Baking Challenges.

OK So I knew when I signed up that it was going to be different. Oh how different it was!

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 Alasa or in Ice

Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s

“The Perfect Scoop”.

This was my first challenge, and of course I get to make a choice. I cannot make choices, I'm horrible at them. Plus making Ice Cream and brown butter pound cake o_O Bahahahaha. After one brief moment of mental hysterics I decided to make Baked Alaska. I have heard of a baked alaska, but have never attempted it.

I should also mention that I don't own an ice cream maker which makes the ice cream bit interesting. So first step for me was to decide which flavour I would like to make. I toyed with many ideas, until I came across Watermelon Ice Cream. I thought that the colour would look really good topping cake and encased in Meringue. Unfortunately I didn't anticipate the water part of the watermelon! Trudge on ahead, full speed!

Everything was very labour intensive for me due to making the ice cream. Along with an awkward work schedule of 12-8 that I would have to time everything. So on a free Saturday I made ice cream with watermelon that took what seemed forever where I actually ran out of time. It didn't turn out as I expected. Next day I didn't really have time so I just browned the butter, I was very scared of burning things. I didn't though! Yay!

I stored the butter in a container, and stored it in the fridge til I could have time to make the cake.

The day came to make the cake, and I followed the recipe provided in the challenge, though it was a very dry cake. I might make extra butter next time.

The meringue also followed the instructions though since my metal bowl was usurped by the ice cream the Meringue ended up looking like a fluffy pearly cloud of sugar and eggs.

I covered my ice cream in cake in this cloud, I piped one cake and plastered the other.

Then I baked it, unforunately, not right when I was supposed to, once again time was against me.

But needless to say the above pictures are after baking and it turned out pretty good. I couldn't eat it all as I seem to be developing an adverse reaction to ice cream *tear* but Leo enjoyed it, and could even taste the Watermelon ice cream.

My job here is finished.

For now....until the next challenge. :)