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Baked Alaska for the 4th of July

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Baked Alaska

I have an old friend that I’ve known since kindergarten (and that’s a LONG time) who lives in Louisville, Kentucky.  Sheryl and her husband (also from my home town in Maine) are both retired teachers.  Sheryl and my friends Diana and Anne and I were inseparable so we’ve been close all our lives.

She emailed me the other day and said, “We’re thinking about coming to Australia, when’s a good time?”  I was over the moon but only for a little while because I received another email saying that Dave decided he wanted to go to Alaska first.

I wrote back and said I’d love to cruise around Alaska but I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to trudge in the cold again.  I don’t miss Maine winters.

Then yesterday I received an email from my friend Australian Juliet who’s promoting Cruiseabout – cruising Alaska.  She asked me if I would share this poster with my readers.  After having just said this is what I wanted to do, I said yes without any hesitation.  I thought it might be fate and nobody wants to tempt fate.

Tantalise your taste buds with a Cruise to Alaska
Thinking about the USA and the upcoming 4th of July Holiday I wanted to make something that would tickle my fancy and sooth my holiday homesickness.  With Alaska on my mind, what else but Baked Alaska or as it’s called in Australia, Bombe Alaska.

Baked Alaska

This is the easiest dessert ever but there’s no mucking about permitted.  First you make the cake and then while the cake is cooling, soften the ice cream in the fridge.  Line a bowl with cling film and place the ice cream in layers and finish with the cake on the top.

How to make baked alaska

After a hard freeze and just before serving, make the meringue and then remove from the bowl and remove the cling film and cover with meringue.

meringue

Bake until golden brown or use a blow torch.  I usually put mine in the oven and finish up with the blow torch if I think it needs more scorching.

Bombe Alaska
If you’re really pressed for time, buy the cake and the ice cream and assemble.  It’s a gorgeous dessert and fun to eat.  Who doesn’t like ice cream and cake?

Baked Alaska

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Baked Alaska
 
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What a great way to celebrate the 4th of July with patriotic Baked Alaska. It's pretty much an assemble dessert
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 cake layer
  • 1½ pints vanilla ice cream
  • 1 pint strawberry ice cream
  • 5 egg whites (I made lemon curd with the yolks)
  • 1¼ cups caster/superfine sugar
  • pinch cream of tartar
  • food colouring
Instructions
  1. Make or buy one cake layer about 1½ inches thick
  2. About an hour before, place the ice cream in the refrigerator to soften.
  3. Line a bowl with cling film and place a layer of strawberry ice cream in the bottom, then a layer of vanilla ice cream and then take the remaining vanilla ice cream and colour it before placing over the vanilla ice cream. (or you could use a different flavour of ice cream.
  4. Top with the cake cut to fit the bowl. (it's okay to eat the cut off pieces with a bite of ice cream)
  5. Cover with cling film and place in the freezer until frozen hard.
  6. Just before serving make the meringue by whipping the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy and slowly add the caster/superfine sugar until all is incorporated. Whip on high speed until you can't feel any grittiness between your fingers.
  7. Preheat the oven to 500F/245C
  8. Remove the ice cream and cake from the freezer and invert on a baking tray
  9. Cover with meringue and swirl it with your spatula.
  10. Place in the oven just until it begins to brown, remove and serve. Place your knife in a glass of very hot water and it will slide through the ice cream with ease.
  11. It takes about 6 hours but most of that time is waiting.
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Happy 4th of July to my family and American friends!

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Comments

  1. Maureen, this is a fantastically, beautiful post. You are going to love your cruise to Alaska! I have been wanting to do a baked Alaska for months but it has not happened. I love this! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

  3. An Alaskan cruise? That sounds incredible 😀
    But to escape the cold, I feel like this Baked Alaska is the next best thing – absolutely delicious!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    Reply

  4. What a beautiful dessert Maureen. Call me a chicken, but I can only see a disaster in the works if I made Baked Alaska. I don’t blame you for wanting to avoid the cold. I was just saying after a trip to the lake yesterday, that it amazes me how many people you see enjoying the great outdoors here in the summer – but certainly not in the winter!

    Reply

    • It was so easy to make – seriously. Stuff it in a bowl and freeze and then whip egg whites. Bingo. You even get to play with a blow torch if you’re so inclined. I was. 🙂

      Reply

  5. for what it’s worth I would pick Australia over Alaska! 🙂 but that cruise does sound tantalizing 😉 I’ve never made baked alaska. Yours is gorgeous and you make it look so easy I think I may have to give it a try!

    Reply

  6. Baked Alaska or Bombe Alaska, the fact is the thing is to die for… A frozen mountain of deliciousness. The patriotic colors make this prettier. Wishing you and your husband an awesome 4th of July, Maureen!

    Reply

  7. Beautiful Baked Alaska! I always just love the mile high baked cream. Very brilliant idea to have the red white and blue ice cream inside. Just pinned and shared! Take Care, BAM

    Reply

  9. What a lovely dessert! You make this look so easy. I’ve never made Baked Alaska before but seeing yours makes me want to now. I’m sure my family would love it and what a fun dessert to serve and festive!

