Baked Alaska

Pictured: baked Alaska with a brownie bottom, topped with caramel chunk and vanilla ice creams.

Original recipe from Taste of Home.

Say goodbye to the boring old birthday treat.  Try cake and ice cream BAKED into one!  Topped with meringue to seal the deal.  ;)

Ingredients:

• cake, brownies, or cookie bar of choice, baked into a 9x9 square pan or 9-in cake pan
• 2 quarts (about 1 box) of ice cream of choice (or half of two boxes)
• 5 egg whites
• 2/3 c sugar
• 1/2 t cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Bake cake, brownies, or cookie bar according to directions.  Let cool in pan (about 3 hours).
2. Line a square or round bowl (matching the size of baking dish) with plastic wrap.  Soften ice cream in fridge or on counter, press into bowl.  Cover and re-freeze (about 2 hours).
3. Line a baking dish that will fit in your freezer (such as a cookie sheet or pizza pan) with parchment paper.  Remove cake/brownie/cookie bar from pan, centering on parchment paper.  Unmold ice cream on top.  Return to freezer.
4. Preheat oven to 500.
5. Prepare meringue by whipping egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar until stiff (10-20 min, depending on strength of whipper).  Spread over entire dessert, sealing edges.  Bake at 500 for 2-5 min or until meringue lightly browns.  Eat quickly!  Or keep leftovers in the freezer. It maybe transferred to a tupperware cake container at this point.