6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
¾ ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1½ cups sugar, divided
2 large eggs
⅓ cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 pint strawberry ice cream, slightly softened
3 large egg whites
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9×9×2-inch metal baking pan; line bottom with parchment paper. Stir bittersweet chocolate, butter, and unsweetened chocolate in heavy small saucepan over low heat until chocolates melt and mixture is smooth. Cool 10 minutes. Whisk ¾ 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 parchment. Using 3-inch round cutter, cut out 6 cake rounds (reserve remaining cake for another use). Line small baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange cake rounds on prepared sheet. Using 2¼- to 2½-inch-diameter ice cream scoop, place scoop of strawberry ice cream in center of each round, leaving about ¼-inch plain border. Freeze until ice cream is solid, about 2 hours.
Combine remaining ¾ 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 4 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. Transfer to plates.Recipe Tip: How Does It Work?Why doesn’t the ice cream melt when you bake this dessert? For one thing, all of the elements (the cake, the ice cream, and the meringue) start out very cold. For another, the baking time is brief—5 minutes or less. Plus, the meringue topping insulates the ice cream, protecting it from the oven’s heat.
Quick BrowningIf you have a kitchen torch, you can use it to brown the meringue on these baked Alaskas, instead of baking them in a hot oven.
In this fall-themed version of the classic dessert, tender pecan cake is topped with a frozen spiced pumpkin custard (no ice-cream maker required), then covered in meringue and browned in the oven. 10 to 12 servings
Cake
3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
7 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup finely ground pecans
1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartarPinch of salt
FillingNonstick vegetable oil spray
6 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
4 large egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
⅔ cup superfine sugarPinch of salt
Meringue
4 large egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup superfine sugar
½ pound English toffee or toffee candy bars, coarsely crushed
¼ cup chopped pecans
CAKE: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom with waxed paper; butter paper thoroughly.
Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks in medium bowl until thick and pale yellow. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until mixture is thick and ribbon forms. Mix nuts and flour in small bowl; fold into egg yolk mixture (mixture will be thick). Using electric mixer fitted with clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in large bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 tablespoon sugar; continue beating until whites are stiff but not dry. Mix ⅓ of egg white mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in remaining whites. Transfer batter to prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake just until cake springs back when touched with fingers and is lightly browned, about 22 minutes. Cool in pan on cake rack 30 minutes (cake will shrink). Remove cake from pan. Cool completely. Wrap in plastic and freeze until ready to assemble, at least several hours or overnight.
FILLING: Spray 8¾-inch-diameter metal bowl (about 3 ¼ inches deep) with nonstick spray. Line with plastic wrap, allowing to extend a few inches over sides.
Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks until creamy. Add both sugars; continue beating until thick and creamy.
Combine milk and marshmallows in medium bowl. Set over saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until marshmallows are melted, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk mixture; cook until mixture thickens and ribbons dissolve slowly, whisking frequently, about 20 minutes. Add pumpkin, spices, and salt; whisk to blend. Cool completely.
Using electric mixer, beat cream in large bowl to soft peaks. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add superfine sugar; continue beating until stiff but not dry. Beat in salt. Fold cream into pumpkin mixture. Add meringue; fold gently but thoroughly. Transfer the mixture to plastic-lined bowl. Cover well and freeze at least 24 hours.
MERINGUE: Just before assembling and serving, beat egg whites in large bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; continue beating until soft peaks form. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in superfine sugar about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until sugar is completely dissolved and meringue is stiff and glossy. Set aside.
ASSEMBLY: Combine toffee with pecans. Sprinkle toffee-pecan mixture over frozen pumpkin cream to within ¼ inch of sides. Unwrap cake; invert onto toffee-pecan mixture and peel off waxed paper. Place tart pan bottom atop cake. Invert ice cream and cake onto tart pan bottom. Remove bowl and peel off plastic. Place cake on baking sheet. Immediately cover filling and cake completely with meringue (make sure all surfaces are well sealed). Freeze at least 4 hours.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.