Glace en Surprise or Baked Alaska

This is the first time I have ever eaten baked Alaska, it's one of those nursery puds from people's childhoods, it was really good but I think I over did it a bit as we had a whole small tub of ice cream between three of us! But we demolished the lot!!

Glace en Surprise (from Cordon Bleu Cookery Course)

(Serves 4)

2 eggs

butter

sugar

flour

For the meringue

2 egg whites

4oz caster sugar

2-3 drops vanilla essence

Caster sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Weight out the ingredients so that each weighs to the same as the two eggs. If you have digital scales weigh the egg and then weigh each the butter, flour and sugar to the same weight. Cream together the butter and the sugar and then beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour with a metal spoon and bake for 20 mins until golden brown.

Have the sponge cake and the ice cream ready made. Choose a plate or silver dish and chill it well.

To prepare the meringue: whisk the egg whites stiffly, add 2-3 rounded tsp of the caster sugar and vanilla essence and whisk again until stiff. Fold in the remaining sugar. Fill into a piping bag.

Place the sponge cake on the dish, scoop out the ice cream and arrange in top of the sponge. Pipe the meringue over the ice cream to cover it completely. Dust the meringue well with caster sugar, leave for 1 min, then put the cake into the oven and cook for about 4 mins or until the meringue is lightly browned. Serve at once.