Baked Alaska

Method

1. Line a small bowl of about 200 ml with cling film, leaving an overhang. Pack in 150 g of slightly softened vanilla ice cream, pressing out air pockets, and smooth the top flat with the back of a spoon so it will sit level on the cake. Fold the film over and freeze at least 2 hours, until the dome is completely solid.
2. Trim 50 g of sponge cake into a neat round about 9 cm across and 2 cm thick, a little wider than the mouth of the bowl. Set it on a small ovenproof plate or baking tray, brush the surface with 1 tsp of dark rum, then spread it with 1 tbsp of raspberry jam right to the edge.
3. Put the plated sponge in the freezer for 15 minutes and heat the oven to 230C. A properly hot oven is what lets the meringue colour before the ice cream has time to melt.