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”.

Yay! This month's challenge was a Bombe Alaska, something I have always wanted to make.
For those who don't know what it is, it is a cake base, topped with ice cream and coated in thick fluffy meringue, which is then toasted in the oven or with a blow torch. The concept of oven baking ice cream, and not having it melt, thoroughly fascinates me. It sounds rather impossible and definitely a challenge.
Our cake base had to be a browned butter pound cake, something new for most Daring Bakers that we all rapidly fell in love with. Such an amazingly unique flavour, nutty and toasty, adds a whole new element to your batter.
We were given free reign in our choice of ice cream flavour. I chose to make raspberry, and topped with thick marshmallowy meringue it was a lovely combination. The original PDF recipe can be found here. Keep reading for how it worked out for me.

Browned Butter Pound Cake
This is the recipe for the full cake, I chose to halve the recipe and bake it in a cupcake pan.
The most important part of this cake batter is browned butter. It is amazingly nutty and toasty in flavour, completely changing the taste of the cake batter.
Place 275g unsalted butter in a pan and place over a medium heat.
Patience is required; slowly stir the butter as it melts.
The milk solids will separate out, keep stirring until they turn a dark chocolate colour and the liquid is golden.
It can easily burn so don't walk away. Pour into a shallow bowl and place in freezer until it just congeals.
Sift together 2 cups of cake flour*, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt.
Beat together the browned butter, ½ cup packed brown sugar, and 1/3 cup castor sugar until light and fluffy.
Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well, then add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
Mix in the flour mixture on a low speed until just combined.
Scrape the batter into your choice of tin. I chose to make cupcakes, but this will also fit in 23cm square tin or similar round tin.
Place in an oven pre-heated to 160°c and cook until golden.
Allow to cool on a cake rack.
This cake goes a little dry when frozen, so best stored in an air tight container.
*If you don't have cake flour, make your own by measuring 2 tablespoons of cornflour into a cup measure and filling up with plain flour.

Raspberry Ice Cream
I found this recipe on a packet of McCain Season's Choice frozen raspberries.
It is a simple no-cook, eggless mix that is made in a blender.
Combine 1½ cups raspberries, 1/3 cup condensed milk, ¼ cup thickened cream, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon white sugar and 1 teaspoon honey in a blender.
Blend until thick and creamy.
The frozen raspberries were too much for our blender and it died at a critical moment.
RIP :(
Pour into a container and place in freezer.
Every hour for four hours, pull it out of the freezer and beat to make the ice cream light and creamy.

Meringue
This makes a lot of meringue, I chose to quarter the recipe and I still had heaps, so it's up to you.
Beat together 8 egg whites, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon of salt on a high speed until soft peaks are formed.
Slowly add 1 cup of castor sugar, and keep beating until stiff peaks are formed.

Assembling Bombe Alaska Cupcakes
You will need to work quickly and have a good amount of freezer space. The concept of baking ice cream only works if the ice cream is super frozen.
I lined my cupcake pan with some clingwrap and scooped in the ice cream, pressing it in so I could get a shape that matched the cake, then froze until hard.
Slice the top off each cupcake. Pop out the ice cream molds and press upside down onto each of the cupcakes.
Once again freeze until hard. At this stage, they can stay there until close to the time you need them, however the browned butter cake will dry out, so don't leave for more than a day or two.
An hour before required, pull out of the oven and either gently pipe or delicately shape the meringue over your cupcake stack.
The more spiky or sticky out bits you have, the better it will brown.
Place back in the freezer until just before serving.
Pre-heat your oven to 260°c. Gently place the Bombe Alaska into the oven. Watch closely as it gently browns each tip and pull it out when it is nice and even. We sat glued to the oven to judge the exact moment.
If you have a mini blow torch, you can go straight from piping the meringue to torching, it is quicker and more fun, but more likely to burn.
Serve this spectacular creation immediately.
Perfectly sweet, with pillowy marshmallow and nutty cake. Seriously tasty.
I challenge you to attempt this; any combination of flavours can be used, check out the Daring Bakers website for inspiration.

