When Good Gets Better

Trader Joe’s Giveaway winner is Ashley A! Congratulations! Thank you everyone for participating!

Chocolate cake is good. It’s rich. It’s fudgy. And it always makes me happy.

Chocolate cake with ice cream is gooder. Yes Good + Er = Gooder, it’s an adjective. Look it up

You might think that this is where the gooderness stops, but you would be wrong.

Remember…the title says “When Good Gets Better”.

And meringue is better.

We’re not just talking any meringue. We’re talking fluffy dollops of pillowy meringue that’s been lightly toasted give it a slightly crunchy shell.

Is that not better?

Ok. Stop!

Please!

You’re getting drool everywhere and it’s not very appealing.

I mean, I don’t really mind, because I’m drooling right now too. But that person next to you (yes that one), they can see you. They can’t see this. So, they think you’ve just gone in to some crazy computer vegetative state. Maybe you should flash them a screen shot

Seriously I think you need some of this better I your life!

And now that you’ve teased that one closest to you it’s only fair that you make this.

Baked Alaska
adapted from Epicurious.com

Ingredients
7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pint Ben and Jerry’s Clusterfluff Ice Cream, slightly softened

3 large egg whites

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9×9 baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Melt chocolate chips and butter together in a microwave safe bowl on high for 90 seconds or until chocolate is melted. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar and eggs in large bowl until well blended, about 1 minute. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt over; stir to blend. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until top looks dry and tester inserted into center comes out with some thick sticky batter attached, about 17 minutes. Cool cake in pan to room temperature.

Cut around cake in pan. Place cutting board over pan and invert, tapping out cake. Peel off foil. Using 3-inch round cutter, cut out 6 cake rounds (save remaining cake for another use).  Arrange cake rounds on a separate baking sheet. Using a small ice cream scoop place a scoop of Clusterfluff ice cream in center of each round, leaving about 1/4-inch plain border. Freeze until ice cream is solid, about 2 hours.

Combine remaining 3/4 cup sugar and egg whites in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of gently simmering water and whisk until mixture is very warm, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat meringue at high speed until very thick and billowy, about 2 minutes. Place baking sheet with cake rounds on work surface. Mound 2 heaping tablespoons meringue atop ice cream on 1 cake round. Spread meringue evenly over to cover, sealing meringue to plain cake border and swirling decoratively. Repeat with remaining desserts. Freeze uncovered on baking sheet until meringue is solid, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Transfer desserts still on baking sheet from freezer directly to oven. Bake until meringue is deep brown in spots, turning sheet as needed for even cooking, about 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on your meringue!

Transfer to plates and enjoy!

Tagged as: cake, Chocolate, Ice Cream, meringue