The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

I thought this one was going to be one of those confections that take forever to make in return for very little ... but this particular one is composed of a passionfruit curd sandwiched by two type of ice cream, a vanilla and sour cream ice cream and a dark chocolate gelato and all of this encased in a rich butter pound cake soaked in Bailey's and topped with Italian meringue. Yes, quite a bit of effort goes into this but it is spectacular. This cake is all about the drama of a great entrance and your guests will adore you for that. It is all rather embarrassing, but that's just me, it's up to you to decide whether your Herculean effort is worth the adoration.

Despite your quizzical looks I can assure you these flavours were complimentary, the pound cake's texture contrasted nicely with the airy ice creams, the Bailey's gave it an adult tone without being overwhelming and the passionfruit curd added a lovely, fragrant kick to the whole. This recipe will make a medium to large dome which will feed at least 15 people.You will, though, promise to take it easy or you might never finish it off. You can prepare each step separately and make the Italian meringue at the last minute. Take this advice from me, do not attempt to make this cake at the last minute ... I did that and almost gave up on this cake when I became sick, overwhelmed with homework and increasingly frustrated with the nature of this cake (it was still winter here and cold when I got news of this challenge). Take it slowly, don't attempt this under Mercury retrograde and/or the above-mentioned conditions and you and your favourite people will love the results of your effort.

Chocolate Gelato and Vanilla Sour Cream Baked Alaska with Passionfruit Curd and Bailey's

Bailey's, the homemade version

• Irish whiskey: 1 3/4 cup
• Condensed milk: 1 375 ml can
• Cream: 1 cup, any type
• Cocoa powder: 2 tablespoons
  
• Instant coffee: 2 tablespoons
• Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
• Almond extract: 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar: to taste
  

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender.

Burnt Butter Pound Cake, adapted from Saveur Magazine

• Butter: 350 grams plus more for the pan (preferably Beurre Lescure), lightly browned and then cooled until solid
• Flour: 2 tbsp. plus 3 cups
• Baking Powder: 1 teaspoon
• Fine Salt: 1 tsp
• Milk: 1 cup, at room temperature
• Pure vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
• Sugar: 1 and 2/3 cups
• Eggs: 6, large, at room temperature

1. Heat oven to 160° C or 325 F. Generously grease a light-colored 10" or 25 cm tube pan with butter. Add 2 tbsp. flour; turn the pan to coat it evenly with flour, tap out any excess, and set aside. (The inside of the pan should be smoothly and evenly coated with butter and flour, with no clumps or gaps.)
2. Using a sieve set over a bowl, sift together remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Repeat 2 more times. In a measuring vessel with a pourable spout, combine milk and the vanilla extract. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, cream butter at medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, 1⁄4 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and beat until satiny smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Add 1 egg at a time to the butter mixture, beating for 15 seconds before adding another, and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour and milk mixtures in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down sides of the bowl; beat just until the batter is smooth and silky but no more.
4. Scrape batter into prepared pan and firmly tap on a counter to allow batter to settle evenly. Bake until light golden and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out moist but clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rack; let cool completely before slicing.
   

Cipriani's Dark Chocolate Gelato adapted from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen by Marcella Hazan

• 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 ounces high quality unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Heat the milk until it just begins to boil.
2. Use an electric mixer to whip the egg yolks and 2/3 cup of the sugar until they form creamy pale yellow ribbons.
   
3. Add the hot milk slowly to the whipped eggs and sugar while mixing with the electric mixer.
4. Add the melted chocolate and mix it in well.  Add the cocoa and mix again.
5. Put the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of water in a small pan over high heat.
6. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a saucepan and place it over low heat and stir constantly with a whisk .  When the sugar in the pan has turned to a dark caramel, add the caramel to the chocolate mixture and mix it in thoroughly with the whisk until it dissolves.
7. When the mixture has cooled completely, freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Vanilla and Sour Cream Ice Cream

• Eggs: 2
• Sugar: Raw, 2/3 cup
• Sour cream: 400 ml, preferably organic
• Milk: 1 cup, full fat
• Vanilla extract or paste, best quality: 2 teaspoons

1. Throw all ingredients into a blender and mix for 10 seconds.
   
2. Cool in fridge overnight.
   
3. Transfer to an ice cream machine and make ice cream following your machine's instructions.

•     Eggs: 4
•     Egg yolks: 2
•     Caster sugar: 3/4 cup
•     Pulp from 6 to 8 passionfruit or 3/4 cup
•     Lemon juice: 1 or 2 tablespoons 
•     Butter: 125g chilled, chopped

• 1. Place eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a 6-cup capacity heatproof, microwave-safe jug or bowl. Whisk with a balloon whisk until well combined. Add passionfruit pulp, lemon juice and butter. Stir to combine.
  2. Microwave passionfruit mixture, uncovered, on MEDIUM (50%) for 6 to 10 minutes, whisking every minute, or until thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour passionfruit curd into sterilised jars and seal. Refrigerate to cool.
  
  

Meringue

• Egg whites: 5
  
• Sugar: Equivalent to the egg whites' weight

1. Place egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Place egg white inside the bowl of a standing mixer and using the whisk balloon whip at low speed until frothy.
3. Increase speed to medium and add sugar slowly in a stream.
4. Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, that is, until meringue is shiny and firm.

Putting the darn thing together, best done the night before you plan to serve it:

1. Retrieve ice cream from freezer and stand for 10 minutes while you slice the pound cake into 1 cm thin slices.
2. Spray a medium to large bowl with cooking oil and then line it with plastic film. Ensure the edges are long enough so that you can cover the top of the cake.
3. Line the bowl with the sliced pound cake. One layer is enough.
4. Brush the pound cake  with slices with Bailey's.
5. Spread the one of the ice creams into the bowl until it reaches near half way up the bowl.
6. Spread the curd on top of this layer of ice cream.
7. Spread the other ice cream carefully on top of this curd ensuring you don't touch the curd.
8. Cover this layer of ice cream with more sliced pound cake.
9. Brush cake with Bailey's.
10. Cover the surface with plastic film and freeze overnight.
11. When ready to serve, retrieve the ice cream and let it sit while you prepare the meringue.
12. Unmould the cake on a large platter and spread meringue all over. Should the cake be stubborn and not want to release from the bowl, place the bowl over some simmering water.
13. You can now use a torch to caramelise the meringue or leave it as is.