Baked Alaska: A Spectacular Ooey-Gooey Dessert

When “Baked Alaska” is made correctly; it is a spectacular dessert. When it flops, it is an ooey-gooey mess. The good news, however, is that even when things don’t go completely as planned; this is still the most awesome dessert ever. My version has a delicious brownie crust and then several flavors of ice cream molded on top. The crowning jewel of this dessert is a meringue which is spread completely over the ice cream cake. The entire dessert is broiled in the oven for several minutes to cook the meringue. Since the ice cream is encased in the meringue; it doesn’t melt. The meringue serves as an insulator. Eat it quickly! It helps to have some cooking skills to make this dessert. “I can do it,” I mused as I looked a beautiful recipe photo. Here’s my interpretation of the dessert.

Special Occasion Dessert

A special occasion calls for a special dessert. This occasion was the college graduation of our oldest grandchild. We had to celebrate with a special meal and dessert. I went all out and cooked some unique dishes. This included an all-morning shopping trip to an upscale grocery store in a Houston suburb where we were visiting. The grocery basket got larger as the day when on. My daughter-in-law that says I managed to get out every pot and pan in her kitchen for this meal with at least four loads of dishes in the dishwasher. It was quite a feast!

The menu was selected by the new college grad. (Assures that he will eat the food!) It included my favorite BBQ Chicken from the Shenandoah Valley, Mexican Street Corn on the Cob (Elotes), Cajun New Potatoes and Garlic French Bread with Avocado and Micro-Greens. I picked the dessert. This is the family which doesn’t not like cake — but they love ice cream. So, I snuck in the cake by making “Baked Alaska” — an ice cream cake dessert.

About Baked Alaska

For interesting trivia, “Baked Alaska” is an old dessert dating to 1867. Supposedly, it was coined by French Chef Charles Ranhofer, of Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City, to commemorate the purchase (or transfer) of the Alaskan territory from Russia to the United States for 7 million dollars. What a deal! The dessert brings to mind the wide expanse of the states from “cold” Alaska (ice cream) to “hot” Florida (meringue) and was first termed “Alaska, Florida.” The dessert features some sort of bottom cake layer with ice cream molded on top; followed by a meringue which is toasted in the oven broiler. It was a very popular creation; served at most trendy restaurants across the country. Delmonico’s was considered to be the finest restaurant in the states at the time. Ranhofer had a practice of naming dishes after famous people or events, especially those who frequented his restaurant.

Gradually, by the end of the century, “Baked Alaska” had lost popularity. Several venerable New Orleans restaurants, however, still serve the dessert on occasion. These include Antoine’s Restaurant and Commander’s Palace.

Recipe Inspiration

My recipe inspiration is one of those recipe cards from some sort of food vendor back in my catering days. The dessert looked so appealing; I filed it away for future use. Now, I have a special occasion.

The dessert is similar to several others which I have featured on this blog. This includes “Mile High Pie” served by the iconic New Orleans restaurant, “The Pontchartrain.” It also has similarities to my favorite dessert, “Banana Pudding with Meringue.”

Flexible Recipe

“Baked Alaska”is such a flexible recipe — all sorts of cakes and ice cream flavors can be included in the dessert. Just use your imagination and creativity. Plus, it is really not difficult to make — other than the meringue which adds a large degree of difficulty. This is a “plan ahead” dessert — the ice cream must defrost slightly and then re-freeze. Plus, you need to bake a cake. Then, the dessert must be served immediately!

The bottom layer is some sort of cake. Often, sponge or pound cakes are used. I used a brownie for the base. Who doesn’t like brownies? The next layer is a combination of ice cream flavors. The graduate honoree requested chocolate & peanut butter ice cream. I added vanilla ice cream because it balances the rich brownie.

For ease, I used a commercial box of brownie mix. The brownie batter fit perfectly into a 9″-diameter springform pan. Use your favorite brownie mix, and bake according to package directions. My new “find” is “Baker’s Joy.” This spray includes both oil and flour to coat the bottom of the baking pan. It is easy to use and the cake/brownie didn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

For the ice cream, pick several of your favorite flavors. Let them defrost slightly to soften. Line a bowl with plastic wrap which makes it easier to remove the ice cream after it is frozen. (Make sure the diameter of the bowl is not larger than the cake pan.) Spoon the ice cream into the bowl and press with a spoon to fill the entire bowl. This bowl used 2 quarts of ice cream. I used the entire (1-1/2 quart) of chocolate & peanut butter ice cream and about 1/3 of the vanilla ice cream container. Cover and let the bowl of ice cream freeze until solid — for several hours.

Meringue Top Layer

The tricky step is making the meringue. Meringue is simply egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar which are beaten at high speed until the meringue is firm and the egg whites become “stiff.” Easy? Ha, So many things can go wrong, here are several tips.

**Make sure egg whites are at room temperature, so get them out ahead of time.

**Make sure that not one bit of the egg yolk is mixed in with the whites when you separate the whites from the egg yolks. This recipe uses only the whites — use the yolks for another recipe of your choice.

**Make sure that both the mixer bowl and beaters are squeaky clean; use a medium-size bowl.

**Beat the egg whites on a high speed. When the egg whites begin to form soft peaks, slowly beat in the sugar. This can take 5 to 10 minutes.

**The meringue should be stiff and hold firm peaks when a spatula is lifted through the egg white/sugar mixture.

Finishing the dessert:

After the egg whites are beaten and the meringue is finished, remove the ice cream from the freezer. Un-mold from the bowl and use the plastic wrap to transfer it onto the cake. Carefully coat the entire cake/ice cream mixture with the meringue. The key is to insulate the ice cream dessert — the entire cake must be covered completely with the meringue.

Broil in the oven — about 6″ from the heat — until the top is browned. This should take about 3 – 5 minutes. Alternatively, bake the meringue at 500 degrees for 3 – 5 minutes. Or, brown the meringue with a kitchen blow torch.

Serve immediately!!! If all goes well, you have a spectacular dessert.

However, my meringue wasn’t quite stiff enough — and it slid off the dessert! This “Baked Alaska” was a “ooey, gouey mess.” Oh well, no one minded and the dessert was a hit. Brownies and ice cream — who will turn down this dessert.

And, it is the thought that counts. This grandson finished college in just 3-1/2 years. What an accomplishment. And he had plenty of accolades along the way — including making TeenVogue’s list of “outstanding” teenagers; the “20 under 20” list in 2022. Good luck in all his future endeavors.

I love ice cream desserts! Now I have another spectacular one to add to my collection.