It was invented in the 1930s by a pastry chef from the city, Felice Lippolis. Its preparation was very complex and long. Here is the recipe in a simplified version to make at home
Baked ice cream does it seem an oxymoron, a juxtaposition of two expressions that mean the opposite of the other? For the people of Bari this is not the case: baked ice cream really exists, and it was created by a pastry chef, Felice Lippolis, which in the 1930s owned a shop in what is now Piazza Luigi di Savoia. Its creation was officially presented at the first edition of the Fiera del Levante, in 1930, immediately enjoying great success. And, since then, it became the workhorse of the Lippolis pastry shop.
It is a very complex preparation. The baked ice cream is composed of two slices of sponge cake cut into a square shape, which enclose the "bread ice cream", made with Altamura bread and obtained by boiling burnt wheat flour, as reported by the site barinedita.it. This stuffed "biscuit" was frozen, then, once removed from the freezer, it was covered with a batter, fried and frozen again. When serving the customer, the pastry chef added one layer of meringue and bake it for a couple of minutes, so that the meringue solidifies and the ice cream inside softens. The final touches were the candied fruit and the caramel or chocolate sauce, added as topping.
Over the years, baked ice cream, also because of the long and complex preparation, has no longer been offered so frequently (although in various pastry shops, not only from Puglia, it can still be found). But, in Bari, a saying remains: «Spìitte ca mò hann’a menì the frosts do furne (Wait until the ice cream comes in the oven now) . It is still used today to invite the interlocutor to stay and chat a little longer, waiting for something singular and exceptional.
And here's one simplified recipe to prepare it.
Ingredients
A kilo of ice cream with a strong taste, such as coffee, 25 grams of icing sugar, 4 egg whites, sponge cake to taste, liqueur to taste
Method
Prepare the sponge cake following the traditional recipe or buy it ready. Cut it into many rectangles or squares, with the side of about 10 centimeters, then arrange them on a baking sheet and brush them with your favorite liqueur. Leave in the freezer for an hour. Take the sponge cake squares out of the freezer and spread the ice cream on it, with a spatula or ice cream peeler, put back in the freezer for another hour, until the ice cream hardens well. A few minutes before serving, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt and add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Cover the ice cream with a square of sponge cake and with the mixture and place in the hot oven, with the double function of heat and grill. Leave to cook for two or three minutes, and turn off as soon as the meringue starts to turn golden. Serve immediately.
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