By the Associated Press

• 125 ml ( 1/2 cup) sugar


• 50 ml ( 1/4 cup) water


• 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract


• Mocha Sauce


• 125 ml ( 1/2 cup) heavy cream


• 5 ml (1 tsp) instant coffee granules


• 125 g (4 oz) dark chocolate chips

Base

• 4 slices (about 170 g/6 oz) purchased pound cake


• 500 ml (2 cups) purchased coffee ice cream

Strawberries

• 250 g (8 oz) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced


• 30 ml (2 tbsp) sugar


• 15 ml (1 tbsp) orange liqueur

Meringue

• 4 egg whites


• 175 ml (3/4 cup) sugar, divided


• 50 ml ( 1/4 cup) water

Syrup: In a small saucepan over medium-high, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil so that the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add vanilla, then set aside.

Mocha Sauce: In a microwave-safe dish, combine cream and coffee granules. Heat on high in 30-second bursts until bubbly. Add chocolate chips and stir until smooth, then set aside.

Base: Use a biscuit cutter or overturned large glass to cut each slice of pound cake into rounds. Arrange cake rounds on a baking sheet. If you wish to prepare only 2 servings, divide cakes between 2 baking sheets. Brush each round with vanilla sugar syrup.

Scoop ice cream into 4 large balls and mound one on top of each slice of cake. Place in the freezer.

In a medium bowl, toss strawberries with sugar and orange liqueur. Set aside.

Meringue: In a large bowl, place egg whites. Prepare an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. In a small saucepan over medium, combine 125 ml ( 1/2 cup) of the sugar and water. When the temperature of the sugar and water reaches 105 C (220 F), turn mixer on medium-high and whip egg whites.

When egg whites are very frothy, slowly add remaining 50 ml ( 1/4 cup) sugar. Continue beating egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Continue cooking sugar syrup until it reaches 115 C (240 F). This should happen at almost the same time the egg whites are ready.
With mixer on, pour sugar syrup down the inside of the bowl into egg whites. Continue beating until outside of bowl is no longer warm and meringue is thick and bright white.
Remove cakes from freezer. Using a spoon or a piping bag, completely cover outside of ice cream and cake with meringue. If you only plan to prepare 2 servings, the remaining can be frozen until needed.

Heat a broiler. When broiler is very hot, place meringue-covered cake and ice-cream rounds under it for about 1 minute or until just lightly browned.
To serve, coat each serving plate with chocolate sauce. Use a spatula to transfer one baked Alaska to each plate, then spoon strawberries alongside it. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 975 calories; 407 calories from fat; 45 g fat (28 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 255 mg cholesterol; 135 g carbohydrate; 12 g protein; 3 g fibre; 309 mg sodium.