Can I use frozen yogurt instead of ice cream?

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.

I don't have a baking torch! Can I use my oven instead?

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.

Why won't the ice cream melt when I am browning the top?

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.

Can I make these ahead 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!

Have a question I didn't cover?

Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer you pronto!

Easy 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!

Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
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

Scale

4 slices of pound cake
2 cups of your favorite flavor ice cream
4 egg whites
½ cup sugar

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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!

Baking Torch

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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.

Keywords: baked alaska, baked alaska recipe, easy baked alaska, mini baked alaskas, individual baked alaskas