| Portions |
|---|
| 6 |
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package directions
- ¾ cup chopped peanuts, divided
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups Neapolitan ice cream
- 3–4 tablespoons chocolate sauce
- 1 banana
- Maraschino cherries
Directions
- Heat your oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 10- by 15-inch sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper so that it hangs over two sides of the pan and set aside. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Spread the cake mix into the prepared pan, evenly scatter with ½ cup of chopped peanuts, and bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely. When cool, lift the cake from the pan and use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut six rounds from the cake. Set the rounds aside (and feel free to snack on any of the leftover cake).
- Place a medium pot containing 1- to 2-inches of water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Using a piece of paper towel, wipe down the bowl of your stand mixer along with the whisk attachment and a regular whisk to make sure that they are all squeaky clean. Combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer and place it over the pot. Heat the egg white mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160ºF or the mixture thins and you can no longer feel granules of sugar when you rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers.
- Remove the bowl from the heat, attach to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip the cooked meringue on high speed until stiff peaks form. Whip in the vanilla then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
- Retrieve the cake rounds and get the ice cream from the freezer. Scoop a large mound of ice cream on top of each cake round and scoop a divot out of the top of each. Fill the divots with chocolate sauce. Cut the banana into 1cm thick slices and top the chocolate sauce with a slice of banana. Pipe the meringue over and around the cake and ice cream to fully enclose.
- Using a kitchen torch, torch the meringue until golden and toasty. Scatter with the remaining peanuts and top each with a maraschino cherry.
Recipe Note: If you want to make this ahead, top the cake rounds with ice cream and place in the freezer until you’re about to serve. Make the meringue, add the chocolate sauce, and pipe and torch the Baked Alaskas.