cooking spray. Prepare the cake mixes as directed; fold in 2 teaspoons red food coloring and the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared bowl; bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
- Put the cake flat-side down on a small cardboard circle. Trim 2 opposite sides with a serrated knife to make an oval shape.
- Cover the sides of the cake with a thick layer of frosting; cover the top with a thin layer (this will be the bottom of the cake). Reserve about 1/2 cup frosting for the inside of the cake. Freeze until the frosting is firm, at least 20 minutes.
- Gently pat the sides of the cake with a smooth paper towel to even out any bumps in the frosting.
- Mix 1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring with a drop of green food coloring and a splash of lemon juice in a small bowl. Paint the yellow-green food coloring all over the side of the cake with a pastry brush.
- Mix 1/2 teaspoon green food coloring with a splash of lemon juice in another bowl. Paint green stripes on the cake, then blend the edges of the stripes with the tip of the pastry brush.
- Put another small cardboard circle on the cake and flip it over. Carve out the center of the cake, about 1 inch deep, leaving a 1-inch border. Cover the center with frosting, leaving the border unfrosted. Freeze the cake 20 minutes.
- Use a paring knife to make zigzag cuts around the rim of the cake. Mound the fruit in the center, covering the frosting completely.