Yoo Moo Very Berry Baked Alaska

When I was younger I always used to get excited about the type of pudding that would arrive on the table after my Sunday dinner, I may not have finished my dinner but there was always room in my dessert section.  Obviously as the years have gone on I know I don't always eat as much pudding as I'd like, so I'm always trying to find new ways to save some calories but without losing any of the taste.  
The other week Yoo Moo gave me a challenge to create a tasty pudding using their frozen yogurt. I love Yoo Moo especially their little pots, they tend to be a wonderful treat after a meal. 

Annie Bean recipe; Yoo Moo Very Berry Baked Alaska

After really thinking about the challenge I decided to embark on creating a classic Baked Alaska, but this time using Yoo Moo Very Berry Frozen Yogurt. 
Yoo Moo Info Less than 3% fat made from a 70% British sourced yogurt base No artificial flavours, colours or preservatives Pots £1.79 Tubs £3.49 Can be found in most leading supermarkets
This particular frozen yogurt has natural and blueberry frozen yogurt with mixed berries and raspberry sauce swirls, topped with granola.  Sounds fabulous doesn't it? Trust me it tastes even better!
Okay here's how you can make your very own Yoo Moo Very Berry Baked Alaska - first things first  make sure haven't done any strenuous arm exercises before, if you don't have a hand blender you'll need all your strength to create the meringue.... trust me on that one! 
Annie Bean Recipe Yoo Moo Very Berry Baked Alaska  You'll need... 1 x Ready made spongy base (stocked in most supermarkets in the baking isle) Fresh strawberries Fresh blueberries Approx 340ml of Yoo Moo Very Berry Frozen Yogurt
4 egg whites
170g caster sugar

I know the amount of fresh fruit is a touch vague, but that really does depend on how much fresh fruit you want to use and how big your sponge base is.  I used around 5 strawberries and about 8 blueberries. 

Pop your oven on to heat up to 220c
Once you've done that wash your fresh fruit and chop your strawberries into healthy slices.  Take your blueberries and chop them into halves.

Once this is done I suggest creating a formation of your fruit along the base, but make sure it's done in such a way that it lays as even as possible. 
Once this is complete just pop your base and the fruit to one side.  
Next on the list is the tough part... the meringue.  I always struggle with this but I really tried to make the consistency spot on. 
 Separate your egg whites.
 Beat the egg whites until stiff then fold in the sugar and continue to beat.

 Keep doing this until its thick, glossy looking and is quite stiff.  A good way to test is take a spoon and if it doesn't drip off then you've done it right. 
Next take your sponge base, Yoo Moo Very Berry frozen yogurt and spoon the frozen yogurt on top of your fresh fruit. 
Take a spatula and your bowl of meringue and smooth it over the ice cream.  Don't forget to cover your base completely.
What I did next is optional but it made the pudding look that little bit better.  I took my icing nozzle and icing bag, filled it with meringue and piped rings around it with blobs on the top.  
This just evened out the meringue so it didn't look too mess.  After this it is ready for the oven. 
Put your not-so Baked Alaska on some grease proof paper and slide into your oven.  It will need to remain there for around 5 minutes or until it's lightly browned.  Don't delay in getting it in the oven - it must go in immediately. 
Ta-da!  What you should be seeing is a delicately baked bundle of goodness.  Takes around 15-20 minutes preparation time and 5 minutes cooking, not bad for a quick pudding creation! 
But how does it taste....
After cutting the Yoo Moo Very Berry Baked Alaska the frozen yogurt oozed lusciously, making it all the more tempting.  Both my boyfriend and I tried a slice each and agreed that the combination of fresh fruits, Yoo Moo Very Berry Moo frozen yogurt and meringue, all compliamented each other perfectly. 

We cleaned the plates it was that good!

The only down fall of a Baked Alaska is that you should only create the amount you want to eat at that time, it doesn't keep well because you're using frozen yogurt.  So if you want a smaller one just decrease the amounts to suit.
An easy, yummy pudding using an equally delicious frozen yogurt. I know the calories are still significantly there but you've saved a vast amount switching the ice cream to frozen yogurt.  For more calorie saving why not use sweetener instead of sugar?
So why not give it a go and let me know how you get on!
 
xoxo