Baked Alaskas Are Making a Comeback

Baked Alaskas are totally making a comeback and although they do look a bit intimidating, I promise you — it’s a piece of cake! These Baking mini baked Alaskas have a layer of moist hazelnut cake, topped with chocolate ice cream and engulfed in the fluffiest meringue. And as an added bonus: these little treats can be made dairy-free as long as you substitute in dairy-free ice cream. Impress your family this holiday season with these cute mini baked Alaskas.

Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Baked Alaskas

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Bake Time: 15 to 18 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 mini baked Alaskas

Ingredients:

Hazelnut Cake
1 cup hazelnut meal (store-bought or homemade — place whole hazelnuts in a food processor or blender and pulse for 10-12 seconds)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup sunflower oil or any neutral oil
½ cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate ice cream (opt for dairy-free, if you wish)

Swiss Meringue
6 large egg whites
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line and grease a 9 x 13 pan. Set aside.

2. Whisk together the hazelnut meal, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together the eggs and sugar on high until it doubles in size, about 5-8 minutes. Stream in the oil, almond milk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

4. Fold in the dry ingredients in two batches making sure not to over-mix. Transfer to the prepared pan, give it a couple of taps on the counter and bake for 15-18 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick when inserted, comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes. Then invert, peel back the parchment paper and let cool completely on a wire rack.

5. Place a piece of plastic wrap in every other cavity of a 12-cup muffin pan, fill with chocolate ice cream, fold the plastic over top and press to pack the ice cream in. Place into the freezer to set.

6. For the Swiss meringue, in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the egg whites and sugar over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar has dissolved. Place back on the stand mixer, add the cream of tartar and whisk on high for 6-8 minutes. The meringue is ready when it has tripled in size and the bottom on the bowl is room temperature.