S’mores Baked Alaska
This S’mores Baked Alaska is a decadent ice cream cake, with a layer of buttery graham crackers, rich chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream and marshmallow Swiss meringue. The perfect dessert for a summer dinner party.
A Baked Alaska is a classic dessert featuring a core of ice cream, on top of a cake encased in a layer of fluffy meringue. The meringue is then briefly torched to caramelize it while leaving the ice cream center cold.
It makes this amazing contrast of temperatures and textures. This s’mores version has a layer of buttery graham crackers and chocolate cake.
This dessert needs to be made a head of time as the ice cream needs to freeze. It’s best to make the ice cream and cake layers a day in advance.
Ingredients
Find the ingredient amounts written in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
- Graham Cracker Crust: An essential part of any s’more, the graham cracker provides a subtle wholewheat flavor and crunch. It’s the base layer. I use pretty much the same ingredients as in my no-bake graham cracker crust, but I omit the sugar because this dessert is already sweet enough.
- Chocolate Cake: This is the perfect sponge layer. I use my small chocolate cake recipe for this. It’s usually made in a 6-inch pan, but in this case it’s baked in an 8-inch pan, making it a bit flatter. If you’re looking for a shortcut you could use half a boxed mix too.
- Chocolate Ice Cream: The heart of the dish, this cold and creamy contrast to the warm meringue embodies the spirit of traditional Baked Alaska. You can use your favorite chocolate ice cream.
- Swiss Meringue: Essentially this is homemade marshmallow fluff. This glossy, silky marshmallow meringue is more stable than its French cousin, making it ideal for a Baked Alaska. It brings this airy counter to the dense, rich elements underneath. The whole thing gets covered with this meringue and it works as an insulating layer to keep the ice cream layer cold. I use Swiss meringue on this strawberry pie too.
Equipment
- Kitchen torch – For toasting the meringue. If you don’t have one, you can also use the oven.
- 8-inch cake pan
- 8-9-inch freezer-safe bowl (big enough for 2 quarts of ice cream)
Method
Graham cracker crust
Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
Add the graham cracker squares to a food processor and blend into fine crumbs.
Blend melted butter into the graham cracker crumbs to create a thick and crumbly mixture.
Press the crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten it. It doesn’t need to go up the sides, just cover the bottom of the pan.
Place this in the refrigerator while you make the chocolate cake layer.
Chocolate cake
In a small bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.
In a separate bowl add the egg, sugars, vanilla, vegetable oil and buttermilk and whisk together.
Fold in the dry ingredients until nearly combined, then pour the hot water into the batter and fold it until all is combined.
Pour the cake batter onto the graham cracker crust. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely to room temperature, then run a knife along the edges to loosen the cake. Place the cake while in the pan in the freezer for a round an hour to firm up.
Ice cream
Once the cake has chilled, line the bottom and sides of a freezer-safe bowl with plastic wrap. Pack in softened chocolate ice cream, and smooth it out as much as you can. Remove the cake from the freezer and invert it onto a wire rack.
Place it on top of the ice cream, with the cake side touching the ice cream and the graham crackers facing out.
Place this in the freezer for at least 8 hours to freeze again.
Swiss meringue
Make the meringue after the ice cream has chilled. Mix egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves or until the mixture reaches 160°F/71°C on a food thermometer.
Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Add the vanilla extract and salt and place the bowl in your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at medium speed until foamy, then switch to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
They should be super thick and glossy and the meringue should be at room temperature.
Assembling
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and invert it onto a cake stand.
Dollop the meringue all over the ice cream so it’s entirely covered. Add in a few peaks and dips to the meringue.
Finally, just before serving, torch the meringue with a kitchen torch so it’s a deep golden brown.
Serving and storing.
Use a hot knife to cut the baked Alaska and wipe the knife clean in between each cut for extra neat slices. Ideally, it should be served right after it has been torched, however, leftover baked Alaska can be placed back in the freezer as is, in a large airtight container.
The ice cream and cake components can also be made in advance and wrapped tightly and frozen for a week. Then you can just make the Swiss meringue component at the time of serving.
Variations
This s’mores version of Baked Alaska is a unique take on the traditional dessert, but there’s always room for experimentation. For a fruitier twist, swap the chocolate ice cream with strawberry.
Or, for a coffee lover’s treat, substitute the chocolate ice cream with coffee or espresso-flavoured ice cream and brush the cake with a splash of coffee liqueur.
S'mores Baked Alaska
This S'mores Baked Alaska is a decadent ice cream cake, with a layer of buttery graham crackers, rich chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream and marshmallow Swiss meringue.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 165g (about 10 1/2 sheets) graham crackers
- 85g (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
Chocolate cake
- 83g (⅔ cup*) all-purpose flour
- 25g (¼ cup) cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 66g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
- 50g (¼ cup) soft brown sugar
- 45g (3 ½ Tbsp) vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 60g (¼ cup) buttermilk (or use regular milk + 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar)
- 60g (¼ cup) hot water
Ice cream
- 2L (2qt) of chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
Swiss Meringue
- 4 large egg whites
- 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Add the graham cracker to a food processor and blend into fine crumbs.
- Blend melted butter into the crumbs to create a thick and crumbly mixture. Press this into the prepared pan. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten it. It doesn't need to go up the sides; cover the bottom of the pan.
- Place this in the refrigerator while you make the chocolate cake layer.
Chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C.
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the egg, sugars, vanilla, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and whisk together in a separate bowl.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until nearly combined, then pour the hot water into the batter and fold it until all is combined.
- Pour the cake batter onto the graham cracker crust. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely to room temperature, then run a knife along the edges to loosen the cake. Place the cake in the pan in the freezer for an hour to firm up.
Ice cream
- Line the bottom and sides of a freezer-safe 8 or 9-inch bowl with plastic wrap once the cake has chilled. Pack in softened chocolate ice cream, and smooth it out as much as possible.
- Remove the cake from the freezer and invert it onto a wire rack. Place it on the ice cream with the graham crackers facing out.
- Place this in the freezer for at least 8 hours to freeze again.
Swiss meringue
- Make the meringue after the ice cream has chilled. Mix egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
- Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves or until the mixture reaches 160°F/71°C on a food thermometer.
- Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Add the vanilla extract and salt and place the bowl in your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat medium speed until foamy, switch to high, and beat until stiff peaks form. They should be super thick and glossy, and the meringue should be at room temperature.
Assembling
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer and invert it onto a cake stand.
- Dollop the meringue over the ice cream so it's covered. Add in a few peaks and dips to the meringue.
- Just before serving, torch the meringue with a kitchen torch so it's a deep golden brown. This can also be done in an oven. Heat it to 450°F/ 230°C and place the cake in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the meringue tips are toasted.
Notes
Use a hot knife to cut the cake and wipe the knife clean in between each cut for extra neat slices. Ideally, it should be served right after it has been torched, however, leftover baked Alaska can be placed back in the freezer as is, in a large airtight container.
The ice cream and cake components can also be made in advance and wrapped tightly and frozen for a week. Then you can make the Swiss meringue component at the time of serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 488Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 259mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 2gSugar: 52gProtein: 8g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
Can I put the cake back in the freezer with the swiss meringue? To be torched just before serving?
Yes you can 🙂