Strawberry and Vanilla Baked Alaska
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking.
A dramatic centrepiece of frozen vanilla and strawberry ice cream wrapped in cake and a cloud of toasted meringue.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Line. Line a 23 cm bowl with cling film, leaving plenty of overhang to fold over later.
- 2
Shell. Soften 1.4 litres vanilla ice cream for 15 min, then press it over the base and up the sides to form an even 2-3 cm shell, and freeze for 1 h until firm.
- 3
Fill. Soften 1.4 litres strawberry ice cream for 15 min and spoon it into the centre, leaving 1 cm clear at the top.
- 4
Cap. Cover the surface with trimmed slices of the 340 g pound cake, fold the cling film over and freeze for at least 3 h (up to 72 h).
- 5
Whisk. At least 3 h before serving, whisk 6 egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until frothy and doubled, about 1 min, then add ¼ tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt and gradually whisk in 200 g caster sugar until the meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks.
- 6
Unmould. Dip the bowl in warm water for 15 s, turn the dome out onto a paper-lined tray cake-side down and peel away the film.
- 7
Cover. Spread or pipe the meringue all over the dome in spiky peaks with no gaps, then freeze uncovered for at least 2 h until firm.
- 8
Brown. Heat the oven to 230 °C and bake for 3-5 min, watching closely until the peaks are browned (or use a blowtorch), then rest for up to 10 min before slicing into wedges with a knife wiped clean between cuts.
Storage
Freeze the assembled dome, before adding the meringue, for up to 72 h; once browned, serve it straight away as it won't hold once sliced.
Equipment
- 23 cm (3000 ml) mixing bowl
- cling film
- stand mixer with whisk
- baking tray
- baking paper
- a larger bowl
- palette knife or piping bag
- kitchen blowtorch (optional)
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 409 kcal |
| Protein | 7.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 56.2 g |
| of which sugars | 47.4 g |
| of which free sugars | 47.3 g |
| Fat | 17.6 g |
| of which saturates | 10.7 g |
| Fibre | 1.1 g |
| Salt | 0.54 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
