Make Mini Baked Alaska With Klondike Bars
Baked Alaska is a dessert steakhouse dinner. It’s definitely retro, a little kitschy, and while completely within the home chef’s reach, a little more sophisticated than you want it to be.
I’ve never made baked Alaska in my kitchen walls, mainly because my freezer is too small to hold it, and also because the idea of sculpting sticky, melting ice cream into a dome seemed tedious and I was already pretty tired. …
But – not to mention the jumbled pile of ice cream – Baked Alaska is a very impressive dessert that’s pretty easy to make. You just need some kind of base (most often cake), ice cream, and an insulating decorative layer of meringue that you can toast or toast to create a polished, toasted marshmallow.
I already had my cake pan ready and my kitchen torch was always ready to go, so all I needed was a neat and compact layer of ice cream to make my very specific baked Alaska dreams come true.
Enter Klondike Bars, a small square stickless ice cream bar. I usually don’t like the fact that they don’t have clubs, but in this case it really worked. To make Baked Alaska with Klondike Bars, all you have to do is fold two of them on top of a slice of cake (or large brownie), cover them with meringues, freeze the whole thing for some kind of spell, and then set it on fire just before serving.
The taste of the Klondike Bar is up to you. I chose the original, but I think the mint chips would go nicely with the brownie layer. Also, I know that Klondike bars are square, and baked Alaska is usually round, but the difference in shape did not cause me any problems. I also liked the subtle textured contrast that the thin layer of crunchy chocolate brought to the dessert. All in all it was delicious and it all fit on a small plate in my tiny European size freezer. Even though this is “mini” baked Alaska, it’s easy to serve four.
Mini Baked Alaska
Ingredients:
- 5 “x5” base layer of cake, brownies or even biscuits (I used a giant boxed mix brownie and it worked pretty well)
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 pinch of tartar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 klondike bars, any taste
Buy or prepare a base coat – I recommend a packaged mix, but you can put in as much effort as you like. Whichever base you choose, be sure to let it cool completely. Place the cake / brownie / large cookie on a freezer-compatible plate (make sure it is oven-safe if you are going to grill) and set aside.
Make a meringue by combining egg whites, sugar, tartar and salt in a large bowl and whisk with a hand mixer until shiny hard peaks. Remove the klondike rods from the freezer, unfold them, then place them on top of each other in the center of the base layer (you can use a meringue point in between to prevent the top one from sliding off the bottom one).
Wrap the meringues around the Klondike bars and the base of the cake to completely cover it. Try to make it look pretty by adding texture where possible – a simple spoon is your friend here. Once it’s the way you want it, place it in the freezer for at least two hours – three if you plan on frying, not broiling.
When you’re ready to serve dessert, decide if you want to brown or toast. If you want to grill, preheat the oven to 500 ℉, then bake until the peaks are golden brown (about four minutes). If you want to light the torch, just turn it on and toast the meringue like a marshmallow with gentle sweeping strokes. Let the baked Alaska sit for a couple of minutes for slicing, then serve and enjoy.