Mini Baked Alaska Recipes

Steps:

• Clear some room in the freezer to fit 4 dessert plates. Cut the cake into 1/2-inch thick slices. Cut out four 3-inch disks and place them on the 4 dessert plates. Place 1 scoop of ice cream in the center of each cake disk and place them in the freezer. One at a time, remove the ice cream from the freezer and encase the ice cream in slices of cake. The cake covering the ice cream should fit together nicely, creating a dome. Place them back in the freezer for up to 2 days. To make the meringue, whip the egg whites until foamy, then add the sugar, and continue whipping until stiff and glossy. Spread it over the cake domes with an icing spatula, leaving a relatively smooth surface. Push an eggshell halfway into the top to act as a bowl, which will be filled with liqueur before serving. Do all 4 domes, returning them to the freezer as you finish them. Transfer the remaining meringue to your pastry bag. Pipe meringue decoratively on the domes. Heat the broiler to very hot (or fire up your kitchen torch) and broil until lightly browned all over. Return to the freezer for up to 2 days, until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, warm a little orange liqueur in the microwave and carefully pour it into the empty eggshells. Ignite the liquor and carry it to the table. After the flame dies down, lift the eggshell off the Alaska with 2 spoons and pour the liqueur over the dessert.

Steps:

• Slice the cake into six 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut six (2 1/2-inch) circles--one from each slice--with an unfluted round cookie cutter, discarding the scraps. (You can also use a small knife.) Place the cake rounds 2 inches apart on a flat dish that will fit in your freezer.
• Soften the sorbet and ice cream just enough to be able to scoop them with a standard 2 1/4-inch-diameter ice cream scoop (15 to 30 seconds in the microwave works). Fill half the scoop with raspberry sorbet and the rest of the scoop with vanilla ice cream and place an ice cream ball, flat side down, in the middle of each cake round. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, until the ice cream is very hard.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• To make the Swiss meringue, place the egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the mixture almost constantly, until it reaches 120 degrees F on a candy thermometer and the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt and beat on medium speed for one minute, then on high speed for 5 minutes, until the egg whites form stiff, glossy peaks.
• Transfer the cake rounds and ice cream to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Working quickly, spread the meringue with a spoon or small spatula, making lots of peaks all over with the back of the spoon. (You can also use a pastry bag fitted with a large fluted tip and pipe the meringue thickly around each ball of ice cream and cake.) Be sure all of the ice cream is covered with meringue. Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until the edges of the meringues are browned, turning the pan once to brown evenly. Transfer to dessert plates, drizzle Fresh Raspberry Sauce around each baked Alaska, and serve immediately.
• Place the raspberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and the framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Pour into a container and chill. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to one week.

Steps:

• Prepare the brownie according to the package directions. Allow to cool completely; do not cut the brownie into pieces. Place the cooled slab of brownie on a flat surface. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 18 brownie circles; reserve the brownie trimmings for another use. Transfer the brownie circles to a serving platter.
• Put the marshmallow creme into a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with one corner snipped.
• Working quickly, scoop vanilla ice cream onto each brownie circle. Quickly pipe marshmallow creme in a swirl shape around the brownie and ice cream so that they are completely covered. Use a kitchen torch to carefully heat the marshmallow domes until just browned. Serve immediately or store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Slice the pound cake loaf into 1/2-inch slices. With a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut pound cake into 6 individual portions and place on a cookie sheet.
• Place a large scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of each round cake. Freeze cake and ice cream until very hard, at least 1 hour.
• While the ice cream freezes, make your meringue:
• Preheat the oven to broil and place a rack 8 inches from the top of the oven.
• In an electric mixer with the whip attachment, on medium speed, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Continue to beat and add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Whip until meringue has reached stiff peaks. Place meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
• Remove the ice cream from the freezer. Quickly pipe the meringue evenly over the ice cream, covering completely.
• Place in the broiler and broil just until tops are browned, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush the inside of 2 loaf pans (9 by 5 by 3-inch) with melted butter. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and brush again with butter. Reserve.
• Using a mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the butter and vanilla extract until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the eggs, 1 at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one. Lower the speed to stir and add the flour and salt. Mix until well blended. Pour half of the batter into each prepared loaf pan.
• Bake the cakes for about 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and a bamboo skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a rack and cool for 10 minutes. Then, remove cakes from the pan and allow to cool further on the rack. Serve slightly warm or use as needed.

Steps:

• Flatten muffin liners; place on a baking sheet. Place a wafer on each. Scoop 1/4 cup of ice cream onto each wafer; freeze., Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar; beat on low speed with a portable mixer for 1 minute. Continue beating over low heat until mixture reaches 160°, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat; add vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes., Remove baking sheet from freezer; immediately spread meringue over ice cream, sealing to edges of wafers. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until meringues are lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line a standard jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
• Mix the cake mix, 4 egg yolks, oil and water in bowl, blend for 2 minutes.
• Pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely before turning it out of the pan.
• Invert into a flat, clean working surface, carefully peel off the parchment paper
• With a 2 1/2-3 inch cookie cutter, cut out cake into rounds.
• Dust off crumbs and place on a clean baking sheet lined with more parchment paper.
• Top each cake with a scoop of ice cream and put the pan in the freezer until ice cream is firm.
• Leave in the freezer until just before you wish to serve.
• Beat 4 egg whites until soft peaks form, slowly add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until firm peaks hold.
• Turn on broiler (high heat).
• Remove ice cream cakes from the freezer and quickly frost with the egg white meringue.
• Insert pan into the broiler for about 1 minute, just until the meringue begins to brown. Don't let ice cream melt. Note: If you have a blowtorch use that instead. Serve immediately on chilled plates.