It was New Year’s Eve. The restaurant was fancy and the crowd dressed in their celebratory best. When the Baked Alaska arrived at the table, I pounced and devoured with fervent enthusiasm in a very unladylike manner. “That was soooo good” I gushed in my post-ecstasy state, to which my friend gleefully pointed out the chocolate schmears all over my chin. Okay so it wasn’t my most elegant moment but now you understand my obsession with BAKED ALASKA’s! 😆 It’s also been something on my To-Make bucket list since forever so I’m not sure why it took me so long to finally make it. This show-stopping dessert is much easier than it looks, especially when you cut out a lot of the work by buying quality gelato that is as good as anything you can make at home (probably better, if you’re me) like I did using Righteous Gelato.
This BAKED ALASKA features Righteous Gelato’s Dairy Free Chocolate Peppermint Plant Based Gelato – a Winter 2020 limited edition flavour. But you can easily use one of their other irresistible chocolate-based gelato flavours such as Frozen Hot Chocolate or Dairy Free Dark Chocolate for an equally epic version, just without the hint of peppermint.
These are the delicious inside layers, from top to bottom:
• Righteous Gelato Dairy-Free Raspberry Lime Sorbetto – the perfect complement to chocolate and a nice sweet-tartness to balance out the sweetness of meringue.
• Macerated fresh raspberries – a tasty surprise which takes seconds to make.
• Righteous Gelato Dairy Free Chocolate Peppermint Plant Based Gelato – a classic flavour combo of rich chocolate gelato tempered with cool, refreshing peppermint.
• Light and fluffy chocolate genoise sponge cake.
• Torched Meringue – cover all of those layers above in a fluffy, luxurious blanket of meringue that gets torched and caramelized to campfire-marshmallow-y perfection.
Indeed, Righteous Gelato made all my Baked Alaska dreams come true. Enjoyed without the public disgrace of a chocolate-schmeared face!
I’m so pleased to partner with Righteous Gelato on this recipe post. I am selective in partnering with brands and organizations that I personally love and this is a prime example. The first reason is, of course, their quality small-batch old-world gelato and sorbettos which have no artificial flavours or colours, no glycerides in their stabilizers and are all certified gluten-free. They offer many options in plant-based flavours too so there’s truly something for everyone. A look through their line-up will have you drooling for irresistible and unique flavours like Salted Caramel, Frozen Hot Chocolate, Dairy Free Peanut Butter & Jam, Dairy Free Mango Pineapple, Blueberry Yuzu Kombucha and Dairy Free Roasted Pistachio, just to name a few. There is also a Sticky Toffee Pudding gelato right now, their other Winter 2020 limited edition flavour. Drool much? I bet there were no less than three on that list you would want to try.
As if those reasons are not enough to make you fall in love with them, the company has a business model of prioritizing people (their employees and customers) over profits. In a competitive, bottom-line driven world, that kind of mindset is something that really impresses me. I read that Righteous Gelato employees with 1 year+ tenure get unlimited vacation days, 100% top-up and extended parental leaves and a hot family-style lunch every day! Plus employee-ownership and profit-sharing. For years, I worked at a pharmaceutical company known for excellent culture and I can confirm it did not come close to THIS. Um, Righteous Gelato, are you hiring?! *I possess strong financial acumen and the ability to work both independently and in teams, am willing to move cross-country and get compensated 100% in the form of gelato.* 😉
So I guess this concludes what turned out to be a love letter to Baked Alaska and resume to Righteous Gelato lol. I hope you give both a try and if you do, let me know in the comments below and/or tag me on Instagram @saltnpepperhere because I want to see! This BAKED ALASKA would make a grand dessert for the holidays or a special treat even if it’s just a small family or group. Leftover Baked Alaska can be wrapped up tightly and kept in the freezer until the next craving. You can torch the meringue again before serving to give it a refresh and also because torching is very, very fun!
Eat well + be well,
Sonia x
RECIPE HEAD NOTES - baked alaska:
1. Special equipment:
• 9” round cake pan
• freezer-safe, domed bowl with approx 6-cup capacity (fill it with water to find out)
• Kitchen torch
2. Meringue:
When separating your egg whites, do it while the eggs are still fridge-cold. This makes it a lot cleaner and easier to avoid yolk contamination. Whites with traces of yolk will not whip up as well.
3. Storage:
You can keep the Baked Alaska in the freezer at any point throughout the process. For best results (and dramatic presentation points!), torch the meringue just before serving. Leftover Baked Alaska can be kept in the freezer, tightly wrapped.
BAKED ALASKA
Serves 10-15 people.
