Baked Alaska Recipe
This Baked Alaska recipe layers buttery pound cake rounds and firm vanilla ice cream under a completely sealed, glossy meringue shell, then bakes for 6 to 8 minutes for a warm exterior and cold center.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Electric Mixer
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 6 3-inch rounds pound cake
- 3 cups vanilla ice cream ((6 scoops approximately ½ cup each))
- 6 egg whites (at room temperature)
- 6 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Set the oven to 425 °F and allow it to preheat. The oven should be fully heated before the coated portions go inside.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment and arrange the pound cake rounds on it. Keep the rounds separate so each portion has room for its meringue coating.
- Add one approximately ½-cup scoop of vanilla ice cream to each round, then move the sheet to the freezer while you make the meringue. Each scoop should sit securely on its cake and retain a firm, rounded shape.
- Whip the room-temperature whites with an electric mixer on high speed, adding the sugar near the end and stopping at stiff peaks. The foam should stand upright when the beaters lift, with a glossy surface rather than dry clumps.
- Retrieve the chilled portions and spread meringue over each one, pressing it against the parchment around the full perimeter. Check that no cake, ice cream, or open seam remains exposed.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, using golden-brown meringue as the finishing cue. Look through the oven window at 5 minutes and remove the sheet immediately if white droplets of melted ice cream appear at the parchment seam.
- Slide a spatula beneath each cake and transfer the portions directly to plates for immediate serving. The meringue should feel warm while the center remains cold and creamy.
Notes
Sealing tip: Spread the meringue down the sides of the cake and press the bottom edge firmly against the parchment paper around the entire circumference so hot oven air cannot reach the ice cream.
Meringue tip: Use a clean, grease-free bowl and beaters, add the sugar near the end of whipping, and stop as soon as smooth, glossy stiff peaks form so the foam does not turn dry or clumpy.
Doneness: Check through the oven window at 5 minutes during the 6-to-8-minute bake and pull the sheet immediately if white droplets of melted ice cream appear along the parchment seam.
Serving tip: Have dessert plates ready before baking and serve immediately after removing from the oven to preserve the contrast between the warm meringue and frozen center.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.