I'm starting this recipe with a few macro shots to entice you.
If the look of all that caramel, chocolate and hazelnut doesn't make you happy, then you're not human.
Now, in a few easy steps, you can learn how to put all of that into a relatively healthy banana cake to make an Ultimate* Hazelnut Snickers Banana Cake!
This recipe was found on taste.com.au. I have adapted it slightly, changing boring Mar Bars to more exciting Hazelnut Slab Snickers, (they were on special, and besides, nuts are good for you right?) reducing the sugar and omitting the icing.
You will need some basic pantry items, and 2 bananas that have seen better days.
Preheat oven to 180° and prepare a loaf pan.
Start by creaming together 150g unsalted butter and half a cup of brown sugar until pale.
Add two eggs, one at a time, beat well after each addition.
Peel two smooshy bananas, mash with a fork, then fold into butter mixture.
Fold through 2 cups of self-raising flour and half a cup of milk.
Now the fun part. You will need three approx. 60g chocolate bars (mine were 53g, plain Snickers or Mars might be different).
Roughly chop into small pieces. The smaller you make them, the more you can get away with sampling because they will spread further in the batter. That is an important baking tip to remember.
Add any surviving chocolate bar to the cake batter and fold through.
Pour into prepared tin. This is quite a thick batter, if you run your spatula through the centre to make a trough, the cake will rise more evenly and cook better.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden.
A close up shot of caramel bursting through the cake.
This cake is not that sweet at all, the Hazelnut Snickers add a nice contrast to a quite tasty banana cake batter without making it sickly. It is a good solid cake for morning teas or packed lunches, and we prefer it without the icing.
If you really want to sweeten it up, mix 1 cup of icing sugar with 2 tablespoons of good quality caramel topping and 2 teaspoons of hot water and drizzle over once cool.

*fivesquaremeals does not accept responsibility if your cake is not as Ultimate as expected. Next time, just eat the chocolate bar on its own.

A "stunned mullet" is a coloqiual Aussie expression meaning one who is surprised or startled.
The Stunned Mullet is also the name of a swish little restuarant in Port Macquarie where four of us ventured on Saturday night before a late movie.
It was a little hard to find, given the fact that we didn't take a map and haven't quite learnt the town geography, but eventually we were greeted with a warmly lit restaurant.
At first, the interior looked quite simple; formal and elegant in white, but once seated at a table along a comfy cushioned bench, quirky details such as the retro light fittings and giant chalk boards lent a cosy vibe and we relaxed immediately.
Between four of us, we ordered three entrees to share and a plate of Fresh bread with roasted chilli and pecorino pepate infused extra virgin olive oil ($8) to munch on while we waited.
The Pork Belly and Seared Scallops with nuoc cham dressing and Asian salad ($21) was so soft, it fell apart with a fork, lovely with the perfectly cooked scallops.
Salt and Pepper Squid tossed with garlic chips, fresh chilli and fresh coriander on a bed of baby rocket ($19) was possibly the pick of the entrees. Light batter, not too spicy, and the slices of orange through the salad were very refreshing.
Quail served with risotto with slices of freshly shaved truffle ($34). This was very special. The truffle was shaved at the table, it was the first time any of us had ever had truffle slices, not just infused into oil or butter.
The quail was very tender, and the risotto lovely and creamy, complimenting the nutty taste of the truffle.
A choice from the extensive wine list (note the classy branded stemware),
and a few cocktails before the mains: Lime Margarita($14)
and Cloudy Bison Delight($14) - vodka with refreshing lime and cloudy apple juice.
We were a little bit less creative with our mains, between four of us we only sampled two of the choices.
The Sea Dweller of the Day was Blue Eye Cod, with vongoles in a creamy sauce with broad beans($34). I didn't try any of this dish, but judging from the reactions it was definately enjoyed.
Tasmanian Aged Sirloin Steak 250g with thick cut chips and beans finished with a wasabi and mushroom sauce and crispy leek ($36). The steak was perfectly cooked, very thick and juicy, tender to cut into.
I was a little hesitant about the mushroom and wasabi sauce as I don't really like mushrooms or super hot food, but it was just the right amount of heat and the flavour brought the whole dish together. Waz thought the crispy leek "was awesome and made the meal". Any of the leftover sauce was mopped up with remaining slices of bread.
I'm not sure if I can blame the cocktails or the comfy seating, but the hour and a half we had given ourselves to eat before our movie started flew by. Sadly we had to skip coffee and dessert, settling instead on choc tops.

