Lychee, Raspberry, and Sesame Baked Alaska
when a summer birthday calls for ice cream cake
Hello hello!
I celebrated another trip around the sun this weekend. A seafood tower was had, a pool was dipped into with chunky baby thighs, and I managed to make my first ever Baked Alaska! Life with Meyer has been so sweet lately. He sleeps mostly through the night, is constantly trying to move, and is practicing his goofy chuckle more and more (or we’re acting more and more ridiculous to entice a laugh). I’m grateful to be in this sweet spot with him and it’s honestly the best birthday present.
Like many bakers, we love to make our own birthday cake. This was last year’s! This year, instead of baking a cake, I wanted to make a Baked Alaska. A Baked Alaska is essentially a dramatic ice cream cake that gives you an opportunity to bust out the blow torch. I constructed mine with a tahini blondie base (I used this recipe), a homemade lychee ice cream (recipe below), and a torched raspberry meringue (from this old recipe). I loved the fact I could take the time to make each component without the pressure of time constraints. The ice cream lived in the freezer, the blondies got chewier and tasted better the next day, and there wasn’t buttercream that melted in the heat.
Here’s how I made it!
First I made the lychee ice cream. I recently got myself an ice cream maker after years of debating the purchase. So far it has brought me a lot of joy and making ice cream is my new form of self care. This lychee ice cream is so so good and reminds me of the ice creams from Marco Polo in the Sunset! I wrapped a 6-inch round bowl in plastic wrap and added about 1 pint of ice cream. Pack it in so there aren’t any gaps and then freeze until it is solid.
Next I made the tahini blondies. I added a few sprinkles to the batter because it felt right for a birthday. It bakes in a 8x8-inch pan and once it was cool I used a 6-inch ring mold to cut our a round base. You could also free cut a round base or just bake most of the batter in a 6-inch round cake pan. I made this the day before my birthday and kept it wrapped tightly while snaking on the scraps. The blondie got better by the next day in my opinion.
About an hour before serving I made the raspberry meringue. Since it is made with a syrup, the meringue is a little more stable than simply whipped eggs with sugar.
Right before serving I placed the blondie base on a baking sheet. Unwrapped the molded ice and placed that on top so it looked like a dome. Covered it with the meringue (you will use all of it for a 6-inch round Baked Alaska) and then torched it. I initially put it in the oven under the broiler but I didn’t like how it was toasting so I took it out and used my blow torch instead.
Cut and serve! If your ice cream is pretty solid the meringue helps insulate the ice cream it doesn’t melt as fast if you might think. Allowing the ice cream to soften for a few minutes gives the Baked Alaska a more enjoyable eating experience too!
Lychee Ice Cream
Makes about 1 1/2 pints
