Asa is 10 - so...Baked Alaska!

Mr. Bryant, Asa, Jaya, ADR, and SRR having an after dinner stroll.

Asa turned double digits this weekend. Now his dad says he is an "even steven," and I am so very proud of our 10 year old! He had a party at his house on Saturday, and before the party I called him to sing Happy Birthday and talk to him about Sunday dessert. I had already talked with his mom and dad about Sunday dinner, and we had the menu pretty well planned. But I wanted to know if Asa might want something special for dessert, in honor of his birthday.

Me - "So sweetie, would you like a special dessert for your birthday?"

He - "YES!"

Me - "What would you like?"

He - "Baked Alaska!"



Me - "Um, well, ok then! Baked Alaska it is!"

Dad - "I don't think he really knows what Baked Alaska is, Mom. You don't have to do that."

Me - "Well, he will know what it is soon!"

So I prepared for Baked Alaska. Since Asa had given up chocolate for lent, I needed to choose flavors very carefully. I decided that since it was his birthday we could probably call it a celebration day and he could have a little chocolate, but I didn't want to overdo it. So I settled on a yellow cake and Cookie Dough ice cream.

Everyone gathered for dinner (Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Tossed Salad, beans and cabbage on the side) to enjoy company and celebrate. Asa got some goodies for his birthday (even money) and we really had a fun time.

ADR, ARR, R. :)

Dessert was a fabulous hit, and the recipe for this amazing delight is really very straightforward. I highly recommend it as a surprise for your family - it looks much more astounding than the work put into making it! I didn't get a picture of the Alaska in all its glory as I was serving it - but here is a photo of the half that was left over for tomorrow!

Asa's 10th Birthday Baked Alaska

Simple Recipe, Baked Alaska (I based my dessert above on this recipe from Betty Crocker, who encourages us to experiment with flavors. This is from my very well used Betty Crocker Cookbook printed in 1974.)

1 package (18.5 ounces) devils food cake mix
1 quart brick chocolate chip ice cream
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar (packed)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cake mix in 1 round layer pan, 9x1 ½ inches, and 1 square layer pan, 9x9x2 inches. Bake round layer 30 – 35 minutes and square layer 25 to 30 minutes. Freeze round layer for other use.

COOL COMPLETELY.

Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place cooled square cake on baking sheet. Place ice cream on cake. Leaving 1-inch edge, trim cake around ice cream. Freeze cake and ice cream.

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Completely cover cake and ice cream with meringue, sealing it to foil on sheet. (If desired, cake can be frozen up to 24 hours at this point.)

Bake on lowest rack in oven 3 to 5 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Trim foil to edge of meringue; transfer to serving plate. Cut into 6 slices; cut each slice in half. Serve immediately.

12 servings.