1. To make ice-cream, line one 8-hole (80ml/⅓ cup) muffin pan with plastic wrap, extending over edges. Place milk, cream and tea leaves in a medium saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Stand for 5 minutes, then discard tea leaves. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until well combined, then whisking continuously, gradually add hot milk mixture to yolk mixture and whisk gently to combine. Transfer to a clean saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon; don’t boil mixture. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Place in a sink one-third full with iced water and cool, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Churn in an ice-cream maker until frozen. Spoon into prepared muffin moulds and freeze for 3 hours or overnight. Remove from pan and discard plastic wrap when ready to use.

2. To make cake, preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm square cake pan.

3. Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it turns a medium-brown colour and gives off a nutty fragrance. Transfer to a medium bowl, then refrigerate for 2 hours or until cold.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat sugars and brown butter until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until thick and creamy. Beat in vanilla extract and passionfruit. Add sifted flours and baking powder. Fold until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Using a round cutter, cut eight 6.5cm rounds from sponge.

6. To make meringue, whisk egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, whisking between additions to ensure sugar is fully dissolved, until thick and glossy.

7. To assemble, place sponge on serving plates. Top with ice-cream. Cover with meringue, ensuring there are no gaps, then use a blowtorch to lightly brown meringue.