Post image for Vanilla Rooibos Ice Cream & Brown Butter Cake

Vanilla Rooibos Ice Cream & Brown Butter Cake

by Lauren | Celiac Teen on August 27, 2010

It’s daring baker’s time again.  Oh yes.  This month, my dear friend Elissa is hosting (double-hosting, actually!), so I knew that it would be good.  Although we weren’t over the moon about the finished baked alaska, I fell in love with ice cream.  I may have only given my family a spoonful of the two batches I made.  Heaven?  Oh yes.  The brown butter cake?  Yeah.  Anything with brown butter steals my heart and this was no exception!  Moist, kept well, and my brother asked for many seconds.

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”.

But really, that ice cream. I can’t talk it up enough. David Lebovitz is a genius. It was heaven and (even though I don’t have an ice cream maker) it came out beautifully each time. Will I be making it again? You bet. Actually, if my parents weren’t on an elimination diet right now (I don’t want to be mean), I would have made a handful more batches this month. When school is back in, I’ll have that option, but there is still a few days left of the freedom of summer, so I’m going to soak it up :).

For the rest of the recipes for this challenge, you can visit 17 and Baking or the Daring Kitchen.

I adored making the ice cream. So simple, so soothing. Try it sometime.

Not to mention, I could have lived off the stuff. I decided to hoard it instead. A small little bit each day, just enough to savour and cherish.

The brown butter cake? We could have eaten it all out of hand. Freezing it for the Baked Alaska ruined the texture (it’s a soft cake, not robust enough to be frozen and thawed), but here? Wonderful.

For the Baked Alaska, they got cut into rounds. Cute little patties, don’t you think?

I also froze the ice cream extra to get it into this shape for the Baked Alaska.

Topped with meringue, all ready to be frozen.

Bake and take your bite. I think one thing that my brother and I weren’t expecting was the unsweetness of the meringue. My dad used to make a sort of faux baked alaska, with super-cold ice cream topped with mini marshmallows, then broiled just until the marshmallows browned. We would share the bowl and relish in the temperature contrasts as they passed our lips. I think I was expecting a more of a marshmallowy meringue, just because of memory’s sake. Next time, I suppose that’s what I’ll have to do!

All in all though, this was a wonderful challenge. One recipe I’ll never lose and a second which is a lovely cake that I would gladly make again. Thank you Elissa, this was lots of fun!

xoxo
Lauren

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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }

Robyn August 27, 2010 at 12:51 am

Rooibos is amazing stuff, its grown here in South Africa where I live so I can’t believe I haven’t thought to put it into ice cream! Great challenge!

chef_d August 27, 2010 at 1:12 am

Wow that baked alaska looks delicious! Great job!

bello August 27, 2010 at 4:10 am

Great recipes! You have made it so easy to try those. And photos are so alluring.

Shelley C August 27, 2010 at 6:46 am

Oh. My. Goodness. Vanilla Rooibos ice cream sounds absolutely divine. And your finished Baked Alaska is beautiful, not to mention absolutely delicious-looking. Really great job with the challenge!

Olga @ MangoTomato August 27, 2010 at 7:52 am

omg, the peaks look so pretty!!! I’ve been away from Daring anything for ages….

Jackie Baisa August 27, 2010 at 8:02 am

Whoa! That looks INCREDIBLE. Seriously. That whole thing intimidates me a little bit. I’ve never been much of a daring baker, so maybe I’ll have to try this year a bit more… 😉 WOW.

And I *LOVE* David’ Leibovitz’s ice creams. I have that book and it’s amazing (the 4 or 5 recipes I’ve made from it). I don’t even know what rooibos is, but I’ll look it up. 😉

Kaitlin August 27, 2010 at 9:41 am

I love the way you did the meringue. It’s so cute!

Your Dad’s way of doing baked Alaska sounds awesome, by the way 🙂

Gluten Free Betsy August 27, 2010 at 9:41 am

Looks delicious!

Karen August 27, 2010 at 10:47 am

I love tea ice creams. Oh how I love them! Yours looks awesome Lauren!

Elissa August 27, 2010 at 2:16 pm

Lauren, this is crazy gorgeous! I have to agree with you about David Lebovitz. I talk about his ice cream so much, my friends have started jokingly yelling out “David freakin’ Lebovitz!” whenever the word “ice cream” comes up.

As good as your dad’s version sounds, I’ll have to take meringue.. yours looks so fluffy!

Winnie August 27, 2010 at 8:06 pm

Wow Lauren,
This looks fantastic! The meringue is so beautiful. Sadly, I haven’t done a Daring Bakers challenge in a couple of months…just couldn’t manage them anymore…too much to do in life, you know? I love all of David L’s ice creams and this is one I haven’t tried- sounds really delicious. Great job!

Renata August 27, 2010 at 8:21 pm

What an adorable Alaska! Your cake looks wonderful. Great photos!

Aparna August 27, 2010 at 8:29 pm

Your baked alaska looks beautiful. David Lebovitz’s ice-creams are really good. Do try the other flavours if you haven’t.
I made little serves too.

Jenn/CinnamonQuill August 27, 2010 at 10:01 pm

I’ve still never had baked Alaska, but my, it is sure beautiful!

Lynn @ I'll Have What She's Having August 29, 2010 at 9:55 am

I felt the same way about my baked alaska. It was alright, but the ice cream was amazing. I chose earl grey, there must be something about tea based ice cream! Your challenge turned out amazing!

Valérie September 1, 2010 at 11:36 am

I agree, both the ice cream and the browned butter cake were winners! Great job on this challenge, you baked Alaska is very cute!

Heather Jacobsen November 15, 2010 at 2:51 pm

I LOVE Rooibos tea. I lived on a game reserve in South Africa for 3 months, and I drank the tea every day. What a great idea to flavor ice cream with it. I am sure this would bring right back to that magical time in my life.

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