INGREDIENTS
For the macerated raspberries:
2 C (1 pint) fresh raspberries
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp Lillet Blanc or other alcohol you like (optional)
For the chocolate genoise sponge cake:
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 C (75g) granulated sugar
1/3 C (50g) all purpose flour
3 tbsp (15g) Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 tbsp (20g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¼ tsp vanilla extract
For the gelato layers:
1 x 562ml container of Righteous Gelato Raspberry Lime Sorbetta (about 2C worth)
2 x 562 ml containters of Righteous Gelato Plant Based Chocolate Peppermint Gelato (about 3.5C worth) Note: this is a Winter 2020 limited edition flavour! Substitute any of Righteous Gelato’s other chocolate-based flavours such as ‘Frozen Hot Chocolate’ or ‘Dairy Free Dark Chocolate’
For the meringue:
4 large egg whites (5 oz) – see head note
1 C (200g) granulated sugar or 1 C (220g) superfine sugar
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
METHOD
For the macerated raspberries: Set raspberries in a bowl and sprinkle the sugar and Lillet Blanc all over. Give it a gentle toss and allow it to macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or in the fridge overnight). Strain off excess liquid (i.e. use for cocktails or in yogurt) and set aside.
For the chocolate genoise sponge cake: Preheat oven to 350f. Line and lease a 9” round cake pan. Beat the eggs with a whisk attachment on high (level 8 on stand mixer) for a minute. Slow down the mixer to medium speed and gradually add the sugar. Increase speed to high again and beat for 5 minutes or more until mixture reaches the ribbon stage. In other words, the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow and has doubled in volume. When you lift the whisk attachment, the batter should fall in thick ribbons leaving a trail on the surface for at least 4 seconds.
Sift the cocoa powder and all-purpose flour together: Whisk it into the egg mixture in three separate additions. In between each addition, use a spatula to scrap down the sides and gently fold it in until there are no pockets of visible flour. Slowly drizzle in the vanilla extract and the cooled, melted butter (excluding any sediments at the bottom) and gently fold in, being careful not to deflate the batter. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or when a skewer emerges dry with a few crumbs. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the outer edge of the cake and flip it out onto the rack. Pull off parchment liner and allow cake to cool fully.
Soften the gelato 30 minutes before you’re ready to form the Baked Alaska: Place the containers of gelato in the refrigerator to soften for about 30 minutes (I prefer softening it in the fridge as I find it more even but if in a rush, set them out at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Form the Baked Alaska: Line a dome-shaped freezer safe bowl with plastic food wrap (use two pieces if needed), ensuring there is enough overhang to easily pull the Baked Alaska out after freezing. Scoop the container of Righteous Gelato Dairy-Free Raspberry Lime Sorbetta into the bottom (about 2 cup worth), using an offset spatula to even it all out, filling in all crevices. Layer in the strained macerated raspberries. Next, scoop the two containers of Righteous Gelato Dairy-Free Chocolate Peppermint Gelato (about 3.5 cup worth) or until you’ve filled your bowl up to the point with enough headroom to accommodate the chocolate cake layer so that it sits flush to the top of the bowl. Place the cooled cake on top, fold in the plastic food wrap overhang and add another layer of plastic wrap to completely cover it well. Place the bowl of gelato into the freezer and allow it to firm up fully, about an hour. Meanwhile, get ready to prepare the meringue.
Prepare the meringue: Over a double boiler (a small bowl set over a pot filled with 1” of simmering water, bottom not touching the water), whisk the egg whites and sugar, stirring and moving everything around constantly, until sugar grains are completely dissolved. You can confirm this by rubbing a bit of it between your fingers – there should be no granules. If you have an instant thermometer, the mixture should be between 150f and 160f. Pour mixture into metal bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high until thick, glossy and white (very firm peaks), about 4 minutes.
Final assembly: Remove the bowl of gelato from the freezer and carefully set it inside a larger bowl filled halfway with fairly warm water, being careful not to let water seep inside your bowl of gelato. Tug on the plastic overhang until you can feel that it will fully unmold (10-20 seconds). Place a heat-safe serving plate or cake stand upside down, over the bowl. Flip and unmold. Spread meringue all over. Use a kitchen torch to brown the meringue, using long sweeping motions for an even browning all over. I love some charry bits too, for that campfire-marshmallowy goodness!
To serve: Run a sharp knife under hot tap water. Wipe dry and use while still warm to cut into the Baked Alaska.
Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram at saltnpepperhere so I can see! Or let me know in comments below what you think of this recipe or if you have any questions. I am happy to help! x
This post is sponsored by Righteous Gelato. I partner with brands and organizations I love and as always, my opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to bring new content to this site and share my beloved discoveries with you! You can explore Righteous Gelato’s delicious line-up of small batch gelato, plant based gelato and small batch sorbettos on facebook @RighteousGelato, Instagram @RighteousGelato or website RighteousGelato.com.