Neapolitan Baked Alaska Recipes

BAKED ALASKA NEAPOLITAN PIE

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
• Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
• Heat oven to 475°F. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired. Prick bottom and side of pastry thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown; cool on cooling rack.
• Pack scoops of ice cream, alternating flavors, in pie crust. Cover and freeze about 2 hours or until firm.
• Heat oven to 475°F. In medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Beat in vanilla. Spoon meringue onto ice cream; spread gently, sealing meringue to edge of crust. Bake 2 to 4 minutes or until top is light brown. Serve immediately, or cover and freeze no longer than 48 hours. Store in freezer.

EASY BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• Line a 3 qt bowl with plastic wrap. Scoop the ice cream into the bowl ensuring to mix up the colors and press to remove any spaces.
• Top with pound cake slices cutting to fit the bowl so the ice cream is covered. Gently press the cake into the softened ice cream. Cover well and freeze 3 hours or for up to 2 weeks.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer on high until foamy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
• Remove plastic wrap and invert the cake onto a baking sheet. Cover with meringue. Place uncovered in the freezer for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 500°F. Bake the dessert about 3-5 minutes or until meringue is golden.
• Allow to cool/rest 5 minutes before slicing.

BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• Line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap.
• Place the softened ice cream into the loaf pan and spread evenly.
• Place the piece of cake on top of the ice cream, press down lightly, and place the pan in the freezer for 1 hour.
• After an hour, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 2-quart saucepan and place over high heat. Stir just until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Clip on a candy thermometer and bring the mixture to 240 degrees F.
• While the syrup is cooking, place the egg whites, salt, and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs on high speed until they reach medium peaks, 4 to 5 minutes.
• When the sugar syrup reaches 240 degrees F, remove from the heat and, with the stand mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour the syrup in a thin steady stream into the egg white mixture, being careful not to come in contact with the whisk. Once all the syrup has been added, increase the mixer speed to high and whisk until stiff peaks are formed and the mixture has cooled, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the loaf pan from the freezer, turn upside down onto a heatproof serving platter, and remove the plastic wrap. Completely cover the ice cream cake combo with a 1-inch layer of meringue all around, sealing the meringue to the pan around the bottom edge.
• Use a propane torch to brown the meringue all over. Serve immediately. May be frozen once the meringue has browned.

NEAPOLITAN BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• Line a 3 litre/5¼pint pudding bowl with cling film. In a large bowl or a freestanding mixer, beat the vanilla ice cream to soften a little then spoon into the base of the pudding bowl. Level with a spatula and freeze for one hour, or until firm.
• Wipe out the mixing bowl and add the strawberry ice cream. Beat to soften a little then spoon over the vanilla ice cream. Level with a spatula and freeze for one hour, or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 190C(170C fan)/375F/Gas 5. Lightly grease a 20cm/8in sandwich tin and line the base with baking parchment.
• For the sponge base, place the eggs and sugar into a large bowl and beat at full speed with an electric whisk until the mixture is pale in colour and thick enough to just leave a trail when the whisk is lifted.
• Sift the flour and cocoa powder over the surface of the mixture and gently fold in with a metal spoon or spatula. Pour the melted butter down the side of the bowl and gently fold in.
• Pour into the prepared tin and tilt the tin to allow the mixture to spread evenly to the sides. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until springy to the touch and beginning to shrink from the sides of the tin. Turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.
• For the filling, in a large bowl or mixer, beat the chocolate ice cream to soften a little then spread over the strawberry ice cream. Level with a spatula and freeze for one hour, or until firm.
• Place the cold sponge on an ovenproof serving dish. Turn the ice cream out onto the sponge and pop it back in the freezer while you are making the meringue.
• Preheat the oven to 240C(220C fan)/460F/Gas 8½.
• To make the meringue, place the sugar and six tablespoons of water in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir the sugar and water over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a fast boil until it reaches 110C/230F.
• Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.
• When the syrup temperature reaches 115C/240F on a sugar thermometer, slowly and carefully pour the syrup over the egg whites in a thin stream while continuing to whisk. Taking care not to let the syrup run onto the beaters as it may splash.
• Continue whisking for about 15 minutes, or until the meringue is completely cold.
• Take the cake and ice cream from the freezer and remove the cling film. Using a palette knife, spread a thin layer of meringue all over the ice cream and sponge to form a coating.
• Fit a large disposable piping bag with a 2D star nozzle. Using a paint brush or small pastry brush, paint a line of pink gel paste up the inside of the bag in a line from the nozzle to the top. Repeat on the opposite side with the yellow gel paste. Spoon the meringue into the piping bag.
• Starting from the top of the dome of ice cream and working quickly, pipe small rosettes of meringue over the dome of ice cream, until completely covered.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown. Decorate with mixed berries and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE AND NEAPOLITAN BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• Line an (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch) metal loaf pan with 2 layers of plastic wrap, allowing 3 inches of plastic to hang over pan sides. Cut ice cream block in half crosswise, and then press the layer of pound cake slices into the bottom of the pan. Add half of ice cream and then add the remaining cake to sandwich the ice cream. Fold plastic overhang atop cake to cover. Freeze for 4 hours, or until frozen solid.
• Wrap hot damp towels around pan sides to loosen cake and ice cream from pan. Fold back plastic from atop cake. Invert a baking dish or large flame-proof plate atop cake. Holding baking dish and pan together, invert cake into dish. Remove pan; keep cake covered with plastic wrap. Freeze while preparing meringue.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Remove plastic from cake. Spread meringue over cake, covering cake and ice cream and completely sealing meringue to dish. Bake until meringue is lightly brown and just set, about 3 minutes. Cut into slices and serve immediately.

BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
• Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and the egg yolks in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whisk, on medium speed, until pale yellow and thick, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla, and fold in melted chocolate just to combine.
• In a medium bowl, combine egg whites and pinch of salt in bowl of electric mixer; whip, on medium speed, until frothy. Add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar; beat until stiff. Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
• Carefully pour batter out into prepared cake pan. Bake until cake is set and top is dull, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack.
• Spray a 5-cup-capacity metal bowl with cooking spray; line with plastic. Pack base of bowl with pistachio ice cream; layer cherry ice cream over pistachio, then finish with another layer of pistachio ice cream (or layer ice creams and sorbets as you desire). Pack firmly, cover surface with plastic wrap, and place in freezer. Freeze until ice cream is very hard, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours in advance.
• Place cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Remove ice cream from the freezer, and invert bowl over cake. Keep the ice cream covered with plastic wrap, and return ice-cream cake to the freezer.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with an Ateco #5 star tip, with meringue; pipe onto ice cream in a decorative fashion, or spoon meringue over ice cream and swirl with a rubber spatula. If ice cream starts to soften, return cake to freezer for 15 minutes.
• Place in oven, and bake until meringue just starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve immediately.