Christmas Tree Bombe Alaska by Alisha Henderson

Sponge Cake:

• 270g White Wings Plain Flour 
• 35g White Wings Cornflour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 330g CSR Caster Sugar
• 230g soft butter
• 4 room temp eggs
• ½ cup room temp milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Ice Cream:

• 4L churned or store bought vanilla ice cream
• Rosewater essence
• 200g frozen or fresh raspberries
• 100g crushed pistachios
• ½ cup shredded coconut

Pavlova:

• White Wings Pavlova Magic
• 1 x ice cream cone

To Flambé:

• 100mL of brandy

To Serve:

• Dust of CSR Icing Sugar or 
• CSR Coffee Sugar Crystals

Equipment:

• 1 x 30cm Croquembouche tin – or use a manila folder wrapped into a cone shape
• Star piping tip
• Piping bags
• 11” Square cake tin or sheet tray
• Long safety match or extended lighter
• Stand or hand mixer with whisk attachments
   

1. To make the cake: in a bowl fitted with whisk attachment, place all dry ingredients and soft butter, and beat for 1 minute until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
2. In a small bowl combine the wet ingredients. Add half of this to the dry ingredients and beat for 1 minute. Add remaining wet mixture and beat for 1.5 minutes until fluffy.
3. Line the base and sides of an 11” square cake tin with baking paper and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. Note: You can also use White Wings Vanilla Cake Mix in place of this recipe.
4. Once the cake is cooled, place the base of the croquembouche tin on the sponge and cut out a circle of this size. Flip it so the pointy side is now down and cut a circle of this small size. 
5. Take your churned or store bought ice cream out of the freezer to soften for 20 minutes.
6. Take approx 3L and mix in 200g frozen raspberries & 3 teaspoons of rosewater. Take 1L of ice cream and stir in crushed pistachios & shredded coconut (you can add some green food dye to enhance the colour).
7. To assemble: line the entire cone tin with glad wrap. Place in the small sponge circle at the tip. Take the raspberry ice cream and smear into tin all along the sides in a thick coating. Fill the centre hole with the pistachio ice cream, and smooth out the base. Take the large sponge and press into tin. Place in the freezer for at least 24 hours (or up to a week).
8. When it’s time to de-mould your ice cream place a warm towel over the tin and warm gently. Flip the tree out onto the plate you intend to serve it on and pop back into the freezer to re-firm.
9. To prepare the pavlova, use your White Wings Pavlova Magic and follow instructions on the packaging.
10. Take two small scoops of pavlova and place them in two separate bowls. Tint the majority of the mixture green for the tree base. In the two small bowls, dye one yellow & one red.
11. Take your tree out from the freezer and use a piping bag fitted with a star piping tip, and work from bottom to top to pipe the tree (you can skip this and smear the pavlova all over instead). If you feel that it is melting, place it back into the freezer in intervals. You can stick the ice cream cone on the top of the point with a smear of pavlova to secure.
12. Use a piping bag with a small end cut off to pipe red and yellow baubles. If they get a spike on the end, dip your finger in some water and smooth the pavlova bauble out.
13. Place back into the freezer until ready to serve.
14. Upon serving - slightly warm (do not overheat!) 100mL of brandy in a small saucepan. Using a long safety match or long lighter, wave the flame over the saucepan to ignite it. Pour brandy on the tree, to flambé it - and wow your guests!
15. To finish dust CSR Icing Sugar or CSR Coffee Sugar Crystals for a little sparkle! Serve immediately by cutting into wedge portions.