Oreo Brownie & Malteser Baked Alaska (#GreatBloggersBakeOff2104 #Week4 - Desserts)

Welcome to Week 4 of the Great Bloggers Bake Off, which goes hand in hand with week 4 of the TV Show. This weeks episode was all about another of my favourite meals, desserts! Yum! The three categories are:

Siganature – Saucy Puddings
Technical – Tiramisu Cake
Showstopper – Baked Alaska

This means that for this weeks bloggers bake along, I think there is enough scope here to stick to the bakes given, I will accept a tiramisu pudding aswell as the cake, if you have a recipe which is worthy of linking up. Oooh I am excited already at drooling over all of your delectable desserts next week 😉

As much as I wanted to make a sticky toffee pudding, a dessert I often choose when I have eaten out for Sunday dinner but have not yet made myself, I HAD to make a baked alaska in the end because it is a dessert I have wanted to make for well most of my life! It all stems back to one mouthful of it when my Mum made one many years ago when I was much younger, and I thought it was scrumptious. Sadly, I have never eaten any since and this seems hard to believe because we are talking ooooh maybe 30 years ago!!! Anbytway, that lingering mouthful has been with me ever since, and either I have never been brave enough to tackle making one myself, or it has never crossed my mind at times when I needed to make a posh pud!

So at finally last weekend, I made my first Baked Alaska and it was not as terrifying as I had imagined and I will be making it again for sure, in fact I am thinking that a Christmas one could work well for Christmas Day. My Oreo Brownie and Malteser Baked Alaska is my own take on this 1970’s dessert classic , and I hope that the GBBO will bring this pud back because it is ruddy delicious! My only self made complaint is that the meringue does not look very attractive – I should have piped it or forked it up and I did not!! Also, having now seen tonights episode of the GBBO, I should have frozen the ice cream in a bowl and not a flat tin! #bakedalaskafail BUT I will know for next time! I might have left mine in the oven a minute more than I should but as I say, ’twas my first time at making an alaska!

Oreo Brownie & Malteser Baked Alaska (#GreatBloggersBakeOff2104 #Week4 – Desserts)

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

25 mins

Author: Jenny Paulin

Recipe type: desserts

Serves: 12

Ingredients

*FOR THE MALTESER ICE CREAM*
300ml double cream
½ tin of condensed milk
2 tbsp chocolate spread
1 large (grab) bag of Maltesers
*FOR THE BROWNE*
1 small jar of Nutella chocolate spread
100g self riaisng flour
2 eggs
½ pack of oreo cookies
*FOR THE MERINGUE*
3 eggs
200g caster sugar

Instructions

*TO MAKE THE ICE CREAM*
Place the cream and condensed milk in a bowl and whisk until the mixture becomes firmer but not stiff
Then add the chocolate spread and whisk again for a couple more minutes
Fold in the Maltesers
Line an 8inch cake tin with greaseproof paper and pour in the mixture. Cover with another disk of greaseproof paper and then wrap the tin in tin foil and freeze over night
*TO MAKE THE BROWNIE*
Pre heat the oven to 180oC / 160oC (fan)
LIne an 8 inch round baking tin
Place all of the ingredients except for the Oreo cookies, into a bowl and beat together for a few minutes until a batter is formed.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin, and then push Oreo cookies into the batter (as per the photo)
Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes – the top will be brown and spring back when touched
Leave to cool
*TO MAKE THE MERINGUE*
Seperate the eggs and place the egg whites in a clean bowl
Whisk until the meringue is firm enough to make soft peaks whrn the whisk is removed
Then add ½ sugar slowly in about 4 lots while whisking on a moderate speed until peaks are resumed again
Then carefully and lightly fold in the remaining sugar using a large metal spoon
* TO ASSEMBLE *
Pre heat the oven to 200oC (fan)
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper
Place the brownie on the paper
Carefully place the ice cream on top of the brownie
Then working quickly, spread the meringue over the ice cream right down to the base of the brownie – my meringe does not look that attractive as I did not make it inot peaks but if you have had more experience, please do this! Or you could pipe it on of course!
Pop into the oven until the meringue is glazed and brown – about 5 minutes depending on your oven I would imagine.
Then serve and enjoy!
Although nicest served on the day it is made, this did keep ok in the fridge and was eaten the second day too.

Still, it tasted mighty fine so as Norman said tonight, it may not look all that on the outside but the flavour was amazing!

So now over to you, on your marks get set……….BAKE!!!!!!!!

** A reminder of the Great Bloggers Bake Off 2014 rules**

So if you would like to join in this year or you are back again for some more baking fun, then here is what it entails:

**the Wednesday night following each episode of the GBBO a linky will open, and you need to bake a recipe inspired by one which was featured in the show. It can be an exact copy, one you have created yourself or a mix! As long as it can be connected to the themes used in that episode it can be linked up.

**the linky will remain open until the following Monday at 12pm. I will NOT accept any late entries this year unlike I did last year, simply because I am giving you an extra 12 hours!!!

** all entries must carry the Great Bloggers Bake Off badge if possible please and a link to my blog

**when you tweet your bake off recipe, please @JennyPaulin with the #greatbloggersbakeoff2014 hashtag and I will RT for you and add it to the pinboard.

**each week a blogger or bloggers will be selected as a Star Baker and will recieve a special badge to wear with pride on their blog.

**the next linky will open the following Wednesday as before but obviously with a new theme based on that evenings episode.

**the recipe linked up must not be one already posted on your blog – this is a bake along

This is not a serious linky at all (unless you make it so of course!). It is just for fun and any blogger is welcome to enter whatever their baking skills are and don’t be afraid to link up any disasters – credit will be given for effort too!

And finally……

Regular Great Bloggers who bake will recall that last year there was a prize draw for the finale of the GBBO – well I am very much working on doing the same again this year, and I can confirm that so far I am able to offer a bakeware pack from Viners worth £30