A Leap Year occurs every 4 Years or 1,461 Days. I thought i’d try to create a Leap Year recipe – perhaps something so cheeky that you should only make it every 4 Years, however 2 already exist – an African dessert called Skrikkeljaar poeding (skrikkeljaar pudding) and a Leap Year Cocktail originating in London! Here’s how to make them both, watch the video here or above to find out what I think!
How to make Leap Year Pudding Skrikkeljaar poeding
Preheat oven to 160Fan/180C or equivalent! Get an electric whisk and cream the softened butter, sugar and egg yolks together until fluffy. Also add in the vanilla extract and whisk through until combined.
Sift the flour, baking powder & salt together into the butter and sugar mixture and the 90ml of milk and stir well to fully combine, really make sure it’s combined well.
In a baking dish lightly greased with butter, pour in the batter mixture and bake for 30 minutes until baked through and a skewer comes out clean / it’ll be golden brown on top.
While the cake is baking, make a meringue by whisking the egg whites and adding the sugar gradually until stiff peaks form.
Remove the pudding from the oven, but do not switch the oven. Spread the apricot jam over the cake to cover it fully, then (this may seem odd, but it’ll soak in!) add the remaining 250 ml milk over the pudding / jam layer. Then dollop the meringue mixture on top!
Return to oven at the same temperature and bake for approx 20 minutes, or until the meringue topping is golden brown.
How to make a Leap Year Cocktail
This one is very simple, but I would add more lemon juice to taste! Simply add all the ingredients (say 4/5 ice cubes too) into a tumbler. Shake it up and serve!