Yellow Baked Alaska {Gluten-Free}

Every year, for R's birthday cake, he requests a Baked Alaska. This year, it had to be gluten-free (for Jake and another guest) and it had to be yellow. Okay...

And, to go with his Asian-themed lunch (we had Spicy Meatball Bánh Mì), he wanted it made with some kind of tropical flair. So, I made a variation of our favorite hot milk sponge cake as the base and topped it with jackfruit ice cream. 

Ingredients

• 8 T butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 C milk
• 1-1/2 C gluten-free flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 C organic granulated sugar
• 1/2 t lemon extract
• 1/2 t pure vanilla extract

To assemble

• ice cream (I used jackfruit)
• 8 egg whites
• 2 T organic granulated sugar

Procedure

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine milk and butter in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat until the butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat. Stir together the flour and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs to break them up, whisk in the salt, whisk in the sugar, and continue whisking till the mixture has lightened in color. Mix in the extracts, then the milk mixture. Gently incorporate the flour mixture, whisking till smooth.

Pour into a parchment-lined baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or till the cake is well-risen, smooth, a deep golden brown, and firm to the touch. Loosen the cake from the pan and invert onto a cooling rack.

For the ice cream, I usually do this the night before: line a bowl with plastic wrap, press slightly softened ice cream into the bowl, cover it tightly with more plastic wrap, and refreeze. For this cake I used 2 containers of jackfruit ice cream. 

Once you're all set to assemble, separate 8 eggs, placing the whites in a large stainless steel bowl. Add 2 T organic granulated sugar. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Place the cake on your serving dish. Turn molded ice cream out onto cake. Quickly and prettily spread meringue over cake. Make sure to have lots of little peaks because that it what browns. Spread the meringue all the way to dish to seal. Return to freezer until ready to serve.

Typically I use a culinary torch to brown the peaks. But, with our recent move, I still haven't unpacked the torch. It's somewhere. I just haven't located it yet. So, I broiled the meringue, taking care that it not burn.

Cut into slices and serve immediately.