4th of July Baked Alaska

It’s 90°F in the shade and I just can’t bring myself to fire up the oven today. So, the only reasonable thing to do is make a 4th of July Baked Alaska with homemade ice cream and top it with flaming meringue. If you don’t want to make your own ice cream, then just get your favorite store bought brand and layer them up in a loaf pan. I used strawberry, coconut and blueberry ice creams to create the red, white and blue stripes. Okay, they’re pink, cream and purple, but the intention was right and I say close enough.

You can go as crazy or quiet with your meringue, but lighting it on fire with kirschwasser (cherry flavored booze) shouldn’t really be optional. If you don’t want the booze, just use your blow torch and you’ll have the same effect without the alcohol. 

Happy 4th of July!

4th of July Baked Alaska

4 cups Strawberry Ice Cream – I added sliced, macerated strawberries (below) to the ice cream as I was taking it out of the ice cream maker. 

Macerated strawberries:

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries (cut them no more than 1/4-inch-thick)

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons lime or lemon juice

Combine the strawberries, sugar and lime juice in a small bowl and allow to sit for 2 hours, until the strawberries have released much of their juices. Strain when ready to use. 

2 cups Coconut Ice Cream – I added 1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut to vanilla ice cream just as it was finishing churning in the ice cream machine. 

2 cups Blueberry Ice Cream – I used the strawberry ice cream recipe, but used blueberries instead. 

Swiss Meringue for covering the cake.

1/4 cup Kirschwasser

To assemble the 4th of July Baked Alaska: 

Line a frozen 9-inch Pullman Loaf Pan with parchment paper.

Spoon 1/3 of the strawberry ice cream into the loaf pan, spoon some of the macerated strawberries onto the ice cream, repeat this two more times. Run a knife in the ice cream to distribute the strawberries, then smooth the top. Cover and freeze for at least an hour. 

Add the coconut ice cream to the pan and smooth it over the strawberry ice cream. Freeze for at least an hour. 

Spread the blueberry ice cream over the coconut layer, cover and freeze for several hours, until it is firm. This can be done days in advance of serving it. 

Invert the pan over the serving plate (be sure the plate is large enough to catch the kirschwasser when you pour it over the top) and if the ice cream won’t come out, heat the pan by wrapping it with a hot towel or wave it with a blowtorch. 

Cover the cake with the meringue. You can watch me pipe the meringue onto the cake in my Instagram Video. I used a Ateco 790 Decorating Tip and a Leaf Decorating Tip Freeze the cake for at least an hour before serving.

Just before serving, warm the kirschwasser in a pan over low heat for about 2 minutes. Carefully light the kirschwasser on fire with a long match or torch flame. Carefully and slowly drizzle the flaming alcohol evenly over the entire cake and watch it toast the meringue. It will burn off on it’s own.