Watermelon Coconut "Cake" with Raspberry Filling

 

Note from Cheri: Chef Harry Schwartz developed this unique faux cake recipe for the National Watermelon Promotion Board, who shared it with us. This makes a spectacular presntation of a fruit everyone already loves. Try it at some of your summer parties and collect the kudos. Click here lots more information about watermelon -- recipes, carving instructions, nutritional data and more.

1 watermelon 3 cups fresh raspberries 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Serves 8. Cut the center 8 to 10 inch slice from a watermelon. Lay it down on a flat work surface and cut around the rind and slide the rind off leaving a cylinder of watermelon. Slice widthwise into 3 slices as you would a cake. Place 1 slice of the melon cylinder on top of a serving platter. Surround it with a ring of coconut. Place 1/3 of the remaining coconut and raspberries over the slice and repeat to form a 3 layer watermelon "cake" with the raspberries on top arranged attractively on the coconut. To serve, slice into wedges and present them upright.