Martha’s cool baked Alaska heats up your night

This chocolate dessert is the perfect ending to a romantic dinner

Video: Martha’s chocolate desserts from the heart

Transcript of: Martha’s chocolate desserts from the heart

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MATT LAUER, co-host: Back now at 8:45. This morning on MARTHA ON TODAY , hot and cold chocolate desserts. If the path to your loved one's heart is paved with chocolate , why not let Martha play a role of Cupid this Valentine's Day . The February issue of Martha Stewart Living is filled with decadent desserts your sweetheart will no doubt love. Martha , good morning. Happy almost Valentine's Day.

Ms. MARTHA STEWART: Hi. Oh, I know.

LAUER: How are you?

Ms. STEWART: Gosh. We've been talking about Valentine's Day for like two weeks already.

LAUER: I know, but you know chocolate is so great. People talk about comfort food all the time, this is the ultimate comfort food when it comes right down to it.

Ms. STEWART: Oh, chocolate , everyone seems to love chocolate and that cover of our magazine has really appealed to a lot of people. And it's also -- we have also an iPad version. Have you seen it?

LAUER: Oh, that's cool. Good for you .

Ms. STEWART: Where the chocolate is pouring down over the ice cream .

LAUER: What will you think of next?

Ms. STEWART: So I thought hot and cold is really kind of conducive to emotion. And so I thought of a wonderful baked Alaska ...

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: ...with chocolate ice cream , chocolate cake and meringue .

LAUER: This one looks like it's a little difficult to put together. I was reading the recipe on this.

Ms. STEWART: But it's not.

LAUER: It starts with the cake, right?

Ms. STEWART: It's not. Here. OK, it starts -- you bake a simple chocolate cake ...

LAUER: On a cookie sheet .

Ms. STEWART: Rich chocolate cake . Sort of almost like a brownie.

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: And you cut it out with little cookie cutters.

LAUER: Right, three varying sizes of cookie cutters.

Ms. STEWART: Yeah, that will fit in your bowl.

Ms. STEWART: Now these are individual-sized baked Alaskas . So you find custard cups or -- you can make them small or you can make them bigger depending...

LAUER: And you've lined these with Saran Wrap ?

Ms. STEWART: With Saran and a vegetable spray. So you can put your...

LAUER: OK. Right.

Ms. STEWART: ... little cake in here and here's your chocolate ice cream .

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: So you dig in and put a layer of chocolate ice cream .

LAUER: Do you have any -- now does this have to be all chocolate ?

Ms. STEWART: That's mine, too, so put that back over here.

LAUER: Oh come on, I'm just going to take a little . There we go.

Ms. STEWART: OK.

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: So just put a little bit of chocolate ice cream .

LAUER: Great.

Ms. STEWART: Now put the next layer of cake.

LAUER: Second layer, OK.

Ms. STEWART: Yep.

LAUER: And you want to have the chocolate ice cream at a consistency where you can work with it a little bit.

Ms. STEWART: Yeah, yeah, yeah. A little bit soft, but not really runny because you're going to put this right back in the freezer. You have to have it frozen before you put the meringue on it.

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: And we've beaten up the egg whites with some sugar and a little bit of cream of tartar .

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: And so now your last layer goes on.

LAUER: Is the top layer ice cream also or is that where the meringue 's going to go?

Ms. STEWART: No, no, leave that cake.

LAUER: OK, fine.

Ms. STEWART: Now you wrap this up, put it in the freezer and we have one that's already frozen right here.

LAUER: OK, we'll pretend that one's done. All right, great.

Ms. STEWART: OK.

LAUER: How long do you freeze it?

Ms. STEWART: Oh until it's hard.

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: OK. Feel how nice and -- that's yours -- that's yours.

LAUER: OK, all right, there you go. OK.

Ms. STEWART: I have one for you, too.

LAUER: Look it, you've doubled up on everything.

Ms. STEWART: Yes.

LAUER: OK, great.

Ms. STEWART: So now turn this out...

LAUER: Uh-huh .

Ms. STEWART: Oh, and turn it out onto your baking sheet, by the way because this has to go either under a broiler just to brown the meringue -- hm, come one, oh, there -- or -- and we couldn't use them here at the TODAY show , but a little kitchen propane torch. Do you have one of those at your kitchen?

LAUER: Yes.

Ms. STEWART: You know, to make creme brulee and to brown the meringue .

LAUER: Yes, yes, yes.

