We had a blast last night chatting with many of you and demonstrating how to make this Lemon Cake Baked Alaska with a Rhubarb - Raspberry Sauce on Talk Shop Live. The one I made live didn't turn out as pretty as this one, but considering it was a bit more rushed, I wasn't too disappointed. My neighbors' four kids got the benefit of the show, Cheryl Buccelli and they all gave it a thumbs up. Seriously, don't let the recipe intimidate you -- over half of it is store bought. You can watch me make it from link below for months to come. You can find the recipe below and watch the show again right here
Recipe:
1 Lemon Tea Cake or a store-bought Pound Cake
1 pint good raspberry sorbet
1 pint good vanilla ice cream, such as Häagen-Dazs
for the swiss meringue
8 extra-large egg whites
1½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Sauce:
1 container raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup raspberry jam
1 Tbs framboise liqueur (OPTIONAL)
1 cup fresh rhubarb
I take a round shape with some depth and cut through the entire cake from the top (see video) so it goes through the entire cake. Then, I take the round and turn it on its side to slice it about 1/2' slices, discarding the scraps. Place the cake rounds 2 inches apart on a flat dish on top of parchment that will fit in your freezer.
Soften the sorbet and ice cream just enough to be able to cut the carton with a scissors from the side...then you can easily slice the ice cream into rounds. Place the raspberry sorbet on bottom, the ice cream on top. IMMEDIATELY Freeze for at least 30 minutes, until the ice cream is very hard.
I prefer using a culinary torch to brown the top once you put the swiss meringue on top.
To make the Swiss meringue, place the egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the mixture almost constantly, until it reaches 120 degrees on a candy thermometer (I prefer an INSTANT READ THERMOMETER) and the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt and beat on medium speed for one minute, then on high speed for 5 minutes, until the egg whites form stiff, glossy peaks.
Working quickly, spread the meringue with a spoon or small spatula, making lots of peaks all over with the back of the spoon. (You can also use a pastry bag fitted with a large fluted tip and pipe the meringue thickly around each ball of ice cream and cake.) Be sure all of the ice cream is covered with meringue. Torch the top of the meringues with a culinary torch (you can buy on amazon or @WilliamsSonoma) ...quickly so that it browns at the peaks until the edges of the meringues are browned, turning the pan once to brown evenly. Transfer to dessert plates, drizzle fresh rhubarb-raspberry sauce on the plate and place the baked alaska on top, or drizzle the sauce around each baked Alaska, and serve immediately.
Fresh Rhubarb Raspberry Sauce (Makes 3 cups)
1 (6-ounce) package fresh raspberries & 1 cup sliced rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam
1 tablespoon framboise liqueur (OPTIONAL)
Place the rhubarb & raspberries, sugar, and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries and rhubarb, the jam, and the framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth - I prefer to use an immersion blender and do this by hand. Pour into a container and chill. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to one week. this recipe has been adapted by Ina Garten/Food Network.
