Individual Baked Alaska

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350. Butter a rimmed at 18×13 pan line with parchment and butter. Whisk together eggs, egg yolk, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla in a bowl.
• Mix sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda, baking powder, and 1 3/4 cups flour in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on low speed until combined about 1 minute.Add egg mixture in 3 additions, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat scraping down side of bowl until everything is mixed well.
• Scrape the batter into prepared pan. Make sure batter is as even as possible. Tap the pan gently against the counter a few times to even out batter and to eliminate air bubbles.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes then remove cake to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove parchment paper. Up to this point you can do 1 day ahead, just make sure once cake is cooled it is covered well with plastic wrap and can sit on counter. I like to make this is the morning, allow to cool and continue until step 8 then freeze cakes with ice cream until the next day.
• Once cake is cooled, place on a large cutting board. Using the 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many 3 inch circles of the cake that you can, I was able to cut out about 10-12. Clean up the extra cake or use to make cake pops by adding the cake to prepared frosting.
• With a serrated knife, being very careful, slice each circle horizontally in half. (At this point, freeze the cakes you won’t be needing and thaw and follow steps to continue) Place about 1 heaping Tablespoon of the the jam alone or mixed with either Kirsch or Grand Marnier and cover with other layer, making a sandwich.
• Place the prepared cakes on another cutting board. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to warm up on the counter about 30 minutes. While the ice cream warms, have plastic wrap ready. As you will need 8×8 inch piece for each cake.
• Once the ice cream has softened, drip cold water on the counter and place the plastic wrap piece on top (the water makes it easy to lay flay and not bunch up.) Place 1 cake in the middle of the plastic wrap and scoop 1 scoop of the ice cream and place in the middle of the cake. Wrap the cake and ice cream and place on a cookie sheet in the freeze. Continue with the other cakes and place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. The cookie sheet should be level. These should freeze for at least an hour. **This can be done up to 3 days before.
• Just before serving, remove cookie sheet with cakes from freezer and have your butane torch ready to go.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer set over a pot of steaming water, heat the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar, whisking constantly until the sugar has dissolved and an instant read thermometer reads 120 degrees, about 5 minutes. Fit the bowl back to the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and add the vanilla. Beat on medium high speed until meringue forms stiff glossy peaks, about 5 minutes.
• Unwrap each cake with ice cream and place on individual plates and working quickly, spread the meringue over, fully covering both cake and ice cream. Torch each meringue until golden brown. Once beautifully golden in color serve and repeat with remaining cakes.