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Baked Alaska

This advanced Baked Alaska recipe creates individual desserts featuring layers of coffee and vanilla parfaits set on a chocolate cookie base. Each portion is then generously covered with a glossy Swiss meringue, flash-baked until golden, and served with a rich rum caramel sauce, offering a delightful contrast of textures and temperatures.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine French
Servings 6 people
Calories 1140.8 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Mixer Stand mixer recommended for meringue and parfait base
  • 1 Double Boiler Or heatproof bowl over a simmering saucepan
  • 1 6-Cup Muffin Tin For shaping individual parfaits
  • 1 Baking Sheet Lined with parchment paper for cookies
  • 1 Pastry Bag with 1/2-inch Tip For piping meringue

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean seeds scraped
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons coffee extract
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 pound chocolate sandwich cookies finely ground (recommended: Oreo's)
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 8 egg whites
  • Rum Caramel Sauce for serving, recipe follows
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 tablespoons 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • Dark rum

Instructions
 

  • For the parfait: Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Set aside in the refrigerator.
  • Put the egg yolks, sugar, 1 tablespoon water, vanilla seeds, and vanilla extract in the top of a double boiler over medium heat. Mixing continuously, cook the ingredients until the temperature reaches 140 degrees F. Put the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on medium-high speed until it has doubled in volume and comes to room temperature. Separate the mixture into 2 bowls. In 1 bowl, mix in the coffee extract. Set aside. Fold half the heavy cream into the coffee mixture, and half into the vanilla mixture. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold half the egg whites into the coffee mixture, and half into the vanilla mixture.
  • Lightly butter a 6-cup muffin tin; cut wax paper to fit in the bottom of each cup. Fill the cups halfway with the vanilla mixture. Tap the muffin tin lightly on the counter to make sure the cream mixture settles evenly. Fill the cups the remaining way with the coffee mixture. Place the tin in the freezer until firmly set.
  • For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Put the cookie crumbs, almond flour, and egg yolks in a bowl. Mix by hand until homogenous. Place the mixture between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten with your hand, and then roll out with a rolling pin to 1/8-inch thick. Take the top sheet of plastic wrap off and flip on to the prepared baking sheet. Remove the bottom sheet of plastic wrap. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut into circles with a cookie cutter a little larger that the top of your muffin cup. Set aside.
  • When the cookies are cool and the parfait is frozen, invert the parfaits onto the cookie bases and place back in the freezer (make sure the parfaits are centered on the cookie).
  • For the meringue: Put the eggs whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk over a saucepan of simmering water until the sugar dissolves. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium-high speed until you have firm glossy peaks. Place in a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch tip.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the parfaits from the freezer. Starting at the bottom of the cookie, working in circles, make meringue kisses until all of the parfait is covered. Put back in the freezer. When ready to serve, bake until golden brown. Drizzle with Rum Caramel Sauce and serve.

Notes

For the parfait base, ensure the egg yolk mixture reaches 140°F (60°C) to pasteurize and thicken properly without scrambling; continuous whisking is key. Achieving firm, glossy peaks for the Swiss meringue is crucial for its structure and browning. Make sure your mixer bowl and whisk are impeccably clean and grease-free. The initial freezing of the parfaits is vital for stability during assembly. When baking the meringue-covered Baked Alaska, monitor closely as the high oven temperature will rapidly caramelize the meringue; it's a quick process to brown the exterior.