    Reply

  15. HAPPY 4th of JULY

    A Baked Alaska has been on my cooking bucket list (14/58) for ages. I may actually do it this summer as yours looks so very tasty.

    Reply

  17. Wow…friends since Kindergarten! That is awesome, especially since nowadays those life long friends are so rare, especially when it becomes so easy to lose touch with people and people grow apart. The Alaska cruise sounds enticing, especially while I am sitting here in torturous heat! The Baked Alaska sure does look inviting too. I almost feel cooler already after reading this lol.

    Reply

  18. I’ve never made a Baked Alaska, and almost never have eaten it. I gotta do it sometime — it’s pretty easy. We’ve done a ton of cruising (all on RSSC — great line, though pricey; and they do go to Alaska) and on some cruise lines (Holland America comes to mind) on one of the big gala evenings right before dessert they’ll dim the lights and all the waiter will enter the dining room with flaming Backed Alaska held high. Or so I’ve read — they’ve never done it on a cruise I’ve been on (mainly because it’s open seating — none of the mass seating that cruise lines used to be famous for, but seem to be getting away from). Alaska is a wonderful place to cruise — maybe the best way to see it. We did a cruise there a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Anyway, fun post — thanks.

    Reply

  21. Oh Maureen, your bake Alaska looks some delicious! I have not had baked Alaska in a few years, now you got me wanting to make it. Please send a big slice my way!! You should do the Alaska trip, you will love it 🙂

    Reply

  23. happy 4th of july maureen
    what a gorgeous post this is… i love all the photos and aahh i dream of a trip to alaska!
    isnt that funny? (I first wrote fanny:) ) I never knew we had a different name for it in Australia. or i just hadnt realised. have a fun day!

    Reply

  24. G’day! What an absolutely gorgeous Baked Alaska and Happy July 4th!
    Sorry your friends decided to go to Alaska instead of Australia!
    So when will you be off to Alaska? Hope sometime soon! Hugs!
    Joanne

    Reply

  28. Your baked Alaska is magnificent, Maureen! A great way to celebrate the 4th no matter what continent you’re on! Happy Independence Day, my friend!

    Reply

  29. Happy 4th of July holidays to you Maureen! Hope that the Baked Alaska has brightened up your day. As for travelling to Alaska, the cruise sounds like a great gourmet way of getting there… Wild salmon and Alaskan crab is infinitely better than plane food.

    Reply

  30. The prettiest and most colorful Baked Alaska I have ever seen! After seeing this I want one.

    I loved your friends poster cause I love Alaskan salmon and King Crab.

    Now I am hungry….wonder why.

    Happy 4th of July.

    Reply

  34. Happy Fourth to you Maureen! It’s my hubbys birthday today and I also made a meringue dessert, but in the form of a Lemon meringue pie. I should have checked this post yesterday and would have had a bit more American inspiration 🙂
    I’ve always wanted to visit Alaska, I was a huge Northern Exposure fan, and crab and moose sound yummy indeed!

    Reply

  41. That is pretty and simple … and a good excuse to use a torch, so why not?! Don’t think I’d try to tote it to a potluck, but it would draw plenty of oohs and ahhs here at home. 🙂

    Reply

  43. Love it, and, I’d love to go on an Alaskan cruise one day too! Funny story about Baked Alsaka…My dad {who is a physicist & likes to tinker with things} made one when he was in grad school and decided to freeze the ice cream w/ liquid nitrogen. He and my mom had a dinner party and served it to their guests {who were quite proper} and when he went to cut the cake, the ice cream shot out b/c it was so hard and went flying across the table 🙂 Happy 4th of July!!

    Reply

  46. That’s such a great looking Bombe Alaska, Maureen – I love it! I have actually never made a Bombe Alaska – what a disgrace. I hope your friends do come to visit you in Oz; that would be so special. I’ve always wanted to cruise through Alaska (in summer, only). I think that’s a terrific way to see such a pristine and beautiful part of the world xx

    Reply

  51. Love Baked Alaska Maureen! Your red, white and blue version looks spectacular. I’ve always wanted to make a huge one, like yours, but since it’s just the 2 of us I end up making a small one. Tastes great, but it just doesn’t look right. LOL When you come for a visit, I’ll make a really big one. Deal?

    Reply

  54. Love baked alaskas!!! The first (and only) time I made them, it ended up being a huge mess… Probably should have been more patient with the ice cream. Still tasted great!! And your’s probably taste great and the presentation is AWESOME!!

    Reply

  58. I have always wanted to do an Alaskan cruise but Adriano doesn’t want to endure the cold. I think the landscape would make it worthwhile. I love the sound of that foodie cruise. What a pretty dessert you have made and meringue is a special favourite.

    Reply

  62. It is so funny, I had never heard of this recipe up until a year ago. I love how gorgeous it looks, and it really doesn’t look hard to make. Perfect recipe to make to share the lovely cruise poster. Delicious, Hugs, Terra

    Reply

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