Festive Spumoni Baked Alaska Recipe For National Spumoni Day
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August 21st is a special day for us: National Spumoni Day. Growing up, we couldn’t wait to go to our local Italian restaurant with our parents. It wasn’t for the Italian food: Mom was a great cook and made the Italian-American repertoire as fine as any restaurant (no one has ever topped her lasagna). But at the restaurant, we couldn’t wait to get through the meal to order dessert: spumoni! To a child, this Neapolitan specialty, with layers of three different colored and flavored ice creams—chocolate, pistachio, and cherry—was the best dessert ever‡. Sure, we had plenty of ice cream, sundaes, and that American invention, Neapolitan ice cream bricks, three layers, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. (These seem to have disappeared as standalone bricks, but can now be found in ice cream sandwiches.) But that restaurant’s spumoni contained maraschino cherries, pistachios, and chocolate chips. Then one sad day it happened: The restaurant closed. That spumoni was no more, and any spumoni we encountered elsewhere was commercial fare, purchased by restaurants from a supplier. Meh. Years later, we found a recipe for Spumoni Baked Alaska—an exciting concept, but the recipe was labor-intense. So we created this hack with store-bought ingredients, and it’s been one of our signature special occasion desserts ever since. Below: > Spumoni Baked Alaska recipe: the easy hack. > How to brown the meringue if you don’t have a kitchen torch. > More uses for a kitchen torch. Elsewhere on The Nibble: > The different types of ice cream: a photo glossary. > The history of the ice cream cake. > The year’s 50+ ice cream and frozen dessert holidays. We use an uncooked French meringue—our quick meringue—made with pasteurized liquid egg whites. There’s no saucepan, thermometer, or heating over the stove. You can use whatever three flavors of ice cream you like. We chose the three flavors most often found in classic Italian spumoni. If you can’t find either cherry or cherry vanilla ice cream—or if you prefer to do it—stir chopped brandied cherries into regular vanilla ice cream (regular maraschino cherries if children will be sharing). You can buy them or make them. The ice cream cake needs to be frozen overnight. It can be prepared several days in advance. Ingredients |
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Preparation Soften the ice cream on the countertop for 10-15 minutes. Note that you will not use the entire pints 1. LINE an 8 x 4 inch, 8½ x 4½ inch, or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan pan with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang to form handles to lift out the frozen dessert. 2. SLICE the pound cake into 1-inch-thick slices. Arrange enough slices in the bottom of the loaf pan to create a snug, even cake base. Trim pieces as needed to fit. 3. ADD the bottom layer of ice cream. We typically start with chocolate on the bottom, pistachio in the middle, and cherry on top, but the order is up to you. Smooth with a spatula. Freeze until firm, about 10 to 15 minutes. 4. REPEAT with the middle layer of ice cream. Freeze until firm. 5. REPEAT with the top layer of ice cream. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. When ready to serve, proceed with the meringue. 6. MAKE the meringue. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Beat until the meringue is thick, glossy, and holds stiff peaks. 7. SPREAD the meringue completely over the frozen ice cream cake, sealing it all the way to the base so that no ice cream is exposed. 8. BROWN the meringue quickly with a kitchen torch. Immediately bring your dessert to the table. Whatever browning technique you use, we must reiterate: the ice cream cake must be completely frozen and 100% covered in meringue. The Broiler Technique A torch gives you the most control over browning, but the broiler is the second-best option. It’s faster than the oven. Use a shallow metal pan or baking sheet that is safe for both freezer and broiler. Do not place a frozen glass or ceramic dish directly under the broiler unless its manufacturer specifically states that it is safe for that use. At 500°F, the oven gives more even overall browning; under the broiler, browning generally takes only 30 seconds to 2 minutes. As with the broiler technique, use a shallow metal pan or baking sheet that is safe for the freezer-to-oven temperature change. Beyond crème brûlée and meringue-topped pies, a kitchen torch comes in handy for: ________________ The carton will typically give a serving size, such as 3 tablespoons (about 46 g) per serving, sometimes described as “the equivalent of one large egg white.” The carton will typically provide a serving size and may state an equivalent number of egg whites. For this recipe, use the carton amount equivalent to four large egg whites—commonly about ½ cup— but follow the package’s conversion if it differs. †If you don’t have superfine sugar, pulse regular sugar in a spice mill to a fine consistency. ‡Spumoni is not invariably made from three flavors of ice cream or specific flavors. Traditional and regional versions vary and often include candied fruit and nuts. CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM. |
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