Science and Cooking: Baked Alaska (2024)

FAQs

Science and Cooking: Baked Alaska? ›

The ice cream in the baked Alaska stays frozen, even when placed in a hot oven, by taking advantage of the insulating properties of the trapped air in the cellular structure of the foam components (the meringue and sponge cake). The ice cream is surrounded by meringue and sponge cake, which conduct heat very poorly.

Baked Alaska is a baked dessert consisting of cake, ice cream, and meringue. So how does the ice cream not melt during the baking process? The meringue insulates it from the heat. The treat is baked in a hot oven for a few minutes or just long enough to firm and brown the meringue.

Meringue is an effective insulator because of how much air it contains. This air gets trapped in the egg whites when they're whipped. Since air is a poor conductor of heat, it's able to offset the melting of the ice cream in baked Alaska.

Patisserie de France Baked Alaska 320g | Sainsbury's.

The Physics Behind the Baked Alaska

The ice cream in the baked Alaska stays frozen, even when placed in a hot oven, by taking advantage of the insulating properties of the trapped air in the cellular structure of the foam components (the meringue and sponge cake).

Effects of Climate Change on Alaska's Glaciers

Alaska's glaciers are in steep decline and are among the fastest melting glaciers on Earth (see figure below). In addition to higher temperatures, one of the impacts of climate change on maritime glaciers is an increase in the altitude of the rain-snow line.

What is the difference between bombe Alaska and baked Alaska? A bombe Alaska is coated with hot, high-proof rum before serving and set alight or flambéed. A baked Alaska is browned using a torch or the broiler setting in an oven.

They're not as difficult to make when all of the layers are chilled, but what makes Baked Alaska seem impossible is that the whole dessert goes into the oven — and yet, when sliced, reveals a still-frozen interior of ice cream.

Why is it called Baked Alaska? The unique nickname 'Baked Alaska' was given to the dessert in 1867 at a Creole restaurant in New Orleans called Antoine's. The restaurant's chef, Antoine, named the dish Baked Alaska to honour of the United States acquisition of Alaska from the Russian Empire earlier that year.

Unbaked baked Alaska can linger in the freezer for about three days, according to Garten. So, once you've assembled your dessert -- that cake, ice cream, and meringue combination -- don't hang onto it for too long. Yes, it's fine to sit uncovered in the freezer, but it'll pass its prime quickly.

How does baked Alaska work? ›

Baked Alaska is an old-school dessert that consists of a layer of cake, a frozen ice cream center, and a coating of toasted marshmallowy meringue. It's essentially a fancy version of an ice cream cake, and though it is, admittedly, fussier to make than your average dessert, it's totally worth it for that wow-factor.

A Baked Alaska comprises of ice cream covered by cake and meringue. When it bakes in the oven, the meringue acts like an insulator around the ice cream, so it won't melt, providing it sets for long enough in the freezer beforehand.

ASDA Baked Alaska - ASDA Groceries.

Etymology. The name "baked Alaska" was supposedly coined in 1876 at Delmonico's, a restaurant in New York City, to honor the acquisition by the United States of Alaska from the Russian Empire in March 1867.

You can package your ice cream with dry ice or gel packs. Frozen water is not recommended. To keep your frozen shipment as cold as possible, consider using thick insulated foam containers. A maximum of 30 hours in-transit is recommended for frozen shipments.

There are 4 firming agents: Calcium Sulfate, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, and Carob Bean Gum.

Common stabilizers include gelatin, carrageenan, and guar gum, which can help slow down the melting process by binding water molecules and preventing them from separating from the ice cream mixture.

Fried ice cream doesn't melt because the ice cream is frozen before being rolled in the outer bread layer, which helps insulate the interior from the heat.