A breakdown of baked Alaska, the classic dessert that’s so hot it’s cool

Like a culinary Two-Face, baked Alaska combines frosty decadence and sizzling-hot showmanship into a dual-personality dessert that turns heads. Big on flavour and nostalgia, the Joneses’ version ($18) hits the restaurant’s retro notes and delivers indulgence by way of plush devil’s food cake, raspberry sorbet, vanilla gelato and toasted Italian meringue. Finished with spiced rum and flambéed tableside, it always gets a reaction. “It’s a punchy, boozy, sugary combination,” says O&B district executive chef Andrew Piccinin. “You can’t put your finger on any one thing—it’s a nostalgia bomb.” We had him break it down for us, one delicious component at a time.

1. The cake “I’ve had this devil’s food cake recipe in my repertoire for 15 years. The two most important ingredients to achieve a rich, chocolatey taste are top-quality cocoa and coffee. We use Cacao Barry cocoa powder and Propeller coffee.”

2. The sorbet “The raspberry sorbet also comes from Gelato Fresco. I love the red fruit, vanilla and chocolate combo—it reminds me of Neapolitan ice cream.”

3. The gelato “We’re using vanilla gelato from Gelato Fresco, made in North York. When ice cream or gelato are made, air gets incorporated during the churning process. Cheaper products contain a lot of air—not Gelato Fresco.”

4. The meringue “For every service, we make a batch of Italian meringue that incorporates sugar by way of a hot, cooked syrup. It gives you a glossy, slightly marshmallowy kind of texture that’s super s’mores-like—delicious but also extremely stable. Lightly torching the meringue before the dessert goes out caramelizes the surface, which allows the alcohol to sit on top rather than being absorbed, giving it a few extra seconds of burn time.”

5. The booze “We tried brandy and cognac but landed on dark rum—and I like Sailor Jerry’s retro feel. We warm the rum up a little bit first to make it more flammable. When servers come to the table, they light the rum in a little metal sauceboat and then pour. That’s when the magic happens.”

Five more takes on the cake

Glass Kitchen No less fun than its soused counterparts, this booze-free version is made of lychee sorbet, raspberry ice cream, fruit jam, passion fruit, almond dacquoise and torched meringue. $16, glasskitchencanada.com

Nobu Nobu’s baked Alaska is as refined and revered as the brand’s other classics, made with palate-cleansing passion fruit sorbet, coconut sorbet and mango coulis. The petite sweet is flambéed with rum—at which point it’s ready for its close-up. $26, noburestaurants.com/toronto

Maxime’s Maxime’s marries two classic desserts—baked Alaska and bananas Foster—into a single stunner. It’s a combination of caramelized banana ice cream, nutty coffee financier, salted caramel and spiced rum. $25, maximestoronto.com

Blue Bovine Steak and Sushi House The baked Alaska at this Financial District steakhouse is a structural marvel of blackout cake, chocolate ice cream, raspberry sorbet and a layer of berry-prosecco truffle that serves up to four people. $30, bluebovine.com

Via Allegro This Etobicoke Italian staple’s baked Palermo is shot through with the flavours of Sicily: pistachio, olive oil and limoncello. A glug of flaming grappa delivers visual drama and the dessert’s downy shell. $23, viaallegroristorante.com