A little reason to celebrate
National Baked Alaska Day
Food ยท February 1
A day for baked Alaska, the dessert of cake and ice cream wrapped in meringue and browned in a hot oven or with a torch.
National Baked Alaska Day falls on Monday, February 1, 2027. That is 97 days away.
Baked Alaska is a dessert that seems to break a rule. A layer of cake sits under a dome of ice cream, the whole thing is covered in meringue, and then it goes into a very hot oven or under a kitchen torch. The outside turns golden and toasty while the ice cream inside stays frozen.
The trick is the meringue. Whipped egg whites hold a lot of tiny air bubbles, and air is a poor conductor of heat, so the meringue works like a coat that keeps the cold in for the few minutes the outside needs to brown. The cake base does a similar job from below.
Cutting into one is part of the appeal. The first slice shows three clean layers: soft cake, firm ice cream and a meringue shell that is crisp on the outside and marshmallowy underneath. Some cooks pour warm liqueur over the top and light it at the table, which makes the dessert look even more like it should not survive.
Home cooks often build it a day ahead, freezing the cake and ice cream dome until it is rock hard, then adding the meringue just before serving. Flavor choices are wide open. Chocolate cake with coffee ice cream works, and so does pound cake with strawberry.
The browning step is short. A torch or a very hot oven needs only a few minutes, and the dessert is best eaten right away, before the ice cream remembers where it is.
Ways to celebrate
- Try making a small baked Alaska with store-bought pound cake and ice cream.
- Use a kitchen torch or hot oven to brown the meringue, watching closely.
- Pick an unusual ice cream and cake pairing and see how it tastes.
- Look for baked Alaska on a local restaurant's dessert menu.
- Share a photo of the first slice showing all three layers.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, February 1 |
| 2027 | Monday, February 1 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, February 1 |
| 2029 | Thursday, February 1 |
| 2030 | Friday, February 1 |
All national days on February 1
Also on February 1
Categories: Food days