The Stunned Mullet
24 William St, Port Macquarie.
Ph: 02 6584 7757
Lunch from 12pm, Dinner from 6pm

I love doughnuts.
There really is nothing not to love about batter cooked in hot oil, then rolled in cinnamon and sugar.
Then there is the iced cake variety, my favourite's caramel or strawberry, sticky fluoro icing with lots of sprinkles. Yes, I want sprinkles.
The big yeast doughnuts that take you straight back to school days and canteens, light and airy, as big as your face. Finally, there are the American raised doughnuts that have found the sweet spot in all of us in recent years. Individually cut out, allowed to proof before cooking then thoroughly coated in a thick glaze and any number of flavours and fillings.
No matter how they are prepared, they all are cooked in hot oil, making them crispy, moist, tasty but not so friendly on the waistline.
But what about baking doughnuts?
Yesterday, I read with growing inspiration Not So Humble Pie's step through for baked doughnuts.
I know that if a recipe is featured on her blog, it will be tested with scientific precision, nothing will be posted unless it satisfies her perfect standards.
Which is why as I read, I knew I had to try the recipe out, it just looked so damn tasty!
I was so inspired, I stopped on the way home for fresh ground nutmeg and buttermilk, and excitedly told Waz that tomorrow I would drive the 40mins into the nearest big shops to hunt for a doughnut pan. "Or, you could use your doughnut maker" was his response.
My what now? My Doughnut maker??
It turns out, when I had a similar fit of enthusiasm a few years ago, he gave this to me for a birthday/anniversary/Christmas present and I have subsequently placed in the cupboard and forgotten about it.
It was with great satisfaction that we unwrapped our "new" appliance this morning and began our doughnut experimentation.
Baked Cake Doughnuts
Found at Not So Humble Pie, adapted from Sur la Table.
In a bowl, combine ¾ cup buttermilk, 2 lightly beaten eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
In a second bowl mix together 2 cups of cake flour (make your own by placing 2 tablespoons of cornflour in a 1 cup measuring cup and then filling it up with plain flour), ¾ white sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt.
Make a well, and add the wet ingredients plus 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Mix together to form a sticky wet batter.
Fill up a piping back with batter, it makes things a whole lot easier when you are trying to be neat.
I bought a set of disposable bags and tips at the supermarket just in case, and they made life much easier. Alternatively, you can half fill a zip lock back and snip the corner off for precision piping.
If you are using doughnut pans, fill the cups 2/3 full and bake for 7-9 mins or until golden in an oven pre-heated to 220°c.
For me, I just piped it directly into the doughnut maker, closed the lid and waited for the light.
The resulting rack of doughnuts cooling before being topped.

Topping options
I pureed half a cup of frozen raspberries with ¼ cup of pure icing sugar to make a vibrant red glaze.
I also mixed about a ¼ cup caramel topping with ½ cup pure icing sugar for a thick caramel glaze.
I decorated these with shaved dark chocolate and hundreds and thousands.
I also recreated my favourite, the cinnamon doughnut, with a coating of The Other Chef Toffee Apple Syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

The verdict?
The texture was light and the flavour was lovely.
They didn't leave the film of oil that a hot cinnamon doughnut would, so they are definitely a healthier option. Ok, so no oily crunch, but they are sweet, light and tasty. Pretty fantastic really. :)
See Also: Oliebollen - Dutch Dough Balls

