Christmas Tree Baked Alaska
Ingredients
● 3 litres of ice cream of your choice (softened) - We used a mixture of salted caramel and vanilla
● 4 large egg whites
● 200g caster sugar
● ½ tsp cream of tartar
● 2 tsp corn flour
● 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
● 150g crushed oreos/biscuits
Brownie base:
● 200g dark chocolate
● 200g butter (unsalted)
● 3 large eggs
● 275g golden caster sugar
● 100g plain flour
● 50g cocoa powder
Equipment:
Tala Performance 20cm Springform Cake Tin
Tala 3 Open Tip Nozzles with Icing Bag
Method
1. First, make your brownie base. Melt the butter and dark chocolate together, then leave to the side to cool. Whip your eggs and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until doubled in size and mousse-like.
2. Pour the cooled chocolate mix into the egg/sugar mixture and gently fold together.
3. Once combined, sift the dry ingredients into the mixture and again, gently fold together until fully incorporated.
4. Bake in a round 20cm cake tin lined with parchment paper for 30-35 minutes! Once baked, leave to cool in the tin.
5. Now for the ice cream layer. First, roll a piece of card into a cone shape with a base that matches the size of the cake tin you have used for the brownie layer. Roll a piece of parchment paper into a cone that fits inside the card cone and tape together. Place the cone in a pot, tip down (We ended up using a wide vase! - Just make sure it’s freezer safe).
6. Spread your ice cream into the cone, filling it all the way up. Freeze point down overnight for at least 12 hours.
7. Once the ice cream has set, remove the card and parchment paper and place on top of the brownie base, point up. Pat the crushed oreos all over so it is completely covered and then pop back into the freezer for 30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, make the meringue layer. Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly for approximately 3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Then remove from the heat and whip together until foamy, starting on a low speed and gradually increasing to a medium speed.
9. Add in your cream of tartar, vanilla and corn flour until stiff, glossy peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle.
10. Take your tree out of the freezer and, starting at the base, pipe upward blobs, dragging meringue into teardrop shapes. Once the whole cake is covered in meringue, toast with a kitchen torch. Then, cut and serve!