I loved this challenge! Daring Bakers has just been such a fun addition to my life and to my blog! Baked Alaska is just one of those things that kinda scares me a little. No. A LOT. I'm glad that I got pushed into this one though. I'm very excited about trying this one out again. And brown butter? Yes please! Add that to everything!
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 went with the Baked Alaska. I have made plenty of petit fours in my life, so it just seemed like a bit of a waste to do them one more time when I had a new opportunity in front of me. Since brown butter in baking was new to me too (I recommend brown butter on ricotta gnocchi) I decided to go for making a brown butter ice cream too. A total experiment that I LOVE the outcome of. I went for the cupcake sizes and loved every minutes of it! Hope you do too!
Brown Butter Baked Alaska
Brown Butter Ice Cream
1 cup butter
2 egg
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 cup cream
Place the butter in a 10” skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.
In a stand mixer combine the eggs and sugar. Beat for one minute until light and fluffy.
Add in brown butter and continue to whip.
Gently mix in the cream, milk.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker. Allow the ice cream to churn until finished and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Proceed to make the brown butter pound cake.
Brown Butter Pound Cake
19 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 325°F and put a rack in the center. Line cupcake tins.
Place the butter in a 10” skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.
Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.
Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.
Pipe the batter (or spoon) into the lined cupcake tin. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 12 minutes.
Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Meringue
6 egg whites1 1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Put egg whites in a stand mixer. Mix until they hold soft peaks. While the mixer is still running on a medium speed, add in the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Add in the cornstarch. Beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks.
Assembly
Place each cupcake onto its serving plate (use a plate that can withstand heat). Have your blow torch handy. DO NOT attempt to make a baked alaska that is this small in the oven. It will only melt, as it will not have enough frozen ice cream at the core to preserve it. .
Scoop one scoop of ice cream onto each cupcake. QUICKLY cover with meringue and grab out your blow torch.
Torch it, and serve!
Enjoy!