Torched Baked Alaska with a Three-Layer Ice Cream Dome

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A showstopper you build in a mixing bowl days ahead: a thin almond sponge base, three neat ribbons of raspberry sorbet, vanilla and dark chocolate ice cream frozen rock solid, then sealed in swoops of Swiss meringue and scorched to order. The meringue insulates the ice cream so well that a blowtorch (or two minutes under a screaming broiler) browns the outside while the center stays at scoop temperature. All the drama, almost all of it done in advance.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 tablespoons raspberry jam, warmed and strained (optional)

• 1 1/2 cups raspberry sorbet (about 1 pint)
• 2 cups good vanilla bean ice cream
• 2 cups dark chocolate ice cream

• 5 large egg whites (about 3/4 cup), room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. Whisk the 2 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until pale, thick and tripled in volume; beat in the almond and vanilla extracts.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt over the eggs in two additions, folding gently with a spatula just until no streaks remain. Fold in the melted butter in a thin stream. Scrape into the pan, level the top, and bake 14 to 16 minutes, until golden and springy and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. The sponge will be about 3/4 inch tall.
3. Line a 2-quart (roughly 8-inch-wide) round-bottomed metal or glass bowl with two overlapping sheets of plastic wrap, pressing out wrinkles and leaving 4 inches of overhang all around. Set it in the freezer while you soften the first ice cream.
4. Let the raspberry sorbet sit at room temperature 8 to 10 minutes, until spreadable but not soupy. Spoon it into the chilled bowl and press it up the sides with the back of a chilled spoon in an even 3/4-inch layer, leaving the center hollow. Freeze 45 minutes.
5. Soften the vanilla ice cream the same way and spread it over the sorbet in an even layer, again pressing it up the sides and keeping the center hollow. Freeze 45 minutes.
6. Soften the chocolate ice cream and pack it into the remaining hollow, smoothing the top flat and level with the rim of the bowl. Freeze 30 minutes.
7. Trim the sponge with a serrated knife into a round that just covers the bowl's opening (use the bowl rim as a template) and shave it to an even 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Brush the cut side with the warmed jam if using, then set it jam-side down on the chocolate layer and press gently so it adheres. Fold the plastic wrap over the top and freeze at least 6 hours, or up to 3 days.
8. Make the meringue no more than 2 hours before serving: combine the egg whites, 1 1/4 cups sugar, cream of tartar and salt in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a saucepan with 1 inch of barely simmering water. Whisk constantly for 4 to 6 minutes, until the sugar is fully dissolved (rub a drop between your fingers — no grit) and the mixture reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.
9. Transfer to the mixer and whip on medium-high for 6 to 8 minutes, until the bowl is cool to the touch and the meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks. Beat in the vanilla.
10. Chill a serving platter or a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes. Unwrap the top of the dome, invert it onto the cold platter, lift off the bowl and peel away the plastic. Working fast, spread the meringue over the entire dome in a 1-inch-thick coat, sealing it tightly all the way down to the platter so no ice cream shows. Swirl peaks with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Return to the freezer for at least 1 hour and up to 4 (this refreeze is what keeps the ice cream firm under the torch).
11. To finish, either sweep a kitchen torch over the meringue in short passes until the peaks are deep amber, or heat the broiler to its highest setting, place the platter on a rack 6 inches below the element, and broil 90 seconds to 3 minutes, rotating once and watching constantly. Serve immediately, cutting wedges with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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