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Festive Baked Alaska

This gloriously squidgy hot and cold ice cream bombe with meringue uses up leftover Christmas cake

By bbcgoodfood · From Open Recipes · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Cherry and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 890 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

The recipe

Serves 8
Prep30 min
Cook5 min

Ingredients

Contains: egg, milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Cut the Christmas cake into a round about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, and set it on a baking sheet or heatproof board.

  2. Spread the black cherry conserve evenly over the top of the cake, leaving a small border.

  3. Soften the caramel ice cream slightly, then spread or scoop it over the conserve in an even layer. Freeze for 15 minutes.

  4. Scoop the vanilla ice cream into a dome on top of the caramel layer, smoothing it so the surface is even. Freeze until very firm, at least 1 hour.

  5. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until foamy. Gradually add the caster sugar, beating until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

  6. Working quickly, spread the meringue over the ice cream and down the sides, sealing the cake and ice cream completely to the base.

  7. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the meringue is golden brown and set. Serve immediately.

By bbcgoodfood. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

  1. Cherry + vanillatop 2% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together890 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Vanilla + sugartop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlaplow
    Mentioned together35,031 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Cream + sugartop 5% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together43,437 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  4. Cream + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Aroma overlaplow
    Mentioned together12,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  5. Egg + sugartop 10% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together122,252 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Vanilla and sugar share little aroma chemistry, yet 35,031 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Flavor stand-ins for the cherry

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, vanilla, egg, sugar):

  1. Strawberrybetter flavor fit
  2. Raspberrybetter flavor fit
  3. Figbetter flavor fit
  4. Cherrythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cream, vanilla, egg, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).