Mini Chocolate Rasperry Baked Alaskas Recipes

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:

• For the Cake: Heat the oven at 350 degrees F. Break chocolate into pieces. Boil water and 4 ounces of sugar. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate, then butter and stir. Whip the eggs and 2 ounces of sugar with mixer just until it's fluffy. Add chocolate to the egg mixture. Line a sheet pan with parchment and pour batter in. Bake until cake is just firm yet still spongy in the middle. Allow cake to cool. Keep in refrigerator. Invert cake onto half sheet pan and peel away the parchment. Using a ring mold (about 2 inches in diameter) cut disks out of the cake. Keep disks in the refrigerator. For the Meringue: Place egg whites in a mixer bowl. Boil the corn syrup, sugar and water in a saucepan using a candy thermometer. When the syrup reaches 240 degrees F remove it from heat. Turn the mixer on to medium and pour the syrup over the egg whites. Whip until the mixture cools. Keep meringue cool in the refrigerator. Assemble: Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag. Center a chocolate cake disk on individual serving dishes. Top with a small scoop of raspberry sorbet. Generously pipe meringue around the cake and ice cream, starting at the outer edge of the cake, and working your way up around the sorbet to a dramatic peak. Once all plates have meringue, use a mini blowtorch to lightly carmelize the meringue (may be found at most cooking supply stores). Garnish plate with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings. Serve before your Alaska begins to melt!

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:

• For the ice cream: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush 1 baking sheet with almond oil; set aside. Place the almonds on another baking sheet and toast them until light golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water and cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until a medium amber color. Remove the caramel from the heat, immediately add the almonds and stir quickly to thoroughly combine. Turn out onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading quickly to an even thickness. Allow the brittle to cool completely. Coarsely chop and reserve. Heat the milk, cream and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the milk starts to simmer. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk until smooth. Place the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until pale yellow and ribbons form, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the stand and slowly whisk in the hot chocolate mixture. Pour the egg and chocolate mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened and the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil! Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strain into a bowl set over an ice bath and stir in the coffee liqueur, vanilla and salt. Stir until the mixture is cold. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and chill completely in the refrigerator, at least 4 and up to 24 hours. Pour the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. Stir in the coarsely chopped almond brittle. Spray a 2 quart glass bowl with cooking spray, line with plastic wrap and spray the plastic wrap. Scrape the ice cream into the bowl and smooth the top. The ice cream will not fill the bowl; you're looking for the larger surface of the ice cream to be about 8 inches in diameter. Press more plastic wrap over the top and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter 1 (9-inch cake) pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a baking rack for 20 minutes. For the meringue: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Fill a medium saucepan 1/4 full with water. Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring the water to a simmer. Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer and place over the saucepan. Whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the whites are warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high speed, whip until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the chocolate and mix until combined. Immediately fill a pastry bag, fitted with a #5 star tip, with the meringue.
• To assemble: Unmold the ice cream onto the cake and pipe the meringue onto the ice cream in a decorative fashion (or spoon the meringue over the ice cream and swirl with a rubber spatula). If the ice cream starts to soften, return the cake to the freezer for 15 minutes. Place in the oven and bake until the meringue just starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

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:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, then line bottom with wax paper and butter paper.
• Melt chocolate and butter in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring, until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and whisk 3/4 cup sugar into chocolate mixture. Whisk in whole eggs and salt, then sift cocoa over and whisk until just combined.
• Pour batter into baking pan, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely.
• Cut cake into 6 equal pieces, then arrange 1 piece in each gratin dish, trimming to fit. Top each piece of cake with a large scoop of ice cream (about 1/2 cup), then freeze, covered, just until ice cream is hard, about 25 minutes (do not let ice cream become rock hard unless making ahead - see cooks' note, below).
• Make meringue just before serving:
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until they just hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar a little at a time, beating at high speed, and continue beating until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks, about 5 minutes in a standing mixer or about 12 minutes with a handheld.
• Remove gratin dishes from freezer and mound meringue over ice cream and cake, spreading to edge of gratin dish. Bake on a baking sheet in middle of oven until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Spray 4 (6-oz) custard cups with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup sherbet into each cup, pressing firmly up sides of cups. Scoop 1/3 cup ice cream onto raspberry layer in each cup, spreading to edge and pressing firmly. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Freeze at least 2 hours or until firm.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch square pan with cooking spray; line with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper with shortening; lightly sprinkle with cocoa.
• In large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butter uncovered on Medium (50%) 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds, and then at 15-second intervals; stir until smooth. Stir in 1 1/3 cups of the sugar with whisk. Add whole eggs, one at a time, stirring just until blended after each addition. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, stirring with whisk just until blended. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the vanilla. Spread batter in pan.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until set. Cool 5 to 10 minutes on cooling rack. Run small metal spatula around edge of pan to loosen brownie. Invert pan on cooling rack; remove pan and waxed paper. Cool completely, about 40 minutes.
• Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Using 3 1/4-inch cutter, cut out 4 brownie rounds. Place rounds on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Remove ice cream cups from freezer. Run small metal spatula around edge of each cup to loosen ice cream. Immediately turn each cup upside down onto a brownie round; remove cups. Freeze ice cream-topped brownies just until ready to use.
• Heat oven to 450°F. In small deep bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Do not underbeat.
• Using offset spatula, spread meringue over ice cream-topped brownies, carefully sealing meringue to bottom edge of brownie. Bake 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Line 4 individual pudding moulds with cling film - brushing with oil first will help. Divide the ice cream between them, shaping so an even thickness covers the base and sides with a hollow in the middle. Mix the jam with 2 tsp of the kirsch, spoon into the ice-cream hollows, cover and freeze overnight.
• For the base, heat oven to 180C/ fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 20cm square cake tin. Reserve 2 tbsp of the almonds, then whizz the rest in a food processor until finely chopped and tip into a bowl with the flour, butter, beaten whole eggs and 100g caster sugar. Beat until smooth, then spread into the tin and bake for 15-18 mins until golden and springy. Cool on a wire rack. This cake will sit quite happily in a tin for 24 hrs, but stamp out the bases on the day or the edges will dry overnight.
• For the meringue, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then add the remaining sugar and continue whisking until the meringue is thick and glossy. Can be chilled for up to 5 hrs. With a 7cm round cutter or rim of a pudding mould, cut 4 bases from the almond sponge. Drizzle with the rest of the kirsch, then sit them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
• When you're ready to serve, heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Turn 1 ice cream out onto each round of cake, peeling off the cling film, then spread over meringue using a knife or small spatula until completely covered. Scatter with remaining almonds and bake for 3 mins until the tips of the meringues are just browning. Lift onto serving plates with a fish slice and serve immediately.