Described as the "ultimate showstopper", Mary Berry 's "retro classic" dessert is a fun turn away from more classic recipes. As an iconic baker, trust Mary Berry to include making her own ice cream in her baked Alaska recipe (although the sponge base is premade). Thankfully, you only need five ingredients to make vanilla ice cream (and an ice cream machine) – or you can use one litre of good quality vanilla ice cream bought from the supermarket.
If you opt for shop-bought ice cream to save on money, time and effort, you can skip straight to the meringue part of the recipe. Taking up to two hours to be baked, this is a dessert best saved for a special occasion. Serving up to eight people, here's how to make the decadent baked Alaska dessert.
Baked Alaska For the vanilla ice cream 300ml double cream 300ml pint milk One vanilla pod Three egg yolks 100g caster sugar For the meringue Three egg whites 175g caster sugar To assemble Two to three tbsp cherry jam 20cm circle ready-made sponge cake about 2.5cm thick Equipment Ice cream machine For the vanilla ice cream Pour the cream and milk into a heavy-based saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds, then add the seeds and pod to the pan.
Heat the mixture until just below boiling point. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool for one hour. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Slowly whisk in about one-quarter of the cream mixture. Reheat the remaining crea.