Bomb Alaska Or Baked Alaska + some Petit Fours

Baked Alaska?
Baked Alaska is a dessert made of ice cream placed in a pie dish lined with slices of sponge cake or Christmas pudding and topped with meringue. The entire dessert is then placed in an extremely hot oven for just long enough to firm the meringue. The meringue is an effective insulator, and the short cooking time prevents the heat from getting through to the ice cream.

Its name was coined at Delmonico's Restaurant in 1876 to honor the recently acquired American territory. February 1 is Baked Alaska Day.
A variation called Bombe Alaska calls for some dark rum to be splashed over the Baked Alaska. Lights are then turned down and the whole dessert is flambéed while being served.
Another version calls for raspberry filling to be substituted for the ice cream, or even for the filling to be added along with the ice cream.

Petit Fours?
A petit four  is a small confection generally eaten at the end of a meal  or served as part of dessert. The name is from the French petit four, meaning "small oven".

There are two different categories of petits fours. Petits fours  include a variety of small desserts, such as special dainty biscuits, baked meringues, macaroons, and puff pastries. Petits fours are iced or decorated in some way, such as tiny cakes covered in fondant or glacé icing, small éclairs, and tartlets. In a French patisserie, assorted small desserts are usually called mignardises, while hard, buttery biscuits are called petit fours.
While petit four can refer to any bite-sized sweet presented at the end of a meal, they're usually tiny, beautifully iced cakes. Petits fours are traditionally made with an almond sponge cake, or joconde, but they can be any flavor of cake--and filling--you choose.

With a seemingly infinite variety of shapes, flavors and decoration, you can dress these little cakes up for a tea party, a bridal shower, or an elegant luncheon. A tray full of delectable and beautiful petits fours turns any event into an extraordinary occasion.
The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.


Whether bakers make the Baked Alaska, the petit fours, or both, they must make the brown butter pound cake as written and the ice cream from scratch.

Both desserts can be made in any size or shape, and the ice cream can be any flavor of our choice! For the Baked Alaska, bakers are free to choose their favorite meringue recipe and they are free to flavor it. For the petit fours, you are not required to use the chocolate glaze, or you can add additional flavors. You can also brush the cake with simple syrup if desired.

I did all same as recipe given. If someone asks why I not varied the flavors then I reply that for me it was a great opportunity to try an ice cream from David Lebovitz’s great book “The Perfect Scoop” that why.  There is no reason to avoid perfect scoop :). I made one cake of 9” x 9”inches and divide in to two parts one of 4”inch and other in 5”inch. The 4”part I sliced in to two then cut out 4 of 4”inch circles and the 5”inch part sliced in to three and used for petit fours.
Sorry for the picture quality  because i made just befor aftar lack of time & day light I could take just few.

Ice cream Petit fours

You will need

Brown Butter cake

The recipe was strict to follow according to Challenge ( click here) or you can use sponge cake of your choice (may be ready made).

Vanilla Ice Cream

For recipe (Click here) or use ice cream of your choice.

Chocolate Glaze (To glaze Ice Cream Petit Fours)

9 ounces (250g) dark chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup (250 ml) heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream

1 1/2 tablespoons (32g) light corn syrup, Golden syrup, or agave nectar

2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract

Stir the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the dark chocolate. Let sit 30 seconds, then stir to completely melt the chocolate. Stir in the vanilla and let cool until tepid before glazing the petit fours.

Assembly Instructions - Ice cream Petit fours

1. If using whole cake for petit fours Line a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) pan with plastic wrap, so that no sides of the pan are exposed and so there is some extra plastic wrap hanging off the sides. Spread 1 ¾ to 2 cups (450ml to 500ml) ice cream into the pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze several hours.
2. Once the brown butter pound cake has completely cooled, level the top with a cake leveler or a serrated knife. Then split the cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers.
3. Unwrap the frozen ice cream. Flip out onto one of the layers of cake and top with the second layer of cake. Wrap well in plastic wrap and return to the freezer overnight.
4. While the glaze cools, trim edges off each side of the ice cream cake . Cut the cake into petit fours, each 1.5”x1.5”.
5. Glaze the petit fours one at a time: place a petit four on a fork and spoon chocolate glaze over it.
7. Place the petit fours on a parchment-lined baking sheet and return to the freezer for one hour.

Baked Alaska

YOU will need

Brown Butter cake

The recipe was strict to follow according to Challenge ( click here) or you can use sponge cake of your choice (may be ready made).

Vanilla Ice Cream

For recipe (Click here) or use ice cream of your choice.

Meringue (to pipe on ice cream for Baked Alaska)

8 large egg whites
½ teaspoon (3g) cream of tartar
½ teaspoon (3g) salt
1 cup (220g) sugar

Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed in an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar gradually in a slow stream until stiff peaks form.

Assembly Instructions – Baked Alaska


1. Line four 3” diameter tea cups or small size glasses or any mold of your choice with plastic wrap, so that plastic wrap covers all the sides and hangs over the edge. Fill to the top with ice cream. Cover the top with the overhanging plastic wrap and freeze for several hours, or until solid.
2. Level the top of the brown butter pound cake with a serrated knife or with a cake leveler. Cut out circles from the cake one inch wider than your mold in diameters or same in diameter as you like . Discard the scraps or use for another purpose.
3. Unwrap the ice cream “cups” and invert on top of a cake round. Trim any extra cake if necessary.
4. Pipe the meringue over the ice cream, pipe or smooth it over with a spatula, so that none of the ice cream or cake is exposed. Freeze for one hour or up to a day.
5. Burn the tips of the meringue with a cooking blow torch. Or, bake the meringue-topped Baked Alaska on a rimmed baking sheet in a 500°F/260°C oven for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Serve immediately.