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Christmas Baked Alaska Recipe

Mini Christmas cakes enrobed in rum and raisin ice cream and covered by a dramatic, peaked layer of meringue. Could there be a better dessert for a hot South African Christmas?

Difficulty

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cooking Time

15 minutes

Serves

Serves: 8 (1 Baked Alaska per couple)

Recipe Ingredients

  •  4  un-iced Fresh Line mini fruit cakes
  • 50 ml Maraschino cherry or Amaretto liqueur or brandy (or more if you like!)
  • 500 ml  SPAR rum and raisin or vanilla ice cream
  • 4 large SPAR eggs, separated
  • 135 ml SPAR castor sugar
  • 1 ml Cream of Tartar
  • 25 g SPAR flaked almonds
  • Sparklers and matches for serving
 
 

Recipe Method

  1. Brush liqueur or brandy generously over each cake.
  2. Cover a cake with ice cream, shaping the ice cream to match the shape of the cake. Refreeze immediately on an ovenproof serving platter.
  3. Preheat oven to 240 degrees C.
  4. In a clean glass bowl, whisk the egg whites with the Cream of Tartar until very stiff. Gradually whisk in the sugar until a very stiff glossy meringue is achieved.
  5. Remove the tray of fruitcakes from the freezer (the ice cream must have frozen solid again), and pile the meringue over generously to completely cover the top and sides. Open-freeze briefly if the oven has not reached the required temperature yet.
  6. Take the platter from the freezer, sprinkle a few flaked almonds on top of each cake, and place directly into the pre-heated oven. DONT STRAY OR MOVE AWAY.
  7. Bake for exactly 3 minutes until an attractive golden brown all over.
  8. Use an egg lifter to transfer each one onto a side plate. Insert a sparkler into the centre of each dessert, ignite them, and take to the dining table immediately.

Hints & Tips

  • The secret of success is the complete coverage of the cake and frozen solid ice cream, using a good stiff meringue.
  • The SPAR individual Christmas Fruit puddings may be substituted for the Mini Fruit cakes, but they will only serve 1 person.
  • The sparklers remain very hot even after the sparkles have died down - be careful young children aren't too eager to touch them.