Building the Perfect Bake or No-Bake Alaska

We're going to build what I call a bake or no baked Alaska, and we can use either a cake base or buy a store-bought cake. To start, we need some sugar in a bowl, vanilla salt that helps with the leavening of the cake. We'll whisk one whole egg to moisten that sugar in the egg. Now we're going to add melted butter, slightly cooled, which will give it a nice flavor and texture. I'm also adding sour cream, which is what gives this cake its unique vibe right in there.

Next, we need to mix the dry ingredients. We'll get one of these fine mesh little guys, put your flour and baking soda and baking powder in it. You can either tap or literally use your whisk, making sure there are no lumps in any of the dry ingredients. This also helps with air rates, so as you mix them together, they're fluffier. We'll spread the batter out and up over the sides of a greased loaf pan. Now we don't need to mix it as much; just draw it in from the middle and give it a stir. And that's done.

Now that our cake is ready, we need to bake it. We'll put this in the oven at 350 degrees and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes. After it comes out of the oven, we'll cut about a 1-inch thick slice from each cake. Then, using a round cutter, we'll twist it around and get into that chocolate chip cookie form. We'll scoop some strawberry ice cream inside, and then pop these on a tray with a little room between each. Make sure that the tray you use fits in your freezer.

Next, we need to chill this up. We want to get this nice and firm and chilled up, so we'll pop it in the freezer for at least 4 hours and up to 12. Now, let's talk about the meringue, which is really the glue for all this dessert. First, we need to whip the egg whites in a mixer until they're frothy. We'll add some sugar, starting with a generous half and then adding more once it's doubled in volume. We want to see the traces of the Whisk in the egg whites; that means we're close to where we want to be.

Now we have our meringue ready. We'll fit a pastry bag around a cork container and pipe the meringue onto the top of each cake. Scrape off any excess meringue, making sure it's even and smooth. Now, let's talk about turning these into a masterpiece. I'm having a bit of a meringue fest, so I'll do an intricate one with a little more drama on top. We don't want to burn the meringue, so we'll torch it ever so gently.

The final result is stunning! Inside, you'll find cake ice cream and meringue, all working together in perfect harmony. It's like biting into a pinball that just hits every part of your taste buds. This bake or no-bake Alaska is the ultimate dessert for anyone looking to take their baking game to the next level.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe're going to build what I call a bake or no baked Alaska I'm going to bake the cake base or you can buy a store-bought cake and have it be in no bake Alaska so I've got some sugar in a bowl vanilla salt it helps with the leavening of the cake one whole egg give it a little whisk to moisten that sugar in that egg add melted butter slightly cooled and now I'm going to add the sour cream that's what gives it that what's in this cake Vibe right in there just mix sifting just get one of these like fine mesh little guys put your flour and in this instance baking soda and baking powder you can either tap or you can literally use your whisk no lumps in any of the dry ingredients it also air rates your dry ingredients so that as you mix them they're fluffier back to the spatula drawing the flour in from the sides spread the batter out and up over the sides and add all those chips when the surface area of the batter is spread all around I don't have to mix it as much just draw it in from the middle give it a stir and we're done a greased loaf pan gather that batter up and drop it right in here get all that batter in there Pat it a little bit now I'm going to put this in the oven at 350° and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes we're going to cut about a 1 in thick slice and we're going to take a round cutter cut around and twist it's like chocolate chip cookie in cake form we're going to scoop in this case some strawberry ice cream and then we're going to pop these on a tray with a little room between each and make sure that the tray you use fits in your freezer I'm going to pop this in the freezer for at least 4 hours and up to 12 we want to get this nice and firm and chilled up and now the merang which is really the glue for all this dessert put the egg whites in the mixer this is the Whisk on properly I lift it up and move it down a little that way it really touches the bottom you see we're breaking up those whites getting a little frothy now sugar add let's say about a generous half start to froth up put some cream of tartar now we whip now when this is about done doubled in volume I'll add the rest of that Sugar I'm seeing the traces of the Whisk in the egg whites we're close to where we want to be the mering should just kind of hang on to the Whisk a little bit come on I've got a pastry bag and a star tip fit it around a cork container and we put that mering look at that go into the bottom and scrape the side twist gently we're like ready for the world these have been in the freezer so they're pretty firm turn your baking sheet so you don't have water I'm having a mering Fest so I'm going to do an intricate one get a little more dramatic up here on the top and then we torch ever so gently this Cooks it you see that I'm pretty far away cuz we don't really want to burn it think that's pretty good let's get a look inside oh yeah cake ice cream mering let's do it right there I'm going just put a few of those mated strawberries you make this this is a knockout a little of that liquid and and the proof is getting into that middle toasted goopy Frozen cake this is a pinball that just hits every part of the machine get with itwe're going to build what I call a bake or no baked Alaska I'm going to bake the cake base or you can buy a store-bought cake and have it be in no bake Alaska so I've got some sugar in a bowl vanilla salt it helps with the leavening of the cake one whole egg give it a little whisk to moisten that sugar in that egg add melted butter slightly cooled and now I'm going to add the sour cream that's what gives it that what's in this cake Vibe right in there just mix sifting just get one of these like fine mesh little guys put your flour and in this instance baking soda and baking powder you can either tap or you can literally use your whisk no lumps in any of the dry ingredients it also air rates your dry ingredients so that as you mix them they're fluffier back to the spatula drawing the flour in from the sides spread the batter out and up over the sides and add all those chips when the surface area of the batter is spread all around I don't have to mix it as much just draw it in from the middle give it a stir and we're done a greased loaf pan gather that batter up and drop it right in here get all that batter in there Pat it a little bit now I'm going to put this in the oven at 350° and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes we're going to cut about a 1 in thick slice and we're going to take a round cutter cut around and twist it's like chocolate chip cookie in cake form we're going to scoop in this case some strawberry ice cream and then we're going to pop these on a tray with a little room between each and make sure that the tray you use fits in your freezer I'm going to pop this in the freezer for at least 4 hours and up to 12 we want to get this nice and firm and chilled up and now the merang which is really the glue for all this dessert put the egg whites in the mixer this is the Whisk on properly I lift it up and move it down a little that way it really touches the bottom you see we're breaking up those whites getting a little frothy now sugar add let's say about a generous half start to froth up put some cream of tartar now we whip now when this is about done doubled in volume I'll add the rest of that Sugar I'm seeing the traces of the Whisk in the egg whites we're close to where we want to be the mering should just kind of hang on to the Whisk a little bit come on I've got a pastry bag and a star tip fit it around a cork container and we put that mering look at that go into the bottom and scrape the side twist gently we're like ready for the world these have been in the freezer so they're pretty firm turn your baking sheet so you don't have water I'm having a mering Fest so I'm going to do an intricate one get a little more dramatic up here on the top and then we torch ever so gently this Cooks it you see that I'm pretty far away cuz we don't really want to burn it think that's pretty good let's get a look inside oh yeah cake ice cream mering let's do it right there I'm going just put a few of those mated strawberries you make this this is a knockout a little of that liquid and and the proof is getting into that middle toasted goopy Frozen cake this is a pinball that just hits every part of the machine get with it\n"