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mom's baked alaska

(1 rating)
frenchtutor avatar
Recipe by
Susan Feliciano
@frenchtutor
Oak Ridge, TN

This recipe came from a very old (1953) Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook of my mother's. The picture is not mine - but the cake in the picture can also be achieved. I give the directions after the directions for my mother's recipe. My mother's 1950's recipe made a rectangular dessert, as was traditional when this cake became popular. It gave the cook a way to show off her new freezer capabilities, back when frozen foods and the newer home refrigerator-freezers were in their infancy.

(1 rating)
yield 8 - 10
prep time 20 Min
cook time 5 Min
method Refrigerate/Freeze

Ingredients For mom's baked alaska

  • 1 lg
    slice of sponge or layer cake - 1 inch thick, and 1 inch larger all around than your block of ice cream.
  • 1 qt
    brick style ice cream (neopolitan is traditional)
  • 5
    egg whites
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp
    cream of tartar
  • 2/3 c
    sugar

How To Make mom's baked alaska

  • 1
    Trim a 1-inch-thick piece of sponge or layer cake to be 1 inch larger on all sides than 1 quart of brick-style ice cream. If using 1/2 gallon ice cream, cut in half lengthwise and reserve other half for another use. (She used neopolitan for this cake.)
  • 2
    Center the block of ice cream on the cake. Cover and freeze until very firm.
  • 3
    At serving time, beat 5 egg whites with 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar till soft peaks form. Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar, beating till stiff peaks form. Transfer cake with ice cream to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread with the meringue mixture, sealing to edges of cake all around. Swirl to make peaks.
  • 4
    Bake at 500° till golden, about 3 minutes. Slice and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
  • 5
    To make the round cake in the picture: Use a brownie mix in a 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan. Cut out a round piece of the brownie to be 1 inch bigger all around than a medium mixing bowl. Wrap securely and store until ready to assemble. In the medium mixing bowl, spoon the softened neopolitan ice cream in layers - a layer of vanilla, then chocolate, then strawberry. Level off flat (this becomes the bottom of the ice cream mound). Use about 2/3 of a half-gallon of ice cream. Cover and freeze firm. Beat 5 egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and sugar to a meringue exactly as in directions above. To assemble: Preheat oven to 500°. Place brownie layer on a parchment-lined round pizza pan. Dip bowl of ice cream into warm water for a few seconds to loosen, then turn out onto the brownie layer and center it. Cover with the meringue by piping on with a star-tip applicator, and proceed as in step 4, above.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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