Ms. STEWART: So here. Now you can use this if you like and just make, you know, cover this with beautiful mounds -- look how pretty.

LAUER: Right.

Ms. STEWART: And you could do it -- if you don't have a pastry bag you can do it with a spatula and just cover it with meringue . Put this back in the freezer for a little bit just to get it really cold, the meringue and then brown it. And when it comes out it's going to look like this.

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: Look how pretty.

LAUER: Now, by the way, I'm going to say something you're going to be mad at me, but if you don't have time to bake the cake could you use -- from scratch, could you use a box mix? Not a problem, right?

Ms. STEWART: Yeah, but get a good box mix.

LAUER: OK. OK.

Ms. STEWART: OK?

LAUER: I promise, OK.

Ms. STEWART: Now the -- another thing that we've made are three different kinds of hot chocolates.

LAUER: Right.

Ms. STEWART: This is a white chocolate hot chocolate . And we're going to make popsicles out of it. You can drink it as is, but you can also put it into...

LAUER: Just pour it in and pop it in the freezer.

Ms. STEWART: ...these and -- do you have these at home for the kids?

LAUER: No I don't. They're cool, though.

Ms. STEWART: Oh they're cool, they're really cool.

LAUER: And you throw the popsicle stick right in there?

Ms. STEWART: No, not in there. You put this back on.

LAUER: Right, so it gives you a guide.

Ms. STEWART: And -- yeah -- and then keeps the stick upright in the center of your popsicle.

Ms. STEWART: These make the best popsicles. You can do juice, fresh orange juice , pineapple juice or something richer for Valentine's Day .

LAUER: OK.

Ms. STEWART: And this is another chocolate . This is a hot chocolate with milk and a little cream.

LAUER: And peanut butter .

Ms. STEWART: Lots of chocolate .

LAUER: We're going to put this recipe on our Web site because this one has chocolate and peanut butter and it sounds delicious.

Ms. STEWART: Peanut butter , OK?

Show transcript

TODAY recipes

updated 2/9/2011 5:46:54 AM ET

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Is the path to your loved one’s heart is paved with chocolate? Then celebrity chef Martha Stewart’s baked Alaska is the perfect dessert for your feast.

Recipe: Baked Alaska with chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream (on this page)

Find more of Martha’s dessert recipes, including one for white chocolate hot cocoa, at her website.

Recipe: Baked Alaska with chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream

Martha Stewart

Ingredients

For the cakes
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
Salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup warm water (about 100°)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs, room temperature, separated
For assembling
Vegetable oil cooking spray
6 cups chocolate ice cream (3 pints)
For the meringue
12 large egg whites, room temperature
3 cups sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar

Preparation

These mini meringue-coated chocolate ice-cream-and-cake concoctions are stunning desserts for a crowd.

Preheat oven to 350°. Make the cakes: Sift 1 1/3 cups sugar, the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt into a bowl. Combine oil, water, and vanilla.

Whisk egg yolks with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. With machine running, slowly pour oil mixture into yolks, and then add sugar mixture.

In a clean mixer bowl, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed, gradually adding remaining 2/3 cup sugar, until medium stiff peaks form. Mix one-third of the whites into cake batter, then gently fold in remaining whites.

Divide batter between two 12-by-17-inch parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Bake until cakes are set and spring back when touched, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool.

Assemble the baked Alaska: Coat six 11-ounce bowls or ramekins with cooking spray; line with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang. Cut out 6 cake circles to fit in bottoms of bowls (we used a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter), and place in each bowl. Top each with 1/3 cup chocolate ice cream, smoothing surface.

Cut out 6 cake circles to fit on top of ice cream (we used a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter), and place on ice cream. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes.

Top each cake with 1/3 cup ice cream, smoothing surface. Cut out 6 cake circles to fit on top of ice cream (we used a 4-inch round cookie cutter), and place on ice cream. (This should fit just at the top of the bowl.) Cover assembled cakes with plastic wrap overhang, and freeze for at least 4 hours.

To remove from bowls, open plastic wrap, flip cakes onto a baking sheet, and remove plastic wrap. Freeze cakes while making meringue.

Preheat oven to 500°. Make the meringue: Heat egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water, whisking often, until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes.

Cover each assembled cake with 1 cup meringue. Bake until meringue is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, hold a small handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 to 4 inches from surface of meringue.

Move flame back and forth until browned and caramelized. Make ahead. Assembled dishes can be frozen for up to 3 days.

Meringue-covered cakes can be frozen for up to 4 hours.