Alex Guarnaschelli's Bake or No-Bake Alaska _ Alex vs. America _ Food Network

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.