Baked Alaska is the ice-cream dessert that combines ice cream, sponge cake and browned meringue, and is named after Alaska.
The dessert is assembled with a layer of sponge cake beneath ice cream, then covered completely with meringue. The meringue is browned in a hot oven or with a flame, while the ice cream remains frozen inside. This works because the meringue acts as an insulating layer, and the dessert is usually served immediately after browning.
The name is generally linked to Alaska’s admission as a U.S. territory in 1867 and the public interest that followed. Antoine’s restaurant in New Orleans is often credited with popularizing the dish under the name Baked Alaska, although related hot-and-cold desserts existed earlier.
Baked Alaska is sometimes confused with bombe glacée, another molded ice-cream dessert. A bombe does not require the distinctive sponge-cake base and browned meringue that define Baked Alaska.