Tommorrow, my assistant celebrates 30 years at our workplace. Quite a remarkable achievement, she has been working there since long before I was even a twinkle! For this I feel she deserves some sort of celebration cake (and a straight jacket, seriously 30 years??).
I conducted some secretive research to suss out her favourite cake type (Hey J, what's your favourite type of cake?) and recieved a very clear response of CHOCOLATE!
Recently, I made the delightfully gooey raspberry and chocolate pudding from Super Food Ideas, and I really wanted to turn that pudding into a rich, moist chocolate and raspberry cake that would do justice to this special occasion. And to provide an awesome morning tea on an otherwise ordinary Thursday. :)
After a bit of hunting, I found this chocolate and raspberry cake from the back of a Creative Gourmet pack of frozen raspberries.
With a full block of dark chocolate, extra cocoa, a full stick of butter and 2 cups of sugar, this cake is anything but delicate. Sinfully rich, thick and super chocolatey, the addition of raspberries adds unexpected little bursts of sour/sweet to balance out the chocolate.
It is not a cake for everyday, but for once in 30 years, I think it's just about perfect. Congratulations J!

Chocolate and Raspberry Cake
The cake is a very simple melt and mix. It is almost a mudcake in density, it will feed at least 10 people as it is so rich.
Preheat a conventional oven to 160°c (fan forced 150°c).
In a heatproof bowl, place 250g chopped unsalted butter, a 200g block of dark cooking chocolate, 2 cups of castor sugar and 2 cups of milk.
Place over a saucepan of simmering water and stir as it slowly melts together.
It will go through a few weird looking stages,
but keep at it and it turns into black gold.
Once smooth and melty, take it off the heat and let it cool down a little.
Add two eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and whisk until combined.
Sift in 1½ cups self raising flour and ¼ cup good quality cocoa and whisk until well incorporated.
Pour batter into a prepared 24cm springform cake tin, the batter is quite runny, it leaks out a bit from the bottom of my tin so place it on an oven tray if you have the same problem.
Sprinkle 1 cup of frozen raspberries over the cake batter. They will sink into the cake as it cooks.
Bake for 1 hour 15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. The cake is meant to be moist, but not gooey runny.
Remove and allow to cool in tin for 10 mins, then transfer to a cake rack to finish cooling entirely. This is a very soft, moist cake, so treat it gently.
To top, either make a very simple chocolate frosting or ganache and dribble over the top over the cake. I cheated with a prepared chocolate frosting sachet made thinner with some thickened cream.
Then I shaved some dark chocolate to sprinkle over the top, what's one more calorie going to do to a cake like this? May as well embrace the chocolatey goodness.
To serve tomorrow, I will sprinkle with extra chocolate shavings, and possibly some more raspberries. After all, it's only once every 30 years, it had better be worth while! :D

10 easy steps to a gourmet Saturday breakfast.
Step 1: Create an excuse to get yourself out of the house alone. Mentioning clothes and shopping in the same sentence may help.
Step 2: Drive to your nearest McDonalds restaurant, for me this is 22mins away; aim to get there BEFORE 10:30am. Anticipate slow serving times and indecisive people in front of you, allow extra time for this.
Step 3: Order one serve hotcakes and two apple pies. Order eat in, not takeaway, you do not want hotcake syrup all over your car.
Step 4: Stack hotcakes on top of each other for fancy presentation. Scoop out one of the whipped butter packets neatly on top.
Step 5: Bite the end of one apple pie, insert fork and gently scrape out apple on top of hotcakes. Repeat with other pie.
Step 6: Drizzle generously with hotcake syrup.
Step 7: Admire own creativeness before destruction.
Step 8: Dunk empty pie shells in left over hotcake syrup and eat.
Step 9: Repeat steps 3-8 if desired for as long as money, stomach space or time allows.
Step 10: Return home without any form of clothes shopping to a suspicious boyfriend.

Variation: If you are lucky enough to live somewhere near a Maccas with all-day hotcakes, a caramel sundae on top of a stack is an awesome dessert (because even I think ice cream for breakfast may be a bit too much :p).