Baked Alaska
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate8
servings5
hours20
minutesTAKES TWO DAYS TO MAKE!!!!! I love this dessert as you know on the blog there is a recipe for individual Baked Alaska’s which I think I like better, plus the cake is chocolate. I have been making this recipe for years. I have the best Mother in Law and this is her favorite dessert so when I make for her I use coffee and chocolate ice cream but what also tastes delicious is chocolate or coffee ice cream with a raspberry sorbet. I have even made this in the summer for a dinner party and just used mango and strawberry sorbet. You can’t go wrong and you don’t need to have 2 flavors, you can use one. I made it at Christmas one year and surprised my kids with peppermint ice cream. Oh la la, so divine.
Ingredients
2 pints ice cream, softened
- Cake
1 teaspoon butter, softened
1/2 cup cake flour
Pinch of salt
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
- Meringue
4 egg whites
2 pinches of cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
- For the ice cream or sorbet, line a 7 inch in diameter bowl with plastic wrap and make sure there is over hang. Pack ice cream or sorbet into bowl, smooth the top and cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 4 hours or the DAY BEFORE. If using two flavors which I do, Place the stronger of the two on the base.
- Preheat oven to 325. Butter an 8 inch round pan and line with parchment. Sift flour and salt together a small bowl and aside.
- Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until pale yellow about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat for another minute. Stir in lemon zest and juice and set aside.
- Put egg whites in another bowl and with clean beaters on medium high speed beat until stiff but not dry peaks form about 2 minutes. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture with a rubber spatula. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture gently in 2 batches, being careful to not deflate the eggs. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan about 15 minutes then invert to a wire rack to cool completely and remove parchment. Once cooled you can wrap in plastic wrap and finish everything the next day or allow to cool completely and continue.
- Meringue
- Put egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and gradually add the sugar, beating until thick and shiny, stiff but not dry peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Assembly
- Place cake on a serving platter. Invert ice cream onto the top of the cake. Gently cover cake and ice cream with meringue and with a kitchen torch, gently and carefully brown the meringue. Serve immediately.
