May 19, 1954 Baked Alaska

Baked Alaska

Golden Sponge Cake for Baked Alaska

6 egg yolks
3/4 c. gran. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/3 c. boiling water
1 1/4 c. cake flour
1/4 t. salt
1 t. baking powder

Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Add sugar gradually and continue beating until very light. Add flavoring, then slowly add boiling water. Last, pour in sifted flour with baking powder, all at once, and stir only until smooth. Pour batter into square pan 9 x 9 x 1 1/2 inches that has been very lightly greased on bottom only. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, then raise heat to 400 degrees and bake about 10 minutes or until done. Remove cake from oven, invert until cool. To remove loosen sides of cake and turn out.

(About 15 minutes before serving, prepare Baked Alaska.) On a thick wooden board place a strip of very heavy paper, cut the same width as cake, but a little longer at one end for sliding desert onto platter. Place half of cake on paper and board, trimming cake to uniform thickness and size, if necessary, then place brick of ice cream on cake. IT IS BEST TO HAVE CAKE SAME SIZE AS ICE CREAM, and best 1 1/2 inches in thickness. Place ice cream on cake and place in coldest part of refrigerator or freezer while preparing meringue for Baked Alaska. Less meringue may be used but this recipe uses 6 whites left from cake.

Meringue for Baked Alaska

6 egg whites
1/8 t. salt
3/4 c. gran. sugar
1 t. vanilla

Beat egg whites with salt until they cling to the bowl. Add sugar a little at a time and continue to beat at high speed for about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until well blended. Spread onto very firm ice cream and cake at once and bake in hot oven 450 degrees for about 5 minutes or until brown. REmove from oven, loosen around edges of meringue to release cake from board, then pull paper and slide Alaska onto large serving platter. With sharp knife slice and serve at once.