You can’t go wrong with an ice cream dessert, especially during the summer! If you’re looking for cold and creamy treats that will cool you off, try my cookies and cream ice cream cake or this homemade ice cream sandwich!

What is a Baked Alaska?

Baked Alaska is a frozen dessert consisting of cake, ice cream, and meringue. In 1867, Charles Ranhofer, the chef at the legendary New York restaurant Delmonico’s, invented it. He created this fancy ice cream cake to celebrate the United States purchasing Alaska from the Russians. This recipe starts by layering the ice cream and cake in a large bowl. Then, you whip up the fluffy meringue. This is what insulates the ice cream while toasting the outside with either a torch or by baking it for several minutes. The toasted swirls of meringue look so elegant, and the combination of layers tastes heavenly.

Ingredients Needed

Other than the incredible taste, the BEST part of this Baked Alaska recipe is that it only requires 5 simple ingredients! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

Cake: For convenience, I typically buy my cake round already prepared, but you can make homemade if you’d like. Ice Cream: Choose any favorite flavors! You could use vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and strawberry ice cream.

Meringue

Egg Whites: Room-temperature egg whites are essential to whipping up the meringue. Cream of Tartar: Stabilizes the egg whites and creates the peaks. Granulated Sugar: Makes the meringue fluffy and taste sweet.

How to Make Baked Alaska

There are a few steps to this dessert, but it is so worth the effort. Trust me, this is going to be one of the best desserts you will ever make.

Ice Cream Preparation

Meringue

Assembly

Cake Variety: You can use whatever kind of cake you prefer, though I don’t recommend using something light like angel food cake. You want a cake with enough structure to support all the ice cream. Pound cake is a good option for ready-made cake from the store. Slice it to fit the bowl you use to mold the ice cream. Any Flavor Ice Cream: I decided to layer my ice cream with Neapolitan flavors, but you can use whichever kind you like best! You can layer different flavors or use one flavor for the whole thing. Soften Ice Cream: Make sure the ice cream sits at room temperature for a little while before you scoop it into your mold. It needs to be soft enough to be pressed in and smoothed; otherwise, your ice cream will have air pockets. Let Sit Before Flipping: When you are ready to top the baked Alaska with meringue, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before inverting it onto your serving plate. This will help it release from the bowl easier and also make it easier to slice into servings. Slicing: If you find your Baked Alaska is difficult to slice, run a large chef’s knife under very hot water and dry quickly with a clean kitchen towel before cutting into the ice cream.

Blueberry Lemon Upside-Down Cake

1 hr 10 mins

Twinkie Cake

1 hr 35 mins

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1 hr 30 mins

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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