Dairy Free Individual Baked Alaska (with a Meringue Piping Video tutorial)

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Deliciously addictive Dairy Free Individual Baked Alaska with a soft, moist chocolate cake base, So Delicious Dairy Free® Frozen Desserts in the middle, and then covered with a silky smooth meringue topping with a warm, caramelized coating! A sophisticated-looking dessert but with minimal hassle, that’s perfect for summer and entertaining! Read on to find out what sets this recipe apart from other baked alaska. Recipe includes video tutorial on how I piped the meringue, as well.

(PIN IT FOR LATER)

I’ve been scaling back on my dairy intake these days. While I’m not going full on dairy free, I do enjoy having the option of dairy free desserts whenever possible. Lactose intolerance runs in my family, and I always have that at the back of my mind. Since a lot of desserts I enjoyed when I was younger were dairy free anyway, it’s nothing new to me either.

Which is why I love these So Delicious Dairy Free® Frozen Desserts! They are creamy and come in a variety of delightful flavors to spoil you for choice. On top of being dairy free, they also happen to be certified vegan, egg free, and made with plant-based sources with no high fructose corn syrup, no cholesterol, no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. If you’re on the lookout for delicious frozen desserts, you certainly can’t go wrong with this product.

And if you’re on the lookout for an amazing dairy free dessert, you’re in for treat today! I came up with a dessert that’s easy to assemble, but a complete joy to serve and eat. Dairy Free Individual Baked Alaska made with So Delicious Dairy Free® Frozen Desserts! A dessert so fun, pretty and delicious that you will never even miss the dairy.

My favorite memory of Bombe Alaska (a variation of baked alaska where you splash the dessert with alcohol and then flambe it with a blow torch which creates quite a spectacle), was when Mr K had his very first one in Coffs Harbour, Australia, a while back. He had no idea what to expect, and the restaurant that we were at didn’t skimp on the theatrics. He loved the show and the dessert so much that he still talks about it all these years later! 🙂

I’ve been making mini baked alaska like this for myself ever since! The first time was a disaster, since it was experimental, but I’ve perfected my skills over time! 🙂

What I really love about this dairy free baked alaska is how easy it is to make it at home. This individual version is a dream to make (and good for portion control too, because trust me, portion control is going to be the hardest thing to do with this dairy free baked alaska!), and with the range of flavors that So Delicious Dairy Free® Frozen Desserts have to offer, you can personalize each individual baked alaska with your favorite flavor. I made these dairy free baked alaska with Cashew Milk Salted Caramel Cluster and Coconut Milk Simply Strawberry Frozen Desserts. But you’re welcome to try whatever flavor you prefer!

Alright, so let’s talk a bit about this recipe.

There are three key things that set this recipe apart from other baked alaska, apart from being completely dairy free, of course.

ONE – Usually the base of a baked alaska is sponge cake. But I take a shortcut here and make a super easy, incredibly soft, moist chocolate cake with a batter that comes together in a matter of minutes. So you don’t have to keep whisking eggs to peak like you would with sponge cake. Since the cake base is soft, you have to be careful when you cut out rounds for the base of this individual baked alaska. It’ll be a lot easier to cut if the cake is cold or chilled.

I scooped out spheres of the slightly softened strawberry and cashew milk salted caramel frozen desserts onto a tray lined with parchment paper, and then gently pressed it down on the tray to create a flat bottom. Then I froze them until they were completely set.

Then you can simply place the frozen dessert scoop on top of the cake base to assemble it, or use some dairy free melted chocolate or fruit spread to stick them together.

These assembled individual baked alaska can be stored in the freezer until you need them too. In fact you can keep them covered in the freezer for a few weeks too – perfect frozen treat on a hot summer day. And PERFECT for entertaining too. To dress up the individual baked alaska even further, you can pipe the meringue onto the dessert prior to serving them, and then brown/caramelize the meringue at the table…you know…to complete the show! And here’s the second great thing about this recipe.

The “cooked” egg white

TWO – The meringue is COMPLETELY COOKED! The egg whites here have been heated over a double boiler with the sugar, until they turn milky white which makes them completely safe to eat.  You can do this ahead of time and leave the egg whites in a dry container until you need them too. Simply whisk the cooled egg white and sugar liquid in a dry mixer bowl on high speed to stiff peaks, and then simply spoon it or pipe it over your dairy free baked alaska!

THREE – The meringue here isn’t actually baked in the oven, I simply use a blow torch to caramelize it to make it easier. However, if you don’t own a blow torch or would like to bake it in the oven instead, store the meringue piped baked alaska in the freezer for a couple of hours to chill. Then you can “grill” them under a broiler for a few minutes (but keep an eye on it, you don’t want them to burn or melt!) before serving. OR you can caramelize them with some flambéed rum for an awesome Bombe Alaska!

