Baked Alaska
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Cut the cake into rounds ½ inch thick and 4 inches in diameter.
Place a cone of ice cream on each round of cake.
Top and bake
Cover the ice cream with meringue.
Brown quickly in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C).
Serve
Serve immediately, optionally placing a candied cherry in the center before or after baking.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Cake
- Forms a sturdy base that holds the ice cream and insulates it from the oven heat.
- Ice cream
- Stays frozen at the center, providing the cold contrast to the hot meringue.
- Meringue
- Its egg-white foam insulates the ice cream and browns quickly in the hot oven.
The step that matters
Brown quickly in a hot oven. The meringue must brown fast in a hot oven so the ice cream inside has no time to melt. A slow bake lets heat reach the ice cream and the dessert collapses.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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