MINI BLACK FOREST BAKED ALASKAS

A baked Alaska is a deliciously retro dessert that involves covering cake and ice cream with meringue and then baking it just until the meringue is browned. You have to work quickly, but the effort is well worth it. This version uses chocolate cake and cherry ice cream to mimic a classic black forest cake.

Yield: Serves 6.

MINI BLACK FOREST BAKED ALASKAS

Ingredients

  • 6 short round pieces chocolate cake (each 3 inches)
  • Kirsch (cherry brandy)
  • 2 cups cherry ice cream, softened
  • 1 cup pasteurized liquid egg whites
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

Directions

  1. Lightly brush top of chocolate cakes with Kirsch. Top each cake with 1/3 cup ice cream and spread evenly, leaving a small border of cake uncovered around edges.
  2. Place cakes, cake side down, in a single layer in a parchment paper-lined airtight container.
  3. Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours or up to 2 weeks.
  4. Preheat oven to 500°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick foil.
  5. To prepare meringue, use high speed of an electric mixer and beat together liquid egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 2 tbsp at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.
  6. Remove cakes from freezer. Place cakes, cake side down, on prepared pan. Working quickly, spoon meringue, dividing equally, on top of ice cream. Using the back of a spoon, spread meringue decoratively over ice cream and cake, covering ice cream and cake completely.
  7. Bake until meringue is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.
Nutritional analysis per serving:

407 calories, 14.5 g fat, 8.4 g protein, 62.2 g carbohydrate, 0.8 g fibre, 356 mg sodium

Tip: For the pieces of chocolate cake, we baked a 515 g package of Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix in a greased 12x17 inch rimmed baking sheet lined with greased parchment paper. Cake was baked until a cake tester inserted in centre came out clean. Six pieces of chocolate cake were cut out using a 3 inch round cookie cutter dipped in unsweetened cocoa powder. Alternatively, use your favourite recipe for a chocolate layer cake and bake it in a greased large rimmed baking sheet lined with greased parchment paper.

In recipes where the egg remains uncooked or lightly cooked, it is recommended that pasteurized egg products be used. Pasteurized egg products, such as liquid egg whites and liquid whole egg, are available in the refrigerator or freezer section of most grocery stores. We used Burnbrae Farms Naturegg Simply Egg Whites for the pasteurized liquid egg whites in this recipe.