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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!
And (better and better!) these mini versions of this classic dessert are mostly made ahead of time…and the mini part means everyone gets their very own delightful little bowl of this deliciousness.
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! And did I mention that these mini versions are super easy, both to make and to serve? Happiness!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- 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! You can also swap the pound cake for angel food cake for a lighter version of this recipe…or use brownies for a super decadent version!
- Ice Cream: Use absolutely any flavor you want (I always go for chocolate!)
- Egg Whites: You can use the leftover yolks in this easy banana cream pie recipe!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
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: Fill the ramekin to the top with your favorite flavor of ice cream (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 and then 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 3: Right before you are ready to serve, put 4 egg whites and a half a cup of sugar into a bowl and mix on high speed until they form soft peaks.
STEP 4: 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 5: Time for the dramatic part! If you have a baking torch, get it out, otherwise turn your broiler on. 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.
STEP 6: Admire them for a few seconds and then serve them up!
Recipe FAQs
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. And if you want a torch, this is my very affordable and reliable baking torch.
Ramekins are individual baking dishes, and I use them for everything from baked Alaska to holding salt and pepper on my counter at all times so I can grab a pinch whenever I need it. They also make great prep bowls. Here are my favorite ramekins if you want to check them out!
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!
Other easy but fancy dessert recipes we love!
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PrintEasy Mini Baked Alaskas
This super easy recipe for easy mini Baked Alaskas means everyone has their own portion of this classic and dramatic ice cream dessert!
- 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
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.
- Fill your ramekin to the top with your favorite flavor of ice cream and smooth it out (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.
Jenny says
Hi! Could you please tell me how many servings/ramekins this makes?
Hi Jenny! This recipe makes 4 servings. :)
Jenny says
Thank you! Last question! Do you cover them before you freeze them?
Hi Jenny, and you can ask as many questions as you want! If I am serving them within the next day I don’t cover them…if it’s going to be more than a day I do, just to keep them from getting any ice crystals/freezer burn. Hope this helps! :)
Bryan says
I was definitely nervous to try this but it was easier than I thought and came out scrumptious! Great recipe!
I think these are actually one of the easiest desserts ever – and the most dramatic! :)