The Baked Alaska is said to have been created in the 19th century at a New York restaurant to celebrate the United State’s acquisition of Alaska from Russia. It takes inspiration from desserts covered in whipped egg whites from Europe.
As it happens, whipped egg whites (Meringue) is an excellent insulator and helps prevent ice cream to melt quickly.
Unless you’re making the cake base from scratch like I did, there’s actually very minimal baking for this cake. You can probably just get all the ingredients ready-made from the store, incorporating your favourite ice cream as filling and some sort of vanilla cake or brownie as a base. It’s super easy to make and will definitely be a show stopper at your next dinner party.
As its name suggests baked Alaska are usually quickly baked in the oven to toast the meringue layer. However I decided to make it more fun by using the blow torch and uhm… set it up on fire!
Baked Alaska
Ingredients
- 2L Ice cream of your choice
Pound Cake
- 100 flour
- 100 g sugar
- 100 g butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Meringue
- 4 egg whites
- 100 g sugar
Instructions
- Prepare an 6-inch round bowl by lining the bottom and sides with plastic wrap.
- Fill the bowl with ice cream. Smooth out its surface and cover it with plastic wrap. Transfer the bowl to the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Sponge cake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease and line a cake tin.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
- In another bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.
- Gradually fold the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the pound cake cool completely before using.
- Level the cake (if needed) then place over the ice cream and return to the freezer.
Meringue
- In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites using an electric mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form
- Gradually add the sugar while whisking until the meringue forms stiff, glossy peaks. Set aside.
Assembly
- Transfer the cake topped with the ice cream dome onto a plate, remove all plastic wrapping.
- Completely cover the ice cream and cake with the meringue, making sure there are no gaps. You can use a spoon to create decorative peaks with the meringue.
- Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F) or use a kitchen blowtorch. Bake the Baked Alaska for 4-6 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. If using a blowtorch, carefully brown the meringue until golden all around.
- Enjoy your Baked Alaska with its warm, golden meringue and cold, creamy ice cream inside!
Did you make this recipe?
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