Baked Alaska is the ultimate retro dessert and deserves a comeback. Perhaps you’ve been reluctant to make it because it seems so complicated, but it isn’t that difficult! The delicious combination of light cake and creamy meringue is well worth a little effort.
Baked Alaska
Ingredients
Sponge cake
- 120g butter, softened
- 120g castor sugar
- 2 jumbo eggs
- 120g self-raising flour
- 30ml water
Alaska
- 500ml good quality vanilla ice cream
- 100g mixed glacé fruit, like ginger, pineapple, orange and watermelon, finely chopped
- 80ml raspberry jam
- 3 jumbo egg whites
- 200g castor sugar
- flaked almonds, toasted, for decorating
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a 31cm x 21cm baking tin with baking paper. Coat the tin with cooking spray and set aside. Line a 27cm x 15cm loaf tin with plastic wrap, coat with cooking spray and set aside.
For the cake, cream the butter and sugar, and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and add the water.
Spoon the batter into the baking tin and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Adjust the oven to 250°C. Combine the ice cream and glacé fruit in a bowl, spoon into the loaf tin and freeze.
Place the cake on a wooden board and spread with the jam. Turn the ice cream out of the loaf tin and remove the plastic wrap. Place the ice cream on the cake.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the castor sugar and beat until glossy. Cover the cake and ice cream with the meringue and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve immediately.
Notes
To drink: Two very different options spring to mind: sake (rice wine) for its simplicity, or Guinness, for its full richness
