It was R's 12th birthday and he had asked me to take a Baked Alaska on the camping trip "so that he could share it with his friends." No. Then he asked if he could have it for his family birthday dinner - at home. How could I say no?!?
Make the cake and prepare the ice cream ahead of time so all you have to do is assemble and brown the meringue before serving this dramatic dessert.
*Note: the photos of the Alaska (not the candles and singing) are from a previous post. Sorry, I didn't take any new close-ups last night.
Chocolate Cake Ingredients
- 3/4 C flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 t baking powder
- 1/2 C olive oil
- 1 C organic granulated sugar
- 6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 t honey
- 1 t vanilla
- dash of freshly ground salt
- 1/2 t ground cardamom
- dash of ground cinnamon
- dash of ground nutmeg
Meringue Ingredients
- egg whites from 8 eggs
- 1/8 t cream or tartar
- dash of freshly ground salt
- 2 T organic granulated sugar
Mix all the ingredients together and bake in a buttered pan for 30-35 minutes until the cake is set.
For the ice cream, I usually do this the night before: line a bowl with plastic wrap, press slightly softened ice cream into the bowl, cover it tightly with more plastic wrap, and refreeze. For this cake I used the coffee blast ice cream from Trader Joe's.
Once you're all set to assemble, beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and sugar until stiff peaks form. Line a baking sheet with parchment or heavy brown paper. Place cake in center. Turn molded ice cream out onto cake. Quickly and prettily spread meringue over cake - make sure to have lots of little peaks because that it what browns - all the way to paper to seal. Return to freezer.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the Alaska on the lowest shelf, 8 to 10 minutes, or until meringue is lightly browned. Serve immediately!
Happy birthday, R-ball!
A beautiful looking birthday cake. all the best. Blessings, Catherine
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