National Raspberry Bombe Day Date in the current year: August 11, 2024

A bombe (bombe glacée in French) is an ice cream dessert frozen in a spherical mold so that it resembles a cannonball. By extension, the term can be applied to any molded ice cream dessert even if it’s not hemispherical, as well as to molded frozen desserts made with sorbet, semifreddo or mousse. The baked Alaska is a variation of the bombe that is topped with meringue and very briefly placed in an extremely hot oven.

Bombes are believed to have originated in the early 1880s. The original recipe was most likely perfected by French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer Auguste Escoffier, whose 1903 restaurant cuisine cookbook La Guide Culinaire has more than 60 bombe recipes.

To make the dessert hold its shape, pastry chefs typically use a special mixture called pâte à bombe, which is made by whipping egg yolks with sugar syrup. The bombe mold is lined with pâte à bombe, which is given time to set, and then layers of ice cream are added to the mold. However, pâte à bombe isn’t a must; when making bombes at home, many people simply line a bowl with clingfilm or foil and fill it with ice cream.

The bombe can consist of multiple layers of ice cream that have different flavors and colors, and include other ingredients such as cream cheese, coulis (thick fruit sauce), cookies, waffers, chocolate chips, meringue pieces, slices of sponge cake, etc. The dessert can be decorated with fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate or caramel sauce, mint sprigs, and other ingredients.

A raspberry bombe is just what it says on the tin: an ice cream bombe flavored with raspberries. The easiest way to make one is to fill the mold with raspberry ice cream or sorbet, but there are other options. For example, one recipe calls for beating macerated raspberries (i.e. fresh raspberries soaked in sugar and lemon juice) with heavy cream and cream cheese, and filling the mold with the mixture. Another recipe suggests that you combine vanilla ice cream with a mixture of heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, raspberry puree and raspberry-flavored liqueur.

The origins of National Raspberry Bombe Day are unclear, but there is no doubt that this amazing dessert deserves to be celebrated. You can observe the holiday by treating yourself to a raspberry bombe from your local bakery, making the dessert yourself and sharing it with your loved ones, throwing a French-themed dessert party for your family and friends, and spreading the word on social media with the hashtags #NationalRaspberryBombeDay and #RaspberryBombeDay.

National Raspberry Bombe Day isn’t the only fruity holiday celebrated during the fresh raspberry season. If you love raspberry desserts, you can celebrate Raspberry Cheesecake Day on July 2, National Raspberry Cake Day on July 31, National Raspberry Cream Pie on August 1, National Raspberries and Cream Day on August 7, and National Raspberry Tart Day on August 11.