Festive Baked Alaska Recipes

Steps:

• Line a 900ml pudding basin or deep cereal bowl with a double layer of cling film. Scoop the caramel ice cream into the bowl, patting it down well. Top with the conserve, followed by the vanilla ice cream. Pat down firmly, cover with cling film and freeze for at least 2 hrs or, better still, overnight.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Whisk egg whites until stiff, then slowly whisk in the sugar until firm and glossy. Slice the cake and arrange on a baking parchmentlined baking sheet, to make a round the same size as the top of the ice-cream bowl. Press together well to make sure there aren't any gaps.
• Lift ice cream out of bowl, remove cling film and turn onto the cake. Spread the meringue evenly over the ice cream and cake, making sure there are no gaps. Bake for 4-5 mins until nicely coloured. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
• Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and the egg yolks in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whisk, on medium speed, until pale yellow and thick, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla, and fold in melted chocolate just to combine.
• In a medium bowl, combine egg whites and pinch of salt in bowl of electric mixer; whip, on medium speed, until frothy. Add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar; beat until stiff. Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
• Carefully pour batter out into prepared cake pan. Bake until cake is set and top is dull, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack.
• Spray a 5-cup-capacity metal bowl with cooking spray; line with plastic. Pack base of bowl with pistachio ice cream; layer cherry ice cream over pistachio, then finish with another layer of pistachio ice cream (or layer ice creams and sorbets as you desire). Pack firmly, cover surface with plastic wrap, and place in freezer. Freeze until ice cream is very hard, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours in advance.
• Place cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Remove ice cream from the freezer, and invert bowl over cake. Keep the ice cream covered with plastic wrap, and return ice-cream cake to the freezer.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with an Ateco #5 star tip, with meringue; pipe onto ice cream in a decorative fashion, or spoon meringue over ice cream and swirl with a rubber spatula. If ice cream starts to soften, return cake to freezer for 15 minutes.
• Place in oven, and bake until meringue just starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Make the ice cream cake: Brush a 3-quart metal bowl with vegetable oil; line with plastic wrap. Fill the bowl with scoops of the sorbet, vanilla ice cream and half of the chocolate ice cream, alternating small and large scoops to create a mosaic of colors and shapes. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the ice cream; press down to close the gaps between scoops and even out the surface. Remove the plastic wrap, sprinkle the ice cream with the wafer crumbs and re-cover with the plastic wrap, pressing gently. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the wrap and spread the remaining chocolate ice cream in an even layer on top of the crumbs. Cut the pound cake into 1/2-inch-thick slices; completely cover the ice cream with the slices, trimming as needed (you'll use about two-thirds of the cake). Cover with fresh plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Make the meringue: Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar on high speed until the whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks.
• Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, then invert the cake onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (If necessary, let the cake stand overturned until it slips out.) Remove the rest of the plastic wrap and cover the ice cream completely with the meringue, making the dome-shaped top slightly thicker than the sides. Form swirly peaks in the meringue using the back of a spoon. Freeze for at least 3 more hours.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bake the cake until the meringue peaks are golden, about 4 minutes, or brown the meringue with a blowtorch. Let the cake soften at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Freeze any leftovers.

Steps:

• Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round mixing bowl or deep 8-inch square container with foil. Spread ice cream in container, packing firmly. Cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x8 inch pan.
• Prepare cake mix with egg and almond extract. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven according to package instructions, until center of cake springs back when lightly touched.
• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and sugar until stiff peaks form.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment or heavy brown paper. Place cake in center. Turn molded ice cream out onto cake. Quickly and prettily spread meringue over cake and ice cream, all the way to paper to seal. Return to freezer 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bake the Alaska on the lowest shelf, 8 to 10 minutes, or until meringue is lightly browned. Serve at once.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 20cm cake tin. Beat together the butter and sugar using a hand whisk or freestanding mixer, for 5 mins until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, then fold through the flour, lemon zest and milk. Spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth over and bake for 18-20 mins until golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool completely before starting the meringue.
• Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks in a clean bowl, then add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time while whisking continuously, until you have a thick, glossy mixture that holds its shape when the beaters are lifted away from the bowl. Quickly beat in the vinegar.
• Remove the ice cream from the freezer 10 mins before you assemble to soften slightly. Place the sponge on a serving plate. Spread the jam over the top of the sponge in an even layer. Scoop balls of the ice cream into a mound in the middle of the sponge, leaving a 1-2cm gap of sponge around the edge. Gently smooth the side and top of the ice cream with a palette knife. Spoon and swirl the meringue around the outside of the ice cream and cake base with a large spoon. Use a blow torch to evenly brown the outside of the meringue, if you have one. Cut into wedges to serve.