The origin
I am going to share with you how I came up with this epic idea for a vegan Lemon Meringue Baked Alaska…
Well, it started the other day when I was doing my daily scroll through Instagram. I stumbled upon Erin Ireland’s creation of a vegan Baked Alaska. What is a Baked Alaska, you might ask? I learned from wikipedia that it originated from a restaurant in New Orleans to celebrate the US getting Alaska from Russia. What is so epic about this dessert is that it’s three desserts, rolled into one! You have cake, you have ice cream, and you have browned meringue. What is there not to love?!
I was so intrigued by Erin’s creation of aquafaba meringue that I had to give it a whirl. Aquafaba is the liquid on the top of a can of chickpeas. So weird, but so interesting! I also love a good cashew ice-cream and have been experimenting with my own as of late (sans ice-cream maker).
Feeling creative, I wanted to try a different flavour and make a spin on the classic. I loved lemon meringue pie as a kid and never have made it on my own. Lately, I have also been craving my mom’s cooking and she rocks any type of lemon desserts (her lemon tarts are to die for).
So there it was, the vegan lemon meringue baked alaska!
Some tips on making the meringue
Truthfully, I had some troubles making the meringue. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen my Instagram stories. I didn’t take photos of the process (sorry!) I followed the recipe from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken which was super easy to follow and tasted great. However, I made it well in advance of assembling the final Baked Alaska. Consequently, I found after sitting out for over an hour, the stiff peaks dissipated. So, if you are going to make this recipe, I would suggest leaving this step until the very end. If you do eat eggs, you can also make a standard meringue and you might have better outcomes.
Some tips on making the ice cream
If you have an ice-cream maker, I would suggest using it for this recipe. I do not, for the sole reason that I worry I would make ice-cream all the time if I had one! Because I didn’t have one, the ice-cream was still creamy and delicious… however, it was a bit on the hard side. If you aren’t into the lemon, you can really flavour it with any ingredient you want! I was inspired by the Funky Monkey ice-cream from the My New Roots cookbook.
Do you need a butane hand torch?
If you want that caramelized glaze on top, YES! I tried with matches (haha – nice try, Hannah!). I got my torch at Cook Culture, however I’m sure you could find some great ones at any cooking supply shop. You need a torch the same as you would use for creme caramel. I’m not going to lie, it was so much fun burning it at the end!
Please let me know if you try out my Lemon Meringue Baked Alaska! I’m so curious to see what you think!
The Lemon Meringue Baked Alaska Recipe
- ICE-CREAM
- 2 cups cashews (soaked for 4-8 hours)
- 2 cups frozen mango
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 small lemons, juiced and zested
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 – 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
- TO ADD
- graham cracker crust (see Oh She Glows recipe* – I made one big cookie)
- aquafaba meringue
- ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES
- butane hand torch
- cake stand
- lemon slices for decoration
- Add all ice cream ingredients (cashews, mango, maple syrup, salt, lemon juice and zest, coconut oil and turmeric) to a high powered blender or food processor and combine until smooth.
- Layer a medium deep bowl with saran wrap and fill with ice-cream
- Place in freezer overnight
- The next day, make cookie crust (I recommend Oh She Glows Gluten-Free and Vegan Graham crackers: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/11/05/gluten-free-and-vegan-graham-crackers/)
- Put crust on top of frozen ice-cream, wrap edge of saran wrap on top of saran to lift out onto a cake stand.
- Place ice-cream and cake in freezer while you make the meringue
- Once the meringue is ready, use a spatula to layer meringue on ice-cream dome.
- Use a butane hand torch to brown edges, careful to not overdo it!
- Enjoy! This will keep in the freezer for days.
