Recipe courtesy of Gale Gand
Baked Alaska
- Total: 6 hr 45 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 6 hr 35 min
Ingredients
1 quart chocolate ice cream
1 quart coffee ice cream
Sponge cake, recipe follows
1 pint strawberries, tops removed and sliced
Meringue, recipe follows
Warm glossy chocolate sauce, recipe follows
Sponge:
10 eggs
2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups sugar
Vanilla extract, to taste
6 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups milk
Meringue:
1 cup egg whites, room temperature
1 cup sugar
Warm Glossy Chocolate Sauce:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
7 ounces semisweet chocolate
3/8 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water
Directions
- Sponge: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, vegetable oil and sugar until light. Add the vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder. In 3 additions, alternately add the flour and baking powder with the milk. Pour the batter into a greased, parchment-lined jellyroll pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until it springs back to the touch. When the cake is cool, invert from the pan onto a piece of parchment paper. Halve the cake lengthwise. Place a 2 quart bowl on top of 1/2 the cake and cut around the bottom of the bowl. Reserve the rest of the cake. Set the cake round on a parchment lined sheet pan.
- Remove ice cream from freezer. Using a large spoon mound the chocolate ice cream on top of the cake round. Layer the strawberries on top of the chocolate ice cream. Top and continue to mound the coffee ice cream. You can make as many layers as you like. If the ice cream begins to soften too much, return to the freezer until firm and continue. Cut the remaining cake into triangles and cover the mound of ice cream with cake. Return cake to the freezer for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Meringue: Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. As soon as the meringue is ready, remove the ice cream cake from the freezer. Spread the meringue evenly over the dessert in a swirling motion or pipe decoratively. Return to the freezer for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
- Warm Glossy Chocolate Sauce: In the top half of a double boiler, combine the 2 chocolates over simmering water. Stir constantly until melted, then whisk in the corn syrup and water. Whisk until smooth and shiny.
- When ready to serve, heat the oven to 500 degrees. Remove the dessert from the freezer and place it in the oven. Bake 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. You can also use a blow torch to brown the meringue. After it is browned it's possible to freeze dessert again overnight before serving. Serve in slices with warm glossy chocolate sauce.