Baked Alaska

Photo: flickr user stu_spivack

Ingredients

1 8-inch round cake (any flavor, 1-inch thick, unfrosted)

1/2 gallon ice cream (any flavor)

6 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

Grease a 7-inch bowl (large enough to hold 1/2 gallon ice cream, but not wider than your cake round!) with flavorless oil (see note above) or unsalted butter.

Let ice cream soften until it is workable. Pack tightly in the bowl. Return bowl to freezer until it hardens.

When ready to assemble, beat egg whites until foamy. Add tartar and whip until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in powdered sugar, a little bit at a time.

Place frozen layer cake on a plate slightly larger than the cake. Unmold the ice cream by centering it on the cake. If the ice cream does not release from the bowl, see notes.

Do not trim the cake. "Frost" cake and ice cream with meringue, covering completely, creating a decorative pattern by forming peaks with a spoon or spatula.

Bake in preheated at 450 degrees for 6-7 minutes until meringue peaks are golden brown.

Store in freezer until serving time.

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About

As a fun way of browning the meringue, you can pour brandy or rum over the Baked Alaska and (carefully!) ignite just before serving!

Notes:
When greasing your bowl, be sure to use flavorless oil such as: vegetable [canola, safflower] oil, cooking spray, walnut/grapeseed/coconut oil -- just be sure not to use olive/sesame/peanut or any flavored or infused oil!

If the ice cream will not release from the bowl, use a small culinary blow torch to warm the bottom of the bowl (while placed upside down over the cake + plate!) OR invert the frozen bowl over a second plate or cutting board, larger than the bowl, and briefly run the bottom of the bowl under warm water. To transfer to serving plate, replace bowl upside right (natural bottom down) on the counter, remove cutting board or plate and *carefully* invert serving plate and cake round over the bowl -- the easiest way to do this is by place your cake round over the bowl and then inverting your serving plate over the cake and flipping the whole thing over.