A surprisingly doable Baked Alaska: frozen brownie base, scooped ice cream center, and a showy meringue top that toasts (and can be briefly set aflame) for full effect.
Over the summer, my husband and I took turns taking our son out for dinner one weeknight to give him a break from (I mean, not to point fingers or anything) the occasional yelling/food-flinging dinnertime antics of The Interloper, a.k.a. his younger sister. On one of my evenings, he pointed to the top of one of the many mirror-covered walls at the restaurant with the menu scrawled over it and said “What’s a Baked Alaska?”
“Well, son,” I began because let’s not even pretend I don’t live for this kind of stuff, “It’s a dessert in which ice cream is wrapped in cake and then covered in a marshmallow-y frosting that’s toasted and then they light it on fire…” “CAN WE GET ONE OF THOSE?” Look, I don’t know what stuff you’re made of, but I consider telling a 6 year-old that ice cream wrapped in cake, frosting and fire exists but not for them is cruel and unusual punishment. And so we ordered it and I tried to warn him that they might not do the fire thing and maybe it won’t be as cool as I made it sound and then this happened.
Servings | Time | Hands-on time | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
8–12 | 8 hours (ideally 24) | ~1 hour | Moderate (multiple freezing steps + meringue) |
Only the finest in homemade ice cream: a giant sundae, melted chocolate and butter, one-bowl brownies.
“Mom, can you make me one of these for my birthday?” [Gulp.] “Sure?” [Note to self: Learn how to make Baked Alaska.]
Fast-forward a couple months and boom, his birthday week was here and somehow I hadn’t gotten far on this beyond thinking, what did I get myself into? I started looking at recipes that involved homemade ice cream and that’s great and all if you wish but as my son is perfectly happy with a good old-fashioned chocolate-vanilla-strawberry trifecta from the store, I decided to save my energies. Many recipes either had you make a cake from scratch or use a boxed mix or storebought pound cake, but we here have a fondness for frozen brownies (extra chewy and fudgy!) and my favorite recipe is one-bowl and so I made that instead. The frosting is just a meringue and we’ve totally got that down. Plus, I learned you can frost it and freeze it hours or days before you need it, meaning it was easy to get a lead on this. Wait, was this… easy?
Wait for it.
Birthday candle time arrived and the lights were dimmed while everyone waited for this masterpiece to emerge from the kitchen. My husband and I were frantically watching YouTube videos on our phones about how to flambé a dessert because — like everything else in parenting and also probably life — we had no idea what we were doing. The cake was melting on the counter. I was trying to figure out how to warm brandy without cooking the flammable alcohol off, and of course putting a lit match to a cup of alcohol is terrifying (I rather like my eyebrows and also my home). But it turned out to be a veritable kitten of a flame and you guys, it turns out if you set a whole cake on fire for a kid to blow out, nobody even notices that you forgot to buy birthday candles.
Now, I understand that Turning Seven and Setting Cakes On Fire is pretty exciting stuff. We could stop right here! But we’re not because I’ve been fidgeting in the background all month trying to figure out how to tell you something cool was happening but couldn’t decide how.
I have questions. You are what makes this site awesome. Without you, well, I don’t know what I’d be doing but it certainly wouldn’t be getting to write songs of fire and ice cream all day. Will you tell me something about yourself? Who are you? I’m assuming you’re on the internet for the reason the internet exists, to procrastinate — what does everyone think you’re doing right now? Most importantly: What’s your favorite thing to cook? Least favorite? (I’ll settle for an answer to any of the above.)
I wrote some stuff + Come watch me cook live today! Food52 invited me to be their newest Writer In Residence this month, which is fun enough, but given the big anniversary over here, I’ve been writing on the topic of 10 years of blogging, if you ever wanted to read more behind-the-scenes stuff. Here’s the first piece. Here’s the second and it comes with a… bonus demo! At 4:15 today (I’ll pause while you put this on your calendar), hop on over to Food52’s Facebook page while I hop on over to their offices to demo my Mom’s Apple Cake and take questions. (Stuck at work at 4:15? No worries — the video is available indefinitely for later viewing.)
A few notes: I had, as I do, elaborate plans for this. I was going to soften the ice creams and freeze them in layers that lined the bowl so when you sliced into it, you’d have arcs of ice cream and it was going to be sooo special. Then I did one layer and it was a mess (pulling up the plastic, melting off too fast) and said “AARGH!” and just started scooping the ice cream into the bowl instead — it’s 1) so much easier and 2) marbled and pretty. I’ll never do it another way. You can throw many other things into this massive bowl — fudge sauce (mint optional), butterscotch, salted caramel, rainbow sprinkles, cookie crumbles — to add texture and flavor, but you’ll also be just fine without them. We use a brownie here for the base; it’s a ridiculously simple one-bowl recipe and my favorite brownie. However, frozen brownies are definitely not the easiest thing to cut compared to a soft round of cake (this would be my pick if you want to go with cake). Be ready with a sharp or serrated knife. It’s totally worth the trouble.
