What we love about this recipe
Baked Alaska is definitely a show-stopper of a dessert, and while I love love love to eat it, I used to be a little intimidated by the thought of actually MAKING it.
I mean…ice cream, cake and a blow torch…what could possibly go wrong? 🫣
Well as it turns out, this mini Baked Alaska recipe requires only four ingredients, and there is an alternative to the blow torch, so now I am supremely confident in my Baked Alaska creation skills, and I’m confident in yours, too!
What is Baked Alaska?
Classic Baked Alaska is a fancy dessert made out of layers of cake with a frozen ice cream center and covered with a marshmallow-like meringue frosting that is quickly toasted so the exterior is golden brown.
Dramatic, right? But in all the good ways, and not at all dramatic when it comes to making it!
Ingredients you need for this dramatic dessert
- Premade Pound Cake: You can find this in the bakery section of your supermarket…or if you are feeling super energetic you can make your own!
- Ice Cream: Absolutely any flavor you want (I always go for chocolate)
- Egg Whites: You can use the leftover yolks for any of these favorite Southern recipes!
- Sugar: Regular white sugar
How to make this recipe
(Scroll down for the handy complete printable recipe with nutrition info!)
STEP 1: Cut pound cake slices into shapes that will fill your ramekins. I usually cut each slice in half, put one on top of the other and then just smoosh them down into the ramekin until they come about halfway up the inside.
STEP 2: Take a little bowl or cup that is about the side of the top of your ramekin and fill it to the brim with ice cream, smoothing it down so it is flat on top. Turn it over and pop it round side up on to the cake in the ramekin – the ice cream will reach over the top of the ramekin. (I put my fingers inside a sandwich bag to both smooth the ice cream in the bowl and to smoosh it into place in the ramekin).
STEP 3: Use a tissue (works MUCH better than a paper towel) to clean up any ice cream drips on the side of your ramekin and pop it in the freezer. Repeat this whole fun process with the remaining ramekins.
STEP 4: Freeze your Alaskas until they are totally solid – I usually make them the day before I am going to serve them, but they need at least several hours of freeze time.
STEP 5: Time for the dramatic part! If you have a baking torch, get it out, otherwise turn your broiler on. Take your frozen Alaskas out so they are all ready.
STEP 6: Put 4 egg whites and a half a cup of sugar into a bowl and mix on high speed until they form soft peaks. Use a spatula to “frost” the top of the ice cream with the egg white mixture, covering it all up as best as you can.
STEP 7: When all the ramekins are frosted, either toast the egg white mixture with your cooking torch until it is golden browned, or put the ramekins on a rimmed baking tray and pop them into the broiler, watching them THE ENTIRE TIME to make sure you take them out as soon as they are golden.
Mini Baked Alaska FAQ
You can! Or sorbet, or different kinds of ice cream…as long as it can be frozen solid (in other words, no soft serve varieties) it will work.
You can! Turn your broiler on high, put the Baked Alaskas on a baking sheet, slide them into the oven and watch them like a hawk through the window for three to five minutes or until the meringue top turns golden brown.
The ice cream and the cake will be so cold after being frozen solid that neither the heat of the blow torch or the oven will be able to melt the ice cream since the heat is on for such a short period of time.
You can! And you actually should, except for the meringue part, so that the ice cream has time to get frozen really solid. The meringue does have to be done at the last minute, but it is super easy!
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer you pronto!
Now serve at once, with a flourish – you’ve made Baked Alaska!
Other easy fancy desserts we love
 This super simple recipe for the best easy chocolate mousse whirls up just a few ingredients in a blender for everyone’s favorite elegant dessert! |
 This easy recipe for Heath Bar Birthday Cake takes just five ingredients and no baking, and makes a delicious and dramatic dessert. |
 This recipe for a show-stopper chocolate dinner mint cake is not only fabulously festive, it’s also a snap to make! |
Want to round out your meal? This recipe pairs well with...
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section. Your thoughts and advice will help both us and your fellow readers. 🥰
Print
Easy Mini Baked Alaskas
Prep Time: 20 minutes- Chilling Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Total Time: 3 hours 21 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This super easy recipe for easy mini Baked Alaskas means everyone has their own portion of this classic and dramatic ice cream dessert!
Ingredients
- 4 slices of pound cake
- 2 cups of your favorite flavor ice cream
- 4 egg whites
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
- Cut the pound cake slices into shapes that will fill your ramekins. I usually cut each slice in half, put one on top of the other and then just smoosh them down into the ramekin until they come about halfway up the inside.
- Take a little bowl or cup that is about the side of the top of your ramekin and fill it to the brim with ice cream, smoothing it down so it is flat on top. Turn it over and pop it round side up on to the cake in the ramekin – the ice cream will reach over the top of the ramekin. (I put my fingers inside a sandwich bag to both smooth the ice cream in the bowl and to smoosh it into place in the ramekin).
- Use a tissue (works MUCH better than a paper towel) to clean up any ice cream drips on the side of your ramekin and pop it in the freezer. Repeat this whole fun process with the remaining ramekins.
- Freeze your Alaskas until they are totally solid – I usually make them the day before I am going to serve them, but they need at least several hours of freeze time.
- Time for the dramatic part! If you have a cooking torch, get it out, otherwise turn your broiler on. Take your frozen Alaskas out so they are all ready.
- Put the egg whites and the sugar into a bowl and mix on high speed until they form soft peaks. Use a spatula to “frost” the ice cream with the egg white mixture, covering it all up as best as you can.
- When all the ramekins are frosted, either toast the egg white mixture with your cooking torch until it is golden browned, or put the ramekins on a rimmed baking tray and pop them into the broiler, watching them THE ENTIRE TIME to make sure you take them out as soon as they are golden.
- Serve at once! With flair!
Notes
Cake: This recipe calls for pound cake, but you can swap that for angel food cake or sponge cake if you want your Alaskas to be a little lighter…or brownies if you want them to be extra decadent!
Ice Cream: As long as you are using something that will freeze solid (in other words, no soft serve anything) you can use any flavor of ice cream, or sorbet, or frozen yogurt.
Ramekins: These are little individual baking dishes that are oven-safe, and they are also great for cooking prep bowls.
Baking Torch vs Oven: I prefer the baking torch to brown my Alaskas because it gives you total control over the browning process (and because it is fun to use) but if you don’t have one, your broiler is going to work just fine.
I'D LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD RATE THIS RECIPE
(AND COMMENTS ARE WONDERFUL TOO!)