Tiramisu Baked Alaska

The most iconic desert of the 70s is back! And it's got a brand new look...

Done in 3 hours

Serves 8

Dish by Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

ice cream:

3whole eggs

90gcaster sugar

30gsoft light brown sugar

230gmascarpone

40gdouble cream

2 tspvanilla essence

boozy sponge:

a big slab madeira cake

100mlespresso

50ml coffee liqueur

1 tbspcocoa powder

meringue:

4 egg whites

170gsugar

Tiramisu and Baked Alaska - two classic desserts have joined forces to make the ultimate comeback dish. This recipe takes the iconic flavours of the classic tiramisu - mascarpone, coffee, booze and chocolate - and weaves them into a Baked Alaska.

Method

In a double boiler, whisk the eggs and sugars together until they reach 71 degrees. Remove from the heat and continue whisking until the mixture is voluminous, billowy and a little bit like soft serve ice cream.

Whisk up the mascarpone, cream and vanilla essence. Pour into a (clingfilm lined bowl!) and leave to set in the freezer until solid - roughly 5 hours, depending on your freezer.

Use a similar sized bowl to cut around the sponge, making a spongey circle. Whisk together the espresso and the coffee liqueur, set both aside.

When the ice cream is solid, make the meringue.

Whisk the egg whites until they have stiff peaks, then gradually add the sugar until you have a smooth, stiff mixture. Test it between your fingers, if its grainy keep on mixing. When it's smooth and the mixture makes very stiff peaks when you pull the whisk away, it's done.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Remove the ice cream from its mould. Drizzle the sponge with the boozy coffee on your serving plate. Spin the ice cream upside down, bowl side in the air, and place it neatly on top of the sponge, then slather it with meringue. Note: in the video, I sprinkled the ice cream with cocoa powder, pre meringue. You can do this but it makes it harder for the meringue to stick to the ice cream.

When the whole thing is completely covered in meringue, use a spoon to rough up the surface. Bake for around 5 minutes, until the meringue has those classic almost burnt spots. Serve immediately.

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Hugh Woodward

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Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.