Almond sponge and raspberry ripple baked alaska

Name: Almond sponge and raspberry ripple baked alaska
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: Serves 8-10
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 1 litre good quality ice cream (we used Green & Black’s); 400g frozen raspberries; 80g caster sugar; Juice ½ lemon; For the cake; 200g unsalted butter, softened; 200g soft light brown sugar; 3 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten; 100g ground almonds; 80g plain flour; Finely grated zest 1 lemon; 50ml milk; For the meringue; 5 large free-range egg whites; 275g caster sugar; You’ll also need…; 20cm diameter 2 litre capacity freezerproof mixing bowl, lined with 2 sheets cling film to beyond the rim; 20cm diameter cake tin, lightly oiled, the base lined with non-stick baking paper; Cook’s blowtorch (helpful but not essential)

Portion size: Serves 8-10
Hands-on 50 min, oven 35-45 min, plus freezing and cooling
Difficulty: easy

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We’re bringing back the baked alaska – our modern recipe combines almond sponge with raspberry ripple ice cream for a truly show-stopping dessert.

Did you know you can also make mini versions? Take a look at this recipe for individual baked Alaskas too.

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Ingredients

1 litre good quality ice cream (we used Green & Black’s)
400g frozen raspberries
80g caster sugar
Juice ½ lemon

For the cake

200g unsalted butter, softened
200g soft light brown sugar
3 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
100g ground almonds
80g plain flour
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
50ml milk

For the meringue

5 large free-range egg whites
275g caster sugar

You’ll also need…

20cm diameter 2 litre capacity freezerproof mixing bowl, lined with 2 sheets cling film to beyond the rim
20cm diameter cake tin, lightly oiled, the base lined with non-stick baking paper
Cook’s blowtorch (helpful but not essential)

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Method

Take the ice cream out of the freezer to partially defrost. Gently cook the raspberries in a medium saucepan with the sugar and lemon until broken down into a jammy sauce consistency. Push the raspberry mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds (discard the seeds), then set the raspberry syrup aside to cool.
When the ice cream is soft enough to stir, tip it into a large mixing bowl, drizzle over the raspberry syrup and stir to ripple. Transfer to the cling film-lined freezerproof bowl, then re-freeze for 4-5 hours or until completely solid.
For the cake, heat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan/gas 4. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and creamy. Slowly whisk in the eggs, a little at a time, until well combined.
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Beat in the ground almonds, flour, lemon zest and milk, then spoon into the prepared 20cm tin. Bake for 35049 minutes until slightly risen and cooked through. Remove from the oven, leave to stand in the tin for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.
When the ice cream has frozen solid, the cake is cool and you are almost ready to serve, make the meringue. In a large, spotlessly clean mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar, whisking until it dissolves, to give a thick, glossy meringue.
If you don’t have a blowtorch, heat the oven to its highest temperature. Put the cake on a large heatproof platter. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and lift it out the bowl by pulling on the cling film. Turn it out on top of the cake and remove the cling film. Turn it out on top of the cake and remove the cling film. Dollop the meringue evenly over the ice cream and swirl into patterns. If you’re using the oven, put the alaska on a baking tray and cook for 4-5 minutes until the meringue toasts to a golden colour. Alternatively use a blowtorch, working all over the meringue until it turns golden. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

619kcals Calories
31.9g (16.1g saturated) Fat
10.5g Protein
71.7g (65.3 sugars) Carbs
1.7g Fibre
0.3g salt Salt

For 10

Quick wins & tips

Although this pudding might seem full of jeopardy (cooking and ice cream!) you actually have a bit more time than you think. Work quickly with the meringue, but don’t rush. The ice cream will take a good 10 minutes before it starts to melt, provided it’s properly frozen when you take it out of the freezer.

We flamed our alaska, which looks spectacular but isn’t strictly necessary. If you’d like to give it a go, warm 100ml kirsch or overproof rum in a saucepan until gently steaming, then pour into
a ladle. Using a long match or cook’s blowtorch, ignite the alcohol in the ladle, then carefully pour it over the alaska. It will cook the meringue further, so if you want to do this, don’t burnish the meringue as much.

Make Ahead

Make the sponge cake up to 24 hours in advance, wrap in cling film and store in an airtight container. You can also freeze the sponge for up to 1 month, well wrapped in cling film. The moulded raspberry ripple ice cream will keep for 1 month in the freezer.

Freeze leftover egg yolks, lightly beaten with ¼ tsp sugar or ½ tsp salt (to use in sweet or savoury recipes), in a freezer bag, marked with the number of yolks and the date, for up to 3 months.