Not too long ago, I joined a baking group on Instagram that has been putting my baking skills to the test. I've become obsessed. It gives me the chance to create something I never would have like this blueberry lemon-baked Alaska. It's the ultimate dessert, combining cake with ice cream and meringue. What's not to love about that?

Recipe

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Blueberry Lemon Baked Alaska

Total Time11 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, ice cream

Servings: 12

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Lemon olive oil cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ¼ cup buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Roasted blueberry Meyer lemon ice cream

• 24 ounces blueberries
• 2 tablespoon honey
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
• ¼ cup Meyer lemon juice
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 14 ounces condensed milk

Meringue

• 6 large egg whites
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

• Combine the blueberries with honey, a pinch of salt, Meyer lemon zest, and juice in a medium saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to simmer until the berries are softened, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Brush a 3-quart bowl with oil and line it with plastic wrap.
• Beat 2 cups heavy cream with a whisk until stiff peaks form. Add the condensed milk and beat for another minute. Fold in the roasted blueberries into the cream mixture. Transfer the ice cream to the prepared bowl and spread it in an even layer. Cover the ice cream with plastic wrap and chill until solid, about 5 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, buttermilk, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on the wire rack.
• Remove the plastic cover and place the cake on top of the frozen ice cream, gently pressing down on the cake. Trim the ends of the cake as needed. Cover with plastic and freeze until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
• Make the meringue. Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they start to get foamy. Slowly add the sugar while the mixer is on and continue to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Remove the plastic cover on the ice cream and cake. Place a plate on the bowl and flip it upside down, transferring the cake onto the plate. Remove the plastic wrap and cover the cake with the meringue.
• Freeze the cake for 3 hours or until solid. Remove from the freezer and use a blowtorch to torch the meringue. Cut into slices and serve.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

If you never had a baked Alaska before, you can think of it as a fancy ice cream cake. You can mix and match the type of cake and ice cream and come up with all kinds of combinations. I immediately knew that I wanted to create a blueberry lemon baked Alaska with blueberry Meyer lemon ice cream and lemon olive oil cake. Sounds delicious, no?

First off, let me say that I know the recipe says it'll take 11 hours to make this baked Alaska, but it's sitting in the freezer the majority of the time. You can even make the dessert over the course of several days to make it easier.

Let's first make the blueberry Meyer lemon ice cream. This is a no-churn recipe so you don't need an ice cream maker.

Simmer the blueberries with honey, Meyer lemon juice and zest, and a pinch of salt until the berries soften. Let it cool completely. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add the condensed milk and beat it for another minute. Fold in the cooled blueberries into the whipped cream, and transfer the entire mixture into a lined and oiled 3-quart bowl. I found that my Kitchenaid mixing bowl was a perfect size.

Put the bowl in the freezer and let it freeze until solid, at least 5 hours.

While the ice cream is freezing, make the lemon olive oil cake. For full details on how to make the cake, click here.

Once the cake is cool, place it on top of the ice cream in the bowl. My cake fit pretty perfectly into the bowl but you may need to trim the edges.

Now let that chill in the freezer for another 2 hours.

Once the cake has chilled, it's time to make the meringue. Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until they start to get foamy. While the mixer is on, slowly add the sugar to the egg whites. You don't want to add all of the sugar at once or the meringue can get grainy. Continue to beat the whites until stiff peaks form.

Now, carefully invert the ice cream cake onto a plate, removing the plastic wrap. If the cake doesn't come out immediately, let it sit for a couple of minutes and let gravity do it's thing.

Cover the entire cake with the meringue and pop it back in the freezer to chill for another 3 hours. When you're ready, use a blowtorch to torch the meringue. I've seen several recipes that instruct you to use the broiler, but I was a wimp and was afraid the ice cream would melt.

Now step back and marvel at this work of art.

Slice into the cake and dig right in. I knew the flavors were going to be great but wow, this baked was something else! I will say, it's still rich even with bright flavors. However, every bite is worth it.

For more cake inspiration check out this caramelized honey cheesecake with cherry compote!