Chocolate heavenly goodness...aka my version of Chocolate Baked Alaska

For anyone who googles Baked Alaska, you will see that there are many ways that Baked Alaska can be adapted. I decided to attempt my own concoction and judging from the feedback from my co-workers, parents, and honey, it came out spectacularly. So, here is how the process went.

First...I had already made a devil's food cake weeks ago. It is one of my favorite cakes because it freezes well so I usually make a few at a time and save them for later use. I'm not an icing fan and icing does not go well with devil's food, so it's the perfect chocolate cake for me. This 9-inch cake became the base of my Alaska.

Second...the idea is to choose your favorite ice cream. I am addicted to chocolate so I just wanted to find the perfect half gallon to add. I was looking for a chocolate ice cream that had a cookie varigate in it...which means that I wanted areas of crushed cookies (chocolate), but not big pieces like chocolate chip cookie dough. I had found the perfect kind at Bottom Dollar the week before, but it was gone and I was not anywhere near a Bottom Dollar when I was shopping. So, I chose a generic brand of ice cream that was their version of a French Silk chocolate with bands of fudge mixed in...perfect.  To do the ice cream dome is simple. Take a mixing bowl that matches the size of your cake. I have an 8-inch bowl so that was close enough for me. I lined it with plastic wrap to make removal from the mixing bowl much easier and less messy...plus it holds the dome shape. So, I let the ice cream soften for the purpose of shaping. When it was soft enough, I delicately transferred the half gallon spoonful by spoonful.

Third...this is the part I was excited about when brainstorming. I love when ice cream cakes have the crunchy layer in between the ice cream, so I created my own crunchy layer. I bought generic Oreos and crushed about half a bag in a sandwich baggie. I just used my fingers. In the bag it wasn't messy and it didn't get the pieces too small. Then I added a half container of warmed hot fudge (warmed so it could be manipulated). I mixed the two together thoroughly and added it to the top of the ice cream mold. I then covered it all with plastic wrap and put it in my chest freezer (deep freeze) for a couple of hours to re-harden. FYI...if you are putting the ice cream mold into a regular freezer, give it the good portion of a day to harden. They are traditionally not as cold as a deep freeze (chest freezer).

Fourth...when you are ready to put together the finishing touches, you will first need to build the Alaska. Take your mold out, flip it upside down on the cake, make sure it is centered, and then remove the plastic wrap. I chose to build my Alaska inside a cheesecake pan because it will make for easier transferring in and out of the freezer to serve and for stability when cutting. If presentation is important, you can easily remove the sides of the cheesecake pan, and voila...you can see the whole Alaska.

Fifth and last comes the meringue. Most Baked Alaska has a plain or vanilla meringue. My idea was for a cocoa meringue and it flopped. I can tell you why it flopped. The key to a good meringue is to let your egg whites sit at room temperature. I was in a hurry and did not let them sit. It taught me a lesson. 

On my second try I had an audience...my honey, who looked like he didn't have too much faith in me...although he had eaten my first Alaska and loved it. Pressure was on but I accomplished my feat. I separated five egg whites from the yolk...in my hand of course. I let the whites sit for a half hour and then added a teaspoon of cream of tartar. Using a hand mixer I beat the whites and tartar on high for a couple minutes until they were stiff and could form a peak. I then took 2/3 cup of granulated sugar and added it in a steady stream while still running the mixer...this time at medium high. When the meringue looks shiny and still forms stiff peaks, it's done. 

I then spooned/dumped, the meringue on the top of the Alaska and spread it down the sides evenly. Don't waste any time doing this because it will start to liquefy after some time.

Now comes the tricky part. The oven. Some people flambe. I googled and for my purposes, putting it in the oven was the best option to harden the meringue. I warmed my oven to 500 degrees...as hot as it will go next to a broil. The meringue acts as an insulator for the ice cream so as long as you don't have it in there too long then your cake will not burn, your ice cream will not melt, and your meringue will not burn. I put the Baked Alaska in the oven for no more than five minutes and while it was in there I left the oven door open to monitor it. I turned it twice so there was an even brown on the meringue. The result is in the picture below. It turned out wonderfully.

So...the next picture is what it looked like once it was cut open. It turned out well. 

Who knows when I will make it again and what combination I will make. All in all, it's time consuming, but pretty easy to make. Taking orders!!