Christmas Baked Alaska
From Recidemia
Ingredients
Sponge cake base
Meringue
Procedures
- Leave the ice cream in room temperature for an hour to soften.
- For the sponge base: In a small sauce pan, bring a cup of water to simmer over low heat.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (or 210°C).
- Beat the eggs and Sugar in a small steel mixing bowl over the simmering water (double boiler), until the temperature reaches about 110 – 120°F (or 40 – 45°C).
- Remove from heat.
- Continue beating until light and creamy - until it cools down again.
- Add the flour and starch, then fold gently. Be careful not to overmix.
- On a greased baking pan, line up a sheet of silicon or wax paper.
- Spread the sponge base mixture thin over the sheet of silicon or wax paper.
- The shape is not important as this will just be the cake base that will be hidden by the meringue.
- A rough rectangle will be okay.
- Bake quickly in the oven for about 4 – 5 minutes, then remove from oven and let it cool.
- The cake should come off the paper quite easily.
- In your choice of mold (we used an oblong-shaped mold - see picture), cover the bottom and sides with pieces of the cake.
- Put in the softened ice cream to fill the mold.
- Cover the top with cake, then freeze for about 3 hours.
- Prepare the meringue by beating the egg whites with the confectioners Sugar until stiff.
- Place in a piping bag.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (210°C).
- Unmold the frozen cake-ice cream on a baking tray.
- Pipe the meringue mixture all around to completely cover the cake-ice cream.
- You can make shapes with the meringue.
- When completely covered with the meringue, put it in the oven to bake for 2 – 4 minutes.
- The meringue surface will bake very quickly, and the edges will start to brown.
- When the edges have browned enough, remove from the oven.
- The meringue surface will be baked, while the ice cream inside remains frozen.
- Decorate with cherries or candies, then serve.
