Baked Alaska Recipe

Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly oil the paper. Have the baking sheet and a heatproof spoon ready — honeycomb sets very quickly.

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 tbs light corn syrup, 2 tbs honey and 1 tsp water. Stir gently until sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and clip a candy thermometer to the pan.

Bring mixture to a boil and cook without stirring until it reaches 300°F (hard-crack) or a deep amber color, about 7–10 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the 2 tsp sifted baking soda — mixture will foam vigorously. Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet and let cool and harden completely, about 30 minutes.

Once cool, break into irregular shards. Store in an airtight container until assembly.

Prepare an ice bath (large bowl with ice water) and have a fine-mesh sieve ready.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup honey and 1 tbsp of the granulated sugar (from the 3 tbs). Heat, stirring, until honey darkens to a deep amber and begins to caramelize, 6–8 minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning; remove from heat when aromatic and amber.

Add 1 cup whole milk to the hot caramel in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly (mixture will bubble). Return to low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk 6 egg yolks with remaining 2 tbs granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened.

Temper the yolks by slowly pouring about half of the warm milk-honey mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly. Then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.

Cook the custard over low–medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon (about 170–175°F) — do not boil.

Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp sea salt. Cool for 10 minutes, then strain the custard through the sieve into a bowl placed over the ice bath to cool quickly.

Once cool, cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.

Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions until soft-set. Transfer into molds or a 6 x 3-inch dome mold lined with plastic wrap (to form individual Baked Alaskas), press to remove air pockets. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Place 8 oz chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup heavy cream until it just begins to simmer (small bubbles at edge), then remove from heat.

Pour hot cream over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute to soften. Whisk gently from center outward until smooth and glossy.

Whisk in 2 tbs whiskey, 2 tbs cold cubed butter and 1 tsp light corn syrup (if using) until fully incorporated and shiny. If ganache is too loose for coating, chill briefly and then rewarm slightly before use.

Allow ganache to cool until pourable but not hot (about 90–95°F). Keep warm very gently if needed before assembly.

Temper or melt 12 oz finely chopped milk chocolate with 1 tsp vegetable oil using a double boiler or microwave in 20–30 second bursts, stirring between, until smooth and glossy. If tempering, maintain proper temper; otherwise keep warm but slightly cool for coating.

If using sponge cake rounds, trim to fit the base of each ice cream dome. Place frozen ice cream domes on the prepared cake rounds (or on a tray lined with parchment) and return to the freezer to firm up for 15–30 minutes.

Working quickly with cold, firm ice cream domes, brush or spoon a thin layer of tempered milk chocolate over each dome to create a shell. Spread evenly and let the chocolate set (you may chill briefly to speed setting). Apply a second thin coat if needed to ensure an even shell. Return shells to the freezer to harden completely, about 15–30 minutes.

Swiss Meringue

Place 6 egg whites and 1 cup granulated sugar in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water (bain-marie). Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture reaches about 160°F and is warm to the touch (about 3–4 minutes). Remove from heat.

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or hand mixer), whip the warmed egg white mixture at high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and the bowl is no longer warm, about 6–8 minutes. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp cream of tartar in the early whipping if desired for stability; add a pinch of salt.

Preheat oven to 500°F (or use a kitchen blowtorch). Remove chocolate-shelled ice cream domes from freezer and place on a lined baking sheet.

Mound or pipe the meringue over each dome, making sure meringue fully covers the chocolate shell and seals to the tray/base to insulate during torching or baking.

Option A - Torch: Use a kitchen torch to brown the meringue evenly until golden. Option B - Oven: Bake at 500°F for 2–4 minutes, watching constantly until meringue is golden brown. Remove and let rest briefly.

If you prefer the whiskey ganache inside rather than poured over, before coating with milk chocolate, quickly spoon a small well in the flat base of the ice cream dome and pipe or spoon about 1 tbs whiskey ganache into each dome, then re-freeze to firm before chocolate coating.

To serve, garnish each baked Alaska with shards of honeycomb and, if desired, a small drizzle of remaining whiskey ganache. Slice with a hot knife (dip in hot water and dry between cuts) for clean slices.