While this could theoretically be done over a few hours, especially if you have a freezer that’s very efficient, I found it a lot easier to do over 2 days, mostly because every time you have the ice cream out of the freezer — first to scoop it into the bowl mold, next to unmold it onto the brownie base and third when you’re frosting it in meringue — your ice cream will soften and you’ll want to get it back in the freezer. You can also fully finish the cake long before you’ll need it; the toasted meringue keeps really well in the freezer, even for several days.
Item | Amount / Note |
|---|---|
Nonstick spray oil | To coat the bowl |
Ice cream | 6 cups (from 3 pints) — one flavor or a mix |
Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
Unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped | 3 oz (85 g) |
Unsalted butter, plus extra for pan | 1 stick (4 oz / 115 g) |
Granulated sugar | 1 1/3 cups (265 g) |
Large eggs | 2 |
Vanilla extract | 1 tsp (5 ml) |
Flaky sea salt or table salt | 1/2 tsp flaky OR 1/4 tsp table (≈2 g) |
All-purpose flour | 2/3 cup (85 g) |
Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
Large egg whites | 3 |
Cream of tartar | Pinch |
Granulated sugar | 2/3 cup |
Vanilla extract | 1 tsp |
Salt | Pinch or two |
Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
Brandy or kirsch | 1 oz (2 tbsp) |
Coat a 1.5-quart (6-cup) bowl (rim ≈9 inches) lightly with nonstick spray. Line it with two overlapping pieces of plastic wrap so there’s plenty of overhang to help unmold later. Scoop ice cream into the bowl in whatever pattern you like; use the plastic to fold over and press the surface mostly flat. Freeze this for 3–6 hours or overnight until completely firm.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a round baking pan slightly larger than your ice cream bowl (about 8–9 inches) with parchment and butter the paper and pan sides. In a heatproof bowl set over gently simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together until almost fully smooth; stir off the heat until completely melted. (Alternatively, microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.) Whisk in the sugar, then add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and salt. Fold in the flour until just combined, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, level it and bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean of batter. Let the brownie cool in the pan for 15 minutes, run a knife around the edge and flip it out onto a cooling rack. For easier cutting and handling, place the cooling rack with the brownie into the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm.
Place the brownie on your serving plate. Trace the rim of the frozen ice cream bowl to mark the circle you want, and trim the brownie to match — save the scraps (or don’t). Use the plastic overhang as handles to pull the firm ice cream out of the bowl and set it onto the brownie. Trim as necessary. Return the assembled brownie + ice cream to the freezer for 1–2 hours to firm up again.
In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until satiny peaks form. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time (spoonful, pause, spoonful, pause) until all is incorporated, then continue beating until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Beat in the salt and vanilla.
Spread the meringue in big, messy swirls over the frozen ice cream and brownie, building peaks if you like. Return the cake to the freezer as long as needed — you can serve immediately but it’s best to let it firm for another hour; you can also freeze it a full day before serving.
Oven method: Preheat oven to 500°F and bake the cake until the meringue peaks are golden, about 4 minutes.
Blowtorch method: Use a kitchen torch to brown the meringue all over.
After toasting, if you don’t need the cake right away, return it to the freezer; take it out about 5 minutes before serving.
The author notes limited experience and advises care. Warm a shot glass of brandy or kirsch by placing it inside a mug half-filled with very hot water for about 5 minutes (do not let water get into the alcohol). With an oven-mitt on the hand holding the warm shot glass and a lit match in the other, tip the alcohol gently toward the cake and light it — the flame should be low and blue. Drizzle briefly; the flame typically lasts 15–30 seconds and can be blown out or left to die.
Cut the cake in thin wedges with a very sharp or serrated knife because the frozen brownie is dense and chewy. The finished cake keeps in the freezer for at least a week; the meringue holds up surprisingly well.
Tip |
|---|
Use store ice cream scooped into a lined bowl — it’s easier and creates pretty marbling. |
Do this over two days if possible: freeze ice cream center, unmold and set on brownie, refreeze between steps. |
Freeze the brownie briefly (≈30 minutes) before assembling so it’s easier to cut and handle. |
Toast meringue by oven (500°F, ~4 minutes) or with a blowtorch — both work. |
Flambéing uses warm alcohol and open flame; it’s optional and can be dangerous — If unsure, consult a qualified professional. |
