Baked Alaska is a show-stopping dessert! It tastes as good as it looks! This cake will be enjoyed by everyone and will be a family favorite!
When it comes to Frozen Desserts, it’s hard to think of anything more eye-catching than a Baked Alaska making this dish the perfect finishing touch to a special occasion! Try out my Ice Cream Cake and Frozen Mud Pie too!
Sabrina’s Baked Alaska Recipe
This is probably one of the most impressive ice cream desserts you’ll ever make. Baked Alaska is made with a cake base, layers of ice cream, and a browned meringue topping. The beautiful meringue and distinct layers in every slice make it look intimidating, but you don’t have to be a world-class chef to make this recipe. In fact, you’ll be amazed at just how easy the directions are!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 cups Strawberry Ice Cream
- 2 cups Vanilla Ice Cream
- 4 cups Chocolate Ice Cream
- 1 loaf Pound Cake
For the Meringue:
- 6 large egg whites , room temperature
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Spray a 3-quart bowl with vegetable oil spray and line with plastic wrap.
- Add the strawberry ice cream and smooth into an even layer.
- Add the vanilla ice cream and smooth into an even layer.
- Add the chocolate ice cream and smooth into an even layer.
- Cut the pound cake into 1 inch slices and cover the top of the ice cream completely with cake.
- Fold plastic wrap over the top of the slices and if needed add an additional piece of plastic wrap to cover completely.
- Freeze for 4 hours.
For the Meringue:
- To your stand mixer add the egg whites and cream of tartar.
- Beat on medium-high speed until foamy then add in the sugar ¼ cup at a time until it holds stiff peaks and is shiny.
To Finish:
- Remove the plastic-wrapped ice cream from the bowl and unwrap.
- Place onto a baking sheet, loaf cake side down.
- Add meringue to the top and sides in a swirly fashion making small peaks.
- Freeze for 4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
- Bake for 3-5 minutes until just browned.
- Let cake sit for 5 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Chef’s Note
Baked Alaska needs a lot of time to set in the freezer before you can serve it. So, I like to get started well in advance (sometimes a day before) and make sure I have enough time for all the steps. Other than that, it’s a simple matter of layering the ice cream, adding the cake, and then finishing the dish off with meringue.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Baked Alaska is a classic dessert that combines contrasting textures and temperatures in one stunning dish. The magic comes from the meringue, which acts as an insulator, protecting the ice cream from the heat. The result is a dessert that’s warm and lightly toasted on the outside with a cold, creamy center that tastes amazing!
How to Store
- Serve: After browning the meringue topping in the oven, give the dish 5 minutes to set before you slice and serve it. The ice cream will melt fairly quickly, so don’t leave Baked Alaska out of the freezer for more than half an hour.
- Freeze: Unfortunately, this recipe won’t keep well long-term. If you have any leftovers you can wrap them in plastic wrap to store in the freezer for 1-2 days.
Variations
- Ice Cream Flavors: You can make the filling with any of your favorite ice cream flavors. Try layering in different kinds like coffee, mint chocolate chip, cookie dough, peanut butter, pistachio, or banana ice cream. You can mix and match as many different varieties as you’d like to scoop into the bowl. Alternatively, you can also just pick one flavor to use for the whole recipe instead of having separate layers.
- Cake: You can also experiment with different kinds of cake for the base of the recipe. Sponge Cake, Chocolate Cake, or Classic Vanilla Cake could all be sliced to go on the bottom.
- Boozy Baked Alaska: For Baked Alaska with a little alcoholic kick, you can mix rum into the ice cream filling. Before you add the ice cream flavor, scoop it into a separate bowl and stir it. Stir the ice cream with a wooden spoon until it’s softened enough to mix in 2 tablespoons of dark rum. You can do this for just one ice cream flavor or add alcohol to all three.
Related Recipes
Ice Cream Cake Recipes
Photos Used In Previous Posts
How do you get the cake off the baking sheet to a platter without busting it?
I make sure the entire thing is frozen solid. I also use an un-rimmed baking sheet so it’s easier to slide to the cake plate. You could always use a plastic wrapped flat surface (like a cutting board or thick cardboard) to freeze your Baked Alaska the final time if you don’t have a baking sheet without a rim.
This turned out great! It was for a 13th birthday party. The birthday girl didn’t want a “little kid cake” she requested an ice cream cake.
I used chocolate ice cream with mini peanut butter cups and a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Perfect for teens.
I really like how you put the meringue on 4 hours before baking. I had more like 7 hours, but in the other recipes you add the meringue and broil immediately- this leaves you away from your guests or they are watching you assemble the dessert, sort of takes away the magic. I pulled out a beautiful dessert from the freezer and popped it into the oven. I used broil because my electric oven is not very good.
Everyone loved the Baked Alaska. This might be my new sophisticated dessert!
Brilliant ideas and yes Gretchen, perfect for teens! Really appreciate all your great feedback!
Can the cake topped with the meringue be frozen overnight?
Baked Alaska needs a lot of time to set in the freezer before you can serve it. So, you’ll want to get started well in advance and make sure you have enough time for all the steps. Other than that, it’s a simple matter of layering the ice cream, adding the cake, and then finishing the dish off with meringue.
I had my baked Alaska in the freezer for about 7+ hours before I baked/broiled it. And it was perfect. No loss of height or texture.
Gretchen! So glad your Baked Alaska was a success and thank you for the five star review!
Can I make this ahead of time? Wondering if ok for the ice cream / pound cake to freeze longer than 4 hours?
Yes and Yes! Let us know how your Baked Alaska turned out!
Unbelievable….great recipe…thank you.