This is a great recipe that I know you and your whole family will love – dairy free or not! That soft, silky meringue topping with a warm, caramelized coating, and the creamy frozen treats tucked away inside, and the soft, moist chocolate cake base – it’s an addictive dairy free dessert that looks sophisticated, but with little of that hassle.

PIPING THE MERINGUE – Video Tutorial included

Since I used two flavors to make these individual baked alaska, I actually wanted to personalize the meringue topping on each one, just for fun! 🙂 So the strawberry flavored baked alaska was decorated with a piped rose shaped meringue, because pink = flower = rose, right? Close enough, anyway.

And then the cashew milk salted caramel baked alaska was piped with a beehive shaped meringue topping that was then studded with caramel cashew praline, because caramel = sweet = honey = beehive. Yeah I know, that one was bit of a reach.

Alternatively, you can just spoon the meringue on top and spread it to cover the whole dessert instead. Either way, they taste downright addictive, and you cannot deny how beautiful these individual baked alaska desserts look! They got summer written all over them and these cute desserts cannot be more perfect for entertaining either!

Dairy Free Individual Baked Alaska

Author: Dini from The Flavor Bender

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Ingredients

• 2 tubs of So Delicious Dairy Free® Frozen Desserts
• Dairy free melted chocolate or a fruit spread
• Candied cashew or praline to serve
• Strawberries to serve

Chocolate Cake Base (adapted from Beatty’s Chocolate Cake - Ina Garten)

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt kosher
• 1/2 cup plant based milk
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil oil
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup strong hot coffee

Meringue Topping

• 5 egg whites
• 1 ¼ cup white sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Chocolate Cake Base

1. Butter and line a quarter sheet pan. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Place the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Add the egg, oil, milk, vinegar and vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix (with a whisk) until well combined and the batter is smooth.
4. Add the coffee and stir it in to mix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until cooked (the cake should be soft and springy when touched).
6. Let the cake cool slightly and flip it out on to a cooling rack to let it cool down completely (parchment paper side down).
7. Cover the cake and let it chill in the fridge, and prepare the frozen dessert centers.
8. After the cake is chilled, cut six 3 inch cake circles. Store in a box in the fridge until needed.

While the cake is chilling, prepare the baked alaska center.

1. Leave the frozen dessert tubs outside for a few minutes to soften. Line a tray or plate with parchment paper.
2. Scoop the frozen desserts into 6 spheres and place them on the parchment paper. Press down gently to create a flat bottom (you can use any flavor combination you prefer here). The scoops are about 3 inches across.
3. Transfer them to the freezer to completely freeze.

Meringue Topping

1. Place the egg whites, salt and sugar in a DRY metal mixing bowl.
2. Heat some water in a saucepan over medium high heat. When the water is simmering, place the metal bowl over the simmering water (make sure bowl is not touching the water) and whisk continuously until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg white looks milky white - about 5 minutes.
3. The egg white can be whipped immediately, while it’s hot. OR, let the egg whites cool down completely (uncovered - you don’t want water to get into the egg whites) and set aside until you need them.
4. When you’re ready to pipe the meringue, whisk the egg whites on high speed with your mixer until you have glossy peaks and it looks marshmallowy.
5. Transfer the meringue into a piping bag if you’re going to pipe the meringue.

Assembly

1. Spread a little melted chocolate or fruit spread on each cake base (optional).
2. Place the frozen dessert scoops on each cake base. At this stage you can store these in the freezer until required, or prepare them to be served immediately.
3. ROSE-SHAPED BAKED ALASKA - using a round tip, pipe the meringue along the base of the baked alaska. Switch to a large petal tip, and with the broader edge touching the baked alaska, pipe the “petals” starting from the top moving down toward the base. The easiest way is to place the tip on top and rotate the baked alaska while continuously piping the meringue in a spiral pattern. Smoothen the base of the baked alaska with an angled spatula (SEE VIDEO).
4. BEEHIVE-SHAPED BAKED ALASKA - using a round tip, pipe the meringue all around the dessert starting from the base right to the top, in a spiral pattern.
5. Alternatively, just use an angled spatula to spread the meringue to cover the baked alaska.
6. Use a blow torch to caramelize the meringue surface until golden brown, before serving.
7. To use the oven to caramelize - freeze the baked alaska for a couple of hours. Broil the frozen baked alaska for a couple of minutes until the surface turns golden brown (keep an eye to make sure the baked alaska doesn't burn or melt).
8. Decorate with fruits and/or chopped praline. Enjoy!

So head on over to your local Walmart and get one or two (or more) of these So Delicious Dairy Free® Frozen Treats, which you can easily find in the frozen food section along with other frozen desserts. Which flavor will you use to make your own individual baked alaska? 🙂

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