Volcano Surprise with Lemon Mousseline Cake

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Baked Alaska is called an “omelette norvégienne” in French when made in the oval shape of an omelet. However, this dessert is done in a conical shape to emulate a volcano; hence its name. The top of the “volcano” is adorned with a hollowed-out lemon half that is filled (as soon as it comes out of the oven) with warm brandy, which is ignited, and the dessert is brought flaming to the table. The lemon mousseline cake, used here to hold the ice cream in the center, can be made a day or two ahead and stored in a plastic bag to keep it moist. If you prefer, a standard genoise or a sponge or pound cake can be substituted for the mousseline cake, as can ladyfingers (page 388). The volcano bakes quickly, in 10 to 12 minutes, and should be brought to the table as it comes out of the oven. Although the egg whites shouldn’t be beaten until the last moment, the ice cream and cake can be assembled ahead and kept covered in the freezer.

ingredients

Lemon Mousseline Cake:

6 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup potato starch (3 to 3 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for buttering pan and platter)

Volcano Filling:

1 quart vanilla ice cream (see French Vanilla Ice Cream, page 400)
3 tablespoons cognac

Soufflé Mixture:

8 egg whites from large eggs
4 egg yolks, beaten with a fork
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
Hollowed-out shell of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, for dusting the cake

For Flambé:

1/3 cup warm cognac

directions

To make the Lemon Mousseline Cake:

1
Put the egg yolks, sugar, grated lemon rind, and vanilla in a bowl, and mix well with a whisk until smooth and thick. Add the potato starch and flour, and mix with a whisk.
2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until firm. Add about one-third of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture, and mix with a whisk to lighten the batter. Fold the remainder of the egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter into a buttered 9-inch spring-form pan.
3
Bake on a cookie sheet in the 350-degree oven for approximately 35 minutes. The cake should be nice and puffy as it comes out of the oven. Let cool in the pan in a warm place. The cake will shrink slightly but remain moist and spongy inside.

Prepare the base of the Volcano Surprise:

1
Butter the center of a round ovenproof platter, and slice the cake horizontally into four layers. Place one of the cake slices on the buttered platter. Spoon the ice cream onto the cake slice, mounding it in the center, and smooth with a spatula.
2
Cover the top of the ice-cream mound completely with cake, breaking the remaining slices of cake into large pieces, as needed, to make them fit snugly and cover the filling entirely. (Any leftover cake can be frozen for future use.) Sprinkle the cognac over the cake. At this point, the dessert can be placed in the freezer while you prepare the rest of it.

For the Soufflé Mixture:

1
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until firm. Meanwhile, mix the egg yolks and the vanilla in a separate bowl with a fork just until blended. When the egg whites are firm, add the sugar fairly quickly, and continue beating with the whisk for another 15 to 20 seconds to incorporate it. Gently fold the egg yolks into the egg whites with a spatula. Spoon some of this soufflé mixture on top of the ice-cream cake, and smooth and round it into a conical shape.
2
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. You should have approximately a 1-inch thickness of the soufflé mixture on the cake, with the soufflé higher in the center. Spoon the rest of the soufflé mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a fluted tip, and make a spiral decoration all around the bottom of the volcano. Continue decorating the cake as you like with the remainder of the soufflé mixture.
3
Embed the hollowed-out half-lemon shell in the center of the top of the volcano. Work quickly, so the ice cream and the soufflé coating remain firm. Bake in the 400-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. The outside of the cake should be nicely browned, and it should be just set inside.

To serve:

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with the confectioners’ sugar, pour the warm cognac into the lemon shell, and ignite it. Bring the dessert to the table immediately. Spoon the flaming cognac onto the cake. Using a spoon, spoon, scoop some of the soufflé, cake, and ice cream onto